2012 march, april, may promise

8/2/2019 2012 March, April, May Promise

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Page 1

The Promise

InsIdethIs Issue

Pastoral Message 2

Picturing ourlast 100 years 5

exPloring Matthew 9

insidethe annunciation 10

sPeakMynaMe 11

uPcoMing lenten services 16

laborforbody& soul 18

basketball scenes 20

holyweekservices 23

Mistaken identity 4

reflectionson stewardshiP 26

calendars 30

datesto RemembeR

maRch 25thFeastoFthe annunciation

& Parish Luncheon

apRIl 7th - 14thhoLyWeek

apRIl

15th

Pascha

may 6thsundayschooL Graduation

& schoLarshiP Luncheon

may 18th - 20thourFestivaL

FRomthe scRIptuRes

Abidein Me, And i inyou.

AsthebrAnchcAnnotbeArfruit

ofitself, unlessitAbidesinthevine,

neithercAnyou

unlessyouAbidein Me.

i AMthetruevine,youArethebrAnches.

hewhoAbidesin Me, And i inhiM,

beArsMuchfruit

JOHN 15:4-5

maRch - may 2012


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THE PROMISE

Page 2

M

ore often than not, when Christian

men and women search their heart

and soul with an honest eye on their

relationship with Christ, they arequick to nd all those areas where in one way or

another, they are falling short of the mark. Indeed,

any genuine self-assessment will certainly reveal gaps

between where we are and the perfection expected

of us. As faithful servants of the Lord, there is indeed

no question that we are continuously called upon to

seek the very High and Holy Way of the Lord. But

at the very same time, we must not loose sight of our

progress.

In other words, the mountaintop may be high, and sometimes

it may even appear far off from

where we are standing, but no

faithful member of the Church

is ever so far ung as to have no

hope. We may very well have

miles to go before we sleep,

but at least we are making the

trip! At least we are striving to

stay on the straight and narrowpath! At least we know where

we want to go and are trying to

get there!

In more ways than one, we have much in common

with the Canaanite Woman in the Gospel according

to Matthew 15:21-28. The woman has shortcomings,

but she knows that her help comes from Christ

alone. Without any assurance or encouragement,

the Canaanite woman boldly goes out of her way

to seek out and meet Jesus. And although she is farfrom perfect, the Lord is so moved by the womans

passionate and faithful resolve to reach out to Him,

that He says to her, O woman, great is your faith! Be it

done for you as you desire.

Let us now pause for a moment and appreciate the

fact that we too know whatwe need help for and who

alone can provide it. Like the Canaanite, we also

know where hope and life can be found. We too may

only be worthy of crumbs from the Masters table,

but in committing our whole life to Christ, we no less

can hear the Lord say unto us, Great is your faith! Be itdone for you as you desire.

For example, on Sunday mornings each and every one

of us can easily decide to sleep in and enjoy a day

off. The vast majority of the world would understand

such a position. It even encourages such indulgences

by relentlessly reminding us that life is hard, work is

demanding and rest is precious. But every time we

shake off the spirit of lethargy

for the sake of participating

in the Divine Liturgy (or forany other Church service), we

openly reject the ways of the

secular world and seek out

Christ our God. And like the

Canaanite woman, we do so

with no greater enticement than

the opportunity to honor the

Lord with our prayers and our

presence in His Holy House. We

may have a thousand worries onour shoulders and ten thousand

demands to meet, but faithful

Orthodox Christians freely

choose to regularly worship in His Holy House

because we realize deep down inside that is where,

when and how we approach the living God. Much

like the Canaanite woman, we know to look to Christ.

And for this reason, we should have no doubt - Jesus

Christ looks upon us as we gather for Divine services

week after week and says to each of us, Great is your

faith! Be it done as you desire.

This also means that every time we stop what we are

doing, or make time in our day to pray to God and

ask for His grace, mercy and guidance; we are in fact

reecting a faith in Him that is sadly a minority position

in our modern day society. But at the same time, not

all that far removed from what the Gospel records

(Continued on page 4)

pastoRal message

Great

is your

Faith


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Page 3

march- may2012

I will turn their mourninginto joy,

I will comfort them,and give them gladness for sorrow.

Jeremiah31:13

Make your legacyof love for your parish

eternal,rememberthe Annunciation in

your Will.

baptIzedInto chRIst

The Annunciation family

congratulates Gregory &

Manal Arman on thebaptism of their son,

Brody Zachariah, who

was baptized at the

Annunciation on FeBruary

18th. Ranya Kassees is the

proud godmother. May

the Lord bless our newest

servant of the Lord, along

with all of his family and

friends!

The Annunciation family congratulates Liquat

& Iryna Kasi on the baptism of their son,

danyal alexander,who was baptized at the

Annunciation on FeBruary 18th. Haitham &

Majida Fanekare the proud godparents. May

the Lord bless our newest servant of the Lord,

along with all of his family and friends!

The Annunciation family congratulates Michael

constantine napoli, who was baptized at

the Annunciation and entered the Chuch on

FeBruary 25th. John & Carole Hawkins are the

proud godparents. We welcome Michael into

our parish and pray that the Lord will continue

to bless our newest servant of the Lord, along

with all of his family and friends!

Without GOD,our week would be:

sindAy, MourndAy, teArsdAy,

wAstedAy,

thirstdAy, fightdAy & shAtterdAy.

Remember seven daysWITHOUT GOD makes:

One WEAK!!

Remember

MothersDay

Sunday, May 13th


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THE PROMISE

Page 4

the pastoRal message(Continued from page 2)

transpired more than 2000 years ago in the encounterwith the Canaanite woman. For of all the people that

needed Gods help as Jesus passed through the district

of Tyre and Sidon, is it not striking that only the

Canaanite woman went out of her way to approach

Christ? She risked the ridicule of the crowd. She had

no guarantees to the outcome and she knew that she

was far from perfect. Nonetheless, the Gospel notes

that the Canaanite woman was the only person who

clearly sought out God. And dare we say that as devout

Orthodox Christians, we are not all together different

from that ancient woman. Society is quick to give us

a million recommendations other than prayer and we

are all keenly aware of our unworthiness before the

Lord. But when we make a genuine effort to draw

closer to Christ in word and in deed (in effect crying

out to Him in faith), we must have no doubt that He

sees us and say to us as well, Great is your faith! Be it done

as you desire.

Furthermore, when we organize our week in such a

way as to make time to read the Scriptures, disciplineour ways through prayer and fasting as well as live

according to His Word; we honor the living God in

ways that are more the exception rather than the

modern day rule. Such a way of life, while far from

easy, manifests a genuine desire to draw closer to God.

So every time, we choose the moral way; every time

we reject sin and manifest our active faith before all

the world, we may very well be mocked. We may be

dismissed and we may be attacked. Our motives may

be questioned and we may even feel very much out

of step with the crowd. But let there be no question,the Lord our God will not send us away empty and

forlorn. Instead, we too shall spiritually hear His voice

echo, Great is your faith! Be it done as you desire.

Now let us also be especially careful before making

any rash conclusions. This in no way implies that

as faithful Orthodox Christians we, in one way or

another, can sit on our laurels. After all, the Canaanite

woman could have

easily given up

when the Lord

rst tested her, and

hope He would be

touched by her mereattempt to speak to

Him. Had she relied

on doing the bare

minimum, she most

likely would have

never experienced the

full measure of

Gods love and

mercy. Therefore, it

is our duty to

continuously striveto improve as

Christians! It is our

never-ending calling

to always try to be

better followers of

Christ no matter

what others may

say or what we even

think is personally

possible, let alone

attainable. We do

not strive to be devout Orthodox Christians for the sake

of competition or accolades; but out of an abiding

faith and love for the Lord our God. Knowing how

near Christ is to us must always motivate us to grow

as Christians and join in the cry of the Canaanite

woman, Have mercy on me O Lord!

Therefore it is to our utter folly that we dismiss the

voice of the Father who sees our genuine efforts to

draw nearer to Him. To know that we can do betteras Orthodox Christians does not mean we are abject

failures! The length of the road we have to travel as

Christians is not a sign of failure as long as we never

stop pushing ahead. After all, if only the perfect

please the Lord, all would surely be lost. There would

be no hope for anyone, for only God is perfect. In

fact, if the Lord were only pleased withperfect followers ,


As weconsider

our life inChrist andour Lentenjourney,it should

be from the

perspective ofhow to improveit, not merely

how muchmore wehave to

do.


