Dear St. Nicholas Family,
Please make sure to attend our fall General Assembly scheduled for November 20th! By now, many ministries are busy and have plenty to offer. You can find their news below or check our website and Facebook pages for updates.
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Archdiocese and Metropolis News
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Feast of St. Nicholas
Vespers: Monday, December 5th, 6pm
Reception to follow, hosted by St. Irene's Philoptochos.
Feastday: Tuesday, December 6th.
Orthros: 8:30am
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Save the Dates:
St. Irene's Philoptochos Christmas Gather: Monday, December 12th - Tuscan Kitchen.
St. Irene's Philoptochos Christmas Bake Sale: Saturday, December 17th. Open to the public. Sunday, December 18th - for our parishioners.
Orthodoxy on Tap: November 16th.
Info here.
Lexington Interfaith Thanksgiving Service: November 22nd.
Flyer here.
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Sunday Worship
Orthros 8:15am
Divine Liturgy 9:30am
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Did you know EFT and credit card payments can be made online to
St. Nicholas?
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Martyr Acindynus and Companions
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Paul the Confessor
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Menas of Egypt
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John Chrysostom
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Entry of the Theotokos
November 21 |
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Personal Prayer...DO WE DO IT?
Are you ready to cast your vote? Make a decision that could affect you for the rest of your life. I am not referring to our National Election Day, but to the election you and I have every day...by the nature of our free will!
We have the chance to make a decision at every crossroad presented to us...either at home, workplace, or school.
Yet, are we guided enough to make these decisions? Or do we go off the cuff in making decisions? There is preparation when needing to make a decision for everything...in the workplace it's called data analysis, in sports it's called practice, in fine arts it is called rehearsal, in parish life we might call it committees, in our everyday life it is called...prayer with God.
No prayer is a curse, real prayer is a cure for all ills...through community prayer and by the Grace of God, we are able to receive the HOLY GIFTS, the Mysteries, which unites us together and with our Lord.
During community worship...The Divine Liturgy, Vespers, Paraklesis Services...we may think the sermon offered is just for church on Sunday, or at that particular service. Allow me to share a short story with you that I used in a sermon.
A young man brought his mother to the church, left her there, and then went off in his car. About an hour later he got a phone call from her to pick her up. He said to his mom "is the service done, even the sermon, mom?"
His mother paused, smiled and said, "No...it is not finished." The young man could not understand and inquired if she left early because: she didn't feel well, wanted fresh air, wanted to leave...didn't want to see people after.
"I feel great" she said.
"But even though the priest has left the pulpit, this does not mean that the sermon is over. It is now our duty to put the words into practice, to give life to what was said, to begin doing what we heard."
Personal prayer allows this to be implemented in our daily schedules.
Prayer can be many things:
Prayer can be powerful...
Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know. Jerm 33:3
Prayer can be positive...
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. 1 John 5: 14-15
Prayer can be personal...
In which our Lord teaches us how to pray, (known as the Lord's Prayer) we hear...
9 "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread[a] from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" Luke 11: 9 -13
We are to keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking.
Let's look at past references of prayer: Jacob at Bethel, Joseph in the cell, Moses in the wilderness, Daniel in the Lion's den, Elisha, Peter in prison. But are we showing anything from it? Do we pray in our homes, by ourselves, with our spouses, with our children? We know that prayer was suggested by Christ and echoed by His Apostles. Prayer can help smash the temptations we face in our lives, keep us in focus, and remind us how we can improve and be His Saints today.
PRAYER HELPS! In order to have prayer we must whole-heartedly have BELIEF IN GOD!
This past Sunday we heard about the woman who was healed by just touching the garments of Christ! So we, too, need to have that same faith when we come to Church for its Holy Mysteries: The Holy Eucharist, Holy Confession, Holy Unction. We come to God, we call upon Him by/with sincere prayer. We come to Him by not just listening, but in HEARING His words and receiving them into our lives.
