Christ is baptized in the Jordan! Glorify Him!
On January 7/20, the Holy Orthodox Church commemorates Synaxis of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist Saint John, Saint Julian the Deacon, of Aegina, Saint Theodore I of Russia, New Martyr Athanasius of Attalia and Smyrna, , Saint Cedd, Bishop of Lastingham, New Hieromartyr Alexander of Alma-Ata, Protopresbyter, New Hieromartyr Paphnutius, Hieromonk of Optina Monastery, New Hieromartyr Basil, Priest, Martyr John, Martyr John,The Miracle of Saint John the Baptist in Chios. Through the prayer of thy holy Forerunner and Baptist, and all the Saints, Christ God save, have mercy upon, and protect Thy people. Amen!.
BIBLE STUDY: “The Gospel of St. John: Beholding the Glory” resumes Thursday, Jan. 10, 10:30 AM and 7:00 PM. This year’s Scripture study focuses on the fourth Gospel, composed by St. John the Theologian. Both groups are currently on Chapter 7. 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.”
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. People all over the world listen to our class, write in their comments, and interact with your fellow parishioners in real-time. There was no class on January 6 and it will resume on January 13. However, on January 5, Michael Haldas went live with a new series called A Good Word: Applying the Scriptures to Daily Life and discussed Genesis 3:1-8: How We Hide From God. It connected with OCN’s global audience including the US, Canada, Greece, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Serbia, South Africa, Syria and several more countries. Comments included, “Thank you for sharing these important teachings. I am learning a lot each time and I look forward to viewing many more to help my spiritual growth.” Click this link to watch it using Facebook and share with your family and friends!
FOR REFLECTION: ON THE HOLY THEOPHANY
“As I speak these words to you, brethren, I feel no small pain in my soul, that we who were long ago granted Christian baptism have not yet accomplished those very things which John demanded of those approaching his own baptism…Christ who takes away the sin of the world enters the water before us to be baptized…He draws the grace of the all-holy Spirit from above to dwell in the water with Him, so that later when those being baptized as He was enter the water, He is there, clothing them ineffably with His Spirit, attaching Himself to them, and filling them with the grace that purifies and illumines reasonable spirits.” (Our Holy Father St. Gregory Palamas)
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MEN’S FELLOWSHIP DINNER: Tuesday, Jan. 8, 6:00 PM reception, 7:00 PM dinner at The Urban Winery, 949 Bonifant Street, Silver Spring, MD. “Building and nurturing the leadership of men to lead the next generation in the knowledge of God.” All men are welcome! RSVP to Michael Sakellarides at msakellarides53@gmail.com
50 PLUS: Regular Meeting this Wednesday, Jan. 9 at 11:30 AM. We will have the cutting of the vasilopita and our guest speaker will be Katina Marinos, PT, owner of Manual Sports Physical Therapy in Rockville, MD, speaking on Bain Pain Suffering. The Lower Back Pain and Sciatica Workshop may be a life changing event for you or a loved one. Lunch will be served. RSVP to Maria Kopsidas at (240) 421-9909.
GOYA: Restaurant FUNdraiser at California Pizza Kitchen: On Thursday, Jan. 10. California Pizza Kitchen is helping us raise money for GOYA, The fundraiser runs from 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM at Westfield Montgomery Mall. Mention St. George GOYA at your time of check-out and 20% of your total bill will go to our GOYA. No need to cook dinner on Thursday, January 10th!
ST. GEORGE GREEK PRESCHOOL: Holding Open House dates on
January 24 and January 25 from 9:45-10:45 AM for parents interested in registering for the 2019-20 school year. It is a great opportunity to visit the school, learn about our curriculum, talk to the teachers and see us in action! The school is open Mon-Fri from 8:00am to 5:00pm. For more information, please contact the director at DirectorStGeorgeGreekPresch
GOYA: 3rd Annual Sights & Sounds Arts Festival, March 2-3. All 7-12 grade youth are encouraged to share their unique abilities through a wide use of creative mediums including painting, drawing, photography, music, dance, drama, and writing. Required participant registration fee of $20.00 includes an event T-shirt. Please indicate your individual and/or group participation categories at ttps://stgeorge.ccbchurch.com/
JAMES G. PULOS SCHOLARSHIPS will be awarded in Spring 2019. Established through a bequest to St. George by John Pulos, it provides college scholarships to select graduating high school seniors with a GPA (weighted) of 3.0 or above. Participant families must be stewards in good standing at St. George. Applications are due April 1. Please mail to Pulos Scholarship c/o Greek Orthodox Church of St. George, 7701 Bradley Blvd., Bethesda, MD 20817. Contact pulosfund@gmail.com for information.
“To be Orthodox means to have the God-man Christ constantly in your soul, to live in Him, think in Him, feel in Him, act in Him. In other words, to be Orthodox means to be a Christ-bearer and a Spirit-bearer.” (St. Justin of Celije Monastery, Serbia)