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march- may2012

Page 5

embRacIngthe beautyoFthe annuncIatIon

One of the great feasts of the Holy OrthodoxChurch and the blessed feast day of our parish

is on the horizon! On March 24th & 25th, let

us pause to honor the example of steadfast

faith and obedience embodied in the person of

the Theotokos as well as celebrate the gift of

salvation that unfolds with the great feast of the

Annunciation. It is the feast day of our parish

and a celebration of an exquisite way of life.

The Feast of theAnnunciation

Great VespersSaturday, March 24th

at 6:30pM

DiVine LiturGySunday, March 25th

to Be FollowedByour

Feast Day Luncheon

pIctuRIng ouR

last 100 yeaRs

Part of our plans to herald the Annunciations 100th

Anniversary include showcasing the people and life of

our parish through the years. Forthistohappen, we

needour churchFaMilysdirecthelp.

If you have pictures of Weddings, Baptisms, Sunday

School programs, Family moments and/or Festiva

endeavors at the Annunciation, we desperately want

to make copies of your best pictures to include in a

Commemorative Album and/or DVD.

HereisHow YoU canHelp:

1) Select some of the best pictures in your collection of

family moments at the Annunciation. (For example, a

wedding portrait taken in a studio is not applicable, a picture

of the wedding service or reception in the Church is perfect!)

Remember scenes from a Baptism, your baby

graduating Sunday School, working at the Festiva

or having fun at a Church dinner are great windows

into parish life. please inclUde tHe date, or at

leasttHeYearoftHepictUre.

2) Place your pictures in an envelope with:a. your name

b. your e-mail & phone number.

c. The number of photos submitted

(This information is critical if we are going to be able toreturn the photos.)

d. The date, or at least the year, of the scenecaptured in your photo.

3) There will be a bin on the church oFFice credenZa

labeled Incoming Pictures- place your envelope in it.

The parish will make copies of the pictures and will

within a few weeks, contact you when they are ready

to be picked up from the bin on the church oFFice

credenZa labeled Outgoing Pictures.

For a complete picture of life at the Annunciation in

Little Rock over the last 100 years, we need images of

your life at the Annunciation. please, helpustoday!!!


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THE PROMISE

Page 6

WIsdomFRomthescRIptuRes

Bring the ull tithes into the

storehouse,

that there may be ood in my house;

and thereby put me to the test,

says the LORD o hosts,

i I will not open the windows o

heaven or you and pour down or

you an overfowing blessing.

Malachi 3:10

We are pleased to announce that the

2012 datesFor st. nicholas suMMer caMp

have been announced!

CAMP WEEK:July 7 - 13, 2012 (Saturday - Friday)

Mandatory Staff Orientation: Friday, July 6, 2012

LOCATION:NaCoMe Conference Center - Pleasantville, TN

www.nacome.org

CAMPER REGISTRATIONwill begin March 1, 2012

Please email [email protected] any questions

or to join our e-Newsletter group. You can also look

for updates at the following locations:

St. Nicholas Summer Camp Ofcial Website:www.

southerncaMp.coM (Currently under construction for

updates). St. Nicholas Summer Camp Facebook Page:http://www.FaceBook.coM stnicholassuMMercaMp

agape canIsteR

pRogRam RepoRt

Helen Hronas is happy to report that with the three

Agape canisters in our area (the parish, Joes Grocery and

Arkansas Burgers) to help support OCMC - Orthodox

Missions, a total of $1,103.00 was collected in 2011.

Many thanks to all who donated at the church and

to Joe & Sana Alley and Dan & Jeanne Spencer for

sponsoring a canister at their businesses. This was the

20th year that weve had the Agape Canisters, and

have collected more than $20,000 (approximately) for

Orthodox Missions in that period of time.

Welcome

The Orthodox Church

and the Annunciation

in particular, had the

privilege to warmlywelcome into its warm

and loving embrace

through Chrismation on

Sunday, January 29th

the beloved servants of

God: terry Spyridon

Mccoy & cryStal

Sophia JoneS whose entrance into the Holy

Church was sponsored byBrock & Christina Martin.

Having been formally received into the OrthodoxChurch and become beloved members of our

Church family in January, we look forward to

walking together on the path of life and faith.

With our newly enlisted Orthodox Christian, let

us ask our Lord and Savior to continue to show us

the way of the Christ centered life.


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march- may2012

WIsdomoFthe FatheRs:

A rich man isnot

one whohas

much,but one who gives much.For what he gives away...

remains his forever.

st JohnChrysostom

the pastoRal message(Continued from page 4)

there surely would be no record of the encounterwith the Canaanite woman. Instead the totality of

the Scriptures are clear, God embraces imperfect

servants who genuinely yearn for Him. Then, by His

power and grace (conveyed through the Sacraments),

He gives us the ability to grow as faithful Christians

along with every reason to have hope.

As we consider our life in Christ and our Lenten

journey, it should be from the perspective of how to

improve it, not merely how much more we have to

do. For no athlete, musician, student or employee has

ever improved by simply focusing on how far they are

from the goal. No one has ever trained for a marathon

with the expectation of running 26 miles in under

two hours on day one. Infants must crawl, before

they can walk. Thus it is safe to say that we must

continuously work on being Orthodox Christians in

order to ultimately be able to hear the Lord say to us,

Great is your faith! Be it done as you desire.

In the nal analysis, we all have room to improveour spiritual life. We all can be better Orthodox

Christians than we are at this very moment. That is an

indisputable fact that must motivate us to spiritually

improve, and the reason we stop trying. With

eyes set on Christ, a steadfast determination to follow

the Lord, and with hearts lled with love for Him,

we must never tire of trying to draw closer to God.

For only with the devotion and steadfastness of the

Canaanite woman can we be condent that we too

shall hear the voice of the Lord our God say to us:

Great is your faith! Be it done as you desire.

Have a blessed Lent & Pascha!

Rev Dr. Nicholas J. Verdaris

2012

Parish Assembly

Sunday, april 1St

Working together for the glory ofGod and His Holy House

at theAnnunciation in Little Rock!

deepthoughts:

Themanwhodoesnotpray

remainsaslave,

enclosedinthecomplexmechanisms

ofthenaturalworldandofthe

movementsofhisownpassio

ns

bywhichheisdominatedeven

more

thanbytheworldoutside.

DumitruStaniloae(1903-1993)

,

RomanianOrthodoxtheologia

n


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THE PROMISE

Page 8

abIdeIn me

Our personal commitment to the Annunciation

determines what kind of parish we will personally

maintain and grow to the glory of God in 2012.

As the Lords cheerful and faithful givers

let us all actively contribute to Gods work in

the world through our parish with our 2012

Stewardship Commitment. Visit our website:

www.orthodoxchurch.coM and find our 2012

Presentation, Stewardship booklet & card. One

can complete a Stewardship commitment onlineor contribute directly to the parish via PayPal. We

ask everyone who loves the Annunciation to please

complete a 2012 Stewardship card and all together

help to ensure that our parish is able to operate and

minister to the glory of God, through our individual

commitment of faith, love and stewardship.

2012

May 18 - 20, 2012

the FestIval pastRy

pRoject needsYour

help!

We are asking for members of our Church family

to please find some time Monday through

Friday between 9:30am - 2:30pm to come

to the Church kitchen and help prepare some

of our delicious pastries for the Festival. This

monumental project cannot be fulfilled without

everyones help. The more people who come to

help with this endeavor, the more manageable

the entire mission.

Cant commit to a week?How about a day?

Or even a few hours?

Please see Anna Clift or Pat Diggins if there are

any questions

As we prepare this parish-wide herculean effort, every-one in our Church family is urged to get involved in

this dynamic and powerful ministry tool! With yourhelp, our Church is going to have another outstandingInternational Greek Food Festival!!

As we all know, this grand project is a critical componentof the financial wellbeing of our parish. The proceedsof our annual Festival help ensure that our parish isable to share the Good News of Christ by helping tomeet some of the financial obligations necessary forcontinued growth. By volunteering at the Festivalfrom the beginning, we help to ensure that the ministriesof the Annunciation are never stunted by a lack offunds. And because our Church is always mindful ofthe broader community which we endeavor to ministerto, every year through the grace of God we highlight thework of local non-denominational charities and share aportion of our bounty from the Festival with them.

