Prayer of the Week Classwork now online

Since we've been reading and discussing Father Andrew's "prayers of the week" these last few Sundays, and will continue to do so, I've now put them on this blog so you can download them if you miss class. They are at right under "Prayer of the Week Classwork" and are downloadable in Microsoft Word format. Hope these are helpful for review and thought!

Young Adult Retreat Announcement

Here is a wonderful opportunity to "get away" AND grow in your faith during Lent.

Lenten Young Adult Retreat
“Taking the High Road: St. John Climacus and The Ladder of Divine Ascent”

--When: Friday, March 20 – Sunday, March 22, 2009
--Where: Holiday Inn Express Midway on 6500 South Cicero Ave, Chicago, IL, 60638 (708) 458-0202
--Hosted by St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Cicero, IL
--Guest Speaker: Fr. James Shadid (Assistant Pastor at St. George Cathedral Wichita, KS)
--For more information, click on the following link: http://www.antiochian.org/sites/antiochian.org/files/2040Retreat2009.pdf
--Registration form, click on the following link: http://www.antiochian.org/sites/antiochian.org/files/2040Registration2009.pdf
--Registration Fee: $45 before March 10; $55 after March 10

Check it out!

Podcasts for Young Adults

Ancient Faith Radio, in conjunction with Orthodox Christian Fellowship, now features podcasts by young college adults. Topics include social justice, heaven & hell, ancient church history, surviving college, and more.

Even if you aren't in college yet, you can benefit from hearing young adults like yourselves talk about timely topics from an Orthodox perspective.

Check them out at OCF Campus Ministry Podcast.

Download these podcasts to your iPod or listen online! Enjoy and be blessed!

Plan for February

We've just finished Message 12 in The Wormwood File. During February, we'll be taking a break and beginning studying I and II Timothy in the New Testament.

To prepare for our first study in Timothy next week, please ready I Timothy. Also, please read the essay, "Interpreting the Scriptures" in your Orthodox Study Bible.

Some of the things we'll be discussing include:
--How to do a Bible study
--Who was Timothy?
--Why did Paul write to Timothy?
--The interpretation, or meaning, of the letters to Timothy

Timothy was a young adult like you. He had extraordinary responsibilities, as Paul gave him leadership over several congregations of the early church. Paul's letters to Timothy are full of advice, instruction, encouragement and love. I think you will find them quite interesting!

Under "Handouts" in the right hand column of this blog is a short biography of Timothy that will help you in your reading. It talks about Timothy's life and sets a context for Paul's letters to Timothy.

Please be prepared on Sunday so we can begin this study. If you have any questions as your read this week and want to ask them in advance, please email me!

God bless your week!

Questions for Messages 11 and 12

It's very true that the devil is like a prowling lion, looking for someone to devour. These messages are good examples of that and are full of lessons about temptation and sin. The questions for these messages are now available for download in the right-hand column of this blog. I expect we'll have a good discussion about them! See you tomorrow!

Class schedule for the rest of the year

Here is the schedule for the rest of December. We've got a lot of special things happening!

December 14 -- Instead of class, we'll be helping with and participating in the Sunday School Pageant. No formal class. After Liturgy, go to the basement and report to Maria Kopulos, who will have something for you to do. Don't forget your food contribution for the food pantry basket.

December 21 -- Sunday School Pageant. No formal class. Don't forget your food contribution for the food pantry basket.

December 28 -- No Sunday School.

January 4 -- Happy New Year! Come prepared to continue talking about The Wormwood File, Messages 8, 9 10 and 11.

God bless you all, and see you tomorrow!

Service Project Begins This Sunday

St. Nicholas was not only a Wonderworker, he was also a provider of gifts and necessities to the poor.

In this spirit, our service project for the next three Sundays (Dec. 7, 14 and 21) will be to collect and bring food for the food pantry collection basket at St. Luke's.

Here's what you can bring each Sunday of our project:

--Dec. 7, Peanut butter, jellies, canned vegetables and fruits
--Dec. 14, Spaghetti sauce, tuna fish, noodles, rice
--Dec. 21, Paper products, laundry and dish soap

Please bring at least ONE item for the basket each Sunday. If you can do more, you will be blessed more!

Be a St. Nicholas to the poor in our community. God bless you!