Epistle Reading Hebrews 11:33-40; 12:1-2 page 64

Gospel Reading Matt. 10:32-33, 37-38; 19:27-30 page 65

Today at St. John

Goya Meeting and Elections after Divine Liturgy

St. John Greek Orthodox Church

Sterling Heights, Michigan Phone: 586-977-6080/Emergency 586-530-2747

Web site: www.stjohngoc.net/ Email: parish@stjohngoc.net

Parish Priest: Father Nicholas Kyritses

June 3~ All Saints

Love and remember your church in your will!

Holy Communion can receive only the Greek Orthodox faithful who are spiritually prepared!

Opportunities for the Week

June 7 Senior Citizens Meeting & Picnic- St. John Hall 12 noon

June 9 Wedding: Philip Tangalos and Labrene Seremetis

Mark Your Calendars

June 10 Sunday School Graduation / Picnic / Goya Car wash

August 20 Golf Outing

November 9, 10, 11 St. John Holiday Hoops Basketball Tournament

January 26, 2019 St. John Dinner Dance

May 3, 2019 St. John Reverse Raffle Dinner

Greek School Summer Classes July and /or August

Tuesdays and Thursdays

Call the church office for more information.

The Feast of all the Saints

The first Sunday after Pentecost is dedicated to the commemoration of all the Saints, who are the fruit of the Holy Spirit. In the beginning the Church had feast for all the martyrs, then other Saints were gradually added. We have a sermon of St. Ephrem, which dates from 373, and a sermon of St. John Chrysostom, dating from 407, in honor of this feast.

Sanctity is the work of the Holy Spirit; all Christian holiness is a fruit of Pentecost. There is therefore a logical link between today's feast of all the Saints and that of Pentecost (last Sunday's feast). When we are speaking about holiness one must not think of it as an "extraordinary" state, nor identify it with extraordinary ascetic exploits or with rare mystical graces. There are indeed superior, heroic, degrees of holiness, but in the sense given in the New Testament. Holiness is simply the state of a soul united to God through the operation of the Holy Spirit and the will of the individual. This state of union exists in every Christian whom sin has not separated from God. Holiness is therefore a normal state for a Christian, and the call to the holiness is addressed to all.

At the Divine Liturgy is read a passage of the Epistle to the Hebrews (11:33-12:2) which evokes the sufferings of the "cloud of witnesses", that is to say the prophets, the martyrs, the righteous, those who were stoned, put to the sword, or tortured, "of whom the world was not worthy". We know this passage well, for the Church has already given it to us to hear twice during the Liturgical year: first on the Sunday before Christmas, then on the first Sunday of Great Lent.

It seems that the Church, in calling our attention to this text immediately after Pentecost, wants to emphasize that we draw near to these great mysteries, surrounded by the Saints and helped by their prayers. The Church wishes above all to tell us that sainthood is not an abnormal or exceptional state, but on the contrary, it is the normal flowering of every Christian life. The call to holiness is addressed to each one of us.

The Gospel for the Divine Liturgy (Matthew 10:32-33, 37-38, 19:27-30) is a selection of the sayings of our Lord which relate to the actual conditions of holiness: "He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me . . . And he that takes not his cross, and follows after me, is not worthy of me . . . Everyone who has forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold and shall inherit everlasting life".

Once again, our Lord brings us into the presence of His cross and the personal renunciations that it involves. There is however a great difference between the ways we read these words today and the way we read them (or similar texts) during the preceding months. When we read this invitation to sacrifice after Pentecost, it is clothed in fire, in the light and power of the Holy Spirit.

The Apostles did not really follow their master on His painful road until after the coming of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. The Saints, whose collective feast we celebrate today, carried the cross only when they are under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The cross that Jesus sets before our eyes, on this first Sunday after Pentecost, is a cross full of fire and light, the fire and light of the Holy Spirit descending on the disciples.

