Bicycles Donated - Larry Najour and his daugher Kristin deliver a truck load of bicycles to the Loaves and Fishes Christmas Basket Program...thank you St. Elias Orthodox Church.
Special Gifts - Second Grader, Ashley Morgan, seen here with her friend, gave a very special gift to the Loaves and Fishes Christmas Program. Her birthday was last week and she decided to give all of the toys she received to the program. In this picture she helps one of the ladies pick from her toys for her children. Thank you Ashley!
More Christmas Donations - Easy Rental for about the 15th year in a row gives 10 turkeys to the Loaves and Fishes Christmas Program.
Generous Donation - Alvin and Kathy Galloway on behalf of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Atlanta deliver a very generous donation to the Loaves and Fishes Program to help with St. Barbara's Kitchen and the Food and Toy Program. Thank you so very much!
Toys for Christmas - Costa Panos delivers toys from the Holy Annunciation Cathedral for the Loaves and Fishes Christmas Program. Rebecca Showalter, in charge of sorting toys, helps with the unloading.
Newly Illumined - Congradulations to newly illumined members of the Orthodox Church, Justin and Anna Winter, and Maria, with God parents, Suzanne Diehl, Dennis and Karen Dunn, and John Aldridge.
St. Herman & Lucy - On the Feast night of St. Herman and the Virgin Martyr Lucy, Regina Nazrallah dresses as St. Lucy for the blessing of bread accompanied by Becky Myers. Below that, Sub-deacon Luke (Dr. Chesley Richards) holds the relics of St. Herman.
Annual Bookstore Sale - Our Parish bookstore held its annual Christmas sale Saturday, Dec. 8 and Sunday, Dec. 9. Lots of beautiful items, as well as books and CDs, on sale. thanks to Catherine Payne who does a wonderful job with our bookstore!
Renovation Complete- The renovation of our kitchen, used both for our Loaves and Fishes food program and for church functions, has been completed. Over the past two weeks the cabinets were installed, along with granite counter tops and, earlier this week, the plumbing. You can see more pictures of the renovation work
here.
Continuing Renovation - The renovation of our kitchen, used both for our Loaves and Fishes food program and for church functions, continues. This past week, new cabinets were installed by Michael Campbell. Next week the counter tops should be added. You can see more pictures of the renovation work
here.
Iconographer Visits St. John's - Famous Russian iconograph,
Xenia M. Pokrovsky paid a visit to our Parish recently. She is pictured in front of a tapesty icon of St. Seraphim of Sarov in our pastor's office. Pokrovsky began painting icons in 1969 and helped spark a renewal of iconography in Russia. In 1995 she painted the icon
Synaxis of All Saints Who Have Shone forth in North America, which includes 18 smaller icons in it (kleymos), representing the entire history of Orthodoxy in North America which now belongs to the Orthodox Church in America.
Parish Fall Festival - St. John's annual fall festival was held at the Velez's house Saturday, November 3. You can see some more pictures
here.
OCA Secretary Visits - Paul Bodnar, Secretary of the OCA, and his wife Wendy visit at St. John's. They reside in Oyster Bay, NY and were in town for a wedding. It was a blessing to have them with us.
Teen Group to Monastery - St. John's Teen group went to Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos monastery in Asheville, NC to help the monks clean and landscape around the grounds and attend services. Fr. Gregory, abbot of the monastery gave a presentation on the monastic life. Below they stand in front of the iconostasis. To the right, one of the teens operating a highly technical cleaning device.
Birthday Celebrated - Sunday, Oct. 28, marked the birthday of Chesley (Sub-Deacon Luke) Richards. Chesley stands with his wife, Sophia, after services with a cake.
Visitor from Russia - Alexandria, the mother of parish member Dr. Sophia Richards, is visiting her daughter and son-in-law from Russia. Below they stand with Fr. Jacob before the shrine of St. John. Fr. Jacob presented Alexandria with a medal of St. John.
Renovation
of our Kitchen - Our kitchen, used both for our Loaves and Fishes food program and for church functions is being renovated. The first of the actual work began this week with the laying of the tile floor and new appliances being moved in. Click here to see more pictures of the progress.
Visitor from Russia - Alexandria, the mother of parish member Dr. Sophia Richards, is visiting her daughter and son-in-law from Russia. Below they stand with Fr. Jacob before the shrine of St. John. Fr. Jacob presented Alexandria with a medal of St. John.
