PARISH LEADERSHIP
REV. FR. JON MAGOULIAS
PARISH PRIEST

NICK FAKLIS
PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT



UPCOMING SERVICES
Saturday, June 20th
Great Vespers 5:00 p.m.

Sunday, June 21st
2ND SUNDAY OF MATTHEW
Epistle Rom. 2:10-16
Gospel Matt. 4:18-23
Sunday Divine Services 8:30 a.m.

Wednesday, June 24th
Nativity of St. John the Baptist
Epistle Rom. 13:11-14:4
Gospel Luke 1:1-25, 57-80
Divine Services 8:30 a.m.

Saturday, June 27th
Great Vespers 5:00 p.m.

Sunday, June 28th
3RD SUNDAY OF MATTHEW
Epistle Rom. 5:1-10
Gospel Matt. 6:22-33
Sunday Divine Services 8:30 a.m.



MEMORIAL SERVICES
Memorial prayers will be offered this Sunday for the repose of the souls of the servants of God:

Katherine Velthoen 10 Years
Paul Mangelos

Milia Khoury 40 Days

On behalf of the entire Parish we extend our prayers to their family and friends. May our Heavenly Father grant them eternal rest where there is no pain or sorrow, but everlasting life.

ETERNAL BE THEIR MEMORY!



PARISH COUNCIL
Sunday, June 21st – Team 1: Denise Zagaris, Ron Bowren, Paul Forakis, & Stamatis 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.

SENIOR ALTAR BOYS

Andoni Kocolas
Seri Mitri
Manoli Rodarakis

Sunday, June 21st - Team B: Captain, Christos Konstantelos, Vasili Giahos, Panos Constantinou, Christopher Pallios, George Parisis, & Stefan Word.



STEWARDSHIP 2009
We have entered the New Year and we ask that you please make your 2009 Stewardship offering to our Parish. If you have not fulfilled your 2008 commitment please do so this week. If there is a problem in fulfilling your commitment, please contact Fr. Jon. We pray that your increase will enable us to fully fund the operating costs of our Parish through YOUR stewardship commitment!

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.

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. We encourage you to prayerfully evaluate your budget to make a new commitment this year. We give thanks to God as we have had a number of our stewards increasing their commitment to the Church each year. Last year, we had a number of stewards that increased their contribution above the 10% we hoped for with some increasing their previous year offering by as much as 25%! Please consider increasing your Stewardship obligation in accordance with the blessings you receive from God.

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. 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." If you have any questions regarding your offering please contact Fr. Jon.



PARISH NEWS
The Parish Council would like to thank everyone that has contributed to “Pave the Back 40” fund raiser. The work has been completed and we commend the Parish Council for an outstanding job! To date, the faithful stewards, ministries and organizations of our Community have expressed their love for Christ and His Church by contributing $135,885.00! Donations are still being accepted and may be sent to the Church Office.

Work has begun to install a new heating/air-conditioning system for both the church and hall. Regarding the hall we are increasing the a/c capacity to cool the hall (in particular for large events). This project will also include an additional system that will maintain the areas of the entry way, hallways, bookstore and restrooms. This project will cost approximately $75,000.00.

Your faithful stewardship to our Parish enables us to improve our ministries that include the maintenance of our facilities. We are grateful to all the stewards of our Parish that continue to support our ministry that makes these projects possible…God bless you all!



PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS
Philoptochos Scholarship forms are available in the Church Hall during Fellowship Hour. We encourage our young people graduating from High School and those in college to apply. The deadline for the scholarship applications will be June 30th, 2009.




GREEK FOOD FESTIVAL 2009
Preparations for the 2009 Greek Food Festival have already begun! We pray that everyone will offer their support to this year’s GFF Committee. Our chairman for this year is Mike Fostinis and the co-chair is Mary Gavrilis.

The next meeting of the GFF2009 Committee will be on July 15th at 7:00 p.m. in the Classroom Building. ALL GFF Chairpeople are expected to be in attendance!



A REMINDER FROM FR. JON
The Church Office will have summer hours Memorial Day through Labor Day. The office will be open Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Thank You! Anyone needing assistance from the Parish Office must do so during the scheduled weekday times.

The Office is not open on Sundays; this is the Lord’s Day in which we gather to worship God in Christian Orthodox fellowship. Thank you!



