Weekday Service: Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Synaxis Michael, Gabriel & All Heavenly Hosts
8:30 am – Orthros
9:30 am – Divine Liturgy

Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Feast Day of Nektarios of Pentapolis
8:30 am – Orthros
9:30 am – Divine Liturgy


Memorial: 4 Years ~ Nicholas Dallas, No Pews

Artoclasia: The Artoclasia today is offered for the Health and Welfare of the Ladies of the Assumption Philoptochos Society and their families. This is done each year in recognition of their Patron Sts. Cosmas and Damianos. There will be a special tray passed today in both the main Church, as well as, the Chapel, in support for the many philanthropic ministries of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Fellowship: The Woods Family are hosting today’s Coffee Fellowship to celebrate William and Toula Diamant's 60th Wedding Anniversary. Please join us in Plato Hall to enjoy fellowship.

Sacrament: Stavroula Stathopoulos and Athanasios Karoubas will be joined in Holy Matrimony today at 2:30pm. Their Sponsor is Sotirios Karoubas.

Stewardship Message: Stewardship And Worship
Each week, we gather to praise God by our worshipping God the Father as Creator, God the Son as Redeemer and God the Holy Spirit as Sanctifier and Comforter. We acknowledge God as the Provider of all our blessings when we bring our offerings to the altar. Our offerings symbolize our Stewardship, that is the management of our time, abilities, and money, that which we return to God through God's Church to proclaim God's Kingdom.


2011 Stewardship: We are forever grateful to all who have so lovingly responded and committed to 2011 with their stewardship pledge. Through your support, the Parish Council is better able to assess the needs and properly place priorities into the budget for the Lord’s ministry in our blessed Parish of Panagia. If you have not done so yet, please make every effort to fulfill your Stewardship pledge at your earliest convenience. You will find stewardship packets on the Pangari in the Church Narthex, or can ask a Parish Council member upon exiting the Church following today’s Worship Services.

Dates to Remember: Sunday, November 6th Assumption Philoptochos – Artoclasia Service for Sts. Cosmas and Damianos

Monday, November 7th Adult Bible Study at 7:00 pm in St. Catherine’s Meeting Room

Sunday, November 13th Fall General Assembly Meeting

Saturday, November 19th Philoptochos Membership Tea

Thursday, November 24th St. Catherine’s Vespers Service 7:00pm

Friday, November 25th Orthros and Divine Liturgy for St. Catherine the Great Martyr


St. Jude Give thanks.Walk Please join us in fighting childhood cancer by participating in the St. Jude Give thanks.Walk on Saturday, November 19th. This is an indoor walk at Yorktown Shopping Center (Located at Butterfield and Highland Avenue in Lombard) that begins at 8am. If you are interested, please visit the narthex for the registration form that needs to be completed, or see Father Athanasios during the Fellowship hour.

Volunteer Opportunity: Our Parish of Panagia has a new volunteer opportunity related to coordinating the production of the Assumption Church Newsletter. The Newsletter is produced six times a year. Computer knowledge is a requisite, and requires coordination for the submission of articles, layout of the newsletter in Microsoft Publisher (a standard Microsoft application), and submission to the printer via email. If you are a steward looking for a way to increase your involvement in our Church Community and would like to learn more about this opportunity, please contact Tina Sarantos, (708) 660-0154.

2011 Foster Children Christmas Gift Drive: Assumption Church is participating in the Foster Children Gift Drive. All names have now been distributed. These gifts should be wrapped and identified with the individual child's name and brought to church by November 20, 2011. We want to sincerely thank all who have selected children's names for gifts this year.

Orthodox Adult Bible Study the New Testament-Book of Acts: The next Adult Bible Study class will be on Monday, November 7th, at 7:00 pm in St. Catherine’s meeting room. At the first gathering, it was decided that the class would be held on the first and third Monday of the month. The course of study is a continuation of the New Testament – Book of Acts. The class is open to all and it is hoped that you will avail yourself the opportunity to study the Bible in-depth. All you need to bring is your Bible. For further information and/or questions, please see Father Timothy.