In addition to the our scholarship Foundation, thisyear we as a parish have selected the following charitiesto support and increase the awareness of their goodworks:

carti

coMMunity connectionscentersFor youth & FaMily

easter seals

love truth care Ministries

youth hoMe

arkansas pediatric Facility

Lets do our part towards helpingthe Annunciation toshine!


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march- may2012

exploRIng

mattheW 17:14-23by Jarrod Russell

(Please note that due to space constraints within ThePromise,

citations & references have been deleted)

Jesus Christ tells his twelve disciples in the Gospel

According to St. Matthew, For truly I say to you, if

you have faith like a mustard seed, you will say to this

mountain, move from there, and it will be moved. And

nothing will be impossible for you. (Brown & Comfort,

1990, Matt. 17:20) I have heard this statement by

our Lord and Savior quoted or referred to in various

contexts. Primarily, I have heard it referenced asa statement of encouragement and hope. A person

might say in the face of difcult circumstances, Since

I have faith like a mustard seed, I will be able to make

it through this difcult time. I have also heard it used

as a challenge to increase a persons faith. In a time

of crisis, a person might think, If only I had faith like

a mustard seed, I would be able to face this crisis with

strength and resolve.

These interpretations are reasonable, and I would

not discourage someone from using this statementby Jesus Christ in either context. However, both of

these interpretations of the statement by our Lord and

Savior fail to ask two critical questions. First, what

kind of faith is Jesus talking about? Second, what level

or degree of faith do you need so that nothing will be

impossible? These two questions require the reader

to put this statement in its immediate context and to

consider the place of this passage of Scripture in the

entire New Testament.

Dr. Charles H. Talbert (Matthew. Grand Rapids:

Baker Academic, 2010) notes that the New Testament

addresses different types of faith citing saving faith

and miracle-working faith as two examples. He

contends that the type of faith referenced in Matthew

17:20 by Christ is miracle-working faith. Does the

immediate context of this passage support Dr. Talberts

contention? In the seventeenth chapter of the Gospel

According to St. Matthew, a man brings his epileptic

son before Jesus to be cured after the disciples were

unable to heal the boy. (Matt. 17:14-16) Jesus publicly

rebukes nine of his disciples (Sts. Peter, James, and John

were not among the disciples unable to cure the boy

(Chrysostom, paragraph 3) and heals the child. (Matt17:17-18) Afterwards, the disciples ask Jesus privately

why they were unable to heal the boy, and Jesus responds

with the statement about having faith like a mustard

seed. (Matt. 17:19-21). Thus, the immediate context

of the statement supports Dr. Talberts conclusion that

Jesus is talking about miracle-working faith.

But, is Jesus really saying that if a person has miracle-

working faith like a mustard seed, he or she will be

able to move mountains, to literally do the impossible?

At rst, this might seem accurate since Jesus also says

that nothing will be impossible for him who has faith

like a mustard seed. (Matt. 17:20) However, St. John

Chrysostoms Homily LVII on Matthew suggests

otherwise. The saintly Archbishop of Constantinople

explains that, What he saith is like this: Such

abundance of power is with me, that I can even make

others work these miracles. So that if thou believe as

one ought, even thou thyself art able, saith He, to

heal both this one, and many others. (Chrysostom

paragraph 3) Similarly, Eugene Boring writes that thisis not a saying about the power of faith but about the

power of God, even if God language is not used in

either place. . . God is the one who acts, not an attitude

called faith.

Accordingly, it is the power of God working through

the person with the miracle working faith like a

mustard seed, not simply the faith of the person, which

moves mountains, that accomplishes the impossible

This conclusion can be further supported by the

Greek word used by Jesus. When Jesus says, nothingwill be impossible for you, he uses the Greek word,

adunathsei, for the phrase will be impossible.

(Matt. 17:20) This word is used one other time in the

New Testament. Specically, it is used by the Archangel

Gabriel at the Annunciation of the Theotokos. After

the Archangel greets the Panagia and tells her that she



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THE PROMISE

Page 10

InsIdethe annuncIatIon(Excerpts from the forthcomingannunciation tour Book)

viconoFthe cruciFixionv(Commemorated on Holy Friday)

A seminal moment of the Christian faith, this large

mural illustrates the Gospel account of the Crucixionof Jesus Christ. At the center of the icon is the image

of Jesus nailed to the Cross with the city walls and

gates of Jerusalem in the background. His right side

is pierced and from the wound ows blood and water.

Though there is no doubt that crucixion was a

barbarous form of execution, it is customary for Jesus

to be depicted in serenity. The intent is not to dismiss

the pain He endured for the sake of all mankind, but

rather to emphasize the understanding that Jesus was

not an unwitting victim of crime or taken against His

wishes, but that He willingly sacriced Himself on the

Cross for the life of the world. At the foot of the Cross

is a skull. First and foremost, Golgotha, the Mount

of the Crucixion, means the place of the skull.This

detail helps to underscore the belief that Jesus is the

New Adam, as well as make clear that with Christs

sacrice on the Cross, death is defeated. On the top bar

of the Cross is the inscription I.N.B.I., the initials for

the Greek words meaningJesus of Nazareth, King of the

Jews.To the left of the image of the crucied Christ

are images of the women that the Gospels record kept

watch: Mary the Theotokos, Mary Magdalene and

Mary the wife of Clopas. On the right side of the icon

are depicted St. John the Beloved Disciple and St.Longinus the Centurion who cried out: Truly, this was

the Son of God!(Mark 15:39)

viconoFthe resurrectionv(Commemorated on Pascha)

One of the most symbolic of the Festal Icons of the

Orthodox Church is that of the Holy Resurrection

In the center of the icon is the image of the radiant

Christ with a unilateral motion pulling Adam and Eve

(symbolic of the human race) up from their tombsAs a result of this action, the garment of the triumphant

Christ is depicted being blown upwards by the wind.

Then, with the understanding that the Lord descended

into Hades with authority, He is shown with a rm

footing and a powerful stance upon the gates of Hades

fallen in the shape of an X surrounded by broken

bits of chain, keys and shattered locks. This further



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march- may2012

speak my name

by Benjamin T. Peck

Sermon delivered at the Festival of Young Preachers,

January, 2012.

Oh Heavenly King, the comforter, the spirit of Truth, who art

everywhere and llest all things. Treasury of blessings, and giver

of life; come and abide in us, cleanse us of every impurity and

save our souls, oh Good One. Glory to God in the Highest, and

on Earth, peace, goodwill towards men. Oh Lord, open Thou my

lips that my mouth may show forth Thy praise.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the

Holy Spirit, amen. Glory to Jesus Christ.

My brothers, my sisters... my fellow sinners. It is

important to note just that; we are all sinners. Sinners

among brothers and as such we are called to do but one

thing to one another; forgive. The Lord God said If

you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not

forgive your sins, in Matthew 6:15. To forgive is an act

of love, a loving act of forgiveness is an act of meekness,

and as we know from the Sermon on the Mount to be

meek is to inherit the Earth. But what do we really know

about being meek? To be meek is to not respond harshly,in anger, agitation, irritant or even in sarcasm to those

around us. It is to be utterly calm, peaceful; loving to

one another. I tell you now when I was in High School I

made the conscious effort that I was going to go an entire

day of being meek, I wanted to try it and see if I could

achieve such love. Do you know happened? Not even

three hours into that day, and I failed out of habit. Habit

struck me down and caused me to respond harshly and

sarcastically to someone I barely even knew. Isnt that

sad? So sad is it our society has so much habit on not

loving. I couldnt even make it three hours being lovingand calm, let alone an entire day.

Love and forgiveness are two of the hardest things we will

ever accomplish and be called to do as men and women

of God. I nd this humorous because when our friends

struggle offenses made against them, we say to them

is it really so hard to forgive and forget? And thats a

really stupid question, we know darn well how hard it is

to move on and forgive, because it is so much easier and

justiable to our society to stew in our hatred, boil our

rage and let our grudges bubble and brew. The other

amusing thing is when we say to one another loving

is easy! Its not so hard to love, which is also not true

Love is patient, love is sometimes kind, but it sure as heckisnt easy! Its easy to love those who love you back; your

mother, father, brother, sister, dog, cat, goldsh, turtle

they all return the love you give them. But Christ said

in Matthew 5:43-47 ~ You have heard that it was said

Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you,

love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He

causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends

rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love

those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not

even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only

your own people, what are you doing more than others?

