Sunday, August 9th, 2015 8210 Cypress Lake Drive Fort Myers, FL 33919 OFFICE: Phone: 239-481-2099 Email: officeagoc@gmail.com

FR. DEAN: Cell: 239-322-7553 Email: revfrdean@gmail.com

Rev. Deacon John Howard

Office Hours: Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:pm Admin Assistant:: Kelsie Gregware

Website: http://www.annunciation.fl.goarch.org/

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church 10th Sunday of Matthew

COMING UP…

Ladies Philoptochos Society: Mon. Aug. 10th 11AM BOARD MEETING (organizational)

Paraklesis: Wed. Aug. 12th 6PM

Great Vespers Fri. Aug. 14th 6PM

Falling Asleep of the Theotokos: Sat. Aug. 15th Orthos 9AM Divine Lit 10AM

Falling Asleep of the Theotokos: Luncheon: Sun. Aug. 16th following Divine Liturgy

Parish Council: Wed. Aug 19th 5:30PM MEETING

Sunday School: Sat. Aug. 29th 9AM-12PM TEACHER WORKSHOP

HOLY COMMUNION REMINDER– Please follow Ushers Instructions

We welcome those visiting with us today and ask that only Baptized/Chrismated

Orthodox Christians who are properly prepared through prayer, fasting and Holy

Confession to come forward to receive Holy Communion. Women are kindly asked to

remove their lipstick prior to receiving Holy Communion. Non-Orthodox visitors are

welcome to receive the blessed bread from the Priest at the end of the Divine Liturgy

and to join us for fellowship in our hall. We ask that everyone please dress

appropriately for church. Visitors: we ask that you fill out a yellow welcome card &

give it to an usher.

ON THE FALLING ASLEEP OF THE THEOTOKOS

At the time of her death, the Theotokos said, “Ready is my heart, O God, ready is my heart” (Psalm 107.2). Then she repeated the words once said to her, “Let it be unto me according to Your word” (Luke 1.38), and then lay down on the bed. Feeling unspeakable joy at the sight of the radiant face of her Son and Lord, the Theotokos, filled with spiritual rapture out of love for Him, surrendered her pure soul into the hands of the Lord. And the Lord stretched forth His undefiled hands and received her holy and blameless soul. She felt no pain whatsoever, but it was as if she had fallen into a sweet sleep. He Whom she conceived without destroying her virginity and bore without pain, now received her soul from her pure body. St. John of Damascus also speaks of how the Lawgiver fulfilled His law concerning mothers: “He Who, taking flesh, strangely made His dwelling in your pure womb, Himself received your all-holy spirit and, as a Son paying His due, He gave it rest with Himself.” At once, there began wonderful and joyous angelic singing re-peating the former words of Gabriel: “Rejoice, you who are full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women With such trium-phant hymns did the heavenly hosts accompany the holy soul of the The-otokos.”

EPISTLE READING

St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 4:9-16 BRETHREN, God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are ill-clad and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become, and are now, as the refuse of the world, the off-scouring of all things. I do not write this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me.

GOSPEL READING

The Gospel of Matthew 17:14-23 At that time, a man came up to Him and kneeling before Him said, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; for often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not heal him." And Jesus answered, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me." And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move hence to yonder place,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. But this kind never comes out except by prayer and fasting." As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day."

Entrance Hymn Come Let Us Worship/Δεῦτε Προσκυνήσωμεν (Page 16)

Resurrectional Apolytikion When the stone had been sealed by the Jews,

Τοῦ λίθου σφραγισθέντος ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων,

(Page 44)

Apolytikion for the Feast You were transfigured upon the mountain, O Christ our

God, showing to Your disciples Your glory as much as

they could bear. Do also in us, sinners though we may be,

shine Your everlasting light, by the intercessions of the

Theotokos, O Giver of light. Glory to You.

Μετεµορφώθης ἐν τῷ ὄρει Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, δείξας τοῖς

Μαθηταῖς σου τὴν δόξαν σου, καθὼς ἠδυναντο. Λάµψον

καὶ ἡµῖν τοῖς ἁµαρτωλοῖς, τὸ φῶς σου τὸ ἀΐδιον,

πρεσβείαις τῆς Θεοτόκου, φωτοδότα δόξα σοι.

Kontakion Upon the mountain were You transfigured, and Your

disciples beheld Your glory as far as they were able, O

Christ our God; so that when they would see You

crucified they might understand that Your Passion was

deliberate, and declare to the world that in truth You are

the Father's radiance.

Ἐπὶ τοῦ ὄρους µετεµορφώθης, καὶ ὡς ἐχώρουν οἱ

Μαθηταί σου τὴν δόξαν σου, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἐθεάσαντο,

ἵνα ὅταν σε ἴδωσι σταυρούµενον, τὸ µὲν πάθος νοήσωσιν

ἑκούσιον, τῷ δὲ κόσµῳ κηρύξωσιν, ὅτι σὺ ὑπάρχεις

ἀληθῶς, τοῦ Πατρὸς τὸ ἀπαύγασµα.