Stewardship Sunday November 20th: Sunday, November 20th, is designated as Stewardship Sunday in our Parish. On this day, the sermon will center around the theme of Stewardship and the sharing of our time, talents, and treasures with our Lord and His Church. 2012 Stewardship Packets will be passed out and the hope is that you, as a family, will pray and give honest thought to the service of time and talent to God’s Church. You will also be asked to prayerfully complete your stewardship pledge to our Lord for the year ahead, 2012.

Loretto Hospital 21st Annual Visit With Santa Saturday, Dec. 10th: The 21st Annual Loretto Hospital Visit with Santa will take place on Saturday, December 10th, from 10am to noon. Each year, our Parish participates in this joint venture with Loretto Hospital to positively impact the lives of the children and families within the Austin community. Those persons/families interested in purchasing a gift for a child 0 - 2 years of age, labeled boy or girl, with a value of at least $15.00, should let either Christina Arvanites or Father Athanasios know during the Coffee Fellowship Hour in Plato Hall. All gifts need to be delivered to the Church by SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3rd. Our Parish has always been very generous to those underprivileged within our Austin Community. Our goal is to collect one gift from every family and this year the need is as great as ever. With your help, we can put smiles on the faces of less fortunate children. We thank you for your consideration.

Annual Christmas Food Drive: Our Parish again is collecting non-perishable and dry food items that will be part of food baskets for those individuals/families in special need this Christmas Season. Between now and December 4th, we ask that you please bring your items and leave them in the Narthex of the main Church or in Saint Catherine`s Chapel Narthex on Sundays. Those individuals wishing to make a monetary donation towards perishable items are encouraged to do so as well. We ask that you please be part of this effort and contribute what you can. The high school Sunday Church School students will assist in separating the food donations.

Battery Operated Wheel Chair: Anyone in need of a battery operated wheel chair, please contact the church office at 773-626-3114 for more information.

Proper Church Etiquette: Worship Services are vital instruments and components to our prayer development. In order to help us achieve this, we need to be cognizant of our fellow parishioners and all those around us. Therefore, please make sure that cell phones are completely turned off during Services. In addition, while we most welcome children to participate in the liturgical life of the Church, it remains the responsibility of parents to make sure that children do not become a distraction to those around them. Therefore, if a child is crying, or in some way in need of attention, please feel free to take him/her to the Narthex or Cry Room. You are most welcome to enter and exit the Church proper as many times as necessary. By doing this, all who are in attendance will be afforded the opportunity to worship and pray together. (Please keep in mind that we are also privileged to have a complete Sunday School Liturgy celebrated in Saint Catherine’s Chapel each week for your use as well). We ask for your cooperation. Ushers will be available to help you, if needed.

Holy Communion Announcement: While we pray and work for the reconciliation and unity of all the world's Christians, the reality remains that there is still no intercommunion between our Orthodox Churches and the Churches of the West. This means that only baptized, chrismated, and observant Orthodox faithful are allowed to receive Holy Communion in our churches. At the same time, we warmly welcome all non-Orthodox to join us in prayer and celebration, and humbly offer to all present the Antidoro bread of fellowship at the end of the worship service. We offer this important symbol 'instead of the Gifts', in the words of the Apostle Paul, 'Till we all come to the unity of the Faith' (Eph. 4.13).

We Need Your E-mail Address: Are you receiving the weekly bulletin online in your e-mail mailbox each week? How about our Assumption Church’s Newsletter and the Saint Catherine’s Newsletter? If not, please give the Church Office your e-mail address so that you can stay informed about the schedule of religious services, events, and news of our Community.

Website News www.assumptionchicago.org Did you know that you can find Articles and Resources for the Orthodox Church on our web site. They include the history of Orthodoxy, special Services and Blessings, Spirituality, Teachings of the Orthodox Church, how to become a member of the Orthodox Church, the meaning and celebration of The Holy Eucahrist, the form and characteristics of Orthodox worship, the Sacrament of Confession, Holy Week Meditation and Study Guide, Fasting, and many others. Just go to our website and click on the heading Faith, read, learn, and enjoy. The latest editions of the Assumption Newsletter and the St. Catherine Newsletter are now available online.

Ushers: James Lakerdas, Voula Spyropoulos, Ted Pappas, Dean Sarantos, Rose Marie Stewart