2009 November Promise

THE PROMISE

NOVEMBER 2009 “Things themselves do not remain, but their effects do. Therefore we should not be mean and calculating with what we have but give with a generous hand. Look at how much people give to players and dancers why not give just as much to Christ?"

ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM

DATES TO REMEMBER:

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

NOVEMBER 1 & 8

A Message from our Pastor.....................2

QUESTIONS FOR THE LUNCH DISCUSSION SUBMITTED

NOVEMBER 15 LUNCH DISCUSSION ON THE FAITH WITH FR. N ICHOLAS

NOVEMBER 21

THE ENTRANCE OF THE THEOTOKOS DIVINE LITURGY 9:30AM

NOVEMBER 22

Secularism................................................4 Finding God ............................................7 Scenes From The Retreat......................10 Love & Worship....................................14 News & Notes.........................................12

PARISH THANKSGIVING LUNCHEON

Festival News..........................................15

NOVEMBER 25

2009 Thanksgiving.................................19

THANKSGIVING EVE LITURGY DIVINE LITURGY 6:00PM

JOY Scenes.............................................21

DECEMBER 6

Parish Assembly Minutes .....................23

PARISH ASSEMBLY & PARISH COUNCIL ELECTIONS

November Calendar..............................24 PAGE 1

THE PROMISE

PASTORAL MESSAGE In the Gospel according to Luke (see Lk 10: 15-21) 70 missionaries of the Lord return to Him and report with amazement and great delight that even demons were subdued in His Holy Name. And even though the disciples were jubilant over the fact that even demons are subject to Christ, the Lord Himself reminds them, and us of an even greater joy - as Christians, our names are written in heaven! Thus this event not only bears witness to the astounding things that are possible for every one of us to achieve in the name of the Lord (even in this day and age), but that all those who follow the Lord are remembered by Him. The defeat of demons is certainly very good news, but our salvation in Christ is even better news. The Lord our God makes it abundantly clear that while He is the ultimate victor in the war between good and evil, the battles are ongoing and our joy cannot be centered on any one struggle. Our enduring happiness must be rooted to the truth that no matter what, in Christ, our names are written in heaven. In Him, not only is the war against evil and sin ultimately won, but more importantly we are saved.

In every personal struggle, in every fight with sin and evil, our comfort and courage cannot be centered on the outcome, but on the fact that by abiding in Christ, God in His good pleasure, has seen to it to write our names down in heaven. Hence, there is no great secret to eternal happiness, it is simply life in Christ that in turn assures us of the everlasting joy of salvation. The billions of dollars people in our society spend on methods and formulas to try find meaning and happiness in this life is a marketing triumph; but no less a stinging indictment of faithless generations. Heaven is not a secret! True joy is neither elusive nor fleeting when we commit ourselves and our whole to Christ our God. With simple faith and open hearts, we cannot only find the way of the Lord, but we can discover the joy of salvation that no person, event or circumstance can strip away from us. Our happiness as Christians cannot sole be driven by what we are empowered to do in the name of the Lord, but to the priceless privilege of knowing in Christ, our names are written in heaven. In recognizing Jesus as the Son of God and faithfully following Him, He save us; and therein lies eternal joy.

REJOICE! GOD KNOWS AND LOVES YOU!

Yes it is true that we must fight a host of demons and their lures. And thanks be to God that in Christ we have the sure grace to overcome any manner of sin and evil. But the joy at defeating the devil in any myriad of ways actually pales by comparison to the elation that comes with realizing that the God of heaven and earth knows our name and we have an eternal relationship with Jesus Christ. We must delight in the fact that we are neither anonymous foot soldiers in an epic struggle between good and evil, nor are we sacrificial pawns in a greater plan. Instead, we have the privilege of waking up every day knowing the fact that each and every one of us belong to PAGE 2

Christ, we matter to Him and therefore He keeps our name in heaven!

Too often in describing our life in Christ and our relationship with the Lord, we focus on the toil and sacrifice at the expense of the joy there is in knowing HIM and He knowing us. Now there can be no doubt that the cost of discipleship is great, but there is at the exact same time an overflowing measure of delight in following Jesus Christ as Orthodox Christians.

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THE PROMISE

LUNCHEON DISCUSSIONS ON OUR FAITH On NOVEMBER 15TH we are going to have another edition of our Luncheon Discussions on our Faith with Father Nicholas.

On November 1 & 8th A QUESTION BOX will be set up for people to anonymously write down question(s) about any aspect of our faith, morality, etc. that they have always wanted to ask and never could find an opportunity to ask. Then on SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27TH after the Divine Liturgy we will share a lunch together, and FaTHEr. Nicholas will answer the anonymous questions that were submitted as well as any off the floor. This will hopefully be an enjoyable opportunity for our Church family get to know each other a little better by breaking bread together, as well as discover a little bit more about the Church and faith that is so very dear to us and our life. Please make plans to join us.

Luncheon Discussion With FaTHEr. Nicholas

When:

Sunday, November 15th

Where: Annunciation Ballroom Food:

Will be provided!

Cost:

$0.

Discussion & Fellowship: Priceless! YOU and your questions,

are the only ingredients needed to make this a success!

GET INVOLVED IN JOY, JR. GOYA & GOYA TODAY!!! JOY (JUNIOR ORTHODOX YOUTH): our youth ministry for the youngest members of our Church family up to age 9. JUNIOR GOYA: our youth ministry program geared for those youth to old for JOY and too young for GOYA! GOYA (GREEK ORTHODOX YOUTH OF AMERICA): our youth ministry geared towards those young people in our Church family ages 12-18.