ARCHDIOCESE NEWS
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America has updated its national mailing list. In complying with the request of the Archdiocese we have sent our Parish mailing list. We have been promised that the names and addresses will be kept in “strict confidence”. Should the Archdiocese make any financial appeals by use of the Parish mailing list, it is up to your discretion as to whether or not you wish to support their request. Please keep in mind that our Parish Ministry Budget allows for a generous contribution to the Archdiocese. We have consistently supported the Archdiocese as a response of your Stewardship offerings and various contributions to 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!



PARISH EDUCATION MINISTRY
On Sunday, June 14th, our Summer Sunday Church School session will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. During the summer session we have an opportunity to expand the knowledge of our young people in regards to our Faith. We encourage our young people to attend our Summer Sunday Church School and we hope that the parents will understand the importance of participating in this ministry.

Young people meet in their class for attendance at 9:30 a.m. and then proceed into the church to participate in the Divine Liturgy. 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 bringing 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.”

We would like to thank our teachers for their dedication and hard work in teaching our young people about our precious Christian Orthodox Faith. We are also grateful to the parents that have supported this important ministry by bringing their children on time each Sunday.



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.

We would like to express our appreciation to Ron “Spyridon” Bowren for photographing church services and activities during Great Lent and Holy Week. Photos taken during the holy season of Great Lent and Holy Week are available for viewing on our Parish Website: www.goannunciation.org. You may also purchase pictures from the site through the ‘Photo Store’ listed on the top page of the Photo Gallery. Please contact Ron “Spyridon” Bowren at 571-0102 for more information.

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.

There are still about 70 families that have not picked up their 75th Anniversary Album. The album may be picked up from our Church Office, Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Stewards of our Parish are entitled to one "free" album. Additional books may be purchased by stewards of the Parish for $25.00.



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 for 2008-2009 are:

H.O.P.E.
Jonathan Word, President
Adonia Alexander, Vice-President
Alienna Moraitis, Secretary

J.O.Y.
Andreas Alexander, President
John Hillas, Vice-President
Stefan Word, Treasurer
Eleni Quick, Secretary
Kali Johnson, Corresponding Secretary

G.O.Y.A.
Yianni Magoulias, President
Sammer Mitri, Vice-President
Christos Konstantelos, Treasurer
Jimmy Pallios, Secretary
Lia Forakis, Corresponding Secretary

We urge the parents to support our Parish Youth Ministry. This ministry is designed to teach our Faith through fellowship and service. It is comprised of young people in: HOPE - Grade 3-5; JOY - Grades 6-8; GOYA - High School; YAL – College.

The members of GOYA would like to thank Fr. Jon, Presvytera Georgia and Caroline Mitri for chaperoning them to Magic Mountain and Disneyland last week.

Members of HOPE and JOY will go bowling on Tuesday, June 23rd, at McHenry Bowl. We will meet at the bowling alley at 3:30 p.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.



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!



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.

We invite our young people, grades 3-12, to participate in our youth choirs. We will have two groups:

Grades 3-5
6 - High School

For more information contact Denna Tsatsaronis at 394-3464.



ANNUNCIATION GREEK DANCE GROUP NEWS
REGISTRATION Has Begun! Young people, ages 5 (before 12/1/09) through young adults, are invited to participate in our Greek Folk Dance ministry

ONLY REGISTERED DANCERS MAY DANCE IN PERFORMANCES. Our young people must attend 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.

We invite the parents of our dancers to join us for an important meeting on Tuesday, June 23rd, at 7:00 p.m. in the Classroom Building. Please attend!

We are also preparing for our annual fundraiser, the Fireworks Sale. Please volunteer your time to help work the booths. We will be calling on you in the coming weeks to volunteer your time to work in our booths. One must be 18 years old to sale fireworks and we encourage EVERYONE to offer a few hours of their time to help. For further information please contact Anne Davis or Paul Forakis.

Officers for our Parents Support Group are:
Anne Davis, President;
Paul Forakis, Vice-President;
Alicia Letson, Secretary;
Kathi Hatton, Treasurer.

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.



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



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 preferred wines for Holy Communion are: 1.) Coumantaria St. John or St. Nicholas; 2.) Ekklesiastikos Oinos; and if one of these two are not available 3.) Mavrodaphne.