Parish Member at Bari - Dr. Carla (Panteleimona) Thomas visited the tomb of St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, in Bari, Italy. 
Pilgrimage to the Elder - Sr. Joanna in Greece (named for St. John) went to Elder Porphyrios' cell in Athens. Below Sr. Joanna venerates the bed of the Elder in his room. You may see more pictures of her pilgrimage here.
New Catechumen - Kai (Augustine) Hirano was made a catechumen today...his Godmother, Joan Kincaide supports him.
Article on Parish Member - Our own Dennis Dunn has this article about him in
Creative Loafing.
Engagement Announced - Reese (Mark) Martin and Cynthia Marie Arrington (who is a little camera shy) announce their engagement Sunday after Divine Liturgy (Sept. 9). Contratulations and best wishes!
Soldier Blessed - Joseph Roden, son of Robert and Cecelia Roden, just back from Army boot camp, receives a blessing for his time in the Army.
Labor Day Meal - The Smith family brought a homemade meal for the poor & homeless served by the Loaves & Fishes program on Labor Day. Thank you for remembering the poor!
House Blessing - Fr. Jacob blesses the house of newly married Drs. Chesley and Sophia Richards.
New Catechumen - Sarah is blessed by Father Jacob to become a Catechumen in the Holy Orthodox faith. Many years, Sarah!
Feast Day - Pictured to the right are two of our parish members named for
St. Natalia on this, her feast day. They are holding an icon of Sts. Adrian and Natalia with Fr. Jacob.
Church Signing - Friday, August 17th, at 9:00 AM Parish President John Aldridge signed the paperwork for St. John Orthodox Church to finally buy our church property. Given all that our membership has put into the care and upkeep of the church we are buying the first church in the world dedicated to St. John Maximovitch for $275,000. We have already begun fund raising for paying the church off quickly. Donations toward the building fund would be most appreciated, you can make checks payable to St. John the Wonderworker Parish and put "Bulding Fund" on the "for" line.
Bountiful Harvest - Students at St. Nicholas Academy show off the fruit of their labors - and their vegetable garden. Even in a drought, the Lord has a provided!
Blessing Announced - Matt and Lisa Baker announce they are expecting their first child and asking for prayers. Behind them is the icon of the Mother of God who intercedes for pregnancies.
Baby Baptized - Atticus Gabriel Aldridge, the son of Reader and Catechist Gabriel & Sheila Aldridge, was baptized after Divine Liturgy Sunday, July 22. His godmother, Elena Buck, holds the towel. You can see more pictures of newly illumined Atticus' baptism
here.
Asking St. John's Blessing - Tina Vamvakias has her brilliant new idea blessed at the shrine of St. John. Her idea, a prototype of which she is holding, is to have a pan with the prosphora seal in the bottom. The pan is heavy duty with a non-stick coating. The hardest part of making bread for holy communion is keeping the seal on the bread (so often it disappears in the baking). Until now it has been only the best of bakers who have been able to keep the seal imprinted on the prosphora. But this beautiful pan allows for even beginners to make a beautiful loaf of bread like the one on St. John's shrine. Check her web site out at
http://thegiftedpan.com. Her pans will be on sale in the fall. She is also interested in making a smaller pan made for Russian loafs as well. Click
here to see our pastor's trial with the pan.
Feast of St. John - July 2 we celebrated our Patronal feast in commemoration of St. John (Maximovitch) of Shanghai and San Francisco. Sunday evening a vigil for the feast was held. Afterwards relics of St. John were venerated by the faithful. We had a wonderful turnout and a marvelous feast in honor of our patron Saint!
A Summer Meal - The Smith family bring hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad and baked beans for the men and women of the Loaves and Fishes Program. And, below that, watermelon for dessert!
Baby Naming - Fr. Jacob holds Atticus Gabriel, new born son of Gabe and Sheila Aldridge, while he prays the Naming service. Welcome to the family, Atticus and congratulations Gabe and Sheila!
Choir Practice - Mark King, our new choir director, begins choir rehearsal on Sundays after Coffee Hour . Pictured below is the first practice.
Icon Presented - Our thanks to Rebecca Velez for her choir leadership over the years. She was presented with
an icon, the Joy of All Who Sorrow for her service to the church.
