The Messenger September 2020 _______________________________________________________________________
St. Thomas Orthodox Church 1100 Jones St. - PO Box 1042 – Sioux City, Iowa 51102 (712) 258-7166 – info@stthomassiouxcity.org www.stthomassiouxcity.org
Scan this code with your smartphone to access your own personalized church Web page!
________________________________________________________________________________
Our Mission St. Thomas Orthodox Church is a community of Christians who proclaim the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as handed down by the Apostles. We are committed to bringing the Light of Christ to all of Siouxland in thought, word, and deed. At St. Thomas Orthodox Church, you will find Holy Orthodoxy—ancient and alive. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Weekly Schedule Orthros and Divine Liturgy Sundays at 9:00 a.m. Vespers Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. Great Vespers Saturdays at 6:00 p.m. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Birthdays September 8 15 16 17 29
Manvi Virippil Vicki Carlson Nicole Stevens Carol Corey Alivia Conrad 2
Funding the Archdiocese In our August parish council meeting, we discussed how we at St. Thomas, as of July 14th, owe the Archdiocese $26,088.53. Of that, $4,813.14 is for the remainder of this year’s assessment while the remainder, $21,275.39, is for previous years’ unpaid assessments and mandatory offering trays. We incurred the majority of this debt between December, 2017, and January, 2020, during which time we made no payments to the Archdiocese towards our assessments. Since February of this year, we have been making regular payments of $802.16 per month towards our 2020 assessment and we will continue to do so from this point forward. There is a possibility that we may be able to use a bequest to St. Thomas to pay off the remaining debt but those negotiations are still ongoing. The question arose as to why we owe the Archdiocese in the first place. Approximately 62% of the Archdiocesan budget comes from assessments charged to all the parishes each year. Just as we as Orthodox Christians are expected to tithe, i.e., to give ten percent (10%) of our pre-tax income, to our local parish each year, so too each parish is expected to tithe to the Archdiocese. Each year, we are assessed an amount equal to 10% of our previous year’s unrestricted (operating) income; based on our 2019 operating income, our 2020 assessment is $9,626.10. Some restricted income is exempt from being assessed; for example, on the advice of the Archdiocese, the proceeds from the sale of the rectory were placed in a separate “new construction” account that, while restricting on what we can spend them, also protects them from counting towards our 2021 assessment. The money from the assessments goes to pay the salaries, benefits, and expenses of our bishops and Archdiocesan staff as well as to support various programs and departments of the Archdiocese. Traditionally, our Archdiocese has been fairly frugal; while the Greek Archdiocese maintains a headquarters building in Manhattan, our Archdiocesan chancery in suburban Englewood, New Jersey, serves as both the Metropolitan’s residence and our archdiocesan main office. If you have a box of pledge envelopes, you’ll notice that several of them are yellow; these indicate special offerings, some of which go directly to the Archdiocese. Of those, because we have between 50 and 199 parishioners on the rolls, we are required to send in a minimum of $250 each ($750 total) for three offerings during the year: 1. Sunday of Orthodoxy—to directly support the scholarships for seminarians, 2. Palm Sunday—to support our Mother Church, the Patriarchate of Antioch 3. October—to support the three seminaries that prepare our future clergy: Holy Cross in Brookline, MA, St. Tikhon’s in South Canaan Township, PA, and St. Vladimir’s in Yonkers, NY If we collect more that $250 for each tray, we forward the entire amount to the Archdiocese; if we collect less, we are still required to send $250 for each tray. The other 38% of the Archdiocesan budget comes from the Order of St. Ignatius. If you would like more information about the Order, our Order Ambassador, Pete Steggerda, would love to speak with you about it. Fr. Peter
St. Thomas on the Internet Until now, the main presence of the parish on the Internet has been our Web site at https://stthomassiouxcity.org but, over the next few weeks, you’ll see some major changes happening there as we overhaul the site. While it’s being renovated, you can still stay updated by visiting our various social media pages: Facebook page: Siouxland Orthodox Group: Instagram: SoundCloud: Twitter: YouTube:
https://www.facebook.com/St.ThomasOrthodoxChurchSC/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/689850188457371/ https://www.instagram.com/sathorch/ https://soundcloud.com/sathorch https://twitter.com/sathorch https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIkvjWIH3zMELHkelZ36kRA
Your personalized parish Web site can be found at https://stthomassiouxcity.churchtrac.com/
Let Us Attend! The following are the current guidelines under which we have permission from Bp. BASIL to gather for in-person worship: •
No more than ⅓ capacity at any service: for us, this is 75 individuals.
•
Social distancing (6 feet) must be maintained between family units (defined as anyone living in your household).
•
Social distancing must be maintained when entering and exiting the building and when lining up to receive Communion.
•
Please be sure to wear your mask when entering and leaving the church, entering and leaving your pew, and approaching and returning from receiving Communion. Hand sanitizer is available in the narthex.
