All are invited to participate in a parish potluck after the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, July 1 to celebrate the official beginning of summer and the end of the Apostles’ Fast, which ends this week. Bring your favorite summer dish to share with our guests! Drinks will be provided by the parish.
Vacation Bible School Begins Tonight
Holy Trinity’sVacation Bible
Outdoor Parish Work this Saturday
Many hands make light work! This Saturday, May 19, 2018, from 9 a.m. to (no later than) 12 noon, Holy Trinity will hold a special Parish Work Day to prepare and beautify our temple for Pentecost. (We couldn’t do outdoor work for Pascha because of the cold weather.) There will be a variety of tasks for volunteers of all skill levels. Food and refreshments will be served for all volunteers.
Support Parishioners Walking to Prevent Suicide
As part of our commission from Christ to minister to least of His brethren, Matthew 25 is sponsoring a special drive to help those affected by suicide. Please support your fellow parishioners who are walking on Sunday, April 29, 2018 to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, whose goal is to reduce the suicide rate 20 percent by 2025. Join our team today!
Ministry Groups to Prepare for the Nativity
Several of Holy Trinity’s ministry groups will spend the weekend of December 16-17 engaging in activities together in preparation for the Feast of the Nativity.
On Saturday morning, the men of the parish will have breakfast; in the afternoon, the Altar Society will decorate the church, and the Choir and the Church School will conduct rehearsals.
On Sunday, after the Church School Christmas Play, the women of the parish will exchange cookies and recipes in Trinity House. For a full schedule of events, see the parish calendar.
Ladies: Plan to Attend a Discussion and Input Session this September 17
The Women’s Ministry will conduct an informational session after liturgy on Sunday September 17 at noon. Grab a coffee and a bite to eat, and come to the conference room in Trinity House. In addition to previewing this year’s study, we will brainstorm potent-ial activities that might be of spiritual benefit to us and the parish. Especially, what can we do to provide help and comfort to particular sub-groups of women: older women, young mothers, single parents, etc.? The goal is to not only leave the meeting having determined the best meeting times and dates for the study but also have a set of action plans for the new ideas and events.
As for the study, we plan to spend the year examining The Theology of Illness by Jean-Claude Larchet, a small but dense text exploring how Orthodox Christians find healing despite living in a fallen and broken world, subject to all of the suffering and evil that comes upon us as a result of sin. The goal of the study is not to seek a single cure for what ails us but to learn to live with what besets us. Moreover, we want to do it in a way that opens ourselves to all types of healing, impacting not only our lives but also the lives of those around us.
To allow as many women as possible to participate, we plan to meet in the daytime of one week, and then in the evening of the next week; with both sessions covering the same material. Finding the times that accommodate the most people is part of the September 17 meeting agenda.
In addition to the biweekly study, a dedicated section of the parish website will be established where we can post supplemental materials and links. There will also be a forum where we can further discuss the text. Sessions will continue into the Spring and will conclude with a Saturday day retreat similar to last year.
One Day at a Time This Year
by Dn. Mark Oleynik
Dn. Mark teaches Vacation Bible School participants about the Hours (1st, 3rd, 6th, and 9th) that can be prayed to sanctify the day.
Do you make a checklist of all the things you want accomplish each day? Have you ever noticed that by the end of the day the list seems to be longer than when you started? You’re not alone—overdoing is a social epidemic from which people of all ages can suffer. It seems to me that “do not overdo” may be a healthy commandment which could be added to deal with our modern lifestyle.
Because we want to do so many things so quickly, much of our worry is due to our mistaken view of things. We look too far ahead. The magnitude of life daunts us. We add tomorrow’s task to today’s and then of course the burden becomes too heavy. If we think about it, we truly never have anything to do on any given day but just the bit of God’s will for that day. But what part of daily lives do we dedicate to do God’s will?
Related: Register online for Sunday School.
Starting with the understanding that we must take care of our families, perform the work that our employer expects, eat, take care of our home, and so forth, we are reminded that the “heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Matthew 6:32). These take up the abundance of the day and fill it with activity. But we also must consider the sin of omission in our daily lives. In Matthew 25, we read that at the Judgement Seat of Christ we will need to account for those things which we did not do. It is not the big things we may have done (and for which we have sought forgiveness) but rather the little things we did not do that leads to our peril.