Mother's Day Letter - In honor of Mothers Day, Cecelia Roden reads a touching letter from her son Joseph who grew up in the church and is now in Army bootcamp after which he will be stationed in Iraq.
Saved from the Fire - Early last week a fire destroyed the home of the Khammo family (pictured below with Fr. Jacob and ). Glory to God, the whole family was saved without any injuries but their house and possessions were a total loss. The family has insurance to rebuild the home and have been able to rent a house practically across the street from their old one. However, they have no possessions. The Parish is coordinating donations for the family. Please
click here if you would like to help or contact
Fr. Jacob.
Wedding at St. John's - Bret (Innocent) and Melanie Neal were married Sunday, April 22 at St. John's. Four priests participated in the Wedding, Fr. Peter Smith, our Dean, Fr. Anthony Salsman, the head of Orthodox Christian Fellowship for Altanta with whom Innocent works, Fr. Demetrios
Perez, Innocent's good friend at seminary, and Fr. Jacob, our pastor. You can see more pictures
here.
Baby Is Baptized - Alexandra, granddaughter of Tommy Bunch, is shown below with family and church members after her baptism. You can click
here to see more pictures of her baptism.
Parishoner Returns to Church - Dr. Dorothy returned to the church the Sunday, April 17, after her knee operation and several weeks of convelesance. It was wonderful to have her back worshipping with us!
Pascha at St. John's - Reader Mark King sings in the middle of the nave with all the lights out just before Midnight on Saturday night for Christ to come forth from the tomb. Click
here to listen to Mark sing.
Yesterday I was buried with Thee, 0 Christ. Today I arise with Thee in Thy resurrection. Yesterday I was crucified with Thee: Glorify me with Thee, 0 Savior, in Thy kingdom. You can see a slideshow of our Paschal celebration
here.
Newly Illumined - Congratulations to (from left to right): Wallace (Seraphim) and Alyssa (Juliana) Duvall, Paul and So Paul (Paula) Lackey, Todd (Theodore), Matthew, and Kimberly (Justina) Ramirez who were all christmated on Holy Saturday. Many years!
12 Passion Gospels - Below the faithful gather around the Gospel as it is read during the service of the HOLY PASSION of our Lord Jesus Christ. Participation in the prayers and the historical sequence of the events, as related in the Gospels and hymns, provides a vivid foundation for the great events yet to come.
New Catechumens - Matthew and Elizabeth Baker were made Catechumens in the Parish Sunday, April 1.
Palm Sunday - Two of the parishes young ladies await at the entrance of the Narthex to hand out Palm branches blessed during Matins to the congregants as they arrive.
New Icon Banner - A new icon print of the SAINTS OF AFRICA icon in our church was donated by Greg Pappas of Graphics Central, Inc. in Atlanta. Shawn put up the icon on the front of our church and Calvin, Larry, and Timothy look on.
Parish Member Gets Visitors - Dr. Dorothy Brown, who had knee surgery last week, receives visitors during her recuperative process. Dr. Brown loves having visitors. If you'd like to visit, contact the Parish office for information.
Class on Galatians - Bru Wallace, a Doctoral Candidate in Biblical Studies, continues his Lenten class on Galatians. The class for this Sunday (March 18) is available
here. To listen to previous classes, go
here.
Sunday of the Cross Vespers - Father George Alexison, Dean of Holy Annunciation Cathedral gives a homily on the Cross at St. John's for the Sunday of Orthodoxy. You may listen to his message
here.
Baby Naming - Newly born Nicholas George Avaliani, son of George and Jennifer is named before the Mother of God.
New Catechumens - Wallace and Alyssa DuVall were made catechumens Sunday, Feb. 25. They were both born on the same day in the same year and they took saints' names from the same day as well, St. Seraphim of Sarov and St. Juliana of Lazarevo. You can read St. Juiliana's life
here.
Lenten Commission - Fr. Jacob asks the children of the parish to write letters to a prisoner during the Lenten season. In this small way they can fulfill the call of Christ, "I was in prison, and ye came unto me."
Sunday School Begins - Our educational program started back up for Lent after Coffee Hour Sunday, Feb. 25. Here are pictured some of our youth and children who brought icons for the
Sunday of Orthodoxy. They gather here
after Brunch before processing with the icons to Sunday School.
Adult SS for Lent - Bru Wallace, a Doctoral Candidate in Biblical Studies, returns for a series of Lenten Classes on Galatians. You'll be able to listen or download the first class
here.
