Giving Thanks
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. Col. 2:6-7
Greetings,
If there's one thing that the month of November is most closely associated with, it would be the holiday of Thanksgiving. This holiday dates back to the early days of this great nation, and is rooted in the gratitude of the early settlers for all that the land provided.
As Orthodox Christians we can relate with the ethos of thanksgiving. It is ingrained in the very fiber of our being. We walk in this life with absolute confidence, since we place all our trust in Christ, giving thanks for all things in life.
Our Frederick church family has much to be thankful for. First and foremost, we've come out of the covid-19 pandemic united in faith, in the Lord's peace, with love and on solid footing. All our efforts to minister to those in need (spearheaded by Philoptochos) as well as maintain a sense of harmony within our parish spiritual life, has provided fruit and allowed us to answer our calling as a church.
"Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood." Acts 20:28
Second, we continue to provide vital ministries that meet the needs of our parish and appeal to various demographics. Our youth ministries are geared up to serve with room to grow. Bible study, Three Hierarchs Book Store and book club, Orthodoxy 101, Lenten Talk, and Catechism Class meet the spiritual demands of the church. Our Greek School program has experienced solid growth in recent years showing great potential for the future. Kali Parea rebounded after the pandemic and continues to minister to those over 50. We've even added a new ministry (Folk Dance ministry) reaching out to both children and adults. Philoptochos continues to minister to those disadvantaged and fill our parish calendar with multiple fundraising events and community activities.
Third, our church continues to grow with the support you have provided through your stewardship offering. You continue to respond affirmatively to the church's appeal throughout even the most difficult of times and have placed the church on solid financial footing. This allows us to focus on growing and not just surviving.
"The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." 2Cor 9:6
The foundation for growth has been laid. It is up to us to continue to build upon it by supporting these ministries through active participation and leadership. We're thankful for all that we've been provided with and even more thankful for the days to come!
I pray that we continue to cultivate a spirit of thanksgiving, and continue to experience God's grace all the days of our lives.
In Christ,
Fr. George
2022 Stewardship Update
The Power To Do Things That Are "Humanly Impossible"
There is a special prayer that all of you know by heart. It serves as a daily reminder of how big of a deal the Holy Spirit is in the life of an Orthodox Christian.
“O Heavenly King, the comforter, the spirit of truth, who art everywhere present and fills all things, treasury of blessings and giver of life…come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls o Good one!”
Contact Georgette Calomeris (georgette@calomeris.com)
God Doesn't Listen To Me
We often complain that God doesn’t listen to us. We pray, we cry aloud, we bleed, we weep, but it’s as if heaven is closed. No answer. It really seems as if God’s deaf to us. It calls to mind Saint Gregory the Theologian who, when he was Archbishop of Constantinople, poetically expressed such a state of deep pain over his personal problems, as well as those of the Church. What does he say in his letter?
What is Christian Love In Marriage
What is Christian love in a marriage? What role does it play? And how is a believer meant to “build” this love?
Alexander Tkachenko, a regular author of Foma magazine and a psychologist, answers these questions.
Parish Ministry for ages 50+
Contact Sophia Glezos Voit: sgvoit@icloud.com
The Strength In Weakness Of The Saints
If you read what the holy Fathers wrote as regards their personal struggle to experience God in their lives, you see that they had the same or similar difficulties, temptations and even offences which we face. In this situation, the basic element which distinguished them was their desire, their longing, to move forward and achieve their aim, even if this effort involved failures.
When Saint Isaac the Syrian addressed monks, he divided people into three groups: the novices, those in the middle and the perfect.
Is It Normal To Have Doubts In The Faith
Should we be afraid of questioning our beliefs in Christ? Should we accept our struggles as normal? And how do we overcome our doubts? Does God turn away from us when we are hesitant?
Priest Dimitry Palamarchuk of the Church of the “Joy of All Who Sorrow” Icon of the Mother of God in Gorlovka, Ukraine, shares his ideas.
Meek Doesn't Mean Weak
The eighth of the nine Fruit of the Spirit is gentleness. In the original Greek, the word which we translate as “gentleness” is praus. In Matthew 5:5, where we read “blessed are the meek” the word is from the same root, it is prais. So, “gentleness” and “meekness” seem to be used interchangeably.
Many people translate “meekness” as “weakness,” inferring that a meek person rolls over and gets walked on, or that a meek person doesn’t stand up for himself or herself. However, while we think of a meek person as being a “softie,” meekness or gentleness more accurately means “controlled strength.”
National Philoptochos has established the National Philoptochos Hurricane Ian Emergency Relief Fund for the purpose of effective distribution of donations and other aid.
When Philoptochos Sees Despair, We Offer Hope