•
If you’re ill, do not attend. If you are in a high-risk group, please consider carefully whether you should attend.
We want everyone who can to attend services but we also do not want anyone to feel pressured to return before they’re comfortable doing so. Thank you for your cooperation!
4
SOYO We finished our summer Bible Study, which focused on having a Christian worldview. The last couple of weeks have focused on how God made us for a purpose, right here and right now. Our goal is to live our lives so that people see God living and working through us. On August 18, SOYO Anti-Stress Bags were delivered to members. These bags included some treats, a stress ball, some love and encouragement from Church members, and some tips and tricks to handle stress and anxiety as the new school year approaches. There’s talk of a bonfire at Fr. Luke’s new house, time and date TBA.
In Memoriam Remembering those who reposed during the month of September Elias Solomon, George Nimmer, Nicholas Correy, Mary David, Shaheen Jacobs, Jack Jacobs, George K. Miller Sr, Delia Ferris, Samuel Nimmer, Mary George, Charles M. Saide, Thomas Duane Corey Jr, Mary Abdouch, Mary K. Abdouch, Dr. Donald Kivlighn, Mary A. Haddad Kruse, Mary Sellers, Roxelle Kay Gioccone, Geroga George Dorashkevich, Fr. John Barrett, Murrish J. Yanney, John Stanley Bekish, Joseph Kott, Lorene M. David, Florence Counter
__________________________________________________________________________________
Sunday School We will be contacting families in the next couple of weeks with finalized plans for this semester of Sunday School.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Ladies Club We have not been able to have a formal meeting, but we are getting closer. We pray God put His healing arm over this country. God bless us and keep us all safe. Keep reading your Bible and helping one another.
6
The Order of St. Ignatius Supports College Conference SOYO Leadership Training Camping Scholarship Program
Understanding what your gifts fund through The Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch is important but the better question is why we do it. Be a part of the why.
What
Why
Clergy Retired Clergy Housing Allowance Married Seminarian Assistance Clergy Symposium & Convention Assistance
$315,155 $270,000 $4,500 $40,655
Archdiocese Youth Summer Camp Scholarships Youth Ministry SOYO Special Olympics SOYO Leadership & Youth Worker Training Christian Education College Conference
$391,970 $190,000 $120,000 $8,000 $18,974 $39,996 $15,000
Archdiocese Development & Growth Missions & Evangelism
$254,988 $129,996
Parish Development / Mission Grants Internet Ministry
$24,996 $99,996
Other Grants Balamand Theological Academy
$85,000 $10,000
Syrian Relief
$55,000
So our children can pray, sing, laugh and even cry with one another as they grow stronger in their Orthodox Faith and closer to our Lord … together. - Summer Camp Scholarships
To help build the foundation and provide the essential tools of knowledge, relationships and memories that help our children remain steadfast in their Orthodox faith. - SOYO Leadership & Youth Worker Training & Youth Ministry
To make sure orphaned children feel loved and safe, and promise them that everything is going to be alright and that they are not alone. - Project Mexico
To provide guidance, reassurance and compassion, to unwed mothers who choose life rather than abortion. - Treehouse Ministries
To help give comfort and financial assurance to our retired clergy and their families. But even more, express our gratitude to our spiritual leader and friend who’s been with us during all of our times of joy and sorrow. Retired Clergy Housing Allowance
To help plant the seeds of Orthodoxy throughout North America revealing the “True Faith” and ensuring the Church’s growth for generations - Department of Missions & Evangelism
Figures represent part of the actual expenses for Fiscal Year 2018
The Order Of St. Ignatius Of Antioch
P.O. Box 5238 Englewood, NJ
07631-5238
Email: theorder@antiochian.org
Meditation Let Your Light Shine Get Out of the Way! My daughter in the back seat was yelling at the cars that blocked us as we drove to her dance class. Apparently, she had seen someone else react in the same situation, though I won’t say whom she was imitating. Her frustration is familiar to all of us. We often feel that our agendas are more important than those of anyone else. On the other hand, why am I not as frustrated when I am in my own way? Sometimes my choices and my attitudes prevent me from moving forward in my own life. What do I do then? In our Gospel reading today (Matthew 5:14-19), notice that Jesus doesn’t say make your light shine. Instead, He commands us to let our light shine. Letting my light shine indicates that the light is already present and burning, and all I have to do is get out of the way so that it can be seen. Just put the light where it belongs, says our Lord. Set it on a lampstand so that it can be seen. The light was meant not only to show me how to walk, but to shine so brightly that those around me will see how they should walk as well. How do I let my light shine? It’s instructive that the Lord follows this command by teaching about the commandments. Today: Are you hiding your light? Perhaps it’s time to get out of your own way and follow God’s leading. By embracing His wisdom, your light will be free to shine. Embarking on the wise rhythm of the life of faith preserved in the Orthodox Church, your light can be so polished that it will bestow light on the lives of all those around you. Fr. Barnabas Powell __________________________________________________________________________
Philippians 4: 6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8