Christ is Risen!  Indeed He is Risen!  
Christos Anesti! Aleithos Anesti!
 Al-Masih-Qam! Hakkan Qam!
 Christos Voskrese! Voistinu Voskrese!
 Krishti u ngjall! Vërtet u ngjall!

On January 25, Theodora Polamalu spoke to a sold-out dinner sponsored by Focus North America, to raise awareness and funds for the mission to Restore Living Icons. Bishop Thomas attended the event, held at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church, Pittsburgh, Pa., and is pictured with Theodora and her husband, Troy, strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Photo by Jacob Lee.

On Sunday, January 16, the St. Vladimir's Seminary Men's Choir visited St. John's and sang at the morning Divine Liturgy. In the afternoon, more than a hundred people attended a special concert as part of an Open House at the parish.

The choir, directed by Hierodeacon Philip Majkrzak, presented a variety of Orthodox Christian liturgical music from both the Byzantine and Russian musical traditions. The music, performed in the English language, featured some arrangements by American Orthodox composers.

St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary is a graduate theological school in Yonkers, NY.

On Sunday, December 5, the day before his feast day, St. Nicholas made his annual visit to St. John's. Children of the parish brought toys for St. Nicholas to give to needy children, and told him one thing they did this year to help someone in need.

St. Nicholas commented that in all his travels, he visits lots of churches, and this one is marked by joy. He also noted that every year he comes, there are more children. He encouraged the members of the parish to remember, during this gift-giving season, the gift of Jesus, for our salvation.

This year, the gifts were donated to Toys for Tots of York County and distributed to needy children in York County. 

Hymn to St. Nicholas

All who love, Nicholas the Saintly,
All who serve, Nicholas the Saintly,
  Him will Nicholas receive,
  and grant help in time of need.
  Holy Father Nicholas.

He who dwells in God's holy mansions
Is our help on the land and oceans.
  He will guard us from all ills,
  Keep us pure and free from sins,
  Holy Father Nicholas.

Holy Saint, listen to our prayers.
Let not life lead us to despair;
  All our efforts aren't in vain,
  Singing praises to your name;
  Holy Father Nicholas.

adapted from http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=247

His Grace Bishop Thomas will be the honored guest at the 18th Anniversary Celebration of St. John Chrysostom Antiochian Orthodox Church, November 12 to 14, 2010. 

Each year, the parish commemorates St. John Chrysostom on the weekend nearest his Feast Day, which is November 13.

The photo shows the children of the parish singing a troparion for Bishop Thomas during his visit last year.

This year, the weekend's activities include:

Friday:

• Parish Council Dinner

Saturday

• 8 a.m. Orthros
• 9 a.m. Divine Liturgy
• 10:30 a.m. Children's Breakfast with Bishop Thomas
• 4 p.m. Teens Ask Sayedna Session
• 5 p.m. Vespers
• 6 p.m. Grand Banquet at Heritage Hills Golf Resort - Terrace Room (reservations required by November 6)

Sunday

• 8:50 a.m. Orthros
• 10 a.m. Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, His Grace Bishop Thomas presiding
• Parish Reception

Please mark your calendars now and plan to participate!

The parish warmly welcomed His Grace Bishop Thomas on the occasion of our annual patronal feast day celebration. Sayidna Thomas began the weekend festivities by attending a dinner with the parish council members and their spouses on Friday evening.

On Saturday morning, His Grace presided at the Divine Liturgy concelebrated by the Very Reverend Fr. Peter Pier, pastor of St. John Chrysostom and Reverend Stephen Vernak of Christ the Savior OCA Church in Harrisburg. Following Divine Liturgy, Sayidna enjoyed breakfast and interaction with the children in the parish hall. In the afternoon, the Teen SOYO met with Bishop Thomas for a session of “Ask Sayidna.” Great Vespers was then concelebrated by Fr. Peter and Fr. Nicholas Alford, of St. Gregory the Great Church in Washington D.C., with Bishop Thomas presiding. Following Great Vespers, a gala banquet was held at nearby Heritage Hills Resort.

On Sunday, November, 14th, Orthros and a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy were celebrated which included the ordination of Subdeacon Raphael Garcia, of St. Gregory the Great, to the Holy Diaconate. After Divine Liturgy, the women of the parish provided a lovely reception for Bishop Thomas and our visitors. We gratefully thank Sayidna Thomas for his loving care and look forward to his return visit next November.

On Sunday, November 7, 2010, 2 p.m., St. John's will hold an open house and present an adult education opportunity, with the theme 
The House of God--Orthodox Church Architecture.
A discussion will follow and refreshments will be served. There is no charge for admission. Call 717-751-4709 or e-mail for more information.

In the Antiochian Archdiocese, October is Youth Month, a time to introduce teens to the many opportunities to minister in the Church. This month, the teens of St. John's are ushering, collecting the offering, chanting the Epistle, and reading the post-Communion prayers during Divine Liturgy. "While we want teens always to be active in the services of the Church, October has been set aside in particular to  recognize our teens and to give them more opportunities to serve," states the Archdiocese website, www.antiochian.org.

