FEBRUARY 2013

St. George Orthodox Christian Church 5311 Mercer Street Houston, TX 77005 (713) 665-5252

W e c a n n o longer say that the 2013 Convention is next year! T h e A r c h d i o c e s e Convention is upon us and St George Houston i s h o n o r e d a n d delighted to be the host that will welcome over 2500 people f rom across the continent and even the globe to our fabulous community and city of Houston.

Events will include daily liturgical services, activities for children and teens, special events for young adults and family focused programs to educate and delight all ages. GOD willing we, will be blessed to have in our midst our beloved hierarchs and the clergy from across the Archdiocese.

It will truly be St. George Houston’s moment to shine and showcase the hospitality and love this church was built upon. But as you know, this involves much commitment, labor and teamwork. It’s no doubt that we have all these components, but we must now come together to serve and welcome people to our home.

While we want all our parishioners to be b l e s s e d b y t h e convention, we must realize that our duty as

host parish is first and foremost to welcome our brothers and sisters from across the land and make sure their convention is the best ever. Sometimes this will require us to “give up” or sacrifice a bit of our own enjoyments. But then

again, that’s what it means to be host -

If you have not already joined a committee to serve for the Convention, NOW is the time. CALL THE CHURCH OFFICE AND GET SIGNED UP! Yes, there is work to be done, but when a family takes on a task as big as this, the comraderie of working together brings us closer together and strengthens our bonds because ultimately the purpose and goal is CHRIST!

Because there are so many different activities, roles and responsibilities - EVERYONE in our parish family is neeed! From decorating

tables, assembling and t a k i n g d o w n t h e iconostasis, from child care to chaperoning, YOU have something to offer. And in offering you will be receiving from knowing that YOU are a vital part of the BEST c o n v e n t i o n t h i s Archiocese has ever seen.

to find joy in others’ joy!

“Memory Eternal”FUNERALS

“Crown them with glory and honor... ”WEDDINGS

January 26Joseph Balat & Joyce Nazzal

One mission of the Pastoral Care Ministry is to go with the priestd to serve communion and visit with those who are unable to attend the Divine Liturgy at the Church. Najla Salameh (pictured above) is one of the dear parishioners we are blessed to visit each month. Please contact Church Office if interested in joining in this ministry.

Tamer Ali10/19/1995 - 01/11/2013

Anthony Faour11/14/1931 - 01/11/2013

No Boundaries to the Kingdom of God:

Preaching the Gospel in the Depths of Hell

Chaplain Patrick Tutella Fr. Stephen Powley

Dinner Presentations by

Directors of Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral

3511 Yoakum Blvd.

6:30-8:00pm Tuesday, February 19

St. George Orthodox Church

5311 Mercer

7:30-9:00pm Wednesday, February 20

and also at

(6:30 Vespers)

Contact Daniel Namee832-563-1947dnamee@dg-eng.com

The Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee is the first Sunday of the Triodion, a three-week period prior to Great Lent. It marks the beginning of a time of preparation for the spiritual journey of Lent, a time for Orthodox Christians to draw closer to God through worship, prayer, fasting, and acts of charity. The name for this Sunday is taken from the parable of our Lord Jesus Christ found in Luke 18:10-14. This is the story of two men, one a Pharisee, a member of a Jewish sect known for its diligent observance of the Law. The other was a Publican, a government official charged with the responsibility of collecting taxes, despised because of his dishonesty and that he was “working for the enemy”, the Roman empire.

