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St. Sophia/SS. Faith, Hope & Agape
Greek Orthodox Church of Valley Forge
900 South Trooper Road
Jeffersonville, PA, 19403
Tel.: (610) 650-8960 Fax: (610) 650-8961
www.saintsophiachurch.org email: [email protected]
Sunday Worship: 8:45 am Orthros: 10:00 am Divine Liturgy
Office Hours - 9 am to 3 pm
Rev. Economos Peter J. Thornberg, Proistamenos
[email protected]
Metropolis of New Jersey
http://www.saintsophiachurch.org/mailto:[email protected]
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January 4, 2015
Sunday before Epiphany Synaxis of the 70 Holy Apostles
Our Righteous Father Theoctistus, Abbot of Cucomo in Sicily
Forefeast of the Theophany of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
ENTRANCE HYMNS
Resurrectional Apolytikion Ton Sinanarhon Logon (The Word Who
Always Was) O, The Word Who always was with the Father and Spirit,
who for us and our salvation was born of a Virgin let us faithful
believers praise and adore, For it did please Him to ascend the
Cross in the flesh and Death to endure. And to raise up the dead
with Him through His own glorious Resurrection. Apolytikion for
Pre-Theophany Etimazou, Zavoulon (Make Ready O Zebulum) Make ready
O Zebulum; Prepare yourself O Naphthali; Cease to flow O River
Jordan; Receive the Master who comes to be baptized, in joy. Adam,
rejoice with the first mother. Do not hide in Paradise, as before,
for He came to see us, even naked, that He might clothe us as we
were before. Christ has appeared to renew all creation.
Apolytikion of St. Sophia/Ss. Faith, Hope & Agape Greek O ,
, , , , , ` , . English Phonetics for Greek Os elea kata karpos
anevlastisas, en tes avles tu Kyriou Sofia martys semni, ke
prosigages Christo karpon idytaton, tus tis nidyos su vlastus, di
agonon evagon, Agapin te ke Elpida, syn ti theofroni Pisti; meth on
dysopi yper pandon imon. English As an olive tree laden with fruit
you sprouted forth, in the courtyards of the Lord, Sophia martyr
dignified, and you brought to Christ a fruit most sweet, Namely
your wombs own sprouts, brought up by instructive deeds: your
daughters Faith and Hope, along with God-minded Love; together
intercede with God for us all.
Seasonal Kontakion En tis rithris simeron (Today in the waters
of the Jordan) In the running waters of the Jordan River, on this
day the Lord of all crieth to John: Be not afraid and hesitate not
to baptize Me, for I am come to save Adam, the first-formed
man.
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Building Committee Update January 4, 2015
Happy New Year! As we ring In the New Year, let us take the
opportunity to reflect on our beautiful St. Sophia Church and all
that has been accomplished. Our church is truly a shining beacon of
our faith. And we have become a regional landmark as well! We
should always remember to give thanks for our beautiful church and
how much has been accomplished. Of course, no matter how much has
been accomplished, the work to continue our progress goes on. Our
new Narthex furnishings are being carved by the world-renowned
artisans at S. Kavroulakis Company of Chania, Crete; the same firm
that carved our beautiful icon screen and other artifacts. They
expect to complete their work in the next several weeks. The
Narthex furnishings will be shipped from the ancient seaport of
Piraeus and with an estimated shipping time of 30 days, we can
expect delivery sometime by late January or early February, 2015.
Some of these items are still available for sponsorship. In order
to protect our iconography and artifacts, we are installing a
special humidity control system which will help stabilize the
humidity levels especially during the winter months. On the chart
below you can see the progress on our mortgage. If you still have
an outstanding balance on your building pledge or can make a new
pledge, please pay the amounts due to help your church reduce its
debts.
St. Sophia Church Mortgage The current mortgage balance as of
11/28/2014 is $1,419,301.69
EPISTLE READING The Reading is from St. Paul's Second Letter to
Timothy 4:5-8
O Lord, save your people and bless your inheritance.
Verse: To you, O Lord, I have cried, O my God.
TIMOTHY, my son, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work
of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry. For I am already on the
point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come. I
have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept
the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to
me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved
his appearing.
' 4:5-8
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GOSPEL READING The Reading is from the Gospel of Mark 1:1-8
The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As
it is written in Isaiah the prophet, 'Behold, I send my messenger
before your face, who shall prepare your way; the voice of one
crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make his
paths straight.' John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness,
preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And
there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all the people
of Jerusalem; and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan,
confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair, and
had a leather girdle around his waist, and ate locusts and wild
honey. And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier
than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down
and untie. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit."
V 1.1-8
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Stewardship Update January 4, 2015
Xronia Polla! Happy New Year! As we usher in the new calendar
year, now is a wonderful time for renewal and new beginnings. Many
make resolutions such as losing weight, eating better, exercising
more, etc. But have you considered what the year ahead should hold
for your spiritual life? Now is a most appropriate time to consider
our many personal blessings from God-- family, friends, a warm
home, food on the table, etc. What about your life itself?
Stewardship is our way of thanking God for the many blessings He
has bestowed upon us. What are you personally doing to show your
gratitude to Him for your own blessings? Are you giving back to Him
and the Church of your Time, Treasure and Talents? Our parish needs
all three from us!
We are a very active parish. With so much going on, we really
need all of our Stewards to contribute their time, talents and
treasure, to help this community serve Christ and the Orthodox
faithful in the region.
