Sunday, May 15th, 2016 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 10am-3:pm Admin Assistant:: Kelsie Gregware

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

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearers

COMING UP…

Religious Education: TODAY LAST SESSION till end of Summer

Religious Education: TODAY following Divine Liturgy Ice Cream Social Recognition

Ladies Philoptochos Society: Mon. May 16th 11:30AM Lunch at Bistro 41 @ Bell Tower

HOPE & JOY: Mon. May 16th at 5:30pm GATHERING

Parish Council: Wed. May 18th at 6:00PM MEETING

Vesperal Liturgy: Fri. May 20th 6:00PM

SS. Constantine & Helen: Sat. May 21st

Mid-Pentecost: Wed. May 25th

Ladies Philoptochos Society: Sun. May 29th Memorial Day Remembrance

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 orange welcome card & give it to an usher.

STONES IN THE WAY

On the 3rd Sunday of Pascha we hear read in the church “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” If it isn’t great stones that concern us, it is bound to be something else, so long as we live as though Jesus was still dead and had not as we sing “Risen from the dead, trampling down death by death.” Then we will have more than enough to worry about, because then everything, especially tomorrow, will make us anxious. Then our feet become leaden because our hearts are weighted down with great stones that we cannot budge. Each day has its stones. Often we consider, like the women proceeding to the tomb, how we will ever manage to remove them. Unlike the women on that early morning, some of us try to proceed toward our destination through alternate paths. Try as we may, we are not able to avoid problems, worry and those anxious moments. With faith and trust in the words of the Risen Lord, “Lo, I shall be with you always,” let us meet each day with confidence and the assurance of our Savior's promise. Jesus made no promise that there would be no stones, but He did assure us that through faith and trust in Him we may remove them.

EPISTLE READING

Acts of the Apostles 6:1-7 IN THOSE DAYS, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists murmured against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the body of the disciples and said, "it is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word." And what they said pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochoros, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaos, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands upon them. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

GOSPEL READING

The Gospel according to Mark 15:43-47; 16:1-8 At that time, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. And Pilate wondered if he

were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. And he bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid. And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?" And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back; for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you." And they went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Entrance Hymn In the congregations bless God, the Lord from the springs of Israel. Save us, O Son of God, who arose from the dead. Ἐν Ἐκκλησίαις εὐλογεῖτε τὸν Θεόν, Κύριον ἐκ πηγῶν Ἰσραήλ. Σῶσον ἡμᾶς Υἱὲ Θεοῦ, ὁ  ναστὰς ἐκ νεκρῶν.

Resurrectional Apolytikion Christ is risen from the dead, by death trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs He has granted life. Χριστὸς ανέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν, θανάτῳ θάνατον πατήσας, καὶ τοῖς ἐν τοῖς μνήμασι, ζωὴν χαρισάμενος.

When Thou, the Deathless Life, didst descend toward Death, Ὅτε κατῆλθες πρὸς τὸν θάνατον, ἡ Ζωὴ ἡ ἀθάνατος, (Pg. 45)

When he took down Your immaculate Body from the Cross, the honorable Joseph wrapped it in a clean linen shroud with spices and laid it for burial in a new tomb. But on the third day You arose, O Lord, and granted the world Your great mercy. Ὁ εὐσχήµων Ἰωσήφ, ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου καθελών, τὸ ἄχραντόν σου Σῶµα, σινδόνι καθαρᾷ, εἰλήσας καὶ ἀρώµασιν, ἐν µνήµατι καινῷ, κηδεύσας ἀπέθετο· ἀλλὰ τριήµερος ἀνέστης Κύριε, παρέχων τῷ κόσµῳ τὸ µέγα ἔλεος.

The Angel standing at the sepulcher cried out and said to the ointment-bearing women: The ointments are appropriate for mortal men, but Christ has been shown to be a stranger to de-cay. So go and cry aloud, The Lord has risen and granted the world His great mercy. Ταῖς µυροφόροις Γυναιξί, παρὰ τὸ µνῆµα ἐπιστάς, ὁ Ἄγγελος ἐβόα· Τὰ µύρα τοῖς θνητοῖς ὑπάρχει ἁρµόδια, Χριστὸς δὲ διαφθορᾶς ἐδείχθη ἀλλότριος, ἀλλὰ

κραυγάσατε· Ἀνέστη ὁ Κύριος, παρέχων τῷ κόσµῳ τὸ µέγα ἔλεος.

