The Messenger December 2020 _______________________________________________________________________
St. Thomas Orthodox Church 1100 Jones St. - PO Box 1042 – Sioux City, Iowa 51102 (712) 258-7166 – info@stthomassiouxcity.org www.stthomassiouxcity.org
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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 December 8 Jill Kirwan 9 Michael Haefner 11 Daniel Kirwan 21 Maksim Philip Stevens 21 Megan Schooley 25 Theresa Muhe 2
Overcoming by Hope and Humility A true Christian is made by faith and love toward Christ. Our sins do not in the least hinder our Christianity according to the word of the Savior Himself. He deigned to say: Not the righteous have I come to call, but sinners to salvation; there is more joy in heaven over one who repents than over ninety righteous ones. Likewise, concerning the sinful woman who touched His feet, He deigned to say to the Pharisee, Simon: To one who has love, a great debt is forgiven, but from one who has no love, even a small debt wll be demanded. From these judgments, a Christian should bring himself to hope and joy, and not in the least accept an inflicted despair. Here, one needs the shield of faith. Sin, to one who loves God, is nothing other than an arrow from the enemy in battle. The true Christian is a warrior fighting his way through the regiments of the unseen enemy to his heavenly homeland. According to the word of the Apostle, our homeland is in heaven; and about the warrior, he says: our warfare is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spirits of wickedness under heaven (Ephesians 6:12). The vain desires of this world separate us from our homeland; love of them and habit clothe our soul as in a hideous garment. This is called by the apostles, “the outward man.” We, traveling on the journey of this life and calling on God to help us, ought to be divesting ourselves of this hideous garment and clothing ourselves in new desires, in a new love of the age to come, and thereby to receive knowledge of how near or how far we are from our heavenly homeland. But it is not possible to do this quickly; rather, one must follow the example of sick people who, wishing the desired health, do not leave off seeking means to cure themselves. St. Herman of Alaska (☦1894) Little Russian Philokalia
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Order of St. Ignatius Today we are celebrating The Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch and all the good that is done in the Archdiocese; 25% of the total budget comes from the members of this marvelous ministry. Contact Pete Steggerda, 712 737-7092 for information.
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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.
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Social distancing (6 feet) must be maintained between family units (defined as anyone living in your household).
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Social distancing must be maintained when entering and exiting the building and when lining up to receive Communion.
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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.
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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!
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In Memoriam Remembering those who reposed during the month of December Josephine Nimmer, George Ferris, Abe Ellis, Richard Headid, Martha Nimmer Gebran Abou Gebran, Samuel Ness, Jennie S. Ellis, Joseph E. Hanna, Emil Samore, Harold E. Saltzman, Mike Skaff, Faith L. Kay, John E. Hanna Jr., Max Bekish, E. Wlliam Pape, Nick G. Margeas, Peter Langlois, Mose Yanney, Verdean G. Corey, Genevieve G. Johnson, Margaret J. Kott, Alexander Kott, Victor Voloshen. _________________________________________________________________________________
Ladies Club We have not been able to have a formal meeting, but we are getting closer. We hope to have one yet this year, but Covid keeps rising. You can go to the Antiochian Women of North America website to see what is going on in other areas and when they will be having talks or discussions. It is the Nativity fast as we remember the birth of Jesus. The wonder of His birth, wisemen, angels, shepherds, no room at the Inn, and the star that lead the wisemen to bring Him gifts. We pray God puts a healing arm over this country. God bless and keep us all safe. Keep reading your Bible and helping one another. We all need to pray for one another during this time. _________________________________________________________________________________
Teen SOYO and Sunday School In Sunday School, we have finished the first series of The Relationship Project. We will be starting the second part of the series after holidays. Like everything else this year, our Christmas program will look a little different. Keep an eye on our Facebook and YouTube pages for a little treat towards Christmas time. I am going to make a Nativity packet for the elementary age kids. Please let me know if your family wants one, and I will make sure to get it to you. As we head into the holiday season, please take a moment to pray for our youth. This year has been hard on everyone, but I feel like the youth have been hit hard and somewhat left behind. In March, they left school on Friday, planning to see friends and teachers again on Monday, and everything went crazy. They have had to adapt to so many things, miss out on so many things, and still keep a smile on their faces. Keep our youth and their families in your prayers. Send a text or card to check in, give a wave and a smile if you see them in church, and spread a little hope and a lot of love. Even though this season will not be the same as years before, we can all help to make it a little more merry and bright. Erica Ameen
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Meditation The Enemy of My Enemy ...Is my friend This idea is embraced in politics and warfare to justify the strange bedfellows that certain alliances have created in the pursuit of political and military goals. But is there any spiritual benefit to this attitude and political tool? In our gospel reading today (Luke 9:49-56), the Lord’s disciples came to Jesus to report their good work. They were seeking His approval for their actions. They had encountered a man casting out demons in the name of Jesus and told him to stop doing that, since he wasn’t part of their company. “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.” But Jesus said to them, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side” (Luke 9:49,50). The Lord turns this concept on its head to teach the disciples a valuable lesson. He wants the disciples to abandon in-group favoritism and adopt a wider perspective. The grace of God is given to all who sincerely seek to know Him. Today, we will need to overcome the temptation to stay in our spiritual cliques. Jesus reminds His disciples that our God is loving, giving, and humble, gracious to anyone who seeks to embrace Him. We should imitate His example. This, by the way, isn’t equivalent to universalism, the philosophy that all faiths are the same. Jesus is present in His world through His Church. In His Church, grace is given to love people regardless of whether they are in or out of the faith. Today: Instead of maneuvering people in your life to create maximum benefit for yourself, ask the Lord to help you bring His presence into every situation in your life. Let’s transform by grace our relationships, acquaintances, and surroundings into humble opportunities for the presence of Jesus in His Church. Fr. Barnabas Powell
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Faith
… is the “real” gift you give that helps brings a needed “hand up” to the lives of those struggling to provide the basic necessities for their children and families.
