Newsletter-May/June 2016

Birthday of the Church

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ;

Everybody loves a birthday. ON Pentecost we celebrate the feast day of the Decent of the Holy Spirit, which is often referred to as the birthday of the Christian Church, Let us examine this word “Church.”

Will begin by defining what is a Christian Church? Here is a good definition: The Christian Church is a visible society established by Jesus Christ to continue the work of redemption.

First, we can say that the Church is a visible society, consisting of people who believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior and the Son of God, and of clergy who are ordained by God to govern it. The first thing Jesus did when He began His public work was to gather a group of followers. Of these He selected and trained twelve to be His apostles. They were to carry on His work after Him. When Judas died, the apostles were careful to fill his post. This has gone on and on down through the centuries, so that today’s bishops and priests are successors of the Lord’s apostles and disciples.

Second, the Church has been established by Jesus Christ. It is not a man-made institution. Jesus speaks of “His” Church. He “purchased” it or established it with His death on the cross. This Church was born on Pentecost Day. It was then that God the Holy Spirit came to dwell within the Church. Just as the first man, Adam, was lifeless until God Breathed into him the breath of life, so the church truly became a living society when the Holy Spirit descended from heaven and took up His abode within the Church and its people. The Church is often spoken of as the “body of Christ” – we are the members of that body, and the Holy Spirit is the soul.

Third, the Church was established to continue the work of redemption. This means saving people for eternity. It is true that mankind was saved by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. It is true that Christ said on Good Friday “It is finished,” and that this includes the fact that our salvation is complete. But the “good news” of Christ’s death to save us has to be made known to all men and women of every place and every time. So Christ established a means whereby His salvation would be brought to all people of the world and this means was His Church. Our Lord said, “I have come to seek and to save the lost.” This is the Church’s mission, too.

Let us celebrate at our Holy Trinity Church the Feast of Pentecost as the real birthday for our Church. May it give us the power to be true witnesses for Christ, to be truly the “called” ones for Christ our Lord.

Happy Birthday,

Fr. John

Christ is Risen!

Parish News

Holy Week

We would like to extend our deepest appreciation to everyone who was involved with making Holy Week such a tremendous success! Special thanks goes out to the chanters, altar boys, and all those who helped clean the church. Thank you to Rula Bullock and Monika Gaviotis and everyone who helped with the flower arrangements. Thank you to all of the ladies who made sure that prosforo was made. Our Pascha celebration meal was an awesome combined effort and everyone enjoyed themselves!

The Kitchen

The kitchen remodel is complete! There are some finishing touches that are still being finished. A huge thank you to George and Angelina Pryich, as well as George Gaviotis for their many many hours spent on this project. There are still some tasks that must be completed, such as cleaning and putting everything in its place. This project must be completed by June 3, as the church hall is rented out to a parishioner for a private function. Please contact Angelina Pryich at 307-350-6756 or asp911@ymail.com to find out how you can help. Please come forward and help to complete this project!

George Pryich is putting together an instruction manual that will explain how to use the new equipment. Please if you have any questions about the use of the equipment, PLEASE call either George Pryich or George Gaviotis, rather than blindly using the equipment.

We are still in need of donations. While the remodel is almost complete, our goal of $100,000 was never fully accomplished, yet the construction went forward at the wish of the parish. We have had several unforeseen issues that will push that $100,000 mark. Our construction fund will most likely be completely depleted and we will be left with very little for emergencies.

Upcoming Fundraiser

We will be participating in International Day on July 11th. As we did last year, we will be running two spots and will need lots of extra hands and help.

The fundraising committee consists of Kathy Parker, Mike Gaviotis, Effie Manly, and Tony Varras. They will be calling and recruiting parishioners for this event. We will need people for food prep, transportation of food to Bunning Park, to set up, clean up and work the booth. Please think about how you can help!

Because we were not able to have an Easter Dinner as a fundraiser, we are looking at doing a celebration to initiate the new kitchen. The perspective date is sometime in August.

May 2016
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Orthros 9:00 am
Divine Liturgy 10:00 am

Sunday, May 29, 2016
Orthros 9:00 am
Divine Liturgy 10:00 am

June 2016

The Church Hall is reserved for a private function on June 3 and 4.

Sunday, June 5, 2016
Orthros 9:00 am
Divine Liturgy 10:00 am
One year memorial for Harry Papas: A light luncheon will be provided by the family.

Thursday, June 9, 2016
Holy Ascension
Divine Liturgy 10:00am

Sunday, June 12, 2016
Orthros 9:00 am
Divine Liturgy 10:00 am

Sunday, June 19, 2016
Holy Pentecost
Orthros 9:00 am
Divine Liturgy 10:00 am

Sunday, June 26, 2016
Orthros 9:00 am
Divine Liturgy 10:00 am

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