These three vital ministries strive to instill Orthodox Christian principles and enhance our young people’s relationship with Christ through their experiences at the Annunciation. These ministries are guided by the principles of: Faith, Service, Fellowship & Fun. THE MORE OUR YOUTH PARTICIPATE , AND THE MORE THEIR PARENTS VOLUNTEER - THE BETTER THESE MINISTRIES FUNCTION . Parents please continue to make the Church’s youth ministries a priority within your home and remain steadfast in enabling your children to be active members of either JOY, JR. GOYA and/or GOYA. Furthermore, never forget the fact that these vital ministries can ALWAYS use your time and talents for the upcoming calendar of events!!! Contact an advisor today, and together let us continue to make these ministries soar to the glory of God! PAGE 3

THE PROMISE

SECULARISM AND THE MIND OF CHRIST & THE CHURCH: SOME PSYCHO-SPIRITUAL REFLECTIONS by FaTHEr. George Morelli

Secularism and its offspring including radical individualism, moral relativism, and religious and political correctness are a pernicious threat to the correct comprehension of Christian teaching. Secularism borrows the vocabulary and categories of the Christian moral tradition but fills them with a different meaning thereby evoking the authority of the tradition while changing its teaching. This bastardization of Christian thought is often promoted as a higher expression of the common good when in fact it causes grave moral confusion and sometimes justifies evil in the name of good. Secularism is not new. Intellectual history scholars locate the emergence of secular thought in the French Enlightenment, particularly in the writings of Jean Jacques Rousseau who rewrote the Genesis narrative by placing the locus of the Fall in Adam’s socialization rather than his private decision to disobey God. Rousseau effectively shifted responsibility for sin in the world – including the deleterious social effects some sins engender – from the individual to society. This reinterpretation of Genesis unleashed an idea that would have huge cultural ramifications. Society, not the individual, was responsible for the ills that beset it. The idea captured the minds of the intelligentsia relatively quickly. If the ills in society were primarily the result of socialization the thinking went, then the best way to heal the ills in society was through social reorganization. The first experiment in social enlightenment was the French Revolution – a popular movement that overthrew the medieval order in the name of Fraternity, Liberty, and Equality but ended up implementing a nascent totalitarianism in the crowing of Napoleon Bonaparte as emperor. The acceptance was not universal of course. England for example, was experiencing cataclysmic social changes of PAGE 4

its own, but the ideas unleashed in Revolutionary France never jumped the Channel. Why? Historians contend the Great Awakening led by John Wesley effectively inoculated England against Rousseau’s virus. Napoleon was effectively deposed when the French came back to their senses but Rousseau idea never died. They would reappear later especially in Marxism, which elevated the notion that the state was both the source and enforcer of the project to build a heaven on earth and set about to create the new utopia with ruthless efficiency. The count of the people who died under Communist brutality makes the French Revolution seem like child’s play and eludes the historians even today.

SECULARISM’S GOAL: A MORAL CONSENSUS WITHOUT GOD AS TOUCHSTONE Secularism rejects God as the touchstone of truth and meaning. Moreover, when God is rejected, the locus of truth — the place where truth emanates and where it is found — must necessarily rest in the created order. The locus shifts to man himself, and as pride and an inflated sense of self-sufficiency grows, ideas that find no court of accountability apart from the like-minded, are implemented in this quest for a new Jerusalem. When these ideas accept a-priori that improving the lot of man begins with social reorganization (the inevitable outgrowth of Rousseau initial assertion), the state becomes both the source and enforcer of morality — often with catastrophic results. Communism fell but the dream of earthly utopia continues unabated. Susan Jacoby, no friend of religion, recently asserted: “What the many types of freethinkers share, regardless of their views on the existence or non existence of a divinity, was a rationalist approach to the fundamentals of earthly existence — a conviction that the affairs of human beings should be governed not by faith in the supernatural but by a reliance on reason and evidence adduced from the natural world.” She went on to say: “Biblical authority is cited by politicians and judges as a rationale for the death penalty. Vital public health programs — the use of condoms to prevent the spread of AIDS, family planning aid to Third

THE PROMISE World countries, sex education for American teenagers (unless it preaches “abstinence only”) — are held hostage by the religious doctrines of a determined conservative minority.” She postulates that in a democratic society, “there must be a moral consensus, extending beyond and in some instances contradicting particular religious beliefs, to maintain the social contract.” Overlooking for the moment the self-congratulatory term “free-thinker” that Jacoby ascribes to herself and her compatriots, note how the justification for the negation of any religious dimension of the social problems she cites rests in her assertion that rationalism alone is sufficient for solving those problems. Conditioned as we are to this assertion, it strikes our ears — initially at least — as entirely plausible. But is it really? Take a closer look at it. The assertion is universal in character. It posits that rationalism alone, that is, a self-contained and self-referencing system of ideas that broaches no recourse to a touchstone outside of the creative capacity of the individual, is sufficient for solving the catastrophic moral collapse that looms before us. Moreover, because Jacoby’s statement is universal in character, it functions as a religious precept even while simultaneously denying the existence of the transcendent. In denying religious authority (in this case arguing that the influence of the Holy Scriptures in judgments about human behavior should be dismissed), the statement also denies God and substitutes in its place the sufficiency of the human mind to script the social reorganization necessary to solve the social problems she listed. Jacoby is clearly a daughter of Rousseau.

CRITICAL QUESTIONS CONCERNING CONSENSUS Jacoby is correct in her assertion that a shared morality is necessary for social cohesion, a dynamic we call the cultural consensus. She is also correct in her brief historical analysis that in times past the consensus was shaped by Christian morality. Finally, she is correct that the cultural consensus is shattering. This shattering creates considerable moral confusion that results in grave social problems, some of which she

cited. A question arises that Jacoby never asked (although she answered): Where will the new consensus be drawn from? What happens if different groups conflict about what is morally acceptable, as is the case today? What rule (and who will be the arbiters of that rule) determines which consensus is favored when conflicts occur? Several critical questions are raised by Jacoby's queries. Which group of people determines the consensus? What happens if different groups are in conflict in terms of what is morally acceptable? Can distinct groups of individuals come to a different consensus on morality and acceptability of behavior? What rule determines which consensus is the right consensus when consensus conflicts occur?