These could be the calls or visits of help we did not make, the words of cheer we did not speak, the letters we did not write, or the hungry we did not feed—all lost opportunities to do His will due to our inactivity.
Why do we leave so many things undone in our lives? Partly through sheer thoughtlessness, no doubt. Many omit the good deed not through want of heart but through want of thought. And yet it is just that very thoughtlessness which God calls for us to account. However, even more critical may be the emphasis we put on this life. We magnify the insignificants, pour out our energy on things which perish, and ignore the realities that alone count in the eternal scale. We spend our days “working our list” but not working God’s will—the things which call for our most constant care and deepest thought.
As we begin this ecclesiastical New Year, let’s make our resolution to “seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Put the emphasis in your daily life on His service and glory and leave nothing undone which the Lord commanded.
Happy New Year!
EXTRA SCOOPS
- New School Year. Sunday School begins on September 10. We look forward to sharing the teachings and Tradition of the Church to build a firm foundation for our students to lead a life in God’s image. Sunday School supplements and reinforces the work of our parents in the Christian formation of their children. Many thanks to our staff of dedicated teachers for their ministry each week throughout the year. (NOTE: Registration will be conducted online this year. You are asked to enroll your child early for planning purposes.)
- Sunday School Picnic. Our annual picnic is planned for September 17,
4:30 p.m., at Circleville Park. All families are encouraged to join in fellowship (and s’mores!). - “Youth Equipped to Serve” Mission Trip. For the middle/high school students, there is a YES (Youth Equipped to Serve) mission trip planned in Pittsburgh this September 29-October 1. Please mark your calendars, as the number of participants may be limited. More details will be provided via the bulletin and website once registration opens.
VBS 2017 Daily News: Friday
EXTRA! BREAKING NEWS! EXTRA!
We Can All Live in an Orthodox World!
STATE COLLEGE, PA — Today, the VBS students continued their exploration of what it means to live in an Orthodox world by focusing on the necessity of building a strong prayer life. This was emphasized with the introduction of the Hours services that are celebrated throughout each day.
Spokespersons for the VBS stated that each day throughout the week the students discussed and learned about what it means to live in an Orthodox world. The focus was not on the fact that the whole world is not Orthodox but rather that through the wisdom of the Church we have be given a discipline to conduct our lives as much as God has provided and made us capable of doing so.
To be sure, none of what started to happen this week can be accomplished overnight. There is no “instant” formula for teaching children about God. Patience and, above all, consistency are essential in attaining the desired results.
True Orthodoxy is reflected in a way of life which is practiced in the home on a regular basis. To have children live one way at home and then suddenly to expect them to act differently in the church is an unrealistic approach.
There is no reason to be afraid to set high standards for our children. When we have high expectations, children not only gain self-esteem by meeting those expectations, but they come to love and respect those who set them.
Just as we must breathe to live, and we breathe all the time, we should pray all the
time. Every time we breathe we can remember God. The Matins service says, “Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord.” Let it be so for us and our children.
To Be Like Mary
Today the students learned that we are strive to be like the Virgin Mary—the Theotokos —and ask her to pray for us. She “held heaven” in her body and in her soul. She loved God and kept His commandments. We can be like her if we put only good things into our hearts and souls. We should put all the good things of the Church into our “cup”, our minds and hearts. (Ask you favorite VBS kid about the today’s “cup” lesson.)
The Christian Difference
The Christian is dlfferent because he is “in Christ”. He walks with Christ every day. St. Peter wrote about the Christians saying,
“You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous life.”
FPO — For Parents Only
Many thanks to the parents who encouraged their children’s participation in this year’s VBS. Our prayer for you is that you may guide your children through prayer and lead them by your example each moment of your daily life. Special thanks to the teachers. kitchen helpers. teens, and all the helping hands. Have a great summer!
Learn More
For more recaps, pictures, and information, visit the 2017 Vacation Bible School homepage.
VBS 2017 Daily News: Thursday
Every Hour and Every Day It’s Time to Pray!
Students Learn to Offer Prayers Unceasingly
STATE COLLEGE, PA — Today, the VBS students continued their exploration of what it means to live in an Orthodox world by focusing on the necessity of building a strong prayer life. This was emphasized with the introduction of the Hours services that are celebrated throughout each day.
