Holy Cross Orthodox Church

The church library is accepting DVD's of Orthodox teaching and lectures, with Father Gregory's approval before going into the library. We are no longer going to accept or keep VCR video tapes or cassette tapes though. Starting Thursday, Oct. 2, boxes with existing teaching/lecture videos and tapes will be in the Parish Hall for your perusal and taking for free, through Sunday, October 12. A list of some of the available videos and cassettes is available for download.

Tidy-ness with toys
The toy box in the Parish Hall has been replaced with a smaller one that fits into the lower cabinet next to the door. Please remind your children to put the toys back in the box, and to put the toy box back into its new home in the cabinet. Thank you!

Lost and Found
We have an official place for Lost and Found items -- a box in the lower cabinet next the the door in the Parish Hall (shares same cabinet as the toy box). If you find items, you can put them in the Lost and Found box. There are several items already in the Lost and Found, including children's clothing, a pair of eyeglasses, beach towels, baby bottles and more. Items will be removed on the last Sunday of each month and donated to charity. If you are missing anything, it might just be there in the Lost and Found.

Russian Festival
Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church (1723 E. Fairmount Ave., Baltimore) is conducting its 35th Annual Russian Festival October 17-19, 2008. For more information please visit: www.HolyTrinityOrthodox.com or call 410-276-6171.

Feast Day of St. Raphael and Angleball Weekend @ AV
Teens: Come join the Antiochian Village on Friday, October 31 (that's Halloween!) for the weekend of St. Raphael's Feast and Angleball! We'll gather on Friday evening for Vespers, a night hike, "trick-or-treating with the Saints", a campfire, and all sorts of fun and games, followed by Liturgy on Saturday morning, a yummy cookout, and ANGLEBALL! Details and registration are online.

From Fr. Elias:

I invite you to join me at St. James Orthodox Church in Westminster, MD for our Patronal Feast in commemoration of the Holy Apostle and Brother of God, James. In honor of our patron, we will celebrate the Divine Services on Wednesday evening, October 22, 2008 in our church in downtown Westminster. Great Vespers will be served promptly at 6:00 PM and will be followed immediately by the Divine Liturgy of St. James. A simple refreshment will be provided after the Divine Liturgy.

May the Lord richly bless your service to the Lord and His Church! Pray for us at St. James as we pray for you.

In Christ,
Fr. Elias Yelovich
St. James the Apostle Orthodox Mission Westminster, MD

A series of classes on the Orthodox Church and the Orthodox way of life will begin this Thursday evening (Oct 2) immediately following the 6:30pm service, probably around 7:15pm. Among the topics covered during the several-week series are Church history, sources of authority, the Church/Liturgical Year, the Divine Liturgy and other Mysteries/Sacraments and services, Prayer and Ascesis/ Moral and Spiritual Formation, Iconography and Music. [...]

His Eminence, Archbishop LAZAR will be lecturing at UMBC on October 7th. Details in our Special Events section.

The St Philip's Prayer Discipline, a ministry of the Fellowship of St John the Divine, is designed for Orthodox believers who wish to deepen their spirituality through a regular diet of prayer and study. Please see their flyer for more details.

Here is a list of the various outside contractors who had a part in completing the parish hall and associated renovations to our building. Each did outstanding work, and all of them were honest and good communicators. Please thank them in any way you feel is appropriate –it would be nice if some of them whose work you particularly appreciate would receive a card or letter of thanks. Also, of course, please keep them in mind when you have a need for similar services.

You may offer assistance to those experiencing the devastating effects of hurricane Ike through IOCC at the following web address: https://www.iocc.org/giving/giving_donate1.aspx.

Beloved in Christ,

As we look forward to our weekend Patronal Feast Anniversary events and services with His Grace Bishop THOMAS, we pause today to remember the tragic events of September 11, 2001. We pray especially for those who lost their lives or were injured, either by the bombings or through rescue efforts, and for their families. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy!

Bishop THOMAS arrived last evening from Houston and will be going with me to Annapolis this afternoon to visit the Naval Academy and St John's College, both of which are OCF sites of Annapolis College Ministry. We'll be meeting with Subdeacon Robert and students and hearing about the campus ministries. This evening Sayedna will be present at Vespers at Holy Cross (630pm), after which would be an especially good time to meet and receive a blessing from His Grace in a less crowded situation. [...]