PARISH LEADERSHIP
REV. FR. JON MAGOULIAS
PARISH PRIEST

GARY KLING
PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT



UPCOMING SERVICES
Saturday, February 4th
Great Vespers 5:00 p.m.

Sunday, February 5th
TRIODION BEGINS
SUNDAY OF THE PUBLICAN AND PHARISEE
Epistle 2 Tim. 3:10-15
Gospel Luke 18:10-14
Sunday Divine Services 9:00 a.m.

Friday, February 10th
ST. HARALAMBOS THE PRIEST MARTYR
Epistle 2 Tim. 2:1-10
Gospel John 15:17-16:2
Divine Services 8:30 a.m.

Saturday, February 11th
Great Vespers 5:00 p.m.

Sunday, February 12th
SUNDAY OF THE PRODIGAL SON
WEEK 2 OF THE TRIODION
Epistle 1 Cor. 6:12-20
Gospel Luke 15:11-32
Sunday Divine Services 9:00 a.m.


Divine Services at our Church of the Annunciation may now be viewed live on the Internet! In addition, Divine Services may also be viewed using an iPhone or iPad by going to the following link:

http://wwc-01.media.qualitytech.com/COMP009941SCH1/Annunciationmod-ca/playlist.m3u8

The purpose for this ministry is to provide shut-ins that have internet capability, college students that may not be able to get to an Orthodox Church, or people interested in our precious Christian Orthodox Faith, the opportunity to view our church services. This is not a substitute for attending Church!



PARISH COUNCIL
Sunday, February 5th Team 1: Michael Jaureguy, Tony Gavrilis, Steve Pallios, & James Sarros.

Sunday, February 12th Team 2: Jeff Brown, Lawrence Kennedy, Gary Kling & Stamati Tsatsaronis.



ALTAR BOYS
ALL ALTAR BOYS ARE EXPECTED TO:

* Dress properly, wearing light
colored shirt, tie, and dress shoes.
* The Sunday Church School Program now enables an Altar Boy to serve on Sundays when he may not be scheduled. If you wish to put in extra service on days when it is not your group day, you may do so, but following Holy Communion, you must attend Sunday Church School.
* If unable to participate at your scheduled time, please contact your team captain. Please be on time for all services.

ACOLYTE COORDINATORS:

Andoni Kocolas ~ Seri Mitri ~Manoli Rodarakis

SENIOR ALTAR BOYS: Michael Hillas ~ John Galas ~ Christos Konstantelos ~ Alex Stavrianoudakis

Sunday, February 5th - Team C Captain, Andreas Alexander, Jacob Gavrilis, James Haskin, & PJ Zanotto.

Sunday, February 12th - Team D Captain, Jimmy Pallios, Barkev Andriopoulos, Jonathan Word & Frankie Zanotto.



STEWARDSHIP
We have completed the first month of the New Year and we have begun recording your Stewardship commitment to our Church for 2012. If you have not completed your Stewardship commitment to our Church for 2011, please do so this week!

We are grateful to those who have understood the needs of our Church and increased their commitment. We pray that you will increase your Stewardship for 2012 by increasing the TIME you spend in Church; by the TALENT you offer through various ministries of our Parish; and by increasing the financial offering from your TREASURE that will enable us to fully fund the operating costs of our Parish through YOUR stewardship commitment! The economic times are challenging so by offering one’s support to the Church in weekly, monthly or quarterly contributions, it is much easier in managing the finances of one’s household.

Our Holy Church emphasizes the truth found in Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition that we must give cheerfully and without reluctance to the sacred work of God’s Holy Church. When offering your 2012 Stewardship Ministry to our Parish, prayerfully evaluate your budget when making your commitment in recognizing the you as a member of the Body of Christ, the Church, we “Abide” in Christ Jesus, our Lord, God and Savior.

Christian Stewardship is the very essence of living our precious Faith that teaches each of us to return to the Lord a portion of our earnings so that the Church may continue to grow. Every person baptized and/or chrismated into the Orthodox Christian Faith may be a parishioner but a steward is something more! A steward is a baptized and/or chrismated person who understands his responsibility to God and His Church. This understanding directs him to live his life according to the teachings of our Faith and at the same time, offers Time, Talents and Treasure to the sacred work of the Church. It is important to understand that our Stewardship obligations determine a family (husband, wife, & children) or an individual as stewards of our Parish. Young adults (18 years and older) that have completed their schooling and/or find themselves in the workplace are expected to become stewards of the Parish. These individuals are not included in one’s “Family Stewardship” obligation.

