1

Ins ide th i s

i s sue :

The Nativity

Fast: Are You

Saved?

1

Philoptochos 5

News &

Events

6

Youth Corner 12

St. Catherine 3

Sts . Pet er

& Pau l

Greek

Or thodox

Church

Petra News N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 5

The Nativity Fast: Are You Saved?

Petra News A ministry and

monthly publication of

Sts. Peter & Paul Greek Orthodox

Church. Supported by the stewards of

the parish

There is a story of a pious and humble bishop, who one day was walking down the street when a little girl ap-proached him and asked, “Are you saved?” The kind bishop, smiled at the girl and responded, “My dear friend, might I inquire a little more exactly as to what it is you are asking me. Are you asking me, have I been saved? Or are you asking me, am I now being saved? Or are you asking me, shall I yet someday be saved?” The little girl became flustered, and did not respond. The bishop with a loving tone in his voice said, “all three are true. I have been saved. I am being saved; and I shall yet be saved.” You see, salvation is comprehensive. It has to do with our past - we have been saved from sin and death through baptism. This we call justification. It has to do with the present - we are being saved. This we call sanctifica-tion. And salvation has to do also with our final glory in Christ. As St Paul said, “When Christ who is our life ap-pears, then you also will appear with

Him in glory (Col 3:4). This we call glo-rification. The pious bishop’s response is the truth. When asked, “Are you saved?” And this is a good question, and one not to be taken lightly, our response should be, “I am working out my salva-tion.” The Nativity Fast will begin on Sunday, November 15. The Great Feast of our Lord’s Birth is the first step in the process of salvation. The Nativity celebrates the birth of the Messiah. His birth on earth as man fulfilled all the prophesies and promises of the Old Testament. The birth of Jesus Christ provided the ‘way’ into God’s Eternal Kingdom. When questions such as, ‘Are you saved? What must I do to be saved? What is meant by salvation?, most of us associate such talk with the Protestants and born-again evangelicals. I still re-member as a college sophomore when a friend said to me, “I am worried about your salvation. You are not born again.” My protestant friend’s words left me speechless. In a special way it was a blessing. Her words left me thinking about my faith and salvation. Did I make a mistake? Was I on the wrong Christian path? I called my priest. Fa-ther John spent time with me and asked me a few direst questions; ‘Do you have a prayer life? Are you reading the Bible? Are you keeping the fast? Are you pray-ing the liturgy or ‘going through the motions?’ Fr John recommended a few

Monthly Cal-

endar

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Stewardship 16

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P e t r a N e w s

books. My eyes and heart began to open up. The topic of salvation and ‘being saved’ is not new to the Or-thodox Faith. There is no easy an-swer to salvation. It is a labor of love. The Orthodox Faith preserves the truth that salvation is the process of sanctification. This means that we are called to live sanctified and holy lives. Salvation requires one to per-sonally grow toward the image of God and follow the example of Je-sus Christ. Salvation is a gift of God’s love. We are reminded of this love every time we profess the Creed of our faith, ‘For us and for our salvation, He came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man.’ His Eminence, Metro-politan Hierotheos wrote, “Man is God’s most perfect creation. How-ever, through his fall he was en-slaved to the devil, sin and death. God could not bear to see His crea-tion suffering and tormented. Therefore, out of love, He sent His Son, to become a man and to save man.” The Old Testament speaks of the Son of God coming to save humanity. “Bowed the heavens and came down,” Psalm 18:9. Jesus came to us as God’s Word to renew the image of God in us that had been damaged by sin. The first words of the Evan-gelist in the gospel of St John share

how the Word (Logos) became flesh and dwelt among us. Through Jesus, who is the Word, God speaks to us His words of salvation and everlasting life. The Nativity (Christmas Advent) cele-brates Jesus Christ becoming man. Je-sus embraced fallen man in order to unite humanity with divine nature. The gift of our Lord’s Birth is the gift of the best relationship. The Lord said to His people in the book of Jeremiah 3:14, “I am married to you.” The New Testament proclaims Jesus as the Bridegroom, and the Church, His people, the bride. We need to think of salvation as a marriage relationship with God. What does God want from us more than anything else? God desires our love! Salvation is a way of life. It is doing the will of God daily. When we choose to do God’s will, we are choosing to love Him. I am praying for our parish to grow. Not only in stewards, but in our spiritu-al growth. May this Nativity Fast, this special time of Advent, as we prepare for the Birth of the Messiah, make this prayer present in our daily lives, “Instill is us also reverence for Your blessed command-ments, so that having conquered all sinful de-sires, we may pursue a spiritual life, thinking and doing all those things that are pleasing to You. For You, Christ our God, are a light of our souls and bodies...” (prayer before the reading of the gospel) Fr. Jordan Brown