This can be a powerful force within us, yet we need to help that seed which is planted in us at Baptism or Chrismation, the opportunity to grow. We need to take the time and put in the effort to pray and have an open dialogue with our Lord. He knows what we are going through! Yet, it is one thing to have Him be outside our door and knowing what is going on, and another to open the door of our hearts and let Him in!
With the Mysteries of the church, worship, living a Christ-centered life and having a prayer life can be a powerful impact on our lives, and on the lives of other. Every Sunday, we meet Christ here in His Church, our home. We believe Him when He said, "Where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there I am amongst them..." We believe we unite ourselves with Him in the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist. The name of our Savior - Emmanuel, "God is with us" becomes a reality for us here at every service!
The question remains...Does anyone else know that we have been united with our Lord?
Some say that they can tell when someone has gone to church because the person smells like incense. Can others tell that we have been in the Lord's presence not just by the scent of incense, but the joy and beauty of our lives, our thoughts, our words, our actions? All of these are helped and stem from a prayer life with God.
It may not bring complete recovery of life for a loved one; may not heal a life ending sickness or disease, but it will provide strength to bear life's crosses. Our prayer life will give purpose and meaning to life with each other and in Christ. Amen!
With love in Christ,
Father Demetri Costarakis
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Children's Word
Written by Presbytera Alexandra Houck
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Hello Family and Friends,
 It was a unique treat to have His Grace Bishop Neofitos from the Diocese of Nyeri and All Mount Kenya Region lead us in worship on Sunday, October 23rd. He joined us for a fellowship brunch hosted by the Parish Council, and parishioners graciously gave to an offering collected for his Diocese. Thank you!
Break-in U
pdate
:
The safe that
was taken by the Lexington police after the break-in has been returned to the church in pretty bad shape. See for yourselves! The security committee continues to make improvements to our grounds -- cameras have been set and an alarm system is being installed. The rekeying of all the doors is work in progress. In addition,
the insurance company approved the estimate (over $8,000) and sent the payment to repair the stained glass window, which is scheduled to take place this month.
We have not yet heard back from the Town of Lexington regarding the tax issue for the parish house.
Please mark your calendars for
Gingerbread house making, St. Nicholas Feast Day celebrations, Christmas Eve services and the New Year's Eve gathering at the Methodios Retreat Center.
See you at the General Assembly on November 20th!
Thank you,
Maria Decoulos
madecoulos@gmail.com
617-645-1684
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CHURCH SCHOOL
Please contact us if you have any questions about Church School.
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GOYA
Happy Autumn! Our GOYAns have been active over the past few months. They came together in service to the church during our parish's festival, in helping run the kids area, selling ice cream, and assisting where needed. The Splagounias family started our year off with the GOYA welcome back cookout complete with burgers, swimming and basketball. The Panagiotou family hosted our fall family dinner; even Bishop Neophitos came and blessed the food. A few of our GOYAns attended MBC fall camp, where they came together in fellowship and worship with other GOYAns.
Some things to look forward to!
Coming up after church on Sundays, the GOYAns will be selling orthodox icon Christmas ornaments. We will be decorating the hall soon, as well as putting up the Christmas tree. The Katos family will be hosting the GOYA annual Christmas party this year.
God bless,
Meli and Eleni
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GREEK SCHOOL
Kalo Mina. It is already November and the weather is slowly getting cooler. The leaves are blowing in the wind and soon the cold will set in. Every year, the Greek School has a Thanksgiving fundraiser. As in the past, you have supported the Greek School and we thank you. On the Sunday of November 20th, we will select two names who will win a $50 gift certificate from Wilson's Farms. There will not be any classes on November 26th. We wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving!
On October 23rd there was a celebration for Ohi Day at the Maleotis Cultural Center. Eleftheria Pantekidou delivered a beautiful speech on the importance of the day. She did an excellent job along with the other Greek Schools who participated in the event. There were several dance groups that performed, patriotic songs sung, and poems recited. At the end there was food and refreshments.
On October 30th after the Divine Liturgy, both Sofi Khoury and Eleftheria Pantekidou read a descriptive essay on Ohi Day. They spoke beautifully. Congratulations to them, we are very proud.