Forgiveness Sunday - Father Jacob (below) asks for forgiveness as part of the parish's observance of
Forgiveness Sunday. To the right, the whole congregation participates in asking for forgiveness from one another.
Diocesan Clergy Retreat - The Diocese of the South of the Orthodox Church in America held its annual Clergy Retreat this week at St. Justin Martyr Parish in Jacksonville, Florida. Below is a picture of his Eminence Archbishop Dmitri, Bishop of the Diocese along with the clergy in attendence. Click
here for a high resolution version of the picture suitable for printing.
Clergy Retreat Talks - Fr. Michael Oleska (right) of the Diocese of Alaska was the presenter at the Diocesan Clergy Retreat. He delivered a series of three messages on"The North American Saints - Their Missionary Legacy, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow". You may listen to the talks he gave
here.
Priest get's Permanent Assignment - Fr. Christopher Williamson, former assistant pastor at St. John's, received his permanent assignment as pastor of St. Innocent Orthodox Church in Macon, Georgia February 7th, at the Diocese of the South Clergy Retreat.
New Catechumens at St. John's - Three people were blessed as catechumens this morning (Feb. 4) after Divine Liturgy. From left to right, Mark (Marcarius) Johnson, Matthew (Matthew) Spoon and Kristen (Mackrina) Tocher.
Lenten Study - Fr. Jacob will be leading our annual Lenten study this year on the book
We Shall See Him As He Is, by Archimandrite Sophrony. Fr. Sophrony was a spiritual child of St. Silouan of Mt. Athos and the author of a book on his life,
Saint Silouan the Athonite. Born in Moscow to Orthodox parents in 1896, Fr. Sophony reposed in 1993 at the age of 97. The classes will are held every Tuesday evening in Great Lent at 7:30 PM. The book is $15 at our bookstore and can be ordered online from St. Herman Press as well.
Feast of Theophany Celebrated
- The parish gathers around Fr. Jacob during the Vigil for the Feast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ held Friday evening, January 5. Theophany of is one of the 12 Major Feasts of the Church, and is the most ancient of Feasts celebrated after Holy Pascha. It celebrates the Baptism of Christ by the Holy Forerunner and Baptist John in the Jordan and the revelation (
epiphany) of the Holy Trinity.
2007 Loaves & Fishes Christmas Program - Our Christmas Basket Program began Tuesday, Dec. 3, with a signup of 50 plus families. Some of the women came at Midnight for the 9AM signup and we had the 50 families by 5:30AM. There is great need - so far, we have 358 children in these families that need toys, as well as the baskets of food we give the families so they can have a wonderful Christmas. We need new toys, hams and turkeys if you so wish to give them, and any monetary donations as well. Thank you everyone for helping.
St. Phanourios Thanked - St. Phanourios, whose icon is in the background is known as the finder or illuminator when prayed to find lost items. Both M. Suzanne Diehl and Father Jacob had lost something that, after praying to St. Pahneurious, they found. When the item is found, one can make a 7 or 9 ingredient cake offered in gratitude for the finding…the two cakes are blessed today.
Toys for Christmas - Costa Panos delivers toys from the Holy Annunciation Cathedral for the Loaves and Fishes Christmas Program. Rebecca Showalter, in charge of sorting toys, helps with the unloading.
New Vestments - Our church receives a gift from St. Nectarious Monastery in Greece of a beautiful new set of vestiments that Fr. Jacob shows the church...they will be first worn on Nativity.
New Utility Pole - A new utility pole was installed at the corner where St. John's resides, to replace the former one that was tilting quite precariously.
2007 Loaves & Fishes Christmas Program - Our Christmas Basket Program began Tuesday, Dec. 3, with a signup of 50 plus families. Some of the women came at Midnight for the 9AM signup and we had the 50 families by 5:30AM. There is great need - so far, we have 358 children in these families that need toys, as well as the baskets of food we give the families so they can have a wonderful Christmas. We need new toys, hams and turkeys if you so wish to give them, and any monetary donations as well. Thank you everyone for helping.
Parish Youth Dances - Anna Lee Rose, the daughte of Katherine Payne, our bookstore manager, receives roses for her dancing in the Nutcracker Suite.
New Relic - St. John's obtained a new relic this past week, a piece of a cassock belonging to Elder Porphyrios.