“Instill is us also reverence for Your blessed commandments, so that having conquered all sinful desires, we may pursue a spiritual life, thinking and doing all those things that are pleasing to You. For You, Christ our God, are a light of our souls and bodies.”

“Let us love one another”

3 P a g e 3 P e t r a N e w s

The Holy Great Martyr Catherine was the daughter of Constus, the governor of Alexandrian

Egypt during the reign of the emperor Maximian (305-313). Living in the capital, the center

of Hellenistic knowledge, and possessed of a rare beauty and intellect, Catherine received an

excellent education, studying the works of the greatest philosophers and teachers of antiquity.

Young men from the most worthy families of the empire sought the hand of the beautiful

Catherine, but she was not interested in any of them. She told her parents that she would enter

into marriage only with someone who surpassed her in nobility, wealth, comeliness and wis-

dom.

Catherine’s mother, a secret Christian, sent her to her own spiritual Father, a saintly Elder liv-

ing in a cave outside the city, for advice. After listening to Catherine, the Elder said that he

knew of a Youth who surpassed her in everything. “His countenance is more radiant than the

shining of the sun, and all of creation is governed by His wisdom. His riches are given to all

the nations of the world, yet they never diminish. His compassion is unequaled.”

This description of the Heavenly Bridegroom produced in the soul of the holy maiden an ar-

dent desire to see Him. “If you do as I tell you,” said the monk, “you will gaze upon the coun-

tenance of this illustrious man.” In parting, the Elder handed Catherine an icon of the Theoto-

kos with the divine Child Jesus on Her arm and told her to pray with faith to the Queen of

Heaven, the Mother of the Heavenly Bridegroom, and She would hear Catherine and grant

her heart’s desire.

Catherine prayed all night and was permitted to see the Most Holy Virgin, Who said Her Di-

vine Son, “Behold Thy handmaiden Catherine, how fair and virtuous she is.” But the Child

turned His face away from her saying, “No, she is ugly and unbelieving. She is a foolish pau-

per, and I cannot bear to look at her until she forsakes her impiety.”

Catherine returned again to the Elder deeply saddened, and told him what she had seen in the

dream. He lovingly received her, instructed her in the faith of Christ, admonished her to pre-

serve her purity and integrity and to pray unceasingly. She then received the Mystery of holy

Baptism from him. Again St Catherine had a vision of the Most Holy Theotokos with Her

Child. Now the Lord looked tenderly at her and gave her a beautiful ring, a wondrous token of

her betrothal to the Heavenly Bridegroom (This ring is still on her hand).

At that time the emperor Maximian was in Alexandria for a pagan festival. Therefore, the cel-

ebration was especially splendid and crowded. The cries of the sacrificial animals, the smoke

and the smell of the sacrifices, the endless blazing of fires, and the bustling crowds at the are

nas defiled the city of Alexandria. Human victims also were brought, the confessors of Christ,

those who would not deny Him under torture. They were condemned to death in the fire. The

saint’s love for the Christian martyrs and her fervent desire to ease their sufferings compelled

Catherine to speak to the pagan priest and to the emperor Maximian.

Great Martyr Catherine of Alexandria

November 24th

4 P a g e 4 P e t r a N e w s

Introducing herself, the saint confessed her faith in the One True God and with wisdom ex-

posed the errors of the pagans. The beauty of the maiden captivated the emperor. In order to

convince her and to show the superiority of pagan wisdom, the emperor ordered fifty of the

most learned philosophers and rhetoricians of the Empire to dispute with her, but the saint got

the better of the wise men, so that they came to believe in Christ themselves. St Catherine

made the Sign of the Cross over the martyrs, and they bravely accepted death for Christ and

were burned alive by order of the emperor.