If you have any questions regarding your offering please contact Fr. Jon. Christian Stewardship is the very essence of living our precious Faith that teaches each of us to return to the Lord a portion of our earnings so that the Church may continue to grow.

Each year we are blessed that a number of our stewards increase their commitment to the Church. In recent years, we have had a number of stewards increase their offering above the 10% we hoped for with some increasing their previous year offering by as much as 25%! Approximately $175.00 from every Stewardship offering is contributed for National Ministries.

We have a goal of 350 Stewardship families/individuals for 2012…Please support our efforts! Please remember: "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."



PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS
The ministry of the Philoptochos Society is meaningful and important in the life of our Church. We strongly encourage the ladies of our Parish to become members of the Philoptochos and to assist in this beautiful ministry that assists so many people. For further information please contact one of the officers of Philoptochos.



ATTENTION PARENTS
We would like to obtain the e-mail addresses of parents and students for our Parish records. We also ask that you please submit the names, addresses and e-mails for college students attending school away from home.



PARISH PROJECTS
As we work to maintain the beauty and safety of our church complex we have completed:

1. The replacement of the doors throughout our facility which was approximately $25,000.00.
2. The installation of new lighting around the complex perimeter that was completed at a cost of $3500.00.
3. The new lighting in front of the church (replacing the old MID poles) has finished. The cost of this project was $23,000.00.
4. Sealing and repairing the parking lot - cost $17,000.00
5. The addition of new curbing on back parking lot planters - cost $4,000.00.
6. New lighting in the Classroom Building - cost $10,000.00...DONATED!

Still to be accomplished:

1. New handicap ramp on side of the church - cost $1,000.00.

2. New Heating/Air Conditioning for the back of the Church Hall - cost $11,000.00.

We are grateful to the parishioners that have already made contributions towards these projects that equal $43,050.00.

If you would like to contribute towards any or all of these projects, please send your donation to the Church Office or contact Fr. Jon or a member of the Parish Council.



PARISH EDUCATION MINISTRY
Our regular Sunday Church School has begun. We would like to express our appreciation to the Sunday Church School staff for their dedicated service to our Lord and His Church. We also thank the parents that support our efforts by bringing their children and recognizing the importance of religious education. We wish to remind our Parish Family that the Sunday Church School collects canned and nonperishable foods every Sunday. Please participate in our Can Food Drive.

The young people are to sit in the front pews so that they may be able to receive the Holy Eucharist first; following the Holy Eucharist, the young people go into the Classroom Building for their lesson. Parents are encouraged to bring their children to church on time EVERY SUNDAY MORNING so that our young people may “Grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

A.R.E. YOU READY?

We ask if YOU A.R.E. ready to participate and join in the study of our precious Christian Orthodox Faith. This forum will study Holy Scripture and the writings of the Church Fathers. We will discuss the teachings of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ in Holy Scripture and Hymnology. Please bring your Orthodox Study Bible and join us! Our next meeting will be on Thursday, February 23rd, at 7:00 p.m. in the Classroom Building!



YOUTH NEWS
Our Parish Youth Ministry is designed to teach our Faith through fellowship and service. The success of this ministry rests with the parents. We urge the parents of our young people to support this ministry with enthusiasm and love. Our Youth Ministry is comprised of young people in:

H.O.P.E. – Grade 3-5
J.O.Y. – Grades 6-8
G.O.Y.A. - High School
Y.A.L. - College.

The elected officers are:

H.O.P.E.
Matthew Myrtakis, Pres.
Athena Mason, VP.
Sophia Shaw, Secr.

J.O.Y.
Jonathan Word, Pres.
Adonia Alexander, VP.
Ali Moraitis, Treas.
Eleni Davis, Secr.
Elizabeth Davis, Cor. Secr.

G.O.Y.A.
Jimmy Pallios, Pres.
Marilena Constantinou, VP.
Stefan Word, Treas.
Megan Shaw, Secr.
Emma Letson, Cor. Secr.

Goyans will gather to enjoy the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 5th, at 3:00 p.m., at the home of Fr. Jon and Presvytera Georgia. All Goyans are invited to attend!

It is important for our young people to participate in this ministry so that they may develop the skills necessary to live our Christian Orthodox teachings in today’s world.

The young adults are comprised of young people from college age to 30 years old. We are blessed to have a number of young adults serving in key leadership positions in our Parish. We give thanks to God for their involvement and pray for their success in faith and in life.