The Order of St. Ignatius Supports College Conference SOYO Leadership Training Camping Scholarship Program
The Order of St. Ignatius Supports IOCC International Orthodox Christian Charities Syrian Relief
… you help build the foundation and provide the essential tools of knowledge, relationships and memories that help our children remain steadfast in their Orthodox faith
For less than a daily cup of this.
… This, The Order Ministry
Project Mexico
IOCC International Orthodox Christian Charities
Retired Clergy Housing Fund
Camp Scholarship Program
You can be a part of supporting ...
The Order Of St. Ignatius Of Antioch
140 Church Camp Trail Bolivar PA 15923
College Conference SOYO Leadership Training
Email: theorder@antiochianvillage.org
How You Can Support the Ministry of The Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch
Let no man's place, or dignity, or riches, puff him up; and let no man's low condition or poverty abase him. For the chief points are faith towards God, hope towards Christ, the enjoyment of those good things for which we look, and love towards God and our neighbor. - Saint Ignatius of Antioch
Your Unconditional Gift Changes People’s Lives Knight & Dame $500 Annually $41.67 Monthly $1.37 Daily
Knight Commander Dame Commander $1,000 Annually $83.33 Monthly $2.73 Daily
Junior Knight & Dame Ages 18-26 Only $300 Annually $25 Monthly $0.82 Daily At age 27, converts
Life
Metropolitan
$15,000 Total Gift 100% Lump Sum or
$30,000 Total Gift 100% Lump Sum or
$5,000 Over 3 Consecutive Years
$10,000 Over 3 Consecutive Years
Life Upgrade*
Metropolitan
Upgrade**
Life and Metropolitan gifts are invested in an endowment and only the earnings are spent each year making it a gift that will live on into perpetuity. *Life Upgrade: The Order of St. Ignatius Loyalty Program: Any Knight/Dame, who has been a member for more than 10 years (active/good Standing members); or any Commander, who has been a member for more than 10 years (active/good Standing members) can upgrade to Life Member for $10,000 paid over a two-year period. **Metropolitan Upgrade: The Order of St. Ignatius Loyalty Program: Any Knight/Dame, who has been a member for more than 10 years (active/good Standing members); or any Commander, who has been a member for more than 10 years (active/good Standing members) can upgrade to Metropolitan Member for $20,000 paid over a three-year period. Life members who have fulfilled their initial Life member gift may upgrade to the Metropolitan level for $10,000 paid over a 2-year period.
The Order Of St. Ignatius Of Antioch
140 Church Camp Trail Bolivar, PA 15923
Email: theorder@antiochianvillage.org
Parish Council Minutes October 2020
Video meeting. In attendance: Fr. Peter, George Stickney, Jr., Pete Streggerda, Tina Finch, De Bottei, Erica Ameen, Mike Jacobs Father opened with prayer at 7:12 PM De motioned to approve the September minutes as written. Mike seconded the motion, and all approved.
Pastor’s Report The Stewardship campaign is underway. So far we are ⅓ of the way to fulfilling next years budget. Still waiting on a majority of response cards. At last years Annual Meeting, there was talk about some constitutional amendments. Fr recently found out the Metropolitan will be sending out a new model for parish constitutions, so we will wait until we see that. Father did request to change the annual meeting from December to January and is awaiting response from the Archdiocese. Fr. is about half finished with entering sacraments into the Archdiocese system. He has been entering all Baptisms/ Marriages/Deaths etc dating back to 2012. There has been request for meeting minutes to be put in monthly newsletter. Fr will add highlighted news but Fr will also write a note in the parish newsletter that hard copies of all meeting minutes are available. Possibility of putting a meeting invite on the parish website calendar (once the website is finished) to allow all parishioners to attend virtual meetings while we are still meeting this way.