Maximian, no longer hoping to convince the saint, tried to entice her with the promise of rich-

es and fame. Receiving an angry refusal, the emperor gave orders to subject the saint to terri-

ble tortures and then throw her in prison. The Empress Augusta, who had heard much about

the saint, wanted to see her. She prevailed upon the military commander Porphyrius to accom-

pany her to the prison with a detachment of soldiers. The empress was impressed by the

strong spirit of St Catherine, whose face was radiant with divine grace. The holy martyr ex-

plained the Christian teaching to them, and they were converted to Christ.

On the following day they again brought the martyr to the judgment court where, under the

threat of being broken on the wheel, they urged that she renounce the Christian Faith and of-

fer sacrifice to the gods. The saint steadfastly confessed Christ and she herself approached the

wheels; but an angel smashed the instruments of execution, which shattered into pieces with

many pagans standing nearby.

Having beheld this wonder, the Empress Augusta and the imperial courtier Porphyrius with

200 soldiers confessed their faith in Christ in front of everyone, and they were beheaded.

Maximian again tried to entice the holy martyr, proposing marriage to her, and again he was

refused. St Catherine firmly confessed her fidelity to the heavenly Bridegroom Christ, and

with a prayer to Him she herself lay her head on the block beneath the executioner’s sword.

The relics of St Catherine were taken by the angels to Mount Sinai. In the sixth century,, the

venerable head and left hand of the holy martyr were found through a revelation and trans-

ferred with honor to a newly-constructed church of the Sinai monastery, built by the holy Em-

peror Justinian (November 14).

St Catherine is called upon for relief and assistance during a difficult childbirth. Pilgrims to

her monastery on Mt Sinai are given souvenir rings as a remembrance of their visit.

Great Martyr Catherine of Alexandria

November 24th

5 P a g e 5 P e t r a N e w s

November brings us our feast day on November 1st. This is the feast day of Sts. Cosmas and Damian. These two amazing brothers embodied all that the Philptochos stands for. This month I want to share the Philoptochos prayer:

O Lord Jesus Christ, we bow our heads before You, and with humble hearts we give thanks to You for the abun-dant blessings, which You have poured forth upon us. We praise You for gathering us together as members of the Ladies Philoptochos Society in the service to Your Holy Church. We bless You for the selfless sacrifice of count-less generations of women who have faithfully fulfilled the philanthropic mission entrusted to them. Through Your ineffable wisdom and Your Divine power, You have enabled us to minister to those who are in need of Your love, Your comfort, and Your care. Make us instruments of Your peace and of Your hope, O Lord. Where there is pain and suffering, may we bring Your healing and comfort. Where there is loneliness and isolation, may we bring the fellowship of Your Holy Church. Where there is despair and discouragement, may we inspire hope and faith in You. Where there is hatred and strife, may we be peacemakers producing the fruits of love and reconciliation. We also ask You, O Lord, to guide our deliberations, our decisions, our fellowship, and all our labors, so that in all we do, or say, we may bring glory to Your Holy Name, of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I'm looking forward to an amazing November!

Ashley Dzilvelis Philoptochos President

Philoptochos

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Men’s Fellowship Monday, November 9th @ 7 pm

The Men’s group is a ministry of Sts. Peter and Paul. We hope to bring together men, both young and old, to grow in prayer, reflection and fellowship. Our goal is to meet monthly and participate in a annual weekend re-treat (Spring 2016). We will meet in the parish hall for dinner and spiritual reflection. Please contact Fr. Jordan

with any questions.

Sts. Peter & Paul Choir Practice Choir practice will meet in the church every Saturday at 4 pm. We invite both young and old to join the choir. This will be a wonderful opportunity to learn the traditional music of the Orthodox Church. Pres. Marika—(720) 639-2663; marikadb@aol.com / Pres. Kedrann - (303) 746-9375; kedrann@gmail.com

Wednesday Morning Bible Study Please join us for the Wednesday morning Bible Study. We begin with a morning prayer service in the church @ 9:30 am. The Bible Study takes place in the parish hall. Refreshments are provided. Class begins @ 10 am and ends @ 11:15 am. Bible Study is open to all adults who have the desire to prayerfully study Holy Scripture and Feast Days of the Church. This is a wonderful opportunity to grow in the faith and make new friends. Bible Study will meet on November 11 & 18.