GREEK LANGUAGE CLASSES
We strongly urge our parents to enroll their children in our Afternoon Greek School. Along with our Sunday Church School, our Afternoon Greek School teaches our children the Orthodox Christian Faith and our Hellenistic culture. This ministry enables our young people children to develop spiritually and culturally. The total and complete person is one that not only possesses knowledge, but character. Knowledge we receive in schools, however character, is developed through Christian Orthodox education.

Registration for the new academic year is continuing but classes have already begun. You may also register for Greek School in our Church Office Monday - Friday, 10 AM to 5 PM.

We are also offering a Greek Language class for adults. Classes will begin on November 1. If you are interested in the Adult Greek Language class please contact the Church Office.



ORTHODOX TOTS & TODDLERS (T.N.T)
Calling all Moms! Let’s get together and have a blast! Orthodox TNT invites you to be part of the Annunciation Mommy and Me Playgroup! Let’s learn, laugh and love together so moms and their children (ages 0-5) can get to know the other moms and children in our Parish. Our next play date is February 22nd, at 10:30 a.m.



PARISH BOOKSTORE
It has been said: “The more you read…the more you know!” We have a great selection of books, icons, music and other items that every Orthodox Christian can use! Our bookstore is brimming with new arrivals that also make excellent gifts for every occasion.

We wish to thank Linda Fostinis for volunteering to coordinate the functioning of our Parish Bookstore. Her efforts, and the efforts of those who support this sacred ministry, provide us with the opportunity to purchase Orthodox Christian materials for our spiritual edification.



PARISH HERITAGE
We encourage you to visit our Parish Website: www.goannunciation.org. It is frequently updated and contains the Monthly and Weekly Bulletins, along with photographs and other information about our Parish.

There are times when Parish activities take place and parishioners take pictures of the event. We would like to ask our parishioners to consider making a CD of the pictures they take at parish events, label the CD and bring it to the Church Office. In this way, we will be able to document many of the events that take place in our Parish.



SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
We are very blessed to have a wonderful church complex. This has only been accomplished by the generosity of the stewards of our Parish that understand the importance of gathering for Christian Orthodox Fellowship. We are grateful to everyone that has contributed over the years and we commit ourselves to be responsible to maintain our facilities to the best of our abilities.

For this to happen, we need YOUR support too! This is why we must remind parishioners that church property is not to be removed from our complex. Please do not remove plates, pans or other utensils from our facilities for any reason unless approved by the Parish Priest and Parish Council. If you have any items from the Cultural Center please return them this week. In addition, we would like to remind parishioners that we rely on volunteers to serve the meals at our luncheons. During meals that are served in our Church Hall please do not enter the kitchen unless you are volunteering to help! We thank you for your understanding and support!



TRAVEL PLANS
We wish to thank the parishioners that have used our Annunciation Parish travel service. Their efforts are resulting in donations to our Parish!

Please visit our travel website at: www.GoAnnunciationTravel.org. The travel website is powered by the same websites you normally use to book travel - Travelocity.com, Hotels.com and Cheaptickets.com - giving you the same great features and low prices. Our site can take care of all your travel needs, including: Plane Tickets • Hotels • Cruises • Rental Cars • Vacation Packages • Weekend Escapes • Travel Insurance • Sporting Events • Concert Tickets • Theme Park Tickets • Golf Tee Times • Passport Services • Honeymoon Registry • Currency Exchange • And More!

(Should you have problems getting into our Travel Website, type in: gocam)




CHURCH MUSIC MINISTRY
The ministry of our choir members is to represent YOU and to serve as volunteers by using the gift of music to sing praises to our Lord is a true act of Christian Orthodox Stewardship. Parishioners, who may be interested in of our Church, and especially our young people, are invited to join the choir. St. Augustine wrote: “What better thing can the people do than sing. I know of no better thing than this!” Please contact Irene Jaureguy, 667-1299, to find out more about our Church Choir.

Our Youth Choirs will practice every Sunday following the Divine Liturgy in the Classroom Building. All young people grades 3 - 12 are are invited to join our two youth choirs: Helidonia and Dynami! For more information contact Denna or Markella Tsatsaronis at 394-3464.



ANNUNCIATION GREEK DANCE GROUP NEWS
Young people, ages 5 (before 12/1/11) through young adults, are invited to participate in our Greek Folk Dance ministry. Our young people must be prompt in attending the Divine Liturgy and Sunday Church School in order to attend dance practice. We encourage our young people to participate in this most worthwhile and fun ministry.

An important aspect of our Greek Folk Dance Ministry is the Parents Support Group. This group has been organized to assist the directors in meeting the needs of this beautiful ministry.