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PHILOPTOCHOS
November is a busy month as we pursue our philanthropic endeavors in the name of our St. Irene's Philoptochos and St. Nicholas Church.
Since our last meeting, we supported some special philanthropies, like the mission work of Bishop Neophitos in Kenya with a $200 contribution, and with $200 to the Ionian Village in Greece which suffered significant damage from fierce tornadoes. Our charitable work extends beyond the United States.
Locally, we pledged $250 to the Annual Radiothon supporting the Hellenic Nursing Home. In October, we were blessed with a generous donation from Liz Dibenetto in honor of her family. We are very grateful for her generosity and love for our organization.
On November 6th, we shall have a special tray for the Ecumenical Patriarchate collection, close to the Feast of Saints Cosmas and Damianos, which is on November 1st. This is a National Philoptochos obligation. Another National obligation this month is the National Sisterhood of Presbyteres Benevolant Fund.
For our Metropolis of Boston Philoptochos, we will be supporting the Saint Methodios Faith and Heritage Center as we do every November.
Please come on the November 13th services as we honor our Veterans with a special coffee hour after Divine Liturgy.
We are looking forward to our Holiday Gathering. As we voted in our October meeting, we will have a Bake Sale in December and open it to the Lexington Community in place of the White Elephant Sale. Our next meeting will be on November 14, 7:00 pm.
God Bless,
Lela Digenis
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STEWARDSHIP REPORT
As I've been reminded (numerous times!) by a previous chair of the stewardship ministry:
"Stewardship is caring for the needs of others. Stewardship is offering one's self to God as He offered Himself to us. Stewardship is what a person does after saying 'I believe...' as a proof of that belief."
-Williams and McKibben in Oriented Leadership
Treasure: 2016 Stewardship Goal: $175,000
Through October 11, 2016...
2016 Amount Pledged...$151,334 (88.59%)
2016 Contributions...$134,066 (76.61%)
Number of Families Pledging: 163 (additional pledge cards continue to be received)
Number of Families Contributing: 155
Average Pledge per family: $928.43
Additional pledges needed to make goal: $23,666
Additional pledge per family needed to make goal: $145 or $17/week through the remainder of the year.
St. Nicholas Parish family: We are so close! On behalf of all those who benefit from our active and thriving stewardship...thank you!
With love in Christ,
Tony Gray
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HEALTH & WELLNESS
We will be resuming our exercise classes on Thursday, December 1st. We will meet, as we have done in the past, every Thursday at 12pm in the church hall, following the lecture series. Hope to see you there!
Also, it is cold and flu season..don't forget to get your flu shot!
Please contact Judy Gray with any ideas for this ministry at: jgray1321@gmail.com or 978-266-1409. God bless!
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PRAYER LIST
Pondering on the words of St. Paul, "Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's wellbeing. (I Cor. 10:24). Give rest to the weary, visit the sick, support the poor, for this is also worship. Aphahat
For any prayer concern (salvation, health, employment, stress and anxieties, etc.) please send baptismal names only to:
st.nicholas.lex@verizon.net
We may not be able to help others materially or medically, but God does hear our prayers and always asks us to pray for each other and so build up the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:11-16).
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Messages
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A gentle reminder to all Fellowship hosts: Please keep in mind that families hosting coffee hour (children's table and main table) are responsible for clean up after completion. We appreciate your help with keeping our parish clean and treating it as your own home...because it is! Thank you.
Not Receiving Church Material?
If you have not been receiving church material/mailing or emails, please contact the church office at
781-862-6453 or email st.nicholaslex@verizon.net Thank you.
Monthly Bulletin Personal or Business Ad
If you are interested in placing a personal or business ad,
please contact the church office at 781-862-6453 or email st.nicholaslex@verizon.net
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Baptism Chrismation
On October 1st, 2016, the son of Sean and Maria O'Connell was baptized and given the name Steven Patrick. The Godparent was Christopher Skambas.
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On October 30th, 2016, Timothy Sheahan was welcomed into the Orthodox faith through the Mystery of Chrismation.
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