Do not even pagans do that? How often do we follow

this command? How often do we truly love our enemies

do we even think about it?

Let me give you some examples, brethren; the terrorists

from 9/11, were supposed to love and pray for them

If a man murders his wife, his children, his friend, your

friend or my friend; we have to love, forgive and pray

for him. That awkward relative nobody wants to admitthey have, we have to love and pray for them. Do not

mistake me, brothers and sisters we are not called to love

them for what theyve done, we are called to love them

because, like us, they are children of God. You may or

may not be fathers or mothers, and I certainly am not

but I know that when I am a father, despite what sins

my child may commit, despite what atrocities they may

do, even if I am the victim of their crimes I will still love

them. They are my children; a father cant not love his

child, and just as I cannot unlove my children, God does

not stop loving his children. Christ said Forgive them,Father; they know not what they do. And these fellow

children who have fallen from Gods grace know not

what they do.

Gods grace is given unto us freely, but our forgiveness, our

penance is conditional. We are not saved the moment

we believe, we do not get a meal ticket to Heaven. A few



12/32

THE PROMISE

Page 12

InsIdethe annuncIatIon(Continued from page 10)

signies the understanding that in Christs resurrection,

the shackles of death have been shattered and hasbeen defeated once and for all. The imagery recalls

the words of St. Paul: O death, where is thy sting? O grave,

where is thy victory?(1 Corinthians 15:55)

To the left of the icon, King David and his son

Solomon are presented wearing crowns, while on the

right side, St. John the Baptist stands pointing to the

risen Lord. Just behind John the Baptist is a young,

beardless man with a long shepherds staff looking

on in awe. This is a portrayal of Abel from the Old

Testament, the son of Adam and the rst man to die.

He serves to highlight how all of humanity is affected

by the Resurrection.

the annuncIatIon

needs heR Flock!

On HolY fridaY, april 13tH EVERY

able man, woman and child is invited to

help decorate the Sepulcher & Church

in anticipation of the Lamentations and

Pascha Services. It is a tradition in our

Church to make Holy Friday a day of

prayers and service centered at the Church.

It will begin with the service of the Royal

Hours at 9:00am and then all together we

will help prepare the House of the Lord

for the great and sacred events that unfoldwithin it thereafter. Please plan to attend

the service at 9:00am in the morning and

thenstayaFterwardsto participate in this

sacred undertaking. As we hear at every

Liturgy, the Lord blesses and sanctifies

those who love the beauty of His House.

OurYou

th

Preparin

gAMealf

or

theDorc

asHouse

!

(Manythank

stoGabiAbdo&

JanaHunter

fortheirassistanc

e)

lIFeIs Funny....

A wife invited

some people

to dinner.

At the table,

she turnedto their six-

year-old

little boy

and said:

Would you like to say the blessing?

I wouldnt know what to say,

the boy replied.

Just say what you hear Mommy say,

the wife answered.

The little boy

bowed his head and said,

Lord, why on earth did I invite all

these people to dinner?


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Page 13

march- may2012

centennIal update

At the end of May there will only be213 days

until the Centennial Anniversary of theAnnunciation in Little Rock!

** therewillBeacriticalMeeting

onMondaY, MarcH 5tHat 6:00pM

toorganiZeMattersForthe

annunciations centennial. **

2012st.johnchRysostomoRatoRIcalFestIval!The St. John Chrysostom Oratorical

Festivalisacelebrationofthelegacyofour

Churchs most gifted orator and seeks to

encourage youngpeople to likewise make

presentations on the faith. on sunday,

March11thwewillbeconductingthe2012

OratoricalFestivalwithourJunior&Senior

youth.Listeningtoouryouthpresenttheir

sincereandenthusiasticspeechesaboutthe

Orthodoxfaith&valuesthatweallholddear,

istruly inspiringandyouwontwanttomiss

it.Allareinvitedtoattend!

holy scRIptuRe says:

If I speak in the tongues of men andof angels, but have not love,

I am a noisy gong

or a clanging cymbal.

And if I have prophetic powers, and

understand all mysteries and all

knowledge, and if I have all faith,

so as to remove mountains,

but have not love,I am nothing.

If I give away all I have, and if I

deliver my body to be burned,

but have not love,

I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind;

love is not jealous or boastful;it is not arrogant or rude.

Love does not insist on its own way;

it is not irritable or resentful;

it does not rejoice at wrong,

but rejoices in the right.

Love bears all things,

believes all things,

hopes all things,

endures all things.

Love never ends;

1st Corinthians 13: 1- 7Philoptochos

Lenten Luncheon

Sunday, March 11th


14/32

THE PROMISE

Page 14

HappyBirtHdayto our parishioners celebrating

during the upcoming months!

March 1st Catherine BurksJacob FarahMarch 3rd Nicholas BellMarch 6th Edward Farah

March 9th Monica SadakaMarch 11th Andreea TerleaMarch 13th Kristen Mirontschuk March 15th Jim Pappas

Martha TyerMarch 16th Nikolas Petropoulakos

March 17th Peter PetropoulakosMarch 18th Forrest AbdoMarch 23rd Helen HronasMarch 24th Tyler Alley

Lee BaileyMarch 26th Harriet Delfos

Simon Gess

March 27th Matthew WilcoxMarch 28th Giovana StanfordMarch 29th Jack AnaissieMarch 30th Christina Hronas

March 31st Zain Fanek

April 1st Liz Masching April 3rd Lisa Alley

Katherine VerdarisApril 4th Kerri MoutosApril 5th Oleksandra Pavliv

Brooklyn ZraickKaitlyn Zraick

April 6th Caroline Lewis

April 10th Linda Haycook Sultaneh KassissiehApril 11th Joseph AlleyApril 12th Brody Arman

April 13th Ana StathakisApril 14th Jessica Alley

Jerry MelnykGrace Rutter

April 15th Kevin Wilcox

April 16th Garland Hurst

April 19th Graham CampbellApril 24th Will RamserApril 25th Janet MironApril 26th Sam Cimino

Kiki PlastirasRoxana TerleaApril 28th Antoine YaredApril 29th Madeleine Gess

April 30th Terry McCoy

May 1st Julie BlackwelMay 3rd Harley BurksMay 7th Kaitlyn Ake

Lauren BaileyMay 11th Alex Harb

May 13th Bobby BisharaMay 14th John HawkinsMay 15th Ian RamserMay 19th Erin Kaiser

May 20th Elias BisharaMay 27th Crystal JonesMay 29th Andrew Cora

Anna CoraMay 30th Ken Haycook

outReach commItteemeet & gReet schedule

March 4th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mark Hunter

March 11th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Robin Jones

March 18th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Susan McDowell

March 25th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sharon Johnson

April 1st . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christopher Huckabay

April 8th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jack Weatherly

April 15th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Hunter

April 22nd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Robin Jones

April 29th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Susan McDowell

May 6th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sharon Johnson

May 13th . . . . . . . . . . . . Christopher Huckabay

May 20th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jack Weatherly

May 27th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Hunter


15/32

Page 15

march- may2012

exploRIng mattheW(Continued from page 9)

will bear the Christ child, she responds, How will this be,

since I do not know a man? (Luke 1:30-34) ArchangelGabriel answered that this will occur through the Holy

Spirit coming upon her and overshadowing her and

that her relative Elizabeth has conceived in her old age.

(Luke 1:25-36). He then stated, For nothing will be

impossible with God. (Matt. 1:37 NRSV) Here, the

Greek word,adunathsei, is used by the Archangel forwill be impossible. (Luke 1:37)

The Panagia then demonstrates the highest level of

faith when she says, Behold the bondmaid of the

Lord; may it be done to me according to the word ofyou. (Luke 1:38) It is at this

point, with the Holy Virgins

full cooperation, consent,

and faith that the ultimate

impossibility occurs. The

Son of God, begotten of

the Father before all ages,

becomes incarnate of the

Holy Spirit and the Virgin

Mary and becomes man.Stated differently, the Virgin

Marys miracle-working faith,

the faith like a mustard seed,

allowed the Son of God to

become incarnate.