OBSERVATIONS FROM ANTHROPOLOGY: THERE IS NO CONSENSUS These questions are not new to cultural anthropologists. The discipline of cultural anthropology includes beliefs, cognitive organization, economies, family structure ideas, justice and sanctioning institutions, marriage, religious practices, sexual practices, social structure, technologies, values, and various other elements. A wide variety of cultures and peoples inhabit the earth with a wide variety of standards that define morally acceptable and normative behaviors. Put another way, many societies or groups have a different consensus on what constitutes normative behavior. A couple of examples can illustrate this lack of consensus. In Melanesia, some tribal groups display homosexual relations among men that are universal and obligatory Another example is a marital lifestyle called polyandry, which involves one woman having multiple husbands. One subtype occurring in Tibet and Nepal is fraternal polyandry. In this behavioral pattern a group of brothers marries one woman. The oldest brother most often is the designated groom during the wedding service. However; all the brothers are recognized as her husband by this ceremony and all have sexual rights to her. The brothers also assume a group responsibility for all the children produced from this marriage. Other examples include normative child marriage among some groups in Ethiopia and Nigeria, It is (continued on page 8) PAGE 5

THE PROMISE

PASTORAL MESSAGE (Continued from page 2)

Orthodox Christian worship at the Annunciation is NOT work, but rather an exuberant expression of faithful joy. It is founded on the delight of knowing God, and realizing that He has written our names in heaven. Orthodox Christian services are happy manifestations of praise and adoration for the One who loves us, knows us, and saves us. They require effort, but not at the expense of the everlasting wonder that comes by communion with the living God. Orthodox Christian service and stewardship are NOT merely painstaking obligations of the Lord’s followers. They are in reality demonstrations of spiritual pleasure. For it is in our overflowing joy in Christ that we are pleased to minister unto others and support His Holy Church. We do not serve God or His people in the name of the Lord motivated by guilt or fear, but out of an abundance of love and gladness in the salvation that Christ alone provides. Orthodox Christian outreach, missions and evangelism are NOT part of a arduous routine, but expressions of authentic happiness in Christ. In the joy of knowing that He has written our names in heaven, we are glad to praise God before others. Sharing new life in Christ and His Church with the world is not labor, when we realize the fact that it is instead a sign of the bliss we know that comes with being one in Christ. In enduring every manner of persecution, confronting every form of evil, and overcoming any number of temptations we make it clear that we put the consolation of knowing God and the joy of realizing that He knows us, above and beyond the lure of any sin. Studying the word of the Lord, obeying His commandments and adhering to the teachings of His Church is NOT drudgery when it is inspired by the joy of knowing who God is, and what HE is doing for us. As Orthodox Christians we are not motivated to follow Him in order to try and avoid making God mad with us. Instead, we happily seek the manner PAGE 6

and means to please the Lord because we so deeply appreciate the gift of salvation that He alone offers. Ultimately, if we do not find joy in knowing that Jesus is the Christ; if we find no satisfaction in realizing that through Him, our names are written in heaven; and if we find no delight in reading His word, worshipping Him in His House or serving Him and all of His people… it is NOT because there is no joy in being a Christian. It is because we have perhaps lost sight of who Jesus Christ is, and how HE has chosen to write our names in HEAVEN. In the words of Saint Peter: (1Peter 1:3-8)

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…. and to an inheritance which is imperishable,, undefiled,, and unfading,, kept in heaven for you,, who by God's power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. IN THISS YOU REJOICE, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials,, so that the genuineness of your faith,, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire,, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Without having seen Him you love Him; though you do not now see Him you believe in Him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy."

Rev. Dr. Nicholas J. Verdaris

THE PROMISE

FINDING GOD AGAIN CHURCH

IN THE

by John Kapsalis

It is said in our tradition that the church did not begin some two thousand years ago, but rather the church started in Paradise when God had intimate conversations with Adam and Eve. It must have been awesome! Sadly, so much has changed in the millennia since that first talk. So much from that first love has soured. The familiarity and the mystery now seem faded, almost too distant to ever have been real. And though that break was restored once again on Pentecost, our scars never really left, leaving scabs of brokenness, inadequacy and yes, sinfulness. How then is the church to live? In the Bible, the word "church" means "to be called out;" that is, called out by God to be a holy people, because our God is holy. And that means that we pursue holiness not as an idea but as a lifestyle, where we say yes to becoming the house of God. We say yes to relating to each other as if to Christ. We say yes to loving God above everything else. We say yes to Jesus Christ as our eternal salvation. The church is not the building or the icons or the candles or even the religious services. The church is the people of God. The church is the community that believes in Jesus Christ as their savior, their lover, their God. The church is that unique family that is meant to live, to love, to care for, to support and yes even to die for each other. In the church everyone counts. Each one of us that has been baptized is a part-an important and vital part-of this family. To the extent that if one person no longer is involved with the church, then the church misses something and becomes, in a way, handicapped. It mourns and does everything to bring that lost son and daughter back into the family.

AUTHENTIC COMMUNITIES There can't be any pretending in a church-in a true community. Relationships have to be real. There has

to be a strong sense of belonging, where everyone knows they will be listened to and supported by all the others, where everyone shares in each other's joys and struggles as if they were their own. This is what people always wanted from church, and I think probably want that sense of belonging now more than ever because it is community that defines who we are. We can look at it this way. We know that when Jesus calls us to enter His kingdom, He calls us first to enter into a new relationship with Him. But by entering this new kingdom, God then calls us to community, because even God is community. God is three in oneFather, Son and Holy Spirit-each so distinct yet also so completely related to one another through pure and deep love that they are one. It is this mystery of Godso completely one, yet also so completely community that we are called to represent and to be in the world. In other words, the church is nothing but a people who are so closely united that our own communion with each other is like that of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. So much so, that as St Gregory of Nyssa said, if anyone then looked at the church, he would look at Christ. And I think that sums it all up. You know, Church is radical. It is insane and crazy, according to the world's standards, to live like this. It calls for a depth of relationship where we cover each other's back; that we help each other stay away from sin; that we become the hands and feet of Jesus to each other; that we model God to the world because the church is the new model for humanity. But this love has to be real. It is a love that makes great demands on us. It is a love that demands respect for every person. It is a love that demands care, kindness, patience, active concern for others, and giving of one's self— one's life to and for others because that's what Jesus did-He loved us and was delivered up for us.

SEEING GOD IN THE CHURCH If we saw the church this way, then the world would see God in us. We know that no one on the planet has

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THE PROMISE

SECULARISM AND THE MIND OF CHRIST & THE CHURCH (continued from page 5)

reported by Nour that 50% of girls are married before the age of 15 and some girls are married as young as the age of seven. A contemporary illustration was reported by CNN in 2009 report: “Husbands are allowed to slap their wives if they spend lavishly, a Saudi judge said recently during a seminar on domestic violence, Saudi media reported Sunday. Arab News, a Saudi English-language daily newspaper based in Riyadh, reported that Judge Hamad Al-Razine said that, "if a person gives SR 1,200 ($320) to his wife and she spends 900 riyals ($240) to purchase an abaya (the black cover that women in Saudi Arabia must wear) from a brand shop and if her husband slaps her on the face as a reaction to her action, she deserves that punishment." In most Western Countries including the United States, such punishment would be considered physical abuse and the husband would be subject to criminal action.