Brunch & Baby Shower for Liz & Kurt Soderberg Saturday, November 21st @ 10 am

Please join us for a brunch honoring Liz & Kurt Soderberg in celebrating the arrival of their baby girl in January. If you would like to contribute to a group gift, then please follow this link: http://tilt.tc/EiNn Liz and Kurt are also registered at Target and thebump.com if you would like to purchase an individual gift. Please RSVP by No-vember 15th by e-mailing or calling Danielle Cavallaro at d_cavallaro@hotmail.com or 720.550.0198.

Support the Parish of St. Spyridon Saturday, December 12th, 2015

Honoring our faith, building for the future. Brick by Brick!!!honoring our faith, building for the future BRICK BY BRICK!

Capital Campaign Fundraising Event 4 pm Vespers celebrated by Metropolitan Isaiah followed by tour of the new church

6 pm Dinner catered by Aspasia’s Event will take place @ St Spyridon’s new location in Loveland

News & Events

7

News & Events News & Events

4th Annual Sts. Peter & Paul All Ages Talent Show

“There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varie-ties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)

Join us on November 7th for an evening of celebrating the diverse talents of our commu-nity. We are looking for all types of talents to participate in this fun event.

Great Vespers @ 6 pm

Followed by Dinner & Show @ 7 pm

Here are just a few ideas of what you could contribute:

*Art works *Crafts

*Singing *Dancing

*Music *Baked Goods

*Magic Tricks *Photography

*Poetry *Juggling

Please see or email Nicole Tsiouvaras (tsiouvaras@msn.com) by November 1 to sign up.

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Growing In Faith: Learning About the Orthodox Christian Church

When: Wednesdays @ 7:00 pm. ‘Growing in Faith’ will meet on Wednesday Evenings until early December Location: Sts Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church 5640 Jay Road Boulder, CO 80301 Class is open to all adults who have a desire to have a deeper understanding of the Orthodox Church. We welcome inquirers. Father Jordan, the priest of Sts Peter and Paul, will be leading the presentations. Growing in Faith will focus on the theology, history, worship and spirituality of the Orthodox Faith. Please join us for a lenten meal @ 6:30 pm in our parish hall. Class will begin @ 7:00 pm and will end @ 8:15 pm. There is no required text. Please see the list of recommended books. If you have any questions please contact Father Jordan @ frjordan@stspeterandpaulboulder.org (303) 581-1434. *Class schedule is attached on the back of this sheet.

CLASS SCHEDULE

November 11 Sacraments: The Hands of Jesus reaching out November 18 Prayer and Fasting December 2 Architecture and Iconography: The walls of the Church December 9 Incarnation: The Birth of Jesus Christ

Recommended Reading:

Introducing the Orthodox Church, Fr Anthony Coniaris The Faith: Understanding Orthodox Christianity, Clark Carlton The Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Kallistos Ware The Truth of our Faith, Elder Cleopa of Romania Welcome to the Orthodox Church, Presbytera Frederica Mathewes-Green Thirsting for God in a Land of Shallow Wells, Mathew Gallatin

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P a g e 9 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

News & Events

The OCF @ CU welcomes all college students to join us and be a part of the OCF Ministry.

The OCF ministry meets twice a month on Tuesday, 6:00 pm, @ the St.Thomas Catholic

Student Center located on the corner of 15th and Euclid. Please join us for prayer, dinner

and fellowship. We begin our fellowship in the Adoration chapel located in the Catholic Student

Center. Dinner and Fellowship is offered in the cafe section of the St. Thomas Center. Please

make sure and check out the OCF CU facebook page for additional social gatherings with the

Boulder Colorado OCF. The OCF will also be hosting a ski retreat in February 2016.

♦ November 3 & 17 6 pm St. Thomas Center

♦ December 1 6 pm St. Thomas Center

♦ December 6 6 pm OCF Christmas Party Luncheon

♦ February 26-28 OCF Ski Retreat

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News & Events News & Events

11

News & Events

SAVE THE DATE

1ST ANNUAL

CHRISTMAS

PARTY

December 19, 2015

Watch your email for more information!