The Panagias response at the

Annunciation is crucial to our

understanding of the level or

degree of faith necessary so

that nothing will be impossible. Metropolitan Kallistos(Ware) explained the importance of the Panagias

response as follows:

Mary did not become Gods Mother against her will.

When God made man after His own image and likeness,

He endowed His creature with the gift of free will; and

despite the distortion of mans nature at the fall, this divine

gift of freedom has never been withdrawn. . . . This

cardinal principle of liberty applies at the Incarnation as at

all other times. In St. Lukes account of the Annunciation,

Mary is revealed as the supreme example of synergeia or

voluntary co-operation.

Thus, the faith necessary is the voluntary co-operationdemonstrated by the Panagia at the Annunciation.

To sum it up, the New Testament uses the Greek

word, adunathsei, twice. Jesus uses the word once to

explain that if a person has miracle-working faith like

a mustard seed, nothing will be impossible. Properly

understood, this miracle-working faith actually allows

the power of God to work through the one possessing

the faith. In the second instance, the Archangel Gabrie

uses the word to explain to the Panagia that with God

nothing will be impossible. Upon her at, the ultimateexpression of miracle-working faith like a mustard

seed, the greatest miracle in history, the Incarnation of

Jesus Christ, occurs. Through this connection, we see

that the miracle working faith required so that nothing

will be impossible is exemplied in the Panagia, the

supreme example of voluntary cooperation with God.

A VErY SPECIALINVITATIoN

To THEANNuNCIATIoN

CHurCH FAMILY

On sunday, may 6thimmediately following the Divine Liturgy,

in the Cultural Center

A Luncheon Honoring Our Graduating

Sunday School Seniors!

Perfect Attendance Awards and

Class Promotion Certificates!

Teacher Recognition and Appreciation!


16/32

THE PROMISE

Page 16

the upcomIng

lenten seRvIces

SUNDAY, March 4th -

Sundayof orthodoxy

Matins: 9:00am / Divine Liturgy: 10:00am

WEDNESDAY, March 7th -Presanctified Liturgy: 6:30pm

FRIDAY, March 9th -

Salutation Service: 6:30pm

SUNDAY, March 11th -

SundayofSt. GreGoryPalamaS


WEDNESDAY, March 14th -

Presanctified Liturgy: 6:30pm

FRIDAY, March 16th -



Sundayofthe holy CroSS


WEDNESDAY, March 21st -


FRIDAY, March 23rd -


SATURDAY, March 24th -

Great Vespers for the Annunciation: 6:30pm


feaStofthe annunciation


WEDNESDAY, March 28th -


FRIDAY, March 30th -

The Akathist Hymn: 6:30pm

SUNDAY, April 1st -

Sundayof Maryof egypt



17/32

Page 17

march- may2012

ouR covenantWIth chRIst

On the Sunday of Forgiveness, we were all invited to

consider the great love of God and the manner and

means by which we will choose to respond to Him.In order to help us focus on this blessed endeavor and

put this spiritual journey in its proper perspective,

everyone in our Church family has been invited to

make a personal covenant with the Lord. Hopefully,

this call to action will help those who choose to

participate to grow in their relationship with Christ

through the instructions and disciplines of the Holy

Orthodox Church. This covenant is meant to be a

source of motivation to greet each day of Great Lent

with even greater determination than the day before.

The call to fasting, prayer and almsgiving is open to

all. Hopefully, the covenantwith christwill again

motivate everyone in our Church family to embrace

the services and work of Great Lent & Holy Week to

the glory of God. We especially invite the younger

members of the Annunciation, ages 12-18 (with a little

help from their parents) to establish some important

Lenten goals if they choose to participate in the

covenant with christ. In addition to their faithful

Sunday Divine Liturgy attendance and whatever other meansthey will personally employ to honor our Lord and Savior during

this most sacred season, our young people are being asked

to attend at least one lenten service each week

oF great lent: Wednesdays Presanctified Liturgy

at 6:30pm or Fridays Salutation Service at 6:30pm,

for aMiniMuMoFFourservicesduring great lent.

(There are 11 evening services in Lent and taken into

account is a possible absence for those going out of

town for Spring Break).In addition, during Holy Week the

youth are asked to commit themselves to attendeverysingle

evening service oF holy week (this means sevenevening services in addition to the two day services of

Holy Friday which are a part of their responsibility

in attending the Good Friday Retreat), for a grand

total oF nine services during holy week. Then

in order to support and acknowledge such a faithful

commitment, the Annunciation Church family will

present those members of the GOYA who choose to

complete this covenantwith christ at the conclusion

of the Resurrection Service on Holy Saturday with a

blessed symbol of love.

parents, as you personally strive to fulfill your own

covenant with the Lord, please help your child growcloser to Christ by encouraging them to embrace this

spiritual challenge. Nothing would be more beautiful

than for men and women of all ages who consciously

walked the Lenten journey to herald the Resurrection

of Our Lord during the wee hours of Pascha together

eFelloWshIp houRd

If you or your family would like to commemorate

a special event, honor the memory of a loved

one or would simply like to after a gift to the

Annunciation family...

Fllw h!

Please check the Bulletin Boardand sign up today!

St. Pauls Advice:

For the whole law is fulfilled in one word,

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Galatians 5:14


18/32

THE PROMISE

Page 18

holy FRIday

youth encounteR

Every member of the Annunciation GoYa and

Jr. GoYa is reminded that on Holy Friday,April 13th,we will be conducting our annualHoly Friday Youth Encounter. The program

begins at 9:00am sharp with the service of the

Royal Hours and the program will end at the

conclusion of the Service of the Descent from

the Cross in the afternoon. This annual tradition

of the Annunciation is a perfect way for us to

serve Christs Church as well as remain in His

holy presence as we commemorate the Lords

Crucifixion and Burial. This gathering is a perfect

opportunity for us to spend some time with each

other, work together and give glory to God. If you

require an excused absence letter for school,

please submit your name to the Church

Office ASAP. Please note that all GOYAns are

expected to be present and participate in the

Holy Friday Youth Encounter (attendance is part

of our Scholarship Foundation requirements).

JoY MeMbers are also reminded that we have

planned a very special Lenten program just for

them on Holy Friday that will also begin at 9:00am

with the service of the Royal Hours and conclude

with the Service of the Descent from the Cross.

This holy day by every definition

is a day of prayer

and a time for people to gather together

at the Church in order to serve the Lord

in word, thought and deed.

the satuRdayoF

lazaRus & you!

satUrdaY, april 7tH

9:30aM

This great and high feast day will begin with a

very special divine litUrGYat 9:30aM. Not only

does this service mark the dawn of Holy Week,

but it is also our tradition at the Annunciation to

celebrate this service in a manner that allows all

those in attendance to better see and comprehend

the elements to the service.

Immediately following the Divine Liturgy, all those

in attendance are invited to attend our annual

annunciation youth coMMunion BreakFast.

After some refreshment and fellowship, our GOYA

ministry will host our youngest parishioners in our

annual youth easter egg hunt. (Allof our youthare encouraged to prepare to receive Holy Communion on theSaturday of Lazarus together.)

Finally, EVERY Man, woMan and child will beneeded to help preparethe palM crosses that are

distributed on Palm Sunday. There is no expertise

required to make this important religious symbol,

only a willing spirit. If everyone will sacrifice a

small portion of their day after the Communion

Breakfast, this critical endeavor will be completed

with ease to the glory of God.

attention GoYans:we need you to not only set

the example by attending the Divine Liturgy onSaturday morning, we also need you to share some

of your precious time and many talents with the

Annunciation to help ensure a special Saturday of

Lazarus for all. We will need you to help make

Palm Crosses and conduct the Easter Egg Hunt:

please set aside some of your Saturday morning

for the Church.


19/32

Page 19

march- may2012

check us out

Dont forget our website: www.

ortHodoxcHUrcH.coM! It has

an up to date monthly calendar,

the latest edition of the proMise,serMons and all sorts of

information. You can even contribute to the Church

online! Find us on FaceBook at Annunciation Greek

Orthodox Churchand like us!

If you know someone who might be interested in

being a vendor at the 2012 Festival, have them visit

www.greekFoodFest.coM - application forms &

information are available.

makIng lent gReat

Great Lent give us the opportunity to change for the

glory of God!