THE MIND OF CHRIST AND THE MIND OF HIS CHURCH In the Christian West, the collapse of a cultural consensus has caused deep social instability, some of it catastrophic over the last few centuries (the last century in particular) and most everyone intuitively understands that some kind of resolution must be found. Societies, like individuals, can only endure instability for so long, especially when the instability threatens a collapse. Two roads are open us: a slide into an imposed order that marshals the organs and authority of the state (the inevitable end of Jacoby’s type of secularism), or a turning back to individual accountability before God. Some of the responsibility for this slide into secularism must be borne by Christians as well. No person who departs from the teaching of Christ is a true Christian no matter if he calls himself. In the history of the early Church, eminent historian Jaroslav Pelikan wrote of St. John Chrysostom's view on the undisciplined state of the Church in the late fourth century, after PAGE 8

Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. It reads a description of Christianity today. Quoting Pelican, “Chrysostom lamented the incursion of hordes of uncommitted new members in the Church and the breakdown of church discipline it presaged," — what today we would call nominal or "cafeteria" Christianity. Imperial fiat conscripted citizens into the Church. Little care was given to their beliefs or morals. Today, those who are Christian in name only or confuse their Christian identity with ethnic identity, hardly model Christ-like values that conform to the mind of the Church and thus are not examples of being a true follower of Christ. The term mind of the Church refers to the collective teaching of what it takes to be a true follower of Christ by those recognized by the Church as authentic followers of Christ whose teaching and way of life can be trusted. These teachers stand on and within the Gospel of Christ given to us by the Apostles and which constitute and judge the Church even today. Clarity in theological and in some cases moral matters was hard fought. Scripture records the conflicts the Apostle Paul had with false teachers who attempted to subvert the Gospel of Christ. Church councils were often call in the heat of conflict and in some cases persecution (Iconoclasm for example). Indeed, conflict within and without the Church is to be expected although it may ebb and flow from one generation to the next. St. Matthew (7: 15-16) quotes our Lord saying, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.” This exhortation defines what is meant by the term the mind of the Church. Think of historical atrocities committed in the name of Christ. Are they of Christ? Of course not. Evil often masquerades as good to hide its real nature. But a simple test of whether or not it conforms to the mind of the Church, that is, if it conforms to the body of moral and theological teaching which has emerged from the previous experience of persons living

THE PROMISE in and through the Gospel of Christ (the Tradition) clarifies the question in short order.

AN EXAMPLE OF MISATTRIBUTION This distinction is lost on thinkers like Jacoby however since it does not confirm to her thesis that Christianity is absolutist in character and laced with contradiction. She writes, “It is often noted that religion played a major role in both the nineteenth-century abolitionist and the twentieth-century civil rights movements, but, as Lincoln pointedly observed, the Bible was used just a frequently to justify slavery as to support emancipation.” She’s right of course but only partially. There were indeed Christians that argued that the holding of slaves conformed to Christian morality. But so what? Clearly the larger body of teaching prohibited slavery, and slavery was finally outlawed largely first through the successful appeals to the conscience of a nation by Christians (Wilberforce in England, Thomas Clarkson and others in the US), and then through political and social work of others holding the same convictions. Posting two opposing views from two Christians does not negate the body of teaching developed over the centuries, and Jacoby’s attempt to dismiss the moral authority of Christianity in this way is little more than a cheap ploy. It is a-historical, but then moral relativism usually is. It also blinds one to a crucial cultural fact: the basis from it is even possible to conceive as slavery as a moral wrong could only have come from Christianity. This notion is rooted deep in the Decalogue where liberation from slavery was initially conceived. FaTHEr. Alexander Men wrote, “The Mosaic religion was born along with the idea of salvation. The first commandment of the Decalogue reminds us that Yahweh liberated [H]is people from the slavery in which they languished. The general masses always understood salvation entirely concretely, as liberation from enemies and natural disasters. The Prophets inspired this hope, inserting into it eschatological contents.”

misunderstood and even applied, by any individual, who out of pride, passion, lust for power or delusion attempt a personal interpretation apart from the Mind of the Church. The famous passage in St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians (6: 5-9) immediately comes to mind: “Slaves, be obedient to those who are your earthly masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as to Christ; not in the way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that whatever good any one does, he will receive the same again from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. Masters, do the same to them, and forbear threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.” Jacobse pointed out, that the meaning of the word slave from the Greek ‘doulos’ is better rendered household servant. In actuality this position of household servant has little or nothing to do with the horrific slave trade on the West African shore discovered by Portuguese merchants in the 15th Century and imported to the American Hemisphere over the ensuing centuries. If anything the roots for the eradication of slavery as it was known in the Americas (& elsewhere) can be traced to the genuine Mind of Christ and the Church. To Titus (2:11) St. Paul writes: “For the grace of God has (continued on page??)

WORDS OF WISDOM Every work which does not have love as its beginning and root is nothing. -St. John Chrysostom

Now there are a number of references to slavery in New Testament scripture. These passages can be easily PAGE 9

THE PROMISE

2009 Christ Encounter

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SAVE THE DATE! On Sunday, January 24th we will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the ordination of Father. Pierre Delfos. The entire Church family is invited to attend this special event so that together we may herald this wonderful milestone and thank God for the very special shepherd He called to serve within His vineyards. Metropolitan Nicholas of Detroit will in visiting in order to lead the festivities and all that will be missing is YOU!