Hymn to the Theotokos

Truly it is Right/Ἄξιόν εστιν ως αληθῶς (Page 31)

Communion Hymn

Praise the Lord/Αινεῖτε τόν Κύριον (Page 36)

FOR YOUR INFORMATION: HYMNS AND WHERE THEY CAN BE FOUND Hymns of Divine Liturgy insert can be found in the pews to allow you to follow along. The hymns in the bulletin will be the

variable ones specific to that week or change from the common hymns that you will find in the insert located in the pews.

SAINTS COMMEMORATED

TODAY, SUN. AUGUST 9th

The Holy Apostle Matthias

Anthony the Martyr of Alexandria

Afterfeast of the Transfiguration of our

Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

SERMON OF ST. JOHN OF

DAMASCUS (+760AD) on the Falling Asleep of the Most Blessed Theotokos What is the great mystery about you, O holy mother and virgin? “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Blessed are you for generations of generations; you alone are worthy to be called blessed. Behold, all generations do call you blessed, as you have said. The daughters of Jerusalem—that is, the church’s daughters—saw you, and the royal princesses—the souls of the just—proclaimed you blessed and will praise you for all ages. The Prophets, then, proclaim you. The Angels serve you, the Apostles revere you, the virginal mouthpiece of God takes care of the ever-virgin who was Mother of God. Today the Angels minister to you as you go home to your Son, joined by the souls of the just, of Patriarchs and Prophets. The Apostles are your escort, with a countless throng of inspired Fathers gathered from the ends of the earth as in a cloud, by

your Son’s divine command, in this holy and sacred city of Jerusalem. In their godly enthusiasm, they sing holy hymns to you, the source of the Lord’s body that is for us a stream of life. Oh, see how the source of life is carried over into life, through the midst of death! See how the one who overcame the defining limits of nature in her childbearing now gives way to those same limits, and submits her unsullied body to death! It was only right for that body to “lay aside what is mortal and put on immortality” (I Cor. 15.53), since the Lord of nature Himself did not refuse the test of death. He died in the flesh, and by that death de-stroyed death, bestowed incorrupti-bility upon corrupt nature, and made death the source of resurrec-tion. See how the Maker of all things receives into his own hands her holy soul, now separated from that tabernacle that received God. He rightly honors her who was by nature His handmaid but whom by His saving plan He made to be his mother, in the unfathomable ocean of His love for humanity.

2ND TRAY CONTRIBUTIONS Our Church passes 2 offering trays. The 1st goes towards our Operating Budget, the 2nd tray will continue for

the NEW Education Building Fund until paid in Full. In order to receive credit for your donation, for income tax

purposes, make sure to put your cash donation in an envelope with your name on it or pay by check.

STEWARDSHIP UPDATE We are 8 months into 2015. Please pray and offer your time and talent sheet. Submit your pledge card or ask an usher for

a new one. We are currently at $126,631 and our goal is $200,000 for 2015! Everyone please pledge!

Praying for You: We offer prayers for health and the needs for the servants of God for Effie Kapetan,

Penelope Perdios, Mary Spiropoulos, Kostantia Tsolakis, Louis Eftim, Eleni Kaklis, Katie Avtges,

Terry (George & Georgia Copulos’ Daughter), Zack Magas, Vasilios Dabilis, Terry Kalogridis,

Chris Arboleda, Nick Kontinos & Penelope Kontinos.

Please notify the office if there is someone that needs to be added to the prayer list. 239-481-2099

A LITTLE TASTE OF GREECE OCTOBER 9 and 10, 11am-7pm

Dine in or Carryout

See Maria Mourgis to volunteer for 1 of the 4 shifts.

10:30am to 3pm or 3pm to 7:30pm

MENU: Greek Chicken dinner, Gyros, Greek Salad, Bakla-

va, Greek Cookies, Beverages and of course GREEK

FRIES!

LADIES PHILOPTOCHOS SOCIETY Coffee Hours hostesses for the month of JULY are

Marianthi Kazakos & Ann Constan. Thanks to them, and

please give them a helping hand by cleaning off your table

and dispensing of trash.

This is greatly appreciated.

SUNDAY SCHOOL There will be a TEACHERS WORKSHOP on Saturday,

August 29th from 9AM –12PM for all Sunday School

Teacher to attend. ALL TEACHERS please contact Mary

Sue Gladis at 239-770-2818 if you can attend. Thank you in

advance.

THE LITTLE BOOKSTORE Visit our Little Bookstore at the A.G.O.C. You will find

icons, prayer ropes, incense, charcoal, Orthodox CD’s, key

chains, a selection of Plato Pavis’s paintings, as well as

books on the Orthodox Church, theology, prayer,

sacraments, catechism, monasticism, and the lives of the

saints. We also have children’s books, Bibles & Lenten

cookbooks. There is something to please everyone!!!

SAINT PHOTIOS SHRINE TRIP An inspired group and Fr. Dean plan to visit St. Photios

Shrine, in St. Augustine Florida on Sun. Sept 20 by bus.

Returning on Tues. Sept. 22. Costs will include 2 night

stay, food and bus transportation. Approx. $250 per per-

son, plus your meals or extra activities. Please see Ginny or

Al Amend or Effie Vlahos by August 15. We will be pick-

ing up members of our Sister Parish in Pt. Charlotte on the

way.

GET YOUR $25 RAFFLE TICKET TODAY TO WIN UP TO

$2,000 IN CASH or a TRAVEL CERTIFICATE FROM

LOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY

Drawing held Sept. 6th