PARISH LEADERSHIP
REV. FR. JON MAGOULIAS
PARISH PRIEST

GARY KLING
PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT



UPCOMING SERVICES
Wednesday, March 14th
9th Hour 6:30 p.m.
Presanctified Liturgy 7:00 p.m.

Friday, March 16th
3RD SALUTATIONS TO THE THEOTOKOS AND
EVER-VIRGIN MARY 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 17th
Great Vespers 5:00 p.m.

Sunday, March 18th
3RD SUNDAY OF GREAT LENT
VENERATION OF THE HOLY CROSS
Epistle Heb. 4:14-16; 5:1-6
Gospel Mark 8:34-39; 9:1
Sunday Divine Services 9:00 a.m.
Lenten Vespers 7:00 p.m.

Monday, March 19th
Great Compline 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, March 21st
9th Hour 6:30 p.m.
Presanctified Liturgy 7:00 p.m.

Friday, March 23rd
4TH SALUTATIONS TO THE THEOTOKOS AND
EVER-VIRGIN MARY 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 24th
EVE OF THE ANNUNCIATION
Great Vespers 5:00 p.m.

Sunday, March 25th
ANNUNCIATION OF THE THEOTOKOS
4TH SUNDAY OF GREAT LENT
ST. JOHN OF THE LADDER
Epistle Heb. 2:11-18
Gospel Luke 1:24-38
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!



FLOWER DONATIONS DURING GREAT LENT & PASCHA
During the holy season of Great Lent our Church is prepared in such a way as to let the faithful know that something special and unique is taking place. One of the most beautiful ways in which our Church announces this sacred time of the year is by the use of flowers. For this reason, our Philoptochos is once again accepting contributions in order to beautify our church during Great Lent. If you would like to participate by making a contribution, please contact Anna Petrulakis.



PARISH COUNCIL
Sunday, March 18th Team 3: Nick Faklis, Mary Gavrilis, Nick Stavrianoudakis, & Eleni Venierakis.

Sunday, March 25th Team 4: Nick Pallios, Chris Christie Jr., Mike Kordazakis, & Mitcheal Word.




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, March 18th Team A Captain, Anthony Stavrianoudakis, Christo Andriopoulos, Panos Constantinou, John Pallios & Stefan Word.

Sunday, March 25th - Team B Captain, Chris Letson, Alex Alexander, Will Davis, John Hillas, & Chris Zanotto.



THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY CONFESSION
During the season of Great Lent we are all called to participate in the Holy Sacrament of Confession. Please contact Fr. Jon or your spiritual father so that you may schedule a time for your confession to Christ our Lord.



STEWARDSHIP
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.

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.

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 Annunciation Philoptochos hosted a beautiful luncheon last week for "Kids with Cancer". We wish to thank the members of Philoptochos for their support in hosting this event. A special thank you to Karen Forakis and Rosanda Amerine for coordinating the event. We are also grateful to Dr. Paul Forakis, Tom Fraioli, Chris Bonnora and Nick Malekos for preparing a wonderful lenten meal.

The "Kids and Cancer" program is a ministry of the Metropolis Philoptochos. The support for this ministry provides funding for five camps in our Metropolis. These camps offer support to young people afflicted with cancer and their families.

In addition, our Philoptochos has supported children with cancer by contributing to the program provided by Memorial Hospital, as well as, the Children's Hospitals in Oakland and Madera.

We are extremely grateful for your contribution of almost $4,000.00 that will continue our support to this worthwhile ministry. If you wish to contribute in support of this program, please contact Maria Skordos Moore, Philoptochos Treasurer.


During the holy season of Great Lent our Church is prepared in such a way as to let the faithful know that something special and unique is taking place. One of the most beautiful ways in which our Church announces this sacred time of the year is by the use of flowers.

For this reason, our Philoptochos is once again accepting contributions in order to beautify our church during Great Lent. If you would like to participate by making a contribution, please contact Anna Petrulakis, 522-0298.


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.



75TH ANNIVERSARY HOLY CROSS SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is recognizing the founding of the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology 75 years ago. Established in 1937, Holy Cross is the premier institution of higher education for Greek Orthodox priests and lay theologians in the Western Hemisphere. On Monday, April 30th, the Eastern Vicariate of the Metropolis of SF will host a golf tournament to benefit the anniversary of Holy Cross. The tournament will be held at The Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton. Hosting parishes include: Modesto, Stockton, Elk Grove, Sacramento, and Roseville. We invite you to join us for a day of golf and fellowship in support of a most worthwhile cause. For further information please contact Nick Faklis, Fr. Jon or the Church Office.



PARISH PROJECTS
The responsibility to continue to maintain the beauty and safety of our church complex is of utmost importance. In the last year 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 $12,000.00. (This project is to be completed in the next few weeks.


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.”

The St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival will held in our Parish on Sunday, April 1st. Young people in grades 7-12 are encouraged to participate. Each participant in the Parish Oratorical Festival will receive a $150.00 scholarship to the 2012 St. Nicholas Summer Camp program. Please contact Fr. Jon or your Sunday Church School teacher for topics.

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 sacred writings of our Church Fathers.

During Great Lent we will be studying the book entitled "The Ladder of Divine Ascent" written by St. John Climacus. Please bring your Orthodox Study Bible and join us! Our next meeting will be on Thursday, March 15th, 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.

G.O.Y.A. will have their Fireside Chat Monday, March 19th after the Great Compline Service. We hope you will join us!

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.



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
Our Annunciation Dancers would like to thank our Parish Family for their love and support throughout the year. We would also like to thank the following stewards of our Parish that worked so diligently for this year’s Greek Folk Dance Ministry of our Parish. They are:
Poulakia – Nicole Pallios & Alex Stavrianoudakis;
Oli Mazi - Antonia Kocolas & Andrea Mayer;
Oneropoula - Danielle Kokologiannakis, Andoni Kocolas & Stavros Stathoudakis;
Orama - Catherine Jaureguy and Sophia Thymakis;
Thorivos - Manoli Rodarakis & Markella Tsatsaronis;
Dynami Choir - Denna Tsatsaronis.

FDF2012 was an exciting weekend. Our awards this year included:

Division 1 Choral Director Award – Denna Tsatsaronis;

Division 1 – 4th Place Choral Award – Dynami Choir;

Division 1 – Advanced Seniors – Fourth Place – Thorivos.

We would also like to commend the Oli Mazi dancers that came together in the last 6 weeks to plan a routine for this year’s FDF. This was the first time most of these young dancers competed and they performed beautifully.

The Orama Dancers moved into Advanced Juniors and did a wonderful Cretan suite of dances for the first time. They showed great promise in their ability to perform the exciting dances of Crete.

Last year, the FDF Management Team decided to have an event entitled “Greeks Got Talent”. It was an enjoyable event that saw an array of talented young people perform. There were people who sang, danced and played instruments. This year, for the first time, we had one of its young people participate. Anthony Stavrianoudakis performed a guitar solo that was amazing! We want to commend Anthony for an outstanding performance that rocked the house! May our Lord continue to bless him and all of us to use our talents to the glory of God!

Following the annual Greek Folk Dance & Choral Festival our dance ministry goes on a break through Great Lent.

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

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.