HOW TO PLEASE THE LORD Of the many ways we can show the Lord just how important He is to us and our life, perhaps nothing is as meaningful as when we come to worship Him at His House at the appointed time. To do this as an expression of love. It speaks volumes about the content of our heart, the fervor of our faith and the importance of Christ in our life. Just as when our own children do something we ask of them, not because they “have to” but because it will please us, so too will the Lord be moved by an ongoing commitment to attend the services at the Annunciation punctually with ready hearts, minds and souls. MATINS, 9:00AM PAGE 12

SUNDAY / DIVINE LITURGY, 10:00AM

OUR STEWARDSHIP ANNUNCIATION

OF THE

Stewardship is our response to God’s grace and moves us from grace to gratitude. Just as we love because God first loved us (I John 4:14), we give because God first gave to us. The question of the Psalmist “What shall I give to the Lord in return for all His benefits towards me?” (Ps 116:2), is answered in every Liturgy when the priest calls us to “offer ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.”As Orthodox Christians, we are called to a new way of seeing things – a new way of life. Our stewardship is obedience to the great commandment to “love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.” With our stewardship of the Annunciation in the midst of these uncertain times we can help bring others to commit their lives to Jesus Christ in such a way that leads to the joy of knowing Him personally and profoundly. As Orthodox Christians, we see the world as God’s gift, as a sacrament of God’s presence and a means of communion with Him. With our stewardship we are able to offer the world back to God as thanksgiving as we say in every Divine Liturgy “Thine own of Thine own we offer to thee…”

OUR CHURCH FAMILY HAS COMMIT ITSELF TO THE GOAL OF $320,000 FOR 2009 AND TOGETHER WITH GOD’S GRACE, WE CAN DO THIS FOR THE SAKE OF

HIS WORD AND HIS HOLY HOUSE.

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THANK YOU! The Annunciation family must pause to thank the members of the Lily Garden Club who so graciously and lovingly have sought to improve the grounds of the Church! Most especially the entrance way into the Church. We are blessed to have such gifted Church members willing to share their passion for the glory of God and His Church. Thank You!

FROM PRESBYTERA MARIA To my beloved Church family of the Annunciation, Words cannot express enough to you my appreciation to each and everyone of you for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time in our lives. The overwhelming response of comforting meals, emails, phone calls, cards, gifts and flowers and most importantly prayers, have humbled me, and bring tears to my eyes as I write this. I know now more than ever in my life, that God’s love for us is manifested by the kindness and love of others as revealed to us by His own Only-Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. And throughout this overwhelming process, your love and support, spirited by the Grace of the Holy Spirit sustains and comforts me. I am not sure why in my love I deserve such love, but I am eternally grateful. I pray and thank God for each of you, blessing and enriching my life. I love you all with all of my heart. In Christ, Presbytera Maria

MINISTRY OPPORTUNITY With the Fall season underway, we are afforded the opportunity to expand the work of the Lord through His Church of the Annunciation. And the more people directly involved in the work of the Lord, the greater the outpouring of God’s love and grace. We are pleased to note that Christopher Huckabay has come forward to serve as a HOME MISSIONS LIAISON and will help coordinate with Father Nicholas opportunities for the parish to serve in the name of the Lord within the Little Rock area. We are still looking for an individual to come forward and serve as a FOREIGN MISSIONS LIAISON. This position will work with FaTHEr. Nicholas to help put into motion opportunities for our parish to be more involved in spreading the Good News of Christ around the world. If someone is interested in expanding our involvement in foreign missions, please contact FaTHEr. Nicholas.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! The Annunciation family congratulates our own LAURA METI who is now a Registered Nurse. She graduated the University of Central Arkansas with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and minor in Spanish. We are blessed to have another gifted member of our Church family commit themselves to helping others in the field of medicine.

May God bless the work of your hands!!!

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THE PROMISE 

FELLOWSHIP HOUR  WE

NEED SPONSORS FOR

THE COMING MONTHS ! ! !

If you or your family would like to commemorate a special event, honor the memory of a loved one or would simply like to offer a gift to the Annunciation family. . . you too can sponsor a Fellowship Hour!

PLEASE

September 17, 2009

CHECK THE BULLETIN

B O A R D A N D S I G N U P T O D A Y!

Dear Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, Thank you for the blessing of your significant support to the American Bible Society through the Metropolis of Detroit and designated to the military New Testament for Orthodox men and women serving in our military. I can think of no finer investment than one that helps to share the Bible with men and women who face incredible, often life-threatening, challenges. We are thankful for you and your support in gift and prayer. Sincerely,

Simon Barnes Executive Vice President

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OUTREACH COMMITTEE MEET & GREET SCHEDULE November 1st . . . . . . . . . . . . Jack Weatherly November 8th. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Hunter November 15th. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robin Jones November 22nd . . . . . . . . . . Sharon Johnson November 29th . . . . . Christopher Huckabay December 6th. . . . . . . . . . . . Carole Hawkins December 13th . . . . . . . . . . . Jeannie Newton December 20th . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rick Newton December 27th . . . . . . . . . . . Jack Weatherly

THE PROMISE

OUR CONDOLENCES The Annunciation family notes with deep sadness the passing of our brother in Christ, FADDY RIHANI who fell asleep in the Lord.

 The Annunciation family notes with deep sadness the passing of our sister in Christ, ROSE SABB, the mother of Joe Sabb & Janet Mousa, who fell asleep in the Lord.

 The Annunciation family notes with deep sadness the passing of our brother in Christ, PETER KHAMIS, the brother of Adam Khamis, who fell asleep in the Lord.

 The Annunciation family notes with deep sadness the passing of our brother in Christ, ANGELO PAPPAS, the brother of Dr. James Pappas, who fell asleep in the Lord.

 The Annunciation family notes with deep sadness the passing of our brother in Christ, KOSTA CONSTANTINIDES, the father of Christina Myers, who fell asleep in the Lord.

 Let us keep all of these families in our prayers and beseech the Lord to offer them His comfort and strength.

“May Their Memory Be Eternal.”

2010 FESTIVAL NEWS The time has come to starting organizing for the 2010 International Greek Food Festival! And we are very pleased to announce that RAOUF KASSISSIEH has come forward to serve as our 2010 Festival Chairman (and we look forward to soon announcing our Co-Chair). At this time we ask Church family members to please inform local non-profit charities that would like to assist in and benefit from our Festival, to now submit their letter to the Church with some information about their endeavor and their desire to be a sponsored charity of the 2010 Festival.

ALL CHARITY APPLICATION LETTERS FOR THE 2010 F ESTIVAL MUST RECEIVED BY NOVEMBER 29 TH IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED !!! Then, during our Parish Assembly on December 6th, family we will select the charities for the 2010 Festival. Together, lets continue to move our Festival to new heights to the glory of God and His Church at the Annunciation!

REMINDER! The SUNDAY SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE will take place on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH!