Annunciation Hymn Today is the crown of our salvation, and the manifestation of the mystery from the ages. The Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin, and Gabriel announces the good tidings of grace. Therefore let us cry out with him unto the Mother of God: hail to thee who are full of grace; the Lord is with thee. Σήμερον της σωτηρίας ημῶν τό Κεφάλαιον, και του ἀπ᾽αιῶνος Μυστηρίου η φανέρωσις, ο Υιός τοῦ Θεοῦ, Υιός τῆς Παρθένου γίγνεται, και Γαβριήλ τήν χαρίν ευαγγελίζεται, Διό σύν αυτῶ τή Θεοτόκω βοήσωμεν, Χαίρε Κεχαριτωμένη, ο Κύριος μετα σοῦ.

Kontakion Though You went down into the tomb, O Immortal One, yet You brought down the dominion of Hades; and You rose as the vic-tor, O Christ our God; and You called out "Rejoice" to the Myrrh-bearing women, and gave peace to Your Apostles, O Lord who to the fallen grant resurrection. Εἰ καὶ ἐν τάφῳ κατῆλθες Ἀθάνατε, λλὰ τοῦ ᾅδου καθεῖλες τὴν δύναμιν· καὶ νέστης ὡς νικητής, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεός, γυναιξὶ Μυροφόροις φθεγξάμενος, Χαίρετε, καὶ τοῖς σοῖς Ἀποστόλοις εἰρήνην δωρούμενος, ὁ τοῖς πεσοῦσι παρέχων νάστασιν.

Hymn to the Theotokos The Angel cried aloud to the Lady full of grace…be illumined, illumined. (Ὁ Ἀγγελος ἐβόα…..Φωτίζου, φωτίζου)

Communion Hymn The Body of Christ (Σῶμα Χριστοῦ)

The Inner Way Part 4 of a Multi-Part Series on the How We are to Become Partaker’s of the Divine Nature (For the complete series see the ‘Bulletins’ section at www.annunciation.fl.goarch.org) While God may call sinners to repentance, he never interferes with mans free will to choose between good and evil. God will always respect our decisions even those, which are sinful and disobedient. If we allow God to work in us, our will becomes con-formed to His will, and our union becomes more complete as we develop into his likeness. We Or-thodox reject the Roman Catholic and Protestant idea that we are forever stained with Adams guilt and therefore lack the freedom to make the right choices toward union with God. We in fact are be-set by corruption, evil, sin and mortality, but are only guilty as it relates to our free choice to repli-cate the poor decisions Adam made. Despite our fallen state we can be pleasing to God and have the freedom to do so. To achieve ‘metanoia,’ or heartfelt repentance, we must pray and contemplate. Ultimately this does not lead us to a state of worthiness but an aware-ness of our unworthiness, which then leads us to repentance. Confession and Repentance are part of our continual self-examination as we pray, read Gods Word, and faithfully attend and participate in the liturgy and sacraments. We need to constantly examine ourselves and to borrow from Jesus’ para-

ble, prune from our lives the dead branches that bear no fruit. Repentance is to liberate and heal rather than to judge. The sinner is considered a pris-oner of Satan and therefore morally sick and as such requires compassion and healing and not fur-ther imprisonment. And if sin is regarded as an infir-mity, repentance is seen as a healing process. Salva-tion, in the east, is viewed not in terms of the for-giveness of sin but as the transformation “from sin-ful mortality into blessed immortality.” The Church is we, the people that make up the body of Christ. Christ is therefore present in us, and as such we represent Him on earth, to speak, act, and love and to be His instruments through which Christ works in the world today. We are the people that have put on Christ by being baptized with Him, sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit in Chrismation, forgiven of our sins in Repentance and Confession, and nurtured by the Heavenly Mysteries of His Body and His Blood. We are a people in whom Christ dwells, a people who listen to and obey God, a peo-ple who have truly committed their lives to him as Lord, a people who will transform our image into a likeness of Him. We cannot however be any of these things if we do not participate in all of the Sacraments including the sacrament of Repentance. by Deacon John to be continued…

FOR YOUR INFORMATION: HYMNS AND WHERE THEY CAN BE FOUND We are working diligently to bring you the exact same music in English and Greek that the choir is singing.

The Hymns on the previous page are the same but the ones referred to in the book are slightly different. Please be patient and sing along!