The relic for us was sent from an Elderly lady in Australia whose son was a monk
on Mount Athos and sent it to her.
Thanksgiving Celebrated - At our school ascembly before Thanksgiving the students and teachers sing the Akathist of Thanksgiving. You can read the Akathist
here.
Family Visits - Natalia Kozak, a member of our parish, stands with her parents, who were visiting from out of town, with Fr. Jacob in front of the shrine of St. John.
Orthodox on Local Radio - Last Friday night, October 26, Paul Lakey and Eli Sanders visited WREKAGE radio in Atlanta to discuss
Death to the World magazine, published in honor of Fr. Seraphim Rose . They had an overwhelmingly positive response and we were even invited back!
Baby Baptism - Sera DuVall, new daughter of Wallace and Alyssa DuVall, was batpized after Liturgy Sunday morning, Oct. 21.
Below, the joyful parents stand with Fr. Jacob and the Godparents, Natalia Kozak and John Aldridge.
Glad Tidings Announced - Justin and Anna Winter, catechumens in our Parish, announced Sunday, September 30, that they are expecting a child. Congratulations to the happy couple!!
Marsha Shafer's Birthday - We celebrated Marshas' birthday... one of our long time, faithful
members. The Chocolate cake says
"Thanks for your prayers for all of
us..."
Glad Tidings Announced - Justin and Anna Winter, catechumens in our Parish, announced Sunday, September 30, that they are expecting a child. Congratulations to the happy couple!!
New Catechumen - Kai (Augustine) Hirano was made a catechumen today...his Godmother, Joan Kincaide supports him.
Article on Parish Member - Our own Dennis Dunn has this article about him in
Creative Loafing.
Pilgrimage to the Elder - Sr. Joanna in Greece (named for St. John) went to Elder Porphyrios' cell in Athens. Below Sr. Joanna venerates the bed of the Elder in his room. You may see more pictures of her pilgrimage
here.
Parish Members on Pilgrimage - Three of our parish members went to California to venerate the relics of St. John Maximovitch and Fr. Seraphim Rose. Below, Eli Sanders kneels before the relics of St. John in San Francisco and
prays for our church.
Venerating Fr. Seraphim - On the same trip, Eli venerates the tomb of Fr. Seraphim at Holy Monastery of St. Herman of Alaska in Platina, California.
Baby Naming - Cyra DuVall, newborn daughter of Wallace and Alyssa DuVall, receives her naming at the Icon of the Mother of God Sunday (Sept. 9) after Divine Liturgy. Welcome to the family, Cyra!
Member Moving - Christy Skirchack will be moving to Washington, DC. She receives a blessing before the shrine of St. John for her move.
Small (Russian Style) Loaves with Gifted Pan - The gifted pan makes great prosphora in the traditional Greek style, but Russian tradition uses five smaller loaves. You can still use the Gifted Pan to make these loaves using a steel ring insert. You can
click here to see the whole process!
New Choir Practice - Reader Mark King, our Chori Director, leads choir practice after Coffee Hour Sunday.
Parish Member Leaves for College - Father Jacob gives a blessing to Raphael Valez as he prepares to go off to College. Rapheal has grown up in our Church and has been a member of the Choir. He will be greatly missed.
House Blessing - Father Jacob conducts a house blessing for Eli and Natalie Sanders this past Sunday, August 19. A number of parishoners from St. John's attended.
Missing the Poor - Two of the Smith family, mother Lauri and Amanda, stand with a cake they brought to serve at the Loaves & Fishes food program with workers Larry and Yanna. The family has just returned from a mission trip to Africa. The Cake reads "We Missed You!"
Students at Work - Below parish president John Aldridge teaches history.
Seminarians Return - Below, Subdeacon Bill (Theophan) and Elena Buck are presented with a check from St. John's to help with his seminary education at St. Tikhon's Seminary. Bill is in his 4th Year. Below that, they share their progress at St. Tikhon's during coffee hour after Liturgy.
Southern Diocese in Miami - This past week our pastor was in Miami for the Diocese of the South's clergy conference. Below Dr. Carla Thomas, a member of St. John's and a founder of the OCA mission in Anniston, Alabama, shows Vladika Dmitri an ad in the Anniston paper for the mission. You can click
here for more pictures from the conference. You can click
here to listen to the keynote address by Fr. David Kovalah, of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, pastor of Holy Cross Church entitled
The Relativism of the Modern World.