Check us out!!! PAGE 15

THE PROMISE

SECULARISM AND THE MIND OF CHRIST & THE CHURCH (continued from page 9)

appeared for the salvation of all men.” Consider the words of the psalmist (8:5-6): “[W]hat is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou dost care for him? Yet thou hast made him little less than God, and dost crown him with glory and honor.” Because of the God given dignity of mankind, the Church has the built in foundation to be centered on Christ, eradicate wrongdoing, and grow in the understanding and application of the teachings Christ gave to His Church. The guideline of this understanding is conformity to the Mind of Christ and the Church. Bishop Hierotheos Vlachos states: . "The word mind denotes the way of thinking and consequently the way of acting as a member of the Orthodox Church." This Mind of the Church was sealed at Pentecost and has passed down to the Church to the present day. Recall St. Paul’s words: "I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you" (1 Corinthians 11:2). St Paul told the Ephesians "you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone…" (2:19,30). St Luke told his readers: "Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, [bishops and priests] to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son (Acts 20:28). Following St. Paul, these traditions, oral first and then written were passed from the apostles to their successors, the bishops and priests. All we have in the Church, its oral tradition, written tradition (Holy Scripture), Holy Mysteries, prayers, teachings of the Church Fathers and saints, holy councils, icons, architecture, music, all proclaim the glory and mind of Christ. Collectively they are the Mind of the Church.

FIRST CAVEAT: CHRIST DOES NOT ENDORSE ANY SPECIFIC FORM OF GOVERNMENT This may come as a shock to Americans and any who PAGE 16

live under a democratic politic. It should be noted the Church does not endorse or conform to any particular governmental system: democracy, dictatorship or theocracy are all spiritually neutral. That is to say, they are themselves outside of the Mind of Christ and the Church. Christ, Himself told us: "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." (Mt 22: 21) The key to spiritually judging any particular governmental system, (including Caesar’s) is if it conforms to the Mind of Christ and the Church. This is seen in St. Paul’s instruction to the Colossians (4: 1) “Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.” By implication this means thus all governments and leaders, no matter a president, king, emperor, dictator, priest or bishop must treat all they govern “justly and fairly.” SECOND CAVEAT: THE MIND OF CHRIST IS BASED ON DIVINE JUSTICE NOT HUMAN JUSTICE One primary example of Divine Justice-Human Justice distinction is found in the parable of the workers in the Vineyard (Mat 20: 1-16): "For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place; and to them he said, 'You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.' And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.' And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder, saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with

THE PROMISE me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?' So the last will be first, and the first last." Why this parable, violates human justice and is so repugnant to many is easy to see. By human standards it is “unfair.” It violates human sensibility and law. Why should someone who worked only one hour be paid the same as one who labored all day and bore the scorching heat? In the United States, labor unions would run to court and such a human injustice. Regulations and rules should be the same for all. But this is not how God operates. Starting with the incarnation itself, we merit nothing. God, “ineffable, inconceivable, invisible, incomprehensible, ever existing and eternally the same,”[i] emptied Himself for our salvation. Recall St. Paul’s words to the Philippians (2:6): “…who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped ..” Grace is freely given. No one has a right to anything. By trust in God, and conforming our minds and hearts to His, by adopting the Mind of Christ and the Church we trust based on His Love and Mercy that we will be deified and be one with Him not only on earth, but in eternal life. Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain, gives us the following example: “The person who has trust in Divine Justice is neither upset when treated unfairly, nor seeks his justice; on the contrary, he accepts the false accusations as if they were true, and does not try to convince others that he has been slandered; instead he asks to be forgiven. Some or our saints called themselves intemperate, without of course being so, because they hoped and trusted in divine justice.” The Elder’s constant reminder was to always seek God’s justice “…and all these things shall be yours as well.” Mt 6: 33).

CORE TEACHINGS THAT ARE HUMANLY INCOMPREHENSIBLE Now there are to be sure some teachings that are humanly incomprehensible and some which violate human justice that are at the core of the Mind of Christ and the Church. God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, (e.g. the Father is not to be named Creator); the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father (not the Father and the

Son); only males can be ordained to the Holy Priesthood, because only males are the proper icon of Christ; only a man and woman can be united in marriage blessed by God, through His Church. While type of government is not within the scope of the Mind of Christ and the Church, the way rulers govern and the content of what is legislated and executed is at the core of this Mind. Rather following Christ’s exhortation to the Romans (6: 16-18): Do you not know that if you yield yourselves to any one as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. As mentioned above, it is in this guise we can understand the rebuke of Jesus to the Pharisees and Herodians, who were trying to entrap Him : "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." (Mat 22:21). Over the years it is righteous rulers that are acknowledged among the Just, those who while living on this earth as members of Christ’s Body, lead exemplary lives and models of Christ to family and society. Indeed they fulfilled in their lives the counsel of St. Paul and died as “..an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.. righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness” (1Tim 4:12, 6: 11), of Christ.

CONSTRUAL INFLUENCES ACTIONS The reason why this issue of secularism is so important is psychologists such as George Kelly, has demonstrated the way we construe, that is the interpretation of the meaning of something, greatly influences our thoughts feelings and actions. the act of construing the world, Kelly states these constructions are based on a postulate which is defined as self-evident premise or assertion that guides and give meaning to our lives. Kelly’s fundamental postulate is a ground level postulate, premises and assertions that form the foundation of much of our thinking). Kelly did not concern himself with the origin of personal constructs. In other words, his fundamental premise is the way we construe the world guides our lives, but he leaves open how these constructions come about.

(continued on page 23) PAGE 17

THE PROMISE

FINDING GOD AGAIN (continued from page 7)

ever seen God. But if we love each other; that is, if the church really lived like the people of God — then the world would get a picture of God through us (cf 1 John 4:11). Or as the nuns at the Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania put it: "When [we] love each other in the spiritual sense… [we] actually recognize God dwelling within the other. As we greet someone, we worship God, for man is the icon of God. Man is a living icon." So we, the people of God are the church. We, the people are the true icons. I don't believe God wants us to spend our time and money just trying to make a building beautiful, but rather He wants us to build up people — people who are the real church buildings — the real houses of God. But I'm afraid we've gone so far away from this understanding of what the church is, that it's no wonder that people say they are bored with it, that they no longer get anything out of church.