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. This mort-gage payment is $1,600 a month. In order to receive credit for your dona-tion, for income tax purposes, make sure to put your cash donation in an

envelope with your name on it or pay by check.

SAINTS COMMEMORATED TODAY, SUN. MAY 15th

Pachomius the Great

Achillius the Wonderworker, Archbishop of

Larissa

Barbaros the Myrrhbearer of Kerkyra

STEWARDSHIP UPDATE “FAITH WITH WORKS" IS THE 2016 Theme. Submit your pledge card or ask an usher for a new one, the pledge cards are hot pink. YOU CAN NOW PAY BY CREDIT CARD! Our goal for 2016 is

$150,000. Everyone please pledge for 2016!

Praying for You: We offer prayers for health and the needs for the servants of God for Pat Reardon, Thanos Gritzalis, Pam Strikis, Nick Karras, Plato Pavis, George & Tony Mourgis, Polly Margaritis, Penelope Perdios, Nathan Byrne, Kostantia Tsolakis, Louis Eftim, Virginia Headley, Jo-

hanna DiMartino, Elaine Rompella, Calypso Banford, Ted Lizas & Karen Dopoulos. Please notify the office if there is someone that needs to be added to the prayer list. 239-481-2099

MEMORIALS Today we offer a 10 year Memorial for the servant of God, Paul Demosthenis and a 1 year Memorial for the servant of God, Stella Demosthenis, parents of Eve Alves, grandparents of Nicholas Williams & Arianna Alves. May their memories be eternal. The Alves family is sponsoring coffee hour in their memories. Today we offer a 3 month Memorial for the servant of God, Lefteris Neskes, husband of Katerina. Brother of Emmanuel, Maria & Peter. May his memory be eternal.

40 DAY BABY BLESSING Ezekiel, the son of Tyler & Ageliki Wainright will receive his 40 Day Blessing on Sun. May 15th. We welcome Ezekiel to our Annunciation Parish Family and pray our Lord will continue to bless them all as they prepare for Ezekiel’s Baptism.

PASCHAL EXCLAMATION IN MANY LANGUAGES:

Christ is Risen! - Truly, He is Risen!

Arabic: Al Mesiech Kam! Hakan Kam!

Greek: Christos Anesti—Alithos Anesti

Roumanian: Christos a Inviat! Adverat a Inviat!

Russian: Khristos voskres! - Voistinu voskres!

Albanian: Krishti U Ngjall! Vertet U Ngjall!

Ethiopian: Christos t’ensah em’ muhtan!

Exai’ ab-her eokala!

Italian: Cristo e’risorto! Veramente e’risorto!

Latvian: Kristus ir augsham sales!

Teyasham ir augsham sales vinsch!

LITTLE CHURCH BOOKSTORE DON”T FORGET to check out the bookstore on your way out of the church!

WELCOME GREETERS MAY: Pam Strikis, Ted Drakos, Aileen Fenton, Cyndi Kyriacou and Popi Ambazis

A RESERVED Table is set in the Fr. Arthur K. Kontinos Community Center for 1st Time Visitors. Orange Cards are in the pews. Please fill out and hand to an USHER by Communion.

LADIES PHILOPTOCHOS SOCIETY Coffee Hour Hostesses are: Pat Kemp and Athena Fisk for the month of May. Please help the hostesses by disposing of your trash and cleaning off your table. This is appreciated and thank you.

HELLENIC AMERICAN SOCIAL CLUB HELLENIC AMERICAN SOCIAL CLUB is having their final social event of the season on Tuesday, May 24th, 7 p.m. at Perkins Family Restaurant, Cape Coral Pkwy, Cape Coral. All members are invited to attend the Dessert & Coffee social the club is sponsoring.

GOD’S OPPORTUNITY One of our parishioners, Athanasios Scott Tonk, has written a book entitled ‘God’s Opportunity: How God Is Reuniting His Church and Evange-lizing the World.’ It is now available in the parish bookstore as well as being available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at 25,000 retail outlets world-wide. As author Tonk writes in the book’s conclusion, “Straight-Gospel Christians – wheth-er ... Protestants or ... Cath-olics or ... Anglicans or ... Orthodox – can relate to

each other in Christ not just well but in some very deep and profound ways whose foundation is fundamentally that of the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Holy Scripture. Therein lies our hope and our opportunity – and, more to the point, God’s opportunity – for a Christian unity which will set the world on fire for Christ.”