The choice for us this Lenten season is to either

continue to follow the flawed routines of the past

that have kept us from glorifying the Lord regularly

and at the appointed hour OR to meaningfully

change our ways and honor the Lord by attending

the Divine Services faithfully and on time. Our

spiritual life is in the balance! Either our life in

Christ can be refreshed by faith in action, we

can fail to be vigilant about our spiritual life and we

will keep His love at bay.

This Lenten season, let us all redouble our

efforts to gather at the Annunciation at

10:00am at the latest in order to worship

our Lord and draw closer to Him and one

another.

easteR FloWeRs

aRe needed!

In the celebration of Christs Holy Resurrectionflowers play a special role in the Churchs expression

of profound joy. Not only is the Church beautifully

adorned with flowers, but the very services and customs

of Holy Week mandate the use of flowers. With that in

mind, we can help support the liturgical expressions of

Holy Week and Pascha by making an extra donation for

the flowers that will play an integral role in heralding

the life-giving news of Christs Resurrection.

We seek extra donations for the the following:$300.00 For holy week

$300.00 For paScha

24 potted lilieSFor $10.00 each

If you can make a donation of any kind to help the

Annunciation meet this need, please see a Parish

Council member or submit a specific offering to the

Church Office.

Holy Week

BEGINS

April 8th

memoRIal day

Most of those who died in defense

of our country were boys when theydied, and they gave up two lives - the

one they were living, and the one they

would have lived. They gave up their

chance to be husbands and fathers and

grandfathers. They gave up everything

for their country... for us.

All we can do is remember.

- Ronald Reagan -


20/32

THE PROMISE

Page 20

2012

BasketballT

ournament


21/32

Page 21

march- may2012

many thanks!

As the pictures highlight, a great time was

had by all who participated in this years

Dallas GOYA Basketball Tournament!

While athletic ability on the basketball courtis by no means necessary to participate

and enjoy this wonderful outing, we are

pleased to announce that some our youth

were recognized by the Tournament:

Amber Alley & Hayden Huckabay were

selected as Most Valuable Players.

Above all, we are pleased to note that again

this year all of our GOYAns beautifully

embodied the very best attributes of our

Church family in all facets of the trip andTournament. Our Church family must also

make sure to give special thanks to the adults

who, along with Fr. Nicholas, made this

worthwhile excursion possible: stephanie

alley (a graduate of our GOYA ministry), Mike

Bailey, catherine Burks, Jarrod russell

& presv. Maria. This year we even had a

very special assistant coach, Jaeger Burks,

and the scoreboard shows that he helped to

make a difference! Our Church is not only

blessed to be able to provide our youth withsuch opportunities, but we are also fortunate

to have adults willing to make such events

feasible. Without the commitment of our

entire parish, the Christian integrity of

our youth and the sacrifice of parents and

advisors, such events would be hard to

envision. Thanks be to God for the youth

ministry at the Annunciation!


22/32

THE PROMISE

Page 22

speak my name(Continued from page 11)

months ago I met a man who said I am righteous, I have

been baptized since I was nine and now I cannot sin.I asked him if he meant that if he sins hell go to Hell,

he responded no I literally cannot sin. Nothing I do is

sinful. I am saved, I am righteous. I couldnt help but

laugh at such ignorance, such arrogance, such harmful

pride. Righteousness is something we all strive, thirst and

starve for, but it is not so easily attained. Believe me! I

wish that when I was baptized at the age of three nothing

I did since then was a sin. Lying to my parents about

cleaning my room, ghting both physically and verbally

with my brothers, and if you have siblings you know

what I mean. Or, as an adolescent teenager, looking atsomeone in a way I knew I shouldnt have been looking.

Itd be nice if none of those, or anything else Id done,

wasnt a sin; thatd just be swell. But the problem is it

doesnt work like that, I still sin when I dont love.

Loving is difcult, it takes practice and perseverance to

love everyone around us, especially our enemies. It is

even harder nowadays, considering that the world hates

us. The world wants us to go away, wants to ignore us,

it wants to pretend we never existed in the rst place,

in fact it makes consistent efforts to ignore us and cover

us up. On December 22nd a Ugandan Bishop had

acid thrown on his face and poured down his back,

just for preaching love and forgiveness. There was no

news coverage, save a small news website. CNN didnt

touch it, Fox didnt touch it, they ignored it, they tried to

ignore us. December 25th, there were three bombings

in Nigeria, on Catholic churches during their Christmas

mass, for honor kills. No news coverage, no story. No

care.

And yet we must nd a way to forgive them for these

atrocities, and so if nothing else baptism raises the bar

for us and calls us to be that much stronger, do that much

more in our daily lives and make our lives that much

harder because we know the reward that awaits us in

Heaven. I do not condone the actions of those terrorists

but let me assure you every man, woman and child who

died is sitting on a throne in Heaven at the foot of God

because they died in prayer, and they died in faith. This

is important to note, my friends, that when we get into

the enemys head with our talk of love and compassion

when they know were right and the only response they

can think of is to kill us off, weve won. This is our victory

The world doesnt like being confronted, it doesnt like it

when we win. They dont like it when we wont go away.

St. Maximus the Confessor, when arguing with fellow

Christians, would not stop preaching the Gospel

preaching the Orthodox Church, and beating them in

theological discussions, they cut out his tongue and cut

off his right hand. This way he could not longer write or

speak the word of the Gospel. Thats good preaching

St. John the Baptist, they had enough! They were tired

of hearing about the Messiah, about the Christ, about

God so they cut off his head. Good preaching! Mypatron saint, St. Benjamin the Deacon, in 424 A.D

was martyred. They initially captured and tortured

him for preaching the Gospel. They later released him

saying Dont do that anymore! So what did he do?

He preached louder, he preached harder, he preached

more until they captured him again, stuck barbed wire

under his toenails and nger nails, and left him to bleed

to death. I have a lot to live up to, and I certainly hope

that is never my fate, but you know what? That is great

preaching!

It gives me no pleasure to say this, brothers and sisters,

but the day is coming, possibly even in our lifetimes,

where Christianity is openly persecuted in America

Let me assure you, this is a victory, for the Lord our

God says Blessed are you when men shall revile and

persecute you for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly

glad; for great is your reward in Heaven! And blessed

will we be. On that day it will be our duty as Christians,

as soldiers of Gods mercy, to stand with stalwart hearts

and uninching convictions even as the faithless come to

hunt and attempt to remove us, but we must stand our

ground.

So when the heretics come to make that list, brethren

speak my name.

Benjamin T. Peck is a freshman at Holy Cross College in

Boston, Massachusetts.


23/32

Page 23

march- may2012

2012

holy Week & pascha

atthe annuncIatIonSaturdayof LazaruS

April 7th

divine Liturgy - 9:30am

PaLm SundayApril 8th

matinS: 9:00am / divine Liturgy: 10:00am

PaLm Sunday eveningthe Bridegroom Service - 7:00Pm

hoLy mondayApril 9th

the Bridegroom Service - 7:00pm

hoLy tueSdayApril 10th

the Bridegroom Service &

hymnof KASSiAni - 7:00pm

holy WedneSdAyApril 11th

the liturgyofthe

preSAnctified giftS - 9:30Am

the SAcrAmentof unction - 6:00pm(note the time change)

hoLy thurSdayaPriL 12th

divine liturgyof

SAint BASilthe greAt - 9:30Am

the Serviceofthe crucifixion

& pASSionof chriSt - 7:00pm

hoLy fridayaPriL 13th

royAl hourS - 9:00Am(Youth Retreat - 9:00am)

the Serviceofthe

deScentfromthe croSS - 3:00pm

the officeofthe lAmentAtionS &

the proceSSionofthe Sepulcher - 7:00pm

hoLy SaturdayaPriL 14th

divine liturgyof

SAint BASilthe greAt - 9:30Am

mAtinS & divine liturgyofthe

reSurrectionofour lord JeSuS chriSt -

11:00pm

great & hoLy PaSchaaPriL 15th

the AgApe Service - 11:30Am


24/32

THE PROMISE

Page 24

a caseoF mIstaken IdentItyby Fr. Vasile Catalin Tudora

When I was still living in Romania I was going forconfession to a hieromonk in a monastery not very

far from my hometown. One day I took Maria, my

daughter, with me. We participated in the services, got

a blessing from the elder and on our way home she

asked me, after being very silent and observant all the

way: Dad was that man Jesus?