BACK TO THE PAST So where do we go from here? Above all, we need to go back to our real calling which is the mission given us by Christ, the work of Christ himself: "to preach the good news to the poor, to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to captives and the recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to announce, 'This is God's year to act!'" (Luke 4:18). We also need to show people how remarkable it is to be in love with God—to treasure Him and to want nothing more but to be with Him. In order to do that, though, we have to live as though our citizenship is not here on earth but is in heaven. Another thing we must be aware of is that so many people walk into our church buildings on Sunday, carrying silent but heavy burdens of hopelessness, of fear, and of pain and no one reaches out to them. We have to work harder at loving each other. We need to find ways to be more hospitable. We tend to PAGE 18

be too focused on our personal spirituality, not understanding that our faith, our Christianity cannot be lived in isolation. It is expressed, validated and lived out in relation to others. I think this is why the church in the early centuries grew by leaps and bounds. The gospel explodes all our prejudices, our hatred, and our greed and replaces it not only with a peace beyond all understanding but also with a love that is extravagant. Where we take on each other's burdens. Where we sacrifice our wants and maybe even our needs. Where we become ready to fight for justice, to fight against child sexual slavery and hunger, to help unwed mothers, and to stop the disintegration of the family. And I think once we start doing that, then the world will begin to see the churchthe people of God-as relevant and meaningful, as something they want to be a part of. This is after all what church is. God calls us to follow Him and love, as He loves. And if we do that-if we live knowing that our own happiness, our own peace and our own joy depend on whether we live for others— then we will finally have true communion with God and with each other. Then we will at last live as the church of God-as a people living in the light and power of the coming Kingdom. And I know that when we can achieve that, then the world will have come one step closer to seeing God.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: “The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.” - H.U. Westermayer

THE PROMISE

THANKSGIVING SERVICE

FUNNY THANKSGIVING

There is no better way for Orthodox Christians to celebrate and honor one of the most noble of national holidays than to gather as a Church family and praise God for all the blessings He has given us - in His Holy Church. This year before you finish or start to cook the turkey, mash the potatoes, and prepare the table for family and friends, let us gather at the Annunciation on W EDNESDAY EVENING , November 25th and together as a faithful Church family us offer the Lord our God true thanks.

Little Johnny and his family were having Thanksgiving dinner at his Grandmother's house. Everyone was seated around the table as the food was being served. When little Johnny received his plate, he started eating right away. "Johnny wait until we say our prayer," his mother reminded him. "I don't have to," the boy replied. "Of course, you do," his mother insisted. "We say a prayer before eating at our house." "That's at our house," Johnny explained. "But this is Grandma's house, and she knows how to cook!"

The DIVINE LITURGY will begin at 6:00pm. Let us all make some time to thank the Lord this Thanksgiving.

WHAT MADE AMERICA GREAT? “It was the belief in the accountability of man to his maker that made America a great nation. Among those earlier leaders was Daniel Webster whose blazing eyes and fiery oratory often held the Senate spellbound. In those days the Congress was composed of strong, noble statesmen who carried the weight of the nation in their hearts and minds. Someone asked: "Mr. Webster, what do you consider the most serious thought that has ever entered your mind?" "The most solemn thought that has ever entered my mind is my accountability to my maker," he replied. Men like that cannot be corrupted and bought. They do not have to worry if someone listens to their telephone calls. What they were in character and in deportment resulted from their belief that they would finally be accountable to God.” --A.W. Tozer

November 22nd

ANNUNCIATION THANKSGIVING LUNCHEON You are invited & we have A LOT to celebrate! LET’S COME TOGETHER AND GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD! PAGE 19

THE PROMISE

2010 ANNUNCIATION PARISH COUNCIL ELECTION NOTICE Elections for a position on the Annunciation Parish Council will be held on SUNDAY , D ECEMBER 6, 2009. Please note that candidates and nominating witnesses must be members in good standing with the Parish for at least one year immediately preceding the date of the election and register as candidates in person. Those men and women who love the Lord are active in the life of the parish and have a sincere desire to serve Christ and His Church at the Annunciation and would like to be a candidate for a seat on the Parish Council must register as a candidate in person and have a witness sign the form on the Fellowship Hall bulletin board by SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22ND, 2009. Then, in accordance with the Archdiocesan Uniform Parish Regulations, ALL CANDIDATES are required to meet with Father Nicholas on Sunday,, NOVEMBER 22ND in order to be eligible to serve and be placed on the official ballot.

TIME TO THINK AHEAD ! Help support the ministries of the Annunciation as well as share your Christmas love with your Church family by including your family name in the ANNUNCIATION COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS CARD. For $15.00 you can support the work of the parish and spread some love. Sign up and you can rest assured that everyone in our Church family receives your loving Christmas wishes. See Anna Clift or Eva Sargent. PAGE 20

YOUTH PROJECT AT OAKLAND -FRATERNAL CEMETERY by Helen Hronas

On Sunday, October 4, the historic Oakland Cemetery held its first ever fundraiser, horse and carriage tours of the cemeteries, which included stops at sites where various prominent persons were interred. The tours included brief narrations of their histories. One of those personages was Annunciation's first priest who was also the first Greek Orthodox priest to serve in America, Father Kallinikos Kanellas. As members of the Board of Directors of Oakland, Jeanne Spencer and I were so pleased that our Annunciation young people as a part of their service during the annual Christ Encounter Saturday retreat, the chore of cleaning all the monuments of Greek Orthodox Christians in the section where Father Kanellas and many other Orthodox Christians of his era were buried. The monuments looked so much better than they ever had, and we were so proud of our young people's efforts, especially when the carriage stopped and the narrator described Father Kanellas' place in our church's history. Annunciation is blessed to have such wonderful youth who have shown their love for Christ in so many ways. Thanks to all of you for a job well done.

THE PROMISE

JOY Retreat

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THE PROMISE

SECULARISM AND THE MIND OF CHRIST & THE CHURCH (continued from page 17)

Given the variability found among different cultures, the content of how different cultures view their world and others is itself variable. Truth can not be found in contradiction. Secularism, relativism, freethinking is the mother of contradiction.