SUPPORT SUMMER SURVIVAL 2018 Lawn Care $800

Dr. Harry & Mrs. Katherine Kotsis*

Nick & Mary Souris

Bernice Souris*

Building Maintenance

$750

Daniel & Paulette Szajna

and Daughters

Dr. Ted & Mary Tangalos

and Family

Dr. Steve& Angela Kotsonis

and Family

Dear Friends Front Cover

$650

Dr. Nick & Erin Papakonstantinou

and Family

Drs. John & Katina Papakonstantinou

and Family

Dear Friends Back Cover

$600

Youth $550

Fr. Nicholas Kyritses*

Electric

$450

Chris & Eleni Shafkalis and Family Yanni, Becky, Kosta and Niko Patouhas Christo Frangedakis and Family

Consumers

Energy $350

Water $250

Alex & Linda and Felicia Boosalis George & Kathy Demetriou and Family

Demetri & Anthi Stavrou

Michael & Elizabeth Karamihas

Office

Supplies $200

Matthew & Nikki Giacona and Family

The Athanas Family*

Phone $150

Philip & Alexandra Tangalos

Niki Katerina& Manoli

Kasotakis

Gerasimos Floros

Cleaning Supplies $125.00

Mika Backos and Family Mr. & Mrs. Sotirios Sotiropoulos

Insurance $100

Sboukis Family

Kathy Konon

John & Sue Aretakis

A Friend in Christ*

In memory of Arthur & Susane

Frangedakis

$25.00 donation for 18 yrs. and under Kostas

Patouhas Nikos

Patouhas Joanna

Polyzois Alek

Polyzois Felicia

Boosalis Andreana

Georgoulis* Eleanna

Georgoulis*

Nikos* Kyritses

Aris* Kyritses

Stelios* Kyritses

Alexander Demetriou

Gregory Kostakis*

Angela Kostakis*

Theodore Sboukis

Athan Konon

Sonya Konon

Chloe Athanas*

Niko Athanas*

Lola Shaway*

Theodora Sboukis

Melina Sboukis

Demetri Kotsonis

Andra Kotsonis

Nicky Kotsonis

Mary Kotsonis

Lea Kosmides

Lucas Frangedakis

Isabella Frangedakis

Gregory Theodorou

Evanthia Theodorou

Malama Theodorou

Other Donations

Emanuel Karouzakis*

Other

Donations

SAINT JOHN GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH STERLING HEIGHTS MI 2018 STEWARDSHIP PLEDGE CARD

Visit http://www.stjohngoc.net/stewardship1.html to register as a Steward or turn this form into our church office. 2017 Stewards who submitted email addresses will receive a link to a Stewardship Update Form which can be completed online for 2018.

What is Stewardship? Stewardship is the management of the gifts bestowed upon us by God. These gifts are time, talent and treasure. It is through these gifts that bring us closer together as a Church and as a community. What is a Steward? A steward is a member of our St. John community that volunteers their time, talent and treasure. How can I volunteer my time and talent? Our St. John community offers many ministries. We encourage everyone to join and participate in a ministry. How much treasure should I give?

This is a personal decision. Every year we should look at our finances and determine how much we should give back to God. These funds are used for the daily operation of the church and for funding our ministries. The economic reality is that our church requires $1,260 per day ($460,000 annually) to operate and we are currently a parish of almost 300 Stewards. To meet our current budget each year we need to average at least $1,560 per Steward annually or $30 per week.

2018 STEWARDSHIP PLEDGE CARD Name: Spouse Name: Orthodox Christian: Y or N Orthodox Christian: Y or N Date of birth: Date of birth: Email: Email: Home Phone: Home Phone: Cell Phone: Cell Phone: Address: Address: City, State, Zip: City, State, Zip: Child 1: Orthodox Christian: Y or N Cell: DOB: Child 2: Orthodox Christian: Y or N Cell: DOB: Child 3: Orthodox Christian: Y or N Cell: DOB: Child 4: Orthodox Christian: Y or N Cell: DOB: Child 5: Orthodox Christian: Y or N Cell: DOB:

IN GRATITUDE FOR GOD’S BLESSINGS, I/WE COMMIT TO CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH THE

FOLLOWING AMOUNT:

$30/week($1,560 yearly) $25/week($1,300 yearly) $20/week(1,040 yearly)

_________/week or _________/month or _________/year

Credit Card (Visa/Master Card): _______________________ exp: _____________ code:___________