Porphyrios & Child - The child Porphyrios is held by his mother in front of the Shrine of St. John and next to a photograph of Elder Porphyrios.
Catechist & Son - Catechist and Reader Gabriel Aldridge posts with his new son, Atticus Gabriel.
Celebrating St. John - Below, nuns in
Doridos-Greece from the Monastery of St. Nectarios carry icon of St. John as they celebrate his feast day.
Fiancee Introduced - Rick Hollingsworth introduces his fiance, Michelle, to our church. Proud Godfather, Tommy Bunch looks on.
New Step - When the city of Atlanta put in new bricks in front of our church, they left a two inch gap that people were tripping over. Stone Mason Ray Hall took the gap out and replaced it with angled cobble stones. He was going to return at a later date to finish the grouting of the stones, but the city, wishing to be helpful, sent one of its men to finish the grouting. Thanks to Ray and to the city of Atlanta!
Buying the Church - John Aldridge, parish board president, spoke with our church about finally buying our church building (which we have been renting up to now) and paying it off in 3-5 years with the dedicated and sacrificial help of the members of our Parish. The parish members voted unanimously to buy the church under the proposition that John has put forth.
Sidewalk Completed - The sidewalk in front of St. John's has been completed and the bricks all cleaned. It blends in nicely with the brick of our building.
Computer for Family - Pamela Holt a woman with 6 children has been begging us for a computer for her family for 6 months. A computer came today for the Khammo family whose house burned down but they already have 2 computers given them including a brand new one someone gave them, so Pamela came and got this one...here she is with the joy of it..Our thanx to the generous people who have given so much to the Khammos and now to the Holts.
Water Fountain - Handiman Shawn fixes the drinking fountain. With summer coming on and it getting hotter and hotter, the men and women we serve have needed a cool drink. However the water fountain has not been working for sometime until today.
Pentecost Vespers - Local Orthodox Parishes in Atlanta joined in Vespers for the evening of Pentecost at St. Mary of Egypt (OCA). Pictured below are the participating clergy in front the Iconostasis of St. Mary's. Aftwards the people gathered enjoyed fellowship and a picnic meal.
Chrismation - Matthew Spoon and Kristen (Macrina) Tocher were Chrismated today. They stand with Fr. Jacob and their sponsors, Innocent and Melany Neal. Welcome to the Orthodox Church and Many Years!
New Choir Director - Mark King, pictured below with his daughter Mary Evelyn, has agreed to serve as director of the choir at St. John's. Mark is an accomplished musician, having received a Masters in Choral Conducting from Emory University. He sang with Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in the early 1990s and was choir director at St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church for a number of years. Mark was also recently tonsured a Reader in the OCA. Welcome Mark!
New Catechumens - Sunday (April 29) after Divine Liturgy saw two new catechumens blessed, Anna and Justin Winter. Anna is for
Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Anna, the grandmother of our Lord, the mother of the Theotokos. Justin is after
Holy Martyr Justin.
Icon Presented to Newlyweds - Innocent and Melanie Neal return home from Honeymoon in Maine. They are presented with the icon of their two saints Innocent commissioned for their marriage . The icon has been in the church sanctuary since it arrived many months ago and now will be on their home shrine.
Parish Member wins IOCC
Run/Walk - St. John's own Catherine Showalter, age 16, was the overall woman winner at the IOCC Run/Walk this year. Here she receives her award.
Parish Girls Lead Procession - Mary Eveyln and Rebbecca stand with their candles ready to lead the procession around the Church at the beginning of Paschal Matins. It was cold, but the girls acquitted themselves well.
Paschal Feast - After our Paschal Divine Liturgy, the faithful gathered to feast and celebrate the resurrected Lord. Below are just a few of items prepared for the feast under the icon banner of the Most Holy Theotokos. Click
here to see our Paschal slideshow.
The Epitaphion - Father Jacob and Father Deacon Seraphim cense the Epitaphion during the Vespers on Holy Thursday. The Epitaphion is an embroidered cloth icon depicting our Lord after He has been removed from the cross, lying supine, as His body is being prepared for burial. It is placed in a funeral Bier in remembrance of Christ's three days in the tomb.
Decorating the Bier - Some of the girls of our Parish stand with the Lord's funeral bier in the knave after decorating this morning (Holy Friday). Click
here to see more pictures of the bier.