Thank you to everyone who has supported our 2014 Stewardship
Program. The 2015 campaign will be starting shortlyso it is
imperative that we are able to finalize our stewardship roles for
this year. Thank you! If you have not yet paid up your 2014
Stewardship Pledge, please do so today! Please be sure to indicate
2014 on the memo line of your check to receive proper credit.
2013
(Year End)
2014 (12/30/14)
Pledge Unit Goal 230 240
Pledge $ Goal $200,000 $210,000
Number of Pledges 223 215
Amount Pledged $210,485 $211,822
Average Pledge $943.88 $985.22
New Stewards 46
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January 4, 2015
Sunday before Epiphany Synaxis of the 70 Holy Apostles
Our Righteous Father Theoctistus, Abbot of Cucomo in Sicily
Forefeast of the Theophany of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS Reminder: Sunday school resumes today.
Senior Parea: The next meeting of the Senior Parea will be on
Thursday, January 8, 2015.
2015 Ecclesiastical Calendars: The new calendars are now
available for pick up in the back of the Cultural Center. Each
calendar is in an envelope addressed to each family (2014 stewards)
of our parish. If you cannot find your packet, please speak to
Cathy Zarcone or call the Parish Office.
CALENDAR FOR THE WEEK
Monday, Jan 5th Eve of Theophany 7:30 am Great Hours; 9:00 am
Orthros & Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil the Great; Great
Agiasmos
Tuesday, Jan 6th Holy Theophany - 9:00 am Orthros & Divine
Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom Great Agiasmos & Blessing of the
Schuylkill River (at Betzwood Park)
Wed, Jan 7th Synaxis of St. John the Baptist 9:00 am Orthros;
10:00 am Divine Liturgy
Thurs, Jan 8th 10:00 am to 12 noon Senior Parea
Friday , Jan 9th
SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING SERVICES AND EVENTS Sat, Jan 10th Cooking
for Manna on Main Street followed by Snow Tubing at Spring Mountain
(schedule below) Sun, Jan 11th PTO Bingo Meeting after Divine
Liturgy Vasilopita Sunday/Philoptochos Lumberjack Breakfast
Fundraiser Tues, Jan 20th Adult Bible Study 7:00 pm in the Cultural
Center Fri, Feb 13th DVYC GOYA Valentines Dance (details enclosed)
Sat, Feb 21st PTO Family Night Bingo (details enclosed)
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GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS Pastoral Visits - A Request to All
Parishioners: If you desire a pastoral visit in case of a
hospitalization, or for someone who is homebound, in a nursing
facility, or in prison, please have an immediate family member
notify the Parish office at 610-650-8960 so that a visit can be
arranged.
Movie Tavern Tickets: This is the fabulous movie theater in town
that offers first run movies as well as an "in-house" dining
experience. The Ladies Philoptochos is selling discounted MOVIE
TAVERN movie tickets for $8.50 each. They can be used on any day
and even for new releases. For more information, or to purchase
tickets, contact Maria or Kathy Tsipras. For showtimes visit
www.movietavern.com.
SHOP-RITE Register Tapes: Dont forget to save your Shop-Rite
register tapes. We can only use receipts from any of the ten Browns
stores located in: Bensalem PA, East Norriton, PA, Fairless Hills
PA, Cheltenham, PA and in Philadelphia, PA, on Island Ave., Oregon
Ave., 52nd & Parkside, Haverford Ave., and Ridge Ave. in the
Roxborough section. They also have one store in Brooklawn, NJ. The
drop off box is located in the lobby of the Cultural Center. Please
submit receipts timely, only tapes from within 4 months of the
transaction date are accepted.
PTO Family Night Bingo Sat. Feb. 21st -- The planning of the
Family Night Bingo continues to progress. We are now asking for
donations from our St. Sophia family: gift cards, movie tickets,
sporting events, any unwanted new toys, or even a monetary
donation. Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated. Please give
donations to (or if you have any questions reach out to) Vanessa
Papadimitriou, Patty Nazzaro, or Maria Papadimitriou. Thank you for
your help! Next meeting is 1/11/15 after Divine Liturgy.
In Case of Emergency: If you are having an extreme medical
emergency and are in need of an Orthodox priest, please call the
Parish office at 610-650-8960.
For that gift you forgot... We still have candy available!
Laurel House Donations: Again this year Philoptochos chose The
Laurel House to sponsor during the Christmas season. Of course, any
donation is greatly appreciated. For donation suggestions, please
refer to the Laurel House Wish List enclosed. TODAY IS THE LAST DAY
TO DROP OFF DONATIONS. Please drop off your donations in the
designated box in the Cultural Center lobby. Thank you for all your
generous donations. For more information about the Laurel House,
please visit www.laurel-house.org. If you have any questions, just
ask Maria or Kathy Tsipras at 610-539-5413.
GOYA Service/Snow Tubing Day Saturday, 1/10/15 Schedule is as
follows: 10 am Arrival at the church 10-11:30 am Make casseroles
11:30 am -12:15 pm Lunch and Discussion 12:15 pm - Leave for Spring
Mountain 1-5 pm Snow Tubing 5:45 pm (approx.) - Arrive back at the
church for anyone car pooling If you have any questions, please see
Mr. John Pogas or Mrs. Maria Richie
http://www.movietavern.com/http://www.laurel-house.org/