Name:__________________________ Signature:_____________________________ Date:___________

Week 1Week 2Week 3

Week 4Week 5

ONLINE REGISTRATION NOW OPENfor Campers and Staff

VISIT GOMDSC.ORG TO REGISTER

July 1 – July 7, 2018July 8 – July 14, 2018July 15 – July 21, 2018

July 22 – July 28, 2018July 29 – August 4, 2018

June 24 – June 30, 2018Week Zero

Programs for Youth Entering Grades 3-11

Program for Young Adults (Entering Senior Year or College)

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Detroit Summer Camp

F A I T H • F R I E N D S H I P • P E A C E • L O V E

Connect with us on social media!

248-909-MDSC (6372) • gomdsc@gmail.com

@gomdsc

ST. JOHN GREEK SCHOOL

SUMMER CLASSES

Dear Parents,

Our school is willing to form summer classes if we have enough students

(minimum is 4 per class).

If you are interested, please return this form to the church or call the office

(586) 977-6080.

Summer classes: for July and/or August. The classes will be 1 hour on

Tuesdays - Conversational Classes starting

July 10 from 4-5pm for grades 1st - 2nd and 5-6pm for grades 3rd - 6th

Thursdays - Language classes for students needing extra tutoring starting

July 12 from 4-5pm for grades 1st - 2nd and 5-6pm for grades 3rd - 6th

Tuition is $30.00 per class, per month, prepaid when you sign up.

Deadline is Friday, June 22, 2018.

Yes, I am interested in________________________________________class.

Name_______________________________ Phone Number_____________

St.JohnGreekOrthodoxChurch13thAnnualGolfOuting

Monday,August20,201812:30P.M.–Shotgun

at

GreatOaksCountryClub777GreatOaksBlvd.Rochester,MI48307

$150perGolfer($50CharitableTaxDonation)

PACKAGEINCLUDES: JoininontheRAFFLEfor oneluckygolfertowinaDrivingRange,Valet&LockerRoom newsetofirons!18HolesofGolf–ScrambleFormat BoxLunch AWESOMECONTESTS!ConeyCartontheCourse VegasHole–doubleyourmoney!Beer,SoftDrinks&WaterontheCourse PuttingContestOutdoorBarbecueDinner Closesttothepin+LongestDrive Tellyourfriendsandfamilyaboutthiswonderyearlyeventandsignupyourteamtoday!Pleasereturnthebottomportionalongwithpayment($150pergolfer)

to:St.JohnGreekOrthodoxChurch11455MetropolitanParkwaySterlingHeights,MI48312

Don’tDelay!Reservationsaremadeonafirstcome,firstservebasis!

St.JohnGolfOutingRegistrationForm

Golfer#1:_____________________________________________

Golfer#2:_____________________________________________

Golfer#3:_____________________________________________

Golfer#4:_____________________________________________

þ Event Sponsor $3,000 þ Dinner Sponsor $2,500 þ Prizes Sponsor $2,000 þ 19th Hole Sponsor $1,000

$500 ea. þ Gift Sponsor $1,000 þ Gift Sponsor $1,000 þ Gift Sponsor $1,000 þ Online Gift Sponsor $1,000 þ Beverage Cart Sponsor $1,000 þ Gift Sponsor $500 þ Cart Sponsor $500 þ Putting Green Sponsor $500 þ Driving Range Sponsor $500

St. John Golf Outing Sponsorship Form

Register online or become a hole sponsor at www.stjohngoc.net

BECOME AN INDIVIDUAL

HOLE SPONSOR TODAY!

$200 DONATION

REGISTER ONLINE TODAY

Payment due August 1, 2018 St. John Greek Orthodox Church, 11455 Metropolitan Pkwy, Sterling Heights, MI 48312

Jim & Georgia Holevas

Gus Panos The Panos Firek Group, Merrill Lynch

Dr. Andrew Kotsis & Family

Nick Souris & Family Lapeer Manufacturing

Jim Stathakios – BPS Rehab _________________________

Silver Pine Family Physicians

Balian Eye Center

____________________

Romeo Family Restaurant

The Coney Grille

____________________

____________________

____________________

Costa Marselis – Rivore Metals