Teen SOYO (Society of Orthodox Youth Organizations) leader Lisa Pandelidis says about the teens at St. John's, "I have noticed that the more you expect from and the more responsibility you give teens, the more interested and more motivated they become." She recommends regular meetings, in a convenient location at the right time, as an important key to the health of a Teen SOYO group. "My biggest concern when taking over as SOYO advisor was connecting with the teens since my own kids are slightly older.  I now realize if you just show them you are in it for the long haul and give them time, each teen will connect with you in their own way." 

Quotes from some of our teens:

• "What I appreciate most about our church family is their openness to other people and how we’re like a family. I think it’s really sweet how our church family makes sure to bring bread to newcomers during communion so that they can share with us too. I feel really close to my church family, and I really love that!" - Katia, grade 9
  
  
• "The best thing about church is the fellowship and community of the congregation of our church. I like coming to Divine Liturgy because I feel that I learn something new every time and that my faith is renewed every time. When I think about church, I think of the choir and the songs that we sing. Every one tells a story, and I feel like they make the church service that much more personal because they're kind of like little Gospel readings or sermons all to themselves if you listen to them. My favorite service is the Easter service because everything seems so full of light and happiness. Although it's midnight and everyone is hungry and tired from fasting for so long, everyone seems so happy, and you just get swept along in the general feeling. Everything, from the candles lit to the hymns sung, carries so much personal sentiment, and just about everyone in the whole church is singing along. What I appreciate most about our church family is how open they are. It doesn't matter if you've been attending for ten years or just visiting, they'll make sure to make you feel welcome and are just waiting to strike up a conversation at coffee hour." - Christina, grade 10
• "The best thing about church is serving in the altar" - Joe, grade 8
• "I like coming to Divine Liturgy because it gives me a chance to pray and worship without all of the worldly distractions. When I think about church, I think of how much God loves all of us and how we all come together to partake of the body and blood of Christ, which is the best thing about church." - Irene, grade 9
• "The best thing about church is praising God and letting Him know that we love HIm. He is the creator of all of us and we should praise Him." - Natalie, grade 6

This year's Sunday Church School begins on Sunday, September 12. Parents of any new student age 3-18 should register with Aly Tapp, by e-mailing or calling 717-814-8277. We look forward to another wonderful year with dedicated teachers and energetic students! Parents, please make every effort to bring children to Divine Liturgy and to stay for Sunday School. It is an investment in our children's most important pursuit, the development of a strong Christian Faith!

Vacation Church School was held the second week of August this year at St. John's. We used the program called "Living in an Orthodox World." Each evening, approximately 15 children showed up to enjoy a puppet show, lesson about our Holy Church, craft, songs, and outdoor game time.

The children loved an activity that simulated how sin changes us. We began with a glass of pure water. We added "sins" to the glass -- things like sloth, anger, jealousy, greed. These ingredients clumped up, sunk down, and generally made that pure water turn into a horrible mess! It was a wonderful way to visualize what sin can do to us. The children asked wonderful questions and had a great time, too.

I think the best thing about VCS is that it gives our kids a chance to bond with each other and deepen their
sense of community -- the community that helps us all grow in Christ!

By Aly Tapp, Director of Christian Education

At the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese yearly regional Parish Life Conferences, young people and their families take part in creative spiritual activities, beginning with worship, and including art, speeches, and a Bible Bowl, among many other things. There are teen and adult Bible Bowl teams.

Our Parish studies the book(s) of the Bible for a few months beforehand so that we may do our best. We gather in the dining of Fr. Peter and Khouria Pam’s house for our evening sessions, reading the chapters and answering potential questions. There are snacks and beverages and we squeeze a little lighthearted banter into the brainwork. This year's Bible Bowl was based on the epistles of St. James, St. John, and St. Peter.

There was some added suspense in this year's Bible Bowl, held in Allentown, Pa., on July 2. For the first time, both the youth and adult team competitions ended in a tie!  So the competitions went into overtime.  On the first question of overtime, our St. John Chrysostom adult team won! All three of our adults got the question right, while only two of the three contestants on the team we were tied with got it. But the two teen teams were both perfect on the question. And on the second and third as well! Quadruple overtime! But on the fourth, one of our three girls--none of which was an older teen--chose the wrong word on a fill-in-the-blank and the team came in second.

The truth is, our girls got a better score in regulation than all the adults, and every other team but one, by the slimmest of margins. They studied very hard, and did excellently and we are proud of them. Next year the Bible Bowl will be on the Gospel of St. Matthew, and they’re already reading it. They’ve got experience under their belt and their rarin’ to go! 

Contact Khouria Pam if you are interested in participating in the adult or teen team for a future Bible Bowl.

By Reader Ephrem Gall, alternate on this year's adult Bible Bowl team.