Both men enter the temple, and the Pharisee stands openly and prays, thanking God that he is not like other men, specifically extortioners, the unjust, adulterers, “or even this tax collector”. He then begins to list his religious accomplishments by stating, “I fast twice a week, and I give tithes of all that I possess.” In direct contrast to the pride of the Pharisee, the Publican goes to a place where he will not be noticed by others and beats his breast saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” Having told this story, Jesus affirms that it was the Publican who returned home justified and forgiven rather than the Pharisee. He states, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The theme of this parable is repentance. Repentance is the door through which we enter Lent. To repent signifies far more than self-pity or futile regret over things done in the past. The Greek term metanoia means “change of mind.” To repent is to be renewed, to be transformed in our inward viewpoint, to attain a fresh way of looking at our relationship with God and with others. The fault of the Pharisee is that he has no desire to change his outlook. He is complacent, self-satisfied, and so he allows no place for God to act within him. The Gospel depicts him as a man that is pleased only with himself who thinks that he has complied with all of the requirements of religion. But in his pride, he has falsified the meaning of true religion and faith and reduced these to external observations.

The Publican, on the other hand, truly longs for a “change of mind.” He humbles himself, and his humility justifies him before God. He becomes, in the words of the Sermon on the Mount, “poor in spirit.” He acknowledges that he is a sinner, and he knows that salvation is only found in the mercy of God. A “change of mind” and the transformation of our lives can only happen when we humble ourselves before God, acknowledge our willingness to turn from sin, and receive His grace into our lives.

Our preparation for Lent thus begins with a prayer for humility, the beginning of true repentance. Through repentance, we can find and return to the true order of things, a restoration of our spiritual vision that will guide us in a very difficult and challenging world.

Ministry towards college students and young adults is necessary in a parish community. These young people are faced with many challenges as they navigate the course of their lives, while studying, working, and building/increasing relationships. It is important to offer “tools,” basically an environment for spiritual growth and learning. One such tool is an Orthodox Young Adult Book Club. In its 3 rd series, we meet once a week for approx. 6-8 weeks to discuss and read through an Orthodox Christian work.

Currently, we are reading Archimandrite Irenei’s work entitled He resides in San Francisco as a parish priest and Director of

Ss Cyril & Athanasius Institute for Orthodox Studies. Fr. Irenei is the creator of www.monachos.net, an online compendium of Orthodox patristic theology. The author’s aim in writing this book is to compose a sustained reflection on the

Church’s teaching about prayer through the testimony of her Fathers, that might be of some small value to all those seeking to live the Christian life. He admits the paradoxical endeavor, writing about prayer, but offers a metaphor given by a spiritual elder, “we must all make a beginning, and though crutches may eventually be cast away, for a time they are necessary to help us stand.” Fr. Irenei says, “at best, the reflections to follow are just that: crutches for beginners, offered solely in the hope that perhaps, somewhere among them, might be found a word here or there that offers some support to those beginning to pray.”

We’ve just started our latest reading with over 20 Orthodox young adult participants gathering weekly on Wednesday evenings at 7:00p (daily Vespers at 6:30p) to discuss our assigned readings. If you would like to join us, please do so. The book is available in our St George Bookstore. If you have any questions, please contact Paul Fuller for more information.

The Beginnings of a Life of Prayer.

His Grace Bishop THOMAS spends some time with the Young Adult Book Club during his visit to Houston.

Enriching Book Club for Young Adults

C S Songratulations am aman The Houston Marathon and Half Marathon was held on

January 13, 2013. Both races had about 13,000 participants each and almost half a million spectators came out to cheer the runners on. The half-marathon is special to St. George this year because our very own 7 year-old Sam Saman, son of Omar and Jacqueline Saman, participated in the race as the youngest runner in the event.

His father Omar took him running once. After running two miles with Sam, he decided to sign him up for the half-marathon. They run together every Thursday to practice. “This is something special that me and my dad do,” said Sam. “It’s not that hard. It’s more fun than anything.” T

“I'm going to be very happy when I cross the finish line with my dad”, said Sam. Not only did Sam cross the finish line, he placed 3rd in his division, with a time of 2 hours, 14 minutes! We congratulate Sam and his family and pray GOD continues to bless them.

he half-marathon course is 13.1 miles, which is exactly half of the marathon course of 26.2 miles.