A similar confusion happened to St. John the Baptist

when the people of Israel confused him with Messiah:

this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests

and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I

am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then?

Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that

prophet? And he answered, No. (John 1:19-21)

More so, in the tradition of iconography all the saints

are depicted with features that resemble the icon of

Christ, with the same transgured sensory organs

and heavenly appearance. They all look like they are

members of the same family.

All these cases of mistaken identity share the same

root: a prophet, a saint and a monk, all resemble the

Son of God. How is it possible?

As humans we all share the image of God planted in

us from our creation. We all share in fact this divine

identity but, under sin, Gods face is covered in us and

we become, at least outwardly, someone else. Through

sin we lose our resemblance with God and we take the

appearance that the godless world around has paintedon us.

The world itself has long lost its identity. It ceased

to be a vehicle for mans edication in God and was

transformed in a purpose to itself, an apple of discord

and enmity between people. The devil, the greatest

identity thief, diabolos, the deceiver, has succeeded to

sell us, starting with Adam and Eve a reality that has

nothing to do with the true reality of God, but it please

the senses and promises everything and beyond. We got

hooked by his promises and now we live in this world

with the illusion that it can fulll us, we struggle everydayto achieve meaningless goals, missing completely our

true purpose and destiny.

A saint on the other hand is a person that has uncovered

the image of God in him and has found his place in the

world by acting according to His likeness. A saint shows

to the world his true identity, imitating Christ almost

to the point of confusion. I am crucied with Christ

nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and

the life which I now live in the esh I live by the faith

of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for

me. (Gal 2:20). A saint is a person that has renounced

to himself and yet his identity and alterity have been

fullled above any imagination.

This is not, however, limited only to the saints. After all

we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy

nation (1 Pet. 2:5-9). But, paradoxically, in order for us

to become who we really are, we should let Christ take

over. He must increase, but [we] must decrease. (John

3:30) until we reach the measure of the stature of thefullness of Christ (Eph 4:13). We might seem to live

plentifully in this world, but it is only an illusion For ye

are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When

Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also

appear with him in glory. (Col 3:3)

We are not ourselves and we are not truly living until we

are with Christ. Dont let the world tell you otherwise

our true identity is fullled only by being Christians

Christians dont just believe differently than others, they

exist in a different reality; a genuine reality in whichGod becomes man and man becomes god. This is

Gods edition of reality, the only one true and original

I am Christian therefore I exist!


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march- may2012

lentenchaRItypRoject:

The OrThOdOxOrphanage

inguaTemala

Whoever receives one little childlike this in MyName,

receives Me

- Matthew18:5 -

ThehogarraFaelayau is the only Orthodox

orphanage that welcomes orphans, lost,

abandonedand batteredchildren whose ages

range from newly born infants to early teens

in Guatemala and Central America.But withnearly 200 children to care for at a costof $35,000

dollars per month to operate, they need our support,

alongwith our prayers.

During this Lenten season the entire

Annunciation Church family is invited

to make the Orphanage one of their

special almsgiving projects in their

spiritual preparations to celebrate the

Resurrection of our Lord. every sunday

throughoutgreatlent

, we will be passinga secondtray to collect funds in support of the

Orphanage. As we fast and pray in order to

prepare our souls for theRisen Lord, let us also

make some extra contributions in His Name

for our brothers and sisters at the Orthodox

Orphanage in Guatemala and thereby embody

His love.

Please bring your faithful

StewardShipOffering

to the Lords House at the Annunciationin Little Rock for the firSt tray.

Please bringan extradOnatiOn

to offer for the SecOndtray

in support of the Orphanage

in Guatemala.


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THE PROMISE

Page 26

peRsonal ReFlectIons

on steWaRdshIpby Peter Gess, Stewardship Co-Chair

For as we have many members in one body, but all members do

not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in

Christ, and individually members of one another.

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given

to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion

to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who

teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives,

with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows

mercy, with cheerfulness.

- Romans 12:4-8 -

Through my professional and civic life, I have had

the opportunity to work with various foundation,

advisory and governance boards, whether as a board

member myself or a staff member assigned to support

the activities of the board. There is a mantra, or

slogan, used to stipulate the requirements for board

membership. Known as the three Ws, it stands for

wealth, wisdom and work. As applied, a potential

board member must bring at least two of the three

Ws with him or her to the table. This is a reection, of

course, that not everyone has the same attributes, thesame strengths to add to the effort. However, through

collective action, the board or organization is the best

possible because of the aggregated Ws.

When we speak of Christian stewardship, we do

not use the three Ws, but rather the three Ts: time,

treasure and talent. The concept here is the same, and

is reected throughout scripture: we give to Christs

Church and each other in proportion to Gods gifts

to each of us. We are one body of Christ, and by

working together we can continuously move closer to

the goal of creating Gods kingdom here on earth.

The purpose of the University of Arkansas Foundation,

for example, is to raise money from the larger

community (dened broadly) to support the mission

of the university: teaching, research and service. A

worthwhile goal, of course, and the Foundation Board

is populated by the whos who of Arkansas education

business and politics. All of these folks bring at leas

two Ws to the boardroom.

Is our goal at Annunciation any less important? Ofcourse not. For this reason we are asked to provide

not two Ws, but all three Ts. The stewardship

commitment form that every family submits each

fall asks us to reect each of these: treasure (nancia

support of the Parishs operating expenses), time

(committees and ministries on which we volunteer

to serve), and talent (special skills we possess to help

further the mission of the Church).

As individual families, we have different needs and

demands. Perhaps some of the young families are noable to commit as much treasure now as they would

like to down the road, God willing. Perhaps the current

economic challenges are hurting some of us more than

others. But all of us have been blessed with certain

skills, certain abilities, that we can commit to our Parish

family. Modern life in the U.S. keeps us all running

around at break-neck speed, but it is important to

think about time commitments to the Parish. Indeed

it is helpful each fall to take stock of what we offered

our fellow parishioners and Christs Church the yearbefore, and what we can do the coming year. Most

of us make family nancial budgets, but can we do

the same with our time and talents? Ten percent may

seem a useful rule, but stewardship is in proportion to

the gifts (treasure, time, talents) that God has given us

It seems that everyone and his brother have parodied

the popular Mastercard ad campaign, so much so

that I think even Mastercard has grown tired of the

campaign. But if you will allow one more (purely a

an example), in conclusion:

weeklytreasurescontriButed: $50

tiMegiventothechurcheachweek: 5 hours

talentsusedinsupportoFthe annunciation

Mission: Teaching Sunday School

helpingtoBuildthekingdoMoF godonearth:

Priceless!


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march- may2012

thank youtotheseFamIlIesFoR

completInga 2012

steWaRdshIp caRd:

Randy & Nisreen Akel

Richard & Star Akel

Haitham & Tina Alley

Mike & Raeda Alley

Wayne & Clair Alley

Katherine Apostle

Mike & Amy Bailey

Mark & Nicole Bell

David & Tetyana Brice

Daniela Buhayevska

Jesse & Catherine Burks

Paul & Mary Cantrell

Anna Cimino

Sam & Giovana Cimino

Steve & Anna Clift

Brad & Anna Cobb

Mihaela Coman

James & Eleanora Daly

Pat Diggins

Ibrahim Fahdi

Keith & Allison Freeman

Cindy George

Peter & Jennifer Gess

Adam & Lisa Gianulis

Cathryn Gillaspy

Ray & Lea Ging

Lyle & Josie Glass

Leila Harb

Michael & Darla Harb

Ron & Joyce Harb

John & Carole Hawkins

Ken & Linda Haycook

Helen Hronas

Christopher Huckabay

Mark & Jana Hunter

Sharon Johnson

Robin Jones

Mary Karrant

Raouf & Tamara Kassissieh

Phoebe Kutait

Sarah Lee

Brock & Christina Martin

K.V. & Ammini Mathen

Terry & Crystal McCoy

Lynn & Susan McDowell

Art & Magidah Mnatzaganian

Dean & Toni Moutos

Mark & Christina Myers

Michael & Debra Napoli

James & Eva Pappas

Pat & Alice Pappas

Angelo & Dena Parker

Nick & Sarah Paslidis

Haytham Sa

David & Eva Sargent

Gordon & Martha Tyer

Steve & Libbie Vaden

Fr. Nicholas & Presv. Maria Verdaris

John & Marlene Verdaris

Gus & Irene Vratsinas

Pete Vratsinas

Jack & Jill Weatherly

Kevin & Stephanie Wilcox

Richard & Amanda Zraick

A f ay,w hav cv

Commitment CArdsf 64 fa

f a totAl f $155, 396wa h goAl f $300,000.


