The Promise

novembeR / decembeR 2011

WoRds of WIsdom
When We are in trouble or despair or have lost hope, We should do What david did: pour out our hearts to God and tell him of our needs and troubles, just as they are (ps. 142:2). it is because he can deal With us Wisely that We confess to God: he can make our troubles easy to bear, if this is for our benefit,
and can save us from the dejection Which destroys and corrupts.

- sT. hesychIus The PResbyTeR

daTes To RemembeR
Thanksgiving Luncheon Parish counciL candidaTes MeeTing Parish asseMbLy & eLecTions chrisTMas cookie ParTy FeasT oF sT. nichoLas divine LiTurgy - 9:30aM chrisTMas Luncheon & PrograM chrisTMas eve vesPeraL LiTurgy - 6:00 PM

InsIde ThIs Issue

Pastoral Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 reMinders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 MtVs real World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 on CreMation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 a Marriage Breaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 st . John MaxiMoViCh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 inside the annunCiation . . . . . . . . . . . 10 2011 MetroPolis Clergy & laity . . . . .11 Birthdays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 youth sCenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 on the horizon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 noVeMBer & deCeMBer Calendar . . . 27
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novembeR 20Th decembeR 4Th decembeR 6Th

decembeR 18Th

decembeR 24Th

THE PROMISE

PasToRal message

ne the most troubling aspects to life in the modern era is the prevalence of lies. Big or small, one can honestly say that we are so thoroughly inundated by them, that we have increasingly lost sight of the truth. Hence it is important for us to start with the basics - what exactly is a lie? We here them, we talk about them, and unfortunately sometimes we say them. But what exactly is it? Websters dictionary aptly defines a lie as: a false statement deliberately presented as being true. In other words, it is an intentional statement meant to pervert the truth. Lies are neither accidental nor harmless in essence, for they are designed to cloud the facts. Which begs the question, why do they so easily thrive? And the simplest answer is that despite their insidious nature, men and women would rather be comfortable in a fictitious world, than come to terms with challenging realities. Like moths to a flame, human beings are drawn to the cheapest solution and the easiest answer, often with little regard to the facts. The hard truth often comes with a price, and people tend to prefer the easy bargains that lies seem to generate. With that in mind, let us consider some cheap lies versus the costly truth.

for the Lord confidential? No one who knows us, works with us, talks to us or meets us should ever be surprised to learn that we are Orthodox Christians! Now the Lord does not ask us to sit in ashes and curse the world for its faithlessness, but He does expect us to keep our faith in Him not only burning in our heart, but boldly moving our feet and flowing from our lips. This also means that when someone asks us what we are, we have to have a better answer than a sheepish I am Christian. The truth of the matter is that we have to know what it means to be an Orthodox Christian. We have to be able to explain what an Orthodox Christian believes, and we have to live like devout Orthodox Christians. Now some may say, that such talk is a stretch, if not a bit nave. But let us be perfectly, if not brutally honest, the Holy Scriptures let alone the Fathers of the Church make it perfectly clear that there is no excuse before God or men for not being able to personally explain our faith in Christ and the teachings of His Holy Church. Every Orthodox Christian man, woman and child has at his or her fingertips everything necessary to not only live within the light of Christ, but to proclaim His truth. Neither ignorance nor indifference, are a defense. Then there is the often heard notion that the reality of life in the world occasionally requires even Christians to compromise some of the purity of their faith and virtue, either for the sake of being happy or in deference to the modern way of thinking. Let us be perfectly clear, this is another flagrant lie. When it comes to our faith, our ethics, and or our morality, there is no room for compromise. In such matters, Christians do not look for the middle ground, because we are called to always take the high road. (Continued on page 4)

Cheap Lies vs. Costly Truth

First of all, there is the popular notion that our Christian faith is a purely private matter. This is a lie. Nonetheless, many well-intentioned people are inclined to go along with this notion because it has the potential of making life in the secular world a little bit less complicated. Meanwhile, the truth of the matter is that we cannot truly believe in anything, and remain perfectly indifferent. If we are quick to publicly profess our admiration for certain athletes, entertainers and or historical figures, how on earth can it be acceptable for anyone to keep their love
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November / December 2011

save The daTe Parish Assembly

Sunday, December 4th, 2011

Make your legacy of love for your parish eternal, remember the Annunciation in your Will.

baPTIzed InTo chRIsT

The Annunciation family congratulates Dimitri & Fofe Vasquez on the baptism of their daughter, Kristina sophia, who was baptized at the Annunciation on september 4th. Tyler Alley & Kerri Moutos are the proud godparents. May the Lord bless our newest servant of the Lord, along with all of his family and friends!

th the rn upon ear Let us lea knowledge h us in continue wit that will heaven. e - St. Jerom

I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. J e r e m i a h 31:13

dallas, TX TouRnamenT TRaveleRs

Remember, We are leaving on Friday, January 13th and returning on Monday, January 16th. Keep an eye on the Sunday Bulletins and Parish e-mail for all of the details!
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THE PROMISE

The PasToRal message

(Continued from page 2)

After all, the Lord our God is not found between good and evil He is perfectly good and the slightest deviation from Him and His Commandments is by definition, evil. If we accept for a moment the false notion that we can somehow weave our way through the world in a way that occasionally masks or contradicts our Orthodox Christian faith the truth is we are loosing our way, and it