Palms Blessed - Father Jacob blesses the Palm branches during Matins Sunday morning, Palm Sunday, as one of the girls of the parish holds them. She got quite a blessing with the Holy Water as well!
Lenten Study - Fr. Jacob concluded the Lenten class Tuesday, March 27. This class covered
We Shall See Him As He is and recapped the themes we covered. You can listen to the class
here. You can listen to the earlier classes
here.
Parish Member Joining Army - Joseph Roden, who was born and grew up in our parish, is heading for the army. Fr. Jacob calls him forward for a blessing and prayers from all parish members.
Loaves & Fishes Expands Ministry - The Loaves and Fishes Program, an outreach of the Orthodox Churches of Atlanta, expands its service and care for the poor and homeless in the area. Pictured below, RNs Wandalene Arnold, and Cheri Zimmerman provide screening care to Elliott, checking his blood pressure, sugar, and health history. Depending on individual health care needs, they refer the man or woman to the appropriate medical, dental, or social services.
Lenten Study - Fr. Jacob began annual Lenten study Tuesday evening, Feb. 27. The first class covered the Fear of God and you can listen to the class
here. We are studying
We Shall See Him As He Is, by Archimandrite Sophrony. Fr. Sophrony was a spiritual child of St. Silouan of Mt. Athos and the author of a book on his life,
Saint Silouan the Athonite. The class meets Tuesday evenings throughout Lent at 7:30 PM. The book is $15 at our bookstore and can be ordered online from St. Herman Press as well.
Engagement Announced - Father Jacob's daughter, Brigitta Myers and Brandon Hardee announce their engagement Sunday, March 4, 2007, after Divine Liturgy. No date has been set for the wedding yet.
Lenten Study - Fr. Jacob began annual Lenten study Tuesday evening, Feb. 27. You may listen to the class
here. We are studying
We Shall See Him As He Is, by Archimandrite Sophrony. Fr. Sophrony was a spiritual child of St. Silouan of Mt. Athos and the author of a book on his life,
Saint Silouan the Athonite. The class meets Tuesday evenings throughout Lent at 7:30 PM. The book is $15 at our bookstore and can be ordered online from St. Herman Press as well.
Archbishop Dmitri at St. John's - His Eminence, Archbishop Dmitri of Dallas and the South celebrated the Divine Liturgy at St. John's on Saturday, Feb. 24. The Visit from was beautiful. Three new readers were tonsured, Mathew Nazrallah, Joseph Vance, and Mark King. In addition, three Sub-Deacons were ordained, Dr. Chesley Richard, Dr. Truitt Bridges, and Mark Wedge. Axios and many years to them all! You may see more pictures of our Archbishop's visit
here.
New Catechumens - Wallace and Alyssa DuVall were made catechumens Sunday, Feb. 25. They were both born on the same day in the same year and they took saints' names from the same day as well, St. Seraphim of Sarov and St. Juliana of Lazarevo. You can read St. Juiliana's life
here.
Loaves & Fishes Program Recognized - Thursday, Feb. 15, St. Joseph's Mercy Center held a luncheon banquet for 12 faith based programs that help the poor of Atlanta. Below, Father Jacob receives a plaque honoring all the Orthodox Churches of the city of Atlanta who support the Loaves & Fishes Food Program for their work with the poor and homeless. You can click
here for more pictures of this event.
Valentines for Loaves & Fishes - Some young girls at St. John's made Valentine's Day cards and sold them to raise money for the Loaves & Fishes program. Here they present Fr. Jacob with the money and a Valentine's Day card.
Member of St. John's at Greek Monastery - Marina Lioumi vists the Monastery of St. Nectarios during a visit to Greece. Below left she sits with the nuns at meal. At right, she stands with Sister Johanna, who is named for St. John. We at St. John's feel a special kinship with the nuns at St. Nectarios due to their deep veneration of St. John (Maxomovitch).
New Gate at Church - A.I.M, Inc. Welding company puts in a new gate on the side of St. John church. Jay and Dana shown in the picture practically donated the iron work to our church for our safety and protection.
New Banner for the Parish - A New Banner of St. John is hung in the front of the Church. Greg Pappas, of Graphics Central, Inc., a faithful Orthodox Christian, took one look at our old banner of St. John, and made this one from a print of our main icon of St. John in the Church. Shaw and Calvin are here hanging the icon. You can see pictures hanging the banner
here.