News & Events

12

Sunday School We are blessed to have children and parents in our parish. Parents, if you have not had the opportunity to meet our Sunday School directors, Liz Soderberg and Nick Kallan, please take the time to say hello to them. Liz, Nick and our Sunday school staff are excited to have your precious children become an integral part of our Sunday school ministry. The Divine Liturgy begins @ 10 am. The children and teachers will leave at the end of the Di-vine Liturgy (before the announcements, memorials, additional services).

GOYA Fall Retreat November 21-22, Estes Park

(Registration Deadline is November 1st) Sts Peter and Paul will be hosting the pan-orthodox fall retreat. Please see the flyer for more details. This will be a wonderful time for our youth throughout the front range and metro Denver area to come together in fellow-ship. The goyans of Sts Peter and Paul do not have to pay the full $105 registration fee. We have a discount gift for our goyans of Sts Peter and Paul. When you register online http://youth.denver.goarch.org/events/2015-events/2015-front-range-pan-orthodox-fall-retreat Go to the discount button, and write ‘Boulder2015 Fall’. If you have any problems or questions, please contact Father Jordan.

GOYA Fireside Chat Saturday, December 5th @ 6 pm

GOYA Lunch with Fr. Jordan (Q&A Session) Sunday, December 13th

GOYA Shut-In and Nursing Home Visitations Saturday, December 19th @ 11:30 am

The GOYANs will accompany Fr. Jordan, bringing care packages and singing Christmas Carols for our loved ones unable to come to church.

GOYA Service Project Tuesday, December 22nd @ 10 am

Senior GOYA Winter Camp December 27th-29th More info to come

Youth Ministry Corner

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November 2015

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

8:45 Orthros

10 am Divine

Liturgy

12 pm

Philoptochos

2

7 pm PC Meet-

ing

3

6 pm OCF @

CU

4

5 6 7

4 pm Choir Prac-

tice

5 pm Great Ves-

pers

7 pm Communi-

ty Talent Show

8

8:45 Orthros

10 am Divine Lit-

urgy

12 pm General

Assembly

6 pm Vespers &

Holy Unction

9 St. Nectarios

8 am Orthros

9 am Divine

Liturgy

7 pm Men’s

Group

10

6:30 pm

Philoptochos

11

9:30 am Morning

Prayer

10 am Bible Study

6:30 pm Fellowship

Dinner

7 pm Orthodox

Faith class

12 13

Women’s Re-

treat

14

Women’s Re-

treat

4 pm Choir

Practice

5 pm Great

Vespers

15

8:45 Orthros

10 am Divine

Liturgy

16 17

6 pm OCF @

CU

18

9:30 am Morning

Prayer

10 am Bible Study

6:30 pm Fellowship

Dinner

7 pm Orthodox

Faith class

19 20

GOYA Retreat

21 Presentation of

the Theotokos

GOYA Retreat

4 pm Choir Prac-

tice

5 pm Great Ves-

pers

22

GOYA Retreat

8:45 Orthros

10 am Divine

Liturgy

23 24 St. Catherine

5 pm Orthros

6 pm Divine

Liturgy

25

26 Thanksgiv-

ing Day

27 28

4 pm Choir

Practice

5 pm Great

Vespers

29

8:45 Orthros

10 am Divine

Liturgy

30 St. Andrew

8 am Orthros

9 am Divine

Liturgy

Shaded Days =

Fasting Days

Visit

www.calendar.go

arch.org for spe-

cific fasting crite-

ria.

