May the Name of the Lord be blessed!

On October 821, the Holy Orthodox Church commemorates St. Pelagia the Penitent; the Virgin-Martyr Pelagia of Antioch of the Mount of Olives; St. Taisia of Egypt; St. Dositheus, Abbot of Pskov; the Holy Abbot Tryphon; the Martyr Ignatius of Bulgaria; St. Benedicta the Virgin Martyr of France; and the Translation of the Relics of St. Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne. Through the prayers of Thy Saints, O God, save, have mercy upon and protect Thy people. Amen!

2018-2019 BIBLE STUDY:   “The Gospel of St. John: Beholding the Glory” This year’s Scripture study focuses on the fourth Gospel, composed by St. John the Theologian. Join us every Thursday at 10:30 AM or 7:00 PM in the Church library to explore the depths of the Gospel written by “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”  Remember the words of St. Jerome: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ!”
 
ADULT RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 2018-2019: “The Shared Experience of the Orthodox Christian Faith.” Our theme this year is that our faith is not primarily about ideas or concepts, rules and regulations. It is about our relationship and our personal connectedness with Jesus Christ in the experience of our everyday lives. Following Divine Liturgy on Sundays.
 
ADULT INQUIRY CLASS: For adults interested in joining the Orthodox Church. Through discussion, speakers, and personal sharing, adults will be preparing to receive Baptism or Chrismation.  Sessions will be held at 7:30 PM on Wednesdays (except October 31 and November 21) in the Church Library. See Fr. Dimitrios for more information or to sign up.

LIVE ADULT RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 2018-2019: Each Sunday at 11:30 AM, the St. George Adult Education program meets in the Church library and is live streamed to a global audience through the Orthodox Christian Network Facebook page. This year’s theme is “The Shared Experience of the Orthodox Christian Faith.” People all over the world listen to our class, write in their comments, and interact with your fellow parishioners in real-time. On Oct 7, our class on “Time and Our Faith Experience” was connected to thousands of the Orthodox faithful across the U.S., the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Macedonia, Pakistan, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Switzerland among other countries. To date these lives classes have reached over 60,000 people in more than 20 countries through the Orthodox Christian Network. Click this link watch it now and share with your family and friends!

NATIVITY FAMILY RETREAT:  Our parish will hold a Nativity Family Retreat on Saturday, November 17, 2018, from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM. The theme of the retreat will be “Why Do We Need God?”   The Guest Speaker will be Prof. Alex Younes, former Professor at the Toronto Orthodox Theological Academy.  The offering per family is $20.00 and online registration is at http://stgeorge.org   The day will include prayer, presentations, discussion groups, Vespers and a family dinner (FASTING). As we prepare to commemorate the coming of God’s Eternal Word in the flesh, make time as a family to join us.  Don’t let the Nativity get lost in the busyness of the season!
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PHILOPTOCHOS: Please join us this Tuesday, October 9 at 7:00 PM in the Library/Conference Rm for the monthly Chapter meeting. 
 
50 PLUS: The next meeting is Wednesday, Oct. 10, at 11:30 AM with luncheon. The speaker will be announced shortly.  Kindly indicate whether or not you will attend by calling Maria Kopsidas (240-421-9909) as this greatly helps our meal planning. Friends of members are welcomed.
 
GOYA: 20th Annual Bishop George Memorial Basketball Tournament, Oct. 13-14. Register as a volunteer at stggoya@gmail.com
 
GREEK SCHOOL: Adult classes are in session. Register at
https://stgeorge.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/238/responses/newBeginning Oct. 16, a conversational class to supplement Greek School instruction is offered every Tuesday for free to all students five years and older. Register online at: https://stgeorge.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/247/responses/new – for information, please contact Eirini Iatrou at eirini.iatrou@gmail.com
 
USHERS NEEDED: We continue to need volunteers to serve as ushers.  Please consider serving this faith community by helping to keep our Divine Worship prayerful and in good order. Please sign-up using the following link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0D4AAAAB2EA4FA7-ecclesiastical
 
ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN MISSION TEAM: The Kaiser family from St. George took a mission trip to Trade, TN this summer with the Orthodox Mission Team (OMT) in partnership with the Appalachia Service Project.  There they spent five days working on homes to make them warmer, safer and dryer along with establishing relationships with the families. It is the goal of St. George to form a group of GOYAN’s and adult leaders to participate in this mission project next year the week of July 7 -13.  We will need those interested to sign up in November.  Please contact Athena Kaiser for more information at 240-498-0870 or avkmail@verizon.net.