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THE PROMISE

Page 28

If you want to help a critical fund-raiser for theannunciation along with super charities likeeaster seals & coMMunity connections,consider supporting the 2012 GreekFeSt GolFclaSSicon Monday, May 14th! It is a fantastictime that does great things for a players bodyand soul. In these troubled financial times, ourparticipation and sponsorship are needed now

more than ever!

In addition, mark your calendars for thurSday,May10th and the tasteoftHe MediterraneanbasH! A tasty evening that you will not want

to miss. This annual event is not only deliciousand fun, but it also goes a long way towardshelping support the work of easter seals &coMMunity connections and the ministries ofthe annunciation.

If you would like to help with these criticalfund-raisers to the Annunciation please see

Haitham Alley, the more the merrier!

FestIval dIvIne lItuRgy

on May 20th,

the SundayoFthe FeStival,

the divine liturGywillBeceleBratedat 9:30aM.

FestIval notes

Attention Annunciation family, our Festival is

quickly drawing near and if you are looking for a

place or way to help this years Festival, please comeforward! Remember these points:

1) praY.Without deference to God nothing is possible. Pray for

good weather. And pray that He will help us bear

this labor well in order to shine for Him.

2)volUnteer.This blessing and responsibility of our parish can

not succeed without all hands on deck!

3) Help spreadtHe word.You can help the Festival by telling friends and

neighbors, putting up posters and helping to

distribute brochures via e-mail or Facebook. We all

have to make sure that the Little Rock area knows

about our Festival and you are our best source of

promotion!!!

4) friendsoftHe festival.Help defray soaring food costs by underwriting

a food item for this years Festival. Every dollar

donated towards the food supplies makes the

Festival one dollar more successful and helps

ensure the continued growth of our parish and the

wonderful charities we are sponsoring this year.

5) festival MoneY.Please remember that Festival Money will only be

pre-sold. It will notbe available for purchase during

the Festival. These funds are non-refundable andcannot be changed for cash. To place a minimum

order of $100.00 please see Raouf Kassissieh

6) festival pastrY packinG.When the time comes to start packing pastries, please

pitch in. The more parishioners that will help pack the

pastries, the sweeterit is for our entire parish.


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march- may2012

ouR centennIal

With little more than 200 days until our Centennial year,the committee has been meeting and is proposing severalendeavors for our Church family to consider in order to

commemorate our 100th Anniversary. If there is a wayin which you can help us all honor the legacy of ourparish, please step forward and/or attend an upcomingCentennial Meetings.Below is an outline of proposals:

1) puBlicityWe need a chairperson to help coordinate efforts towork with the press & community about this milestone.

2) coMMeMorative alBuM & dvdHaving begun the process to collect pictures andmaterial. We want to explore the potential of offset-

ting the cost of the Album with advertising. We needsomeone to explore and advance this aspect of theproject.

3) a coMMeMorative MeMentoA souvenir of a special event.

4) icon showFather, Peter Gess & Robin Jones exploring a venuefor such an event that would expand its outreachopportunities.

5) orthodox christian ForuMsInvite (2-3) clergy to make presentations onOrthodoxy one specic weekend for parishioners& general public discover more about our legacy ofFaith.

Create additional events to host speakers fromHoly Cross School of Theology (our seminary) &International Orthodox Christian Charities.

6) a Missions tripCreate and/or participate in a mission trip to help sharethe Good News. Peter Gess is exploring this possibility

Maybe nd a way to have interested parishioners topartner with another parishs mission trip (i.e. to the

Orphanage in Guatemala).7) parish picnic

Presv. Maria is looking at have a tasty fellowshippicnic in the park after a Divine Liturgy.

8) cultural nightHaitham Alley is exploring an evening fellowship eventfeaturing music, dancing, ethnic hors doeuvres orpot luck.

9) charity Fundraising BanquetSam & Janet Alley / Steve & Anna Clift volunteeredto head up a project along the lines of the Tasteof the Mediterranean (with auctions, sponsorships& tickets) whereby we would split the proceeds withcharities, and apply our portion towards offsettingthe costs of the Parishs Centennial celebrations &Courtyard/Garden.

10) parish centennial galaSam & Janet Alley / Steve & Anna Clift volunteeredto heading up an evening for our Church family toformally celebrate our blessings. It is hoped that the

Archbishop & Metropolitan will attend together thisvery special night and bless us.

11) courtyard & gardenTo highlight and commemorate the legacy of theparish we are exploring the construction of a Court-yard (in accordance with Church tradition) in additionto a Garden. The P C w b - A P Aby L A k C-y k Ly G Cb G (w b y x

N Vy f ). T A 2 P Aby w fw w fw w j by w w w f- & y f w bf .

NEX Centennial Meeting:March 5th at 6:00pm

All are encouraged to participate & contribute!

Celebratin

g

100Years


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THE PROMISE

Page 30

Sun Mon ues Wed hurs Fri Sat

5

Centennial Meeting

6:00pm

4Sunday of Orthodoxy

Matins 9:00am

Divine Liturgy 10:00am

Arkansas Vespersfor the Sunday of Orthodoxy

6:30pm

12

Parish Council Meeting

6:00pm

11Sunday of St. GregoryMatins 9:00am


Philoptochos Lenten

Luncheon

Oratorical Festival

18Sunday of the Cross

Matins 9:00am


25The Annunciation

Matins 9:00am


Parish Feastday Luncheon

19

26

7

Presanctied Liturgy

6:30pm

14

Presanctied Liturgy

6:30pm

21

Presanctied Liturgy

6:30pm

28

Presanctied Liturgy

6:30pm

6

13

20

27

1

8

15

22

29

2

Salutation Service

6:30pm

9

Salutation Service

6:30pm

16

Salutation Service

6:30pm

23

Salutation Service

6:30pm

30

Akathist Hymn

6:30pm

33rd Saturday of the

Souls

Liturgy 9:30am

10

17Happy St. Patricks Da

24

Great Vespers for theAnnunciation

6:30pm

31

ANNuNCIATIoN GrEEK orTHoDoX CHurCH1100 NAPA VALLEY DrIVE, LITTLE roCK, Ar 72211rEV. Dr. NICHoLAS J. VErDArIS, PASTor

maRch 2012


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march- may2012

2

9

Bridegroom Service

7:00pm

8Palm Sunday

Matins 9:00am


Bridegroom Service

7:00pm

1Sunday of St. Mary

Matins 9:00am


Parish Assembly

1615Great & Holy PaschaAgape Service

11:30am

22Sunday of Thomas

Matins 9:00am


29Holy Myrrhbearers

Matins 9:00am


23

Parish Council Meeting 6:00pm

30

4

11Presanctied Liturgy

9:30am

Unction Service

6:00pm

18

25

3

10

Bridegroom Service

7:00pm

17

24

5

12St. Basil Liturgy

9:30am

Passion Service

7:00pm

19

26

6

13Royal Hours

9:00am

Descent from the Cross

3:00pm

Lamentation Service

7:00pm

20

27

Saturday of Lazaru

Liturgy

9:30am

Youth Breakfast &Easter Egg Hunt

1Divine Liturgy

9:30am

Pascha Services

11:00pm

2

2



apRIl 2012


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THE PROMISE

7

Parish Council Meeting

6:00pm

6Sunday of Paralytic

Matins 9:00am


Sunday School Graduation

& Scholarship Luncheon

1413Sunday of SamaritanMatins 9:00am


Happy Mothers Day

20Sunday of Blind Man


2012

International

Greek Food Festival

27Sunday of Fathers

Matins 9:00am


21

28Happy Memorial Day

Church Ofces Closed

2

9

16

23

30

1

8

15

22

29

3

10

2012

Taste of the

Mediterranean

17

24

Feast of the Ascension

Liturgy 9:30am

31

4

11

182012

International

Greek Food Festival

25

JUne 1

5

12

192012

International

Greek Food Festiva

26

2



may 2012

2012 march, april, may promise

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