15

December 2015

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

6 pm OCF @

CU

2 St. Porphyrios

7 am Liturgy

10 am Bible Study

6:30 pm Fellowship

Dinner

7 pm Orthodox

Faith class

8 pm Paraclesis

3 4 St. Barbara

8 am Orthros

9 am Divine

Liturgy

5

9 am Miracle Icon

of Panagia

3 pm PC Orienta-

tion

5 pm Great Ves-

pers

6 pm GOYA

6 St. Nicholas

8:45 Orthros

10 am Divine

Liturgy

12 pm PC Elec-

tions

7

7 pm PC Meet-

ing

8 St. Patapios

9 am Divine

Liturgy

9 Conception of

Theotokos

7 am Liturgy

10 am Bible Study

6:30 pm Fellowship

Dinner

7 pm Orthodox

Faith class

8 pm Paraclesis

10 11 12 St. Spyridon

9 am Liturgy

4 pm Vespers

at St. Spyridon

13

8:45 Orthros

10 am Divine

Liturgy

12:30 pm

GOYA Lunch

14 15 16 17 St. Dionysi-

os

9 am Liturgy

18 St. Sebastian

7 am Liturgy

19 St. Boniface

9 am Liturgy

11:30 am GOYA

Shut-in Visitations

5 pm Great Ves-

pers

6 pm Parish Christ-

mas Party

20

8:45 Orthros

10 am Divine

Liturgy

21 St. Juliana

9 am Liturgy

22 St. Anastasia

9 am Liturgy

10 am GOYA

Service Project

23

6 pm Nativity

Royal Hours

24 Christmas

Eve

7 am Forefeast

of the Nativity

Liturgy

6 pm Evening

Divine Liturgy

25 Christmas

8 am Nativity

Orthros

9 am Nativity

Liturgy

26

27

Youth Winter

Camp

8:45 Orthros

10 am Divine

Liturgy

28

Youth Winter

Camp

29

Youth Winter

Camp

30 31 New Year’s

Eve

6 pm St. Basil’s

Divine Liturgy

Shaded Days =

Fasting Days

Visit

www.calendar.go

arch.org for spe-

cific fasting crite-

ria.

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We are found in the season of Thanksgiving when we offer gratitude to God as a nation and

as individuals for His blessing and love for us. Today, November 21st our Church celebrates

a unique feast of gratitude, the Entry of the Theotokos to the Temple.

Joachim and Anna were childless for many years. They promised God that if they had a

child, the child would be given to the ser-vice of God in the Temple. At three years of age,

Joachim and Anna offered Mary to God in thanksgiving and fulfilled their promise.

Zacharias led Mary into the Holy of Holies, where the High Priest would en-ter only once a year. No one

else was allowed to enter. Zacharias was led by the Holy Spirit to take the three-year-old child into this most

sacred area of the Temple. The significance of the act was that God was preparing his vessel, his bridge, his

new Temple, Mary, in order for His Son to enter the world.

She was led into the Holy of Holies, because God was telling the world that Mary would

become the new Temple. Mary became the new temple be-cause she bore God for nine

months. She was his physical temple, for she gave Christ her flesh, her blood and her bones,

which replaced the wood, metal and stone of the Temple.

In the Temple, Mary prepared herself to become the Mother of God. The Entry of Theoto-

kos marks the fulfillment of the promise of Joachim and Anna to give Mary to God as an

act of thanksgiving.

Soon we will celebrate Thanksgiving Day. In the first year the Pilgrims landed in America,

half of them died from lack of food and a severe winter. The Indians taught them to plant

corn, which prepared them and helped sustain them for the following winter. In 1621, Gov-

ernor William Bradford, wanted to set aside a day of feasting and prayer in thanksgiving to

God for surviving the winter.

The settlers invited the Indians to this meal to give thanks to God for their many blessings.

The Pilgrims recognized God as the Giver of all good things and offered him thanksgiving

and gratitude.

On Stewardship Sunday, we will be called upon to express our thanksgiving and gratitude

to God, like Joachim and Anna and the Pilgrim Fathers. "God so loved the world that he

gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

God gave, by setting the ultimate example, and encourages us to experience the joy of giv-

ing. He asks us to give in order to continue his work on earth by supporting his Church.

Our goal as a parish should be to support the entire Ministries and Operating Budget

through the Christian Stewardship Program. We should be responsible to support fully the

work of Christ at our Church. We invite you today to help us reach 100% of our goal by in-

Stewardship 2015

P e t r a N e w s

Thanksgiving & Stewardship A Sermon by Fr. Alexander G. Leondis

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P a g e 1 7

creasing your giving "not until it hurts," but "until it feels good."

If we increase our giving each year, as the Lord has blessed us, then we will keep pace with

inflation and support and grow all our programs through Stewardship.