THE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION FOR CHRISTIANS: CHRIST OR CONSENSUS? I have tried to indicate in this essay that consensus leads to conflict. It could be the tyranny of the majority over the minority, the minority over the majority or simply attempting to determine which consensus is the ‘true’ consensus. True Christians can cut through this by focusing on He who said: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.” (Jn 14:6). They do this, not by cultural or ethnic identity or considering themselves members of a club or organization, but conforming their mind to the Mind of Christ and the Mind of His Church. From this follows that their hearts and actions will be Christ-like. Such Christians understand the words of St. Paul to the Ephesians (4:13) that they come to: “… knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” The mind of the Christian conformed to Christ and His Church, does not look to the world or consensus to know right from wrong. There is no question, that abortion, adultery, euthanasia, missing Divine Liturgy and prayer, promiscuity, same sex marriage, sex outside marriage, separation of those who call themselves Christ’s from the Apostolic Church of Christ, smoking, uncharitableness, unjust or tricky business practices, woman’s ordination are plain and simply wrong.

WHY I AM COMMITTED TO CHRIST! I was recently asked a question, by a highly educated scientist why I was committed to Christ and His Church. PAGE 23

I admit being taken a back because except for my religious scholasticate [seminary] days in which I studied the proofs of God’s existence, I seldom give this question any thought. So I answered my the first thing that came to mind, and it was from the bottom of my heart. Without Christ and all He is he world does not make sense. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the sum total of truth, beauty, goodness and being. My answer immediately brought up a crisis in the life one of my most favorite contemporary spiritual father, Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain I quoted above. Ageloglou, the Elder’s biographer recounts the incident. One day when still a child, Arsenios (future monk Paisios) was walking in the woods carrying a wooden cross and praying. He was accosted by an atheist, who mocked him and said “[God] does not exist. These religious stories are made up by some priests.” Arsenios fell on the ground and felt “confused, desperate and extremely sad, I asked Christ to give me an indication of His existence…” Suddenly the future elder had a thought: “Wasn’t Christ the kindest man ever on earth. No one has ever found anything evil in Him. So whether he is God or not, I don’t care. Based on the fact hat He is the kindest man on earth and I haven’t known anyone better, I will try to become like Him and absolutely obey everything the Gospel says. I will even give my life for Him, if needed, since He is so kind.”

APPLICATION TO ALL WHO ARE TRUE CHRISTIANS Anyone who is a true Christian will take all the above to heart. Consensus without Christ means nothing. Christ with or without consensus means everything. Jesus tells us: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. " (Jn 14: 16). Of the Church St. Paul notes: "Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles ..." (1 Cor 12: 27-28) St. Luke (10: 16) quotes Jesus: "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me.." Many, in today’s world look to the consensus of secularism to justify individualistic non-Christlike living. In this individualistic, "I am the judge of all things," "I do not need the Church" world, all the more reason that the Mind of the Church and the Church has to be proclaimed and be the guide of all of our lives. If Christ, the Messiah on the Cross was a scandal to the Jews, so too is the Church a scandal, and to be ignored, changed or ignored by some individuals in our secular, politically and religiously correct contemporary relativistic society.

THE PROMISE

MINUTES OF THE AUG. 30TH PARISH ASSEMBLY I. APPROVE MINUTES Mark Hunter moved, with a second from Randy Akel, that the minutes of the 02/15/09 General Assembly meeting be approved as submitted; the motion passed. II. PRIEST’S REPORT - FR. NICHOLAS A. Oct. 8-10, 2009, is the Metropolis Clergy Laity Meeting in Detroit, Michigan. B. Sept. 1st marks the ecclesiastical new year. 1. Need two new volunteers for “missions” a. Foreign Missions b. Domestic Missions 2. Sept 27th will be a luncheon discussion with Father - anonymous questions will be gathered prior and discussed at the luncheon. C. Rummage Sale was a success with the youth “helping others.” D. Sept. 11-13, 2009, is the Youth Retreat with Eva Kokinos. E. Possible Patriarchal visit to Memphis in October. F. Fr. Delfos’ dinner on October 25th. G. Don’t Gossip - always look for the best in our brothers and sisters. H. New Directory pictures will be taken this fall. III. PRESIDENT’S REPORT - HAITHAM ALLEY A. Festival was a “huge success” - $405,000 raised B. Golf tournament raised $203,000 with a $120,000 net C. $105,000 given to charity (includes Easter Seals 50% from golf tournament) D. New insurance policy saved $7,000 E. New ovens installed in kitchen F. Paid off the note for the church expansion 4 years early G. Delegates for the Clergy Laity meeting 1. Wayne Alley (motion - Ed Fugate; second David Sargent) IV. TREASURERS REPORT - RAOUF KASSISSIEH A. Report was discussed B. We are below budget on Stewardship V. STEWARDSHIP - HAITHAM ALLEY A. Challenging keeping stewardship alive now that note is paid off

VI.

VII.

VIII. IX.

B. Can’t rely on Festival to pay bills C. Stewardship shortfall is a national trend SUNDAY SCHOOL - MEDINA FUGATE A. 63 children enrolled B. Need a new copy machine 1. Key to be provided to Medina FESTIVAL REPORT - BROCK MARTIN A. Need Chair(s) to take over for Christina and Wayne B. Will run request in Sunday bulletin OLD BUSINESS No Old Business. NEW BUSINESS - HAITHAM ALLEY A. Election Tellers needed 1. Jack Weatherly, Steve Vaden, David Sargent (Motion - Ed Fugate) B. Next Meeting December 6th.

ANNUNCIATION PARISH ASSEMBLY - DEC. 6TH AGENDA I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X.

Call to Order Approve Minutes Priest’s Report Parish Council Report Treasurer’s Report Stewardship Report Sunday School Report Festival Report Old Business New Business

T HE P ROMISE : D EC . 2009 Please note that articles and information for the Dec. 2009 edition of The Promise are due no later than NOVEMBER 10TH! This bulletin is the primary means of communication within our Church family: WE

T OGETHER , MAKE IT S H I N E ! ! ! PAGE 23

THE PROMISE ANNUNCIATION GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 1100 NAPA VALLEY DRIVE, LITTLE ROCK, AR 72211 REV. DR. NICHOLAS J. VERDARIS, PASTOR

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5th Sunday of Luke Matins 9:00 am Divine Liturgy 10:00 am Leave a Question for Lunch Discussion w/Father

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Parish Assembly & Elections PAGE 24