January/February Newsletter of St. Brittany of the Valley's Parish
February, 2008
*Note: Dates are given on the civil calendar to prevent confusion among those who can't convert Old-to-New Calendar dates in their heads! We do have dual-calendar appointment planners for sale in the bookstore for anyone who needs them.
Happy after-feast of the Theophany to all parishioners! Next month we look forward to the Presentation of the Lord on the 15th, the Sunday of the Caananite on the 10th, the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee on the 17th, and the Sunday of the Prodigal Son on the 24th. Matushka Theodora ("the Empress") has her namesday on the 24th. Also, don't forget to wish Father Gordy ("Gordios of Caesarea") a very happy 40th birthday on the 17th! (We know you wanted to keep that quiet, Father, but it's too exciting not to mention.)
Teens-don't forget about the special weekend missionary trip coming up on the 15th through 17th! If you don't get your money in to Father Gordy by February 10th, we can't let you come. It's not that we don't want to continue to accept money, it's that we have to buy our plane tickets in advance! Let's not have a repeat of last year, please. Driving to Mexico was fun for the kids, but the drivers felt differently!
The women's group will continue to meet at Matushka's every Tuesday at 7 p.m. If you signed up to bring the snacks, please don't forget! Some people come straight from work and are depending on the coffee and treats to keep them from passing out with hunger. We don't want to have to call the ambulance again, do we?
Also, congratulations to the 3rd grade Sunday school class on their successful presentation of St. Maximos Kapsokalivis, the Athonite hut burner! What a wonderful story. Even if they did forget to include the reason why he burnt his huts whenever he moved, it was still a lovely story. And for any concerned parents, don't worry about the scorch marks on the carpeting. They weren't supposed to use real fire, but the carpet was already stained from the altar boys tripping with the censors.
Many thanks to all who helped with the "Learn About Orthodoxy!" explanatory meeting for non-Orthodox members of the community. Needless to say we were all pleasantly surprised when our kind neighbors from the Evangelical Lutheran church stopped by on New-Calendar Christmas. Although we never finished our youth meeting, it was wonderful to meet the members of our neighboring parish, and the food they brought smelled delicious even if it was non-fasting. It was rather surprising that they came with the intent of converting us to Christianity, but many showed up for our "Learn About Orthodoxy!" event with wonderful questions. Most of us had never thought about symbolism behind the color of the carpeting before. Reverend Smith called Father Gordy last week and said the meeting was a success; his parishioners were very interested. Father Gordy also commented that maybe we should put up our Nativity decorations earlier next year. Apparently procrastinating until January sends the wrong signals.
Until next month!
Tina ("Thecla") Johnson, church secretary
This report was filed by Onion Dome terce reporter Brigid Strait.
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