The Dance Parent Support Group officers elected to serve for 2010-2011 are:

Denna Tsatsaronis – President
Janelle Hatton – Vice-President
Anna Affholter – Treasurer
Kelly Lemons – Secretary

Dance practice for FDF2012 continues! Our young people must attend Divine Liturgy and Sunday Church School in order to attend dance practice and perform at FDF2012.

Our Greek Folk Dance Group will host a “casual” Glendi on Friday, February 10th to welcome our visiting musicians from Greece. Make plans to join us for dinner and dancing!

The 2012 FDF Preview Performance & Luncheon will be held on Sunday, February 12th, following the Divine Liturgy. All groups will perform! Dancers MUST attend practice in preparation for their performance.

Over the years families that have been involved in our Greek Folk Dance ministry have been gracious to loan their costumes for other young dancers and we thank them. We would like to remind the families that may have borrowed costumes in the past to please return them as quickly as possible. This includes all parts of the costume including jewelry and we ask that it be returned clean! Thank you!

For further information regarding our award winning Greek Folk dancers please visit our website at: www.greekfolkdancers.com.



SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
The demands on each individual and family are great. In an effort to understand this we would like to remind our parishioners that before anyone plans on selling items in our church complex or during Parish activities, they must have the approval of the Parish Priest. We also understand that organizations within our Community, as well as, organizations we may support, have a need to raise funds for their activities. We do not want times of fellowship to become a time when parishioners may be bombarded to purchase items.

We would also like to remind everyone that the placement of flyers on our cars is prohibited! Flyers that you
wish to have distributed may be brought by the Church Office for approval and then included in either our Monthly and/or Weekly bulletins.



IN TIMES OF ILLNESS
“Come, O blessed of my father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;…for I was sick and you visited me…” (Matt. 25:31-46). When a member of our Parish is ill and has been hospitalized or may be recuperating at home, the immediate family of the ill person should contact the Church Office, 522-7694. It is beneficial to both the body and the soul when our priest prays for us when we are healthy or ill. The local hospitals will not notify us when an Orthodox Christian has been admitted to the hospital, so it is imperative that the immediate family accept this responsibility.



CHURCH BEHAVIOR
Divine Services on Sunday morning begin at 9:00 a.m. There is no set time as to when the Divine Liturgy actually begins since the hymns of the Matins vary from week to week. According to actual Church Service procedures, each and every member of the congregation is required to be seated in the pews by the beginning of the Divine Liturgy. It is only through leniency that anyone is allowed to enter the Church once the Service has begun. Thus it behooves us not to take undue advantage of this leniency. Also, unnecessary noise is extremely distracting during worship, especially when it comes from the adults talking; in addition, our nursery is equipped with all the conveniences for young children and a parent to participate in the Liturgy. Please remember to prepare yourself properly to attend the Divine Liturgy; dress accordingly; do not chew gum; turn off your cell phone; and please do not create a disturbance. Please remember that the Parish Council members are required to see to the order during Church Services and everyone should follow their directions at all times.

“The Lord has given us many counsels and commandments to help us toward salvation. He has even given us a pattern of prayer, instructing us on how we are to pray. He has given us life, and with His accustomed generosity, He has also taught us how to pray. He has made it easy for us to be heard, as we pray to the Father in words taught us by the Son…Let us pray as God our Master has taught us. To ask the Father in words His Son has given us, to let Him hear the words of Christ ringing in our ears, is to make our prayer one of friendship, a family prayer.” St. Cyprian, martyred Bishop of Carthage (+258)



OBLATION OFFERING
The Divine Liturgy begins with the offering of the faithful people of God. The gifts we bring forth are an expression of our faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Holy Communion makes us one with the Holy Trinity and is given for "remission of sins and life everlasting". The people are invited to bring forth their offering, i.e. "Prosforon", for the Divine Liturgy to be celebrated. We use 4 prosfora on a regular Sunday and they may be given through our Philoptochos for a donation of $5.00 per loaf. The Eucharist Bread may be offered in memory of a loved one or for someone's health and well-being. Anyone wishing to donate the Eucharist Bread ("Prosphoron") on a particular Sunday may contact Anna Petrulakis, 522-0298.

In addition to contributing the Eucharist Bread it is customary to bring a bottle of olive oil for the vigil lights and a bottle of wine for Holy Communion. The ONLY wine being used for Holy Communion is: 1.) Coumantaria St. John, St. Nicholas or St. Barnabas.