A pastor once said to his congrega-tion: "My friends, it takes faith to make the church

walk!" They shouted, "Let it walk, Pastor, let it walk." He went on, "Brethren, it takes love

to make the church run!" They shouted, "Let it run, Pastor, let it run." "Beloved," he contin-

ued, "It takes money to make the church fly." Back came the answer: "Let it walk, Pastor,

let it walk."

In Byzantine icons the angels are pictured with wings to denote the speed with which they

fly to carry out God's will. I'm sure we can all try to imitate the angels in this respect. The

Church should not walk or run; it should fly like the angels, because its purpose is to pro-

mote and expand the love of Christ among us.

Whether the Church walks, runs or flies depends on how well we have prepared. Joachim

and Anna prepared to fulfill their promise by dedicating Mary’s life. The Pilgrims prepared

by following the advice of the Indians to plant for the coming year. Each was thankful for

the blessings bestowed upon them.

We, as Orthodox Christians, have much to be thankful for. Yet, how well have we prepared?

God‘s love is abundantly evident as we look around us.

Stewardship is the privilege of responding to God's love with thanksgiving and gratitude.

Today, we have the great privilege of assisting Christ by our 2005 Christian Stewardship

Commitment. We have the privilege of participating in spreading the good news of his love

now and in future generations. Look at the young people in our Church feed the little and

big sheep of his flock.

At the Liturgy the Priests offers the gifts of bread and wine saying: "Your own gifts, from

your own, we offer to you." All we are and have are a gift from God. All is His. We are

merely the stewards, the managers of the time, talent and treasures He has given to us.

Stewardship 2015

P e t r a N e w s

Thanksgiving & Stewardship A Sermon by Fr. Alexander G. Leondis

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P a g e 1 8 Stewardship 2015

P e t r a N e w s

Stewardship

Don’t carry cash or checks? You’re not alone!

We’ve received a number of requests for electronic donations over the past few months. Electron-

ic donations are accepted via PayPal, and can be set up as one-time or recurring payments. Make

donations online or using your smartphone!

To sign up for a new account go to www.paypal.com or login to your existing account. It’s free to

sign up and there are no transaction fees. You can link a bank account, credit, or debit card to

your PayPal account. Your account numbers are never exposed and transactions are always secure.

There are 2 ways to make your electronic donation:

1) PayPal Website - Login to your PayPal account at www.paypal.com and select Send & Re-

quest>Send Money to Friends and Family. Simply enter the church e-mail address,

stspeterandpaulboulder@gmail.com, enter the donation amount and click Next. Verify the ac-

count you want to use, add special instructions (general or directed donation) and click Send.

2) Smartphone - The PayPal app is available through the Apple App Store (iPhone), Google Play

(Android), and Windows Phone Store (Windows phone). Once the app has been downloaded and

opened, select Send and enter the church e-mail address, stspeterandpaulboulder@gmail.com, en-

ter the donation amount, select Friends or Family, then click Review. Review your payment meth-

od and payment details and then click Send Money.

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P a g e 1 9 Stewardship 2015

P e t r a N e w s

STS. PETER & PAUL GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

5640 Jay Road, Boulder, CO 80301

www.stspeterandpaulboulder.org

303-581-1434 (Office)

CLERGY

FR. JORDAN BROWN, PROISTAMENOS

303-581-1434 (Office) ~ 503-705-7929 (Cell)

frjordan@stspeterandpaulboulder.org

PARISH COUNCIL

JIM AZAR ~ PRESIDENT jamesazar@gmail.com ~ 303-

917-4846

JIM ZISSIMOS ~ VICE PRESIDENT

papoojim@msn.com ~ 303-427-7981

AARON WALL ~ SECRETARY

awall609@yahoo.com ~ 720-400-6579

PETE STAMUS ~ TREASURER pasconsulting@earthlink.ne

t ~ 303-579-9011

KIKI CHERONIS ~ PHILOPTOCHOS PRESIDENT kiki.mock@mac.com ~

303-449-5589

TONY AZAR

tony@azarswoodcraft.com ~ 303-877-3449

BRIAN GREGORY

Brian_gregory@netzero.net~ 720-450-4933

PAUL VRANAS

paulvranas@gmail.com ~ 312-515-3818

AMANDA NADER

amandajnader@gmail.com ~ 303-710-5689

PAM TORRANCE

Anastas, Christie & Emil Gehmeyr, Michael & Bakalis, Olympia Pappas, Nick

Anastas, Hani & Katrina Georgis, Maria Pappas, William

Andrusko, Gaynel Georgis, Steven & Yoana Philoptochos Society

Artemis, A.M. Ghazzawi, Edmond & Laila Piper, Ted & Sophia

Artemis, Chris & Nancy Glasener, Gary & Robin Powers, Jim & Julie

Artemis, Steve & Marybeth Gonis, Lou & Fran Saliba, George & Cina

Arvan, Peter Gregory, Brian Sammoury, Tony & Christiane

Ashmun, Joanne Hamilton, Joanne & Darryle Sampson, Earl

Azar, Jim Haratsaris, Philip & Jennifer Sarris, Juli

Azar, Tony & Rimona Hess, Christel & George Serougi, Eissa & Samira Barbu, Ileana & McDonald, Thomas Houghton, Nancy & Guillermo Serougi, Sam & Adma

Braswell, John & Elaine Jacky, Tom & Tamsin Shearin, Patrick Brown, Fr. Jordan & Pres. Marika

Kallan, Nick & Cavallaro, Dan-ielle Skodras, Nick

Callas, Steve & Joanne Kapatayes, Gaby & Odeta Skodras, Voula

Chellos, Aphrodite Kapatayes, Khristo & Jos-pehine Soderberg, Liz & Kurt

Cheronis, Alekie Kapatayes, Nuha Soulakis, Manuel & Candice

Cheronis, Dion Kelly, John & Mary Stamus, Peter & Cynthia

Christopher, Chris & Georgia Kolias, Aristotle & Theodora Swiszcz, Paul & Marose-Swiszcz, Jan

Conis, Bessie Kolovos, Michael & Efstathi-ou, Georgia Theodosis, Anthoula

Conis, Pete & Lynda Krol, Effie & Rick Torrance, Pam

Dageenakis, John & Elayne Lukjan, Anthony & Judy Troicky, Chris

DeGeorge, Tony & Rola Lymberopoulos, Mary Troicky, Lis & Alex

Dotson, Pres. Kedrann McVeigh, Billy & Barbara Tsiouvaras, George & Nicole

Doukas, George Melonakis, Mathew Tsiouvaras, Nicholas V. & Christine

du Bernard, Margaret Melonakis, Terry Vasquez, Matthew & Christina

Dzilvelis, Fran Merrill, Toula & John Voris, Angelos

Dzilvelis, Steve & Ashley Mills, Mary & Mark Vranas, Paul & Christopher, Diane

Egeberg, Angela Nader, Jacques & Amanda Wall, Aaron

Elias, Elias Nolte, Melina Welker, Julie & David

Elias, Eric & Keity Pagratis, Kostas & Erinn Yost, Cynthia & Narod, Wil-liam

ElSerougi, Tony & Linda Pagratis, Maria Zarifa, Sonia

Garcia, Mary Panas, Jim & Fannie Zaronias, Dimitrios & Diangy

Garrity, Jane Pappageorge, George Zissimos, Jim & Sheila

Geerdes, Bruce & Andreatta Pappas, George & Charleen

Stewardship

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The mission of Sts. Peter and Paul is to be a beacon of Orthodox Christian spirituality in the greater Boulder area. Our diverse church family encompasses many converts to the Faith, as well as Greek, Arab, Romanian, Serbian, and Russian Orthodox members. We strive together to live our Orthodox Christian Faith by having a devoted pray-er life, through fasting and almsgiving, and by participating regularly in the services and Sacraments of the Holy Or-thodox Church. We welcome everyone to visit our parish to experience the ancient forms of worship that existed in the early centuries of the Christian Church - which we continue to practice unchanged today. Please take a moment to look through our website to learn more about our parish and our Faith, and if you have any questions, feel free to call Fr. Jordan at 303-581-1434.

Sts. Peter & Paul Orthodox Church

Sts. Peter & Paul Greek Orthodox Church

5640 Jay Rd.

Boulder, CO 80301