Treasurer’s Report Endowment- As of now the interest is at $19,590. Fr has requested a copy of the resolution. As of now we owe the Archdiocese $24,000-will be $21,000 at the end of December. The Archdiocese has a formal document stating they can’t send over $25,000. Going forward they will send the interest to us yearly. Our donations have been down $3400 for September and October. We have only used 65% of our budget for the first three quarters. Accounting has been switched from Quickbooks to Churchtrac. Mike moves to accept the report, George seconded the motion. All approved.
Maintenance Report Sarah’s Stitches is waiting for the fabric to arrive before they begin, but cushioning is already in the basement. HVAC issues will be done through Mpire- still waiting to hear about radiator trays Bell Tower- One bid to rebuild and do tuck pointing in certain areas, alternate bid to tuck point entire tower. Mike recommends the alternative bid for $21,450 that does the whole tower. Retaining Wall/Parking lot- Matt Larson thinks we can get through another winter, and should prioritize the bell tower over the parking lot.
Landscaping will be hired out at the maintenance committees discretion. Concrete Raising bid is $24,000. Thrasher bid is for $16,184. The maintenance committee is recommending going forward with Thrasher. They will not be able to start for a couple of months but the work is done from inside and can be done at any time. They are not raising anything, just stabilizing. We will need volunteers to move everything out of the kitchen. Pete motioned to move forward with bid from Thrasher ($16,184) and for the Bell Tower ($21,450) to begin work. Fr seconded the motion and all approved.
Sound/Video Report The speaker power output is not working. George dropped it off in Sioux Falls for diagnotics. He has looked prices and depending on the issue it may be more cost efficient to purchase new. Once the mixer is fixed, the open mic will only need to be used when the Epistle is being read. We are having more internet issues. Father is going to call Sparklignt to see what’s going on. George asked opinions on selling the warming table as it has not been used for a few years, and there are no plans to use it in the future. After discussion, George made a motion to sell the table, Father seconded the motion and all approved. There is a noticeable lack of children in the parish. There is no elementary Sunday school and the middle/high school class has at most six kids. Father gave the quote “A parish with children has a future. A parish without children is just a countdown of funerals to closure”. Is COVID-19 the only reason families aren’t attending? 59 stewardship envelopes have been mailed out, need to publicize that they can be filled out on the ChurchTrac page. Next meeting will be November 11,2020 at 7 pm Father closed with a prayer and the meeting was adjourned at 8:11 PM Respectfully submitted, Erica Aneen
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Treasurer’s Report October, 2020
Total Income Expenses Net
$ 4,502.56 6,717.43 _________ ($ 2,214.87)
Expenses Education Church Utilities Office Expense General Supplies Trash Pick-up Internet Copier Archdiocese Assessment Fr. Peter Salary Fr. Peter Life Insurance Fr. Peter IRA
154.00 951.92 139.66 87.80 90.00 131.33 90.56 802.16 3,935.00 135.00 200.00 ________ $6,717.43
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What you should know about COVID-19 to protect yourself and others Know about COVID-19
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• Coronavirus (COVID-19) is an illness caused by a virus that can spread from person to person. • The virus that causes COVID-19 is a new coronavirus that has spread throughout the world. • COVID-19 symptoms can range from mild (or no symptoms) to severe illness.
• Buy groceries and medicine, go to the doctor, and complete banking activities online when possible. • If you must go in person, stay at least 6 feet away from others and disinfect items you must touch. • Get deliveries and takeout, and limit in-person contact as much as possible.
Know how COVID-19 is spread • You can become infected by coming into close contact (about 6 feet or two arm lengths) with a person who has COVID-19. COVID-19 is primarily spread from person to person. • You can become infected from respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks. • You may also be able to get it by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it, and then by touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.
Protect yourself and others from COVID-19 • There is currently no vaccine to protect against COVID-19. The best way to protect yourself is to avoid being exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19. • Stay home as much as possible and avoid close contact with others. • Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth in public settings. • Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces. • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use an alcoholbased hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
Practice social distancing
Prevent the spread of COVID-19 if you are sick • Stay home if you are sick, except to get medical care. • Avoid public transportation, ride-sharing, or taxis. • Separate yourself from other people and pets in your home. • There is no specific treatment for COVID-19, but you can seek medical care to help relieve your symptoms. • If you need medical attention, call ahead.
Know your risk for severe illness • Everyone is at risk of getting COVID-19. • Older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions may be at higher risk for more severe illness.
cdc.gov/coronavirus CS 314937A 06/01/2020