The daily Hours services correspond to the Old Testament services beginning each of the four “watches” of the day. in New Testament times, these services have been enhanced through their association with various events in the life of our Savior and of the Church.
The First Hour commemorates the bringing of Christ before Pilate, which took place in the early morning hours. The Third Hour commemorates Pilates’s judgment of Christ and His mocking and scourging, and it is also the same hour when the Holy Spirit upon the disciples (Acts 2:3-15). The Sixth Hour remembers Christ’s voluntary Passion and His Crucifixion on Golgotha. Finally, the Ninth Hour commemorates Christ’s death on the Cross and its significance for our salvation.
The Hours all follow the same structure, but within this arrangement each contains different psalms and prayers which relate to the event commemorated in that Hour and which evoke correspondingly different feelings in the heart of the reader or listener.
Christians are to pray to God not just on Sunday mornings, but constantly, sanctifying time by offering prayer throughout the day.
On Having a Prayer Rule
“Yes, it is good to have a prayer rule on account of our weakness so that on the one hand we do not give in to laziness, and on the other hand we restrain our enthusiasm to its proper measure. The greatest practitioners of prayer kept a prayer rule. They would always begin with established prayers, and if during the course of these a prayer started on its own, they would put aside the others and pray that prayer. If this is what the great practitioners of prayer did, all the more reason for us to do so. Without established prayers, we would not know how to pray at all.”
— St. Theophan
What’s the Buzz?
This is not Buzzfeed, but it is still a buzz. Here are a few comments from this year’s VBS students:
- “I’ve never been to Matins but now I want to go.”
- “The food is terrific!”
- “I Ieamed that Jesus is our light.”
- “Fr. Arseny prayed for other people who did not like him.”
FPO — For Parents Only
- Ask your child what time should we pray.
- Tomorrow is our last day of VBS.
Learn More
For more recaps, pictures, and information, visit the 2017 Vacation Bible School homepage.
VBS 2017 Daily News: Wednesday
Our Light at Night is Jesus
Students Attend Vespers to Start Their VBS Day
STATE COLLEGE, PA — Having come to the setting of the sun, the students reached the midpoint of VBS. Today the students continued their examination of what it means to live in an Orthodox world with the study of Jesus being our light in darkness. The focus was on the reality that through Christ the captivity of the soul has come to an end—the darkness is dispersed by the Light of Christ.
A highlight of the day was the attendance of the students at Vespers. In the Orthodox Church the liturgical day begins in the evening with the setting of the sun. This practice follows the Biblical account of
creation: “And there was evening and there was morning, one day” (Gen. 1:5).
The Vespers service in the Church begins with the chanting of the evening psalm: “…the sun knows it’s time for setting, Thou makest darkness and it is night…” (Psalm 104:19-20). This psalm, which glorifies God’s creation of the world, is man’s very first act of worship, for man first of all meets God as Creator.
The service of Vespers takes us through creation, sin, and salvation in Christ. It leads us to the meditation of God’s word and the glorification of his love for men. It instructs us and allows us to praise God for the particular events or persons whose memory is celebrated and made present to us in the Church. It prepares us for the sleep of the night and the dawn of the new day to
come. On the evening before the Divine Liturgy, it begins our movement into the most perfect communion with God in the sacramental mysteries.
A True Hero—The Life of Fr. Arseny Recalled
A real hero for Christ, Fr. Arseny, lived not so long ago in Communist Russia. Today the students learned how prison guards called him names, hit him, and would not let him wear his priest’s clothing. But prison leaders could not stop him from praying and he prayed for those who held him captive because he knew that they were very sad because they did not have the light of Christ in them. However, through his witness he was able to lead others to Christ even in the most dire and dark circumstances. Truly, the Light of Christ has shown forth in Fr. Arseny.
It’s a Group Thing
This year’s VBS students have been grouped by some of the names of the liturgical services being studied throughout the week. Ask your favorite VBS student their group and when their service is celebrated.
FPO — For Parents Only
- Our dinners are especially kid friendly. Please encourage them to eat all their fruits and vegetables!
Learn More
For more recaps, pictures, and information, visit the 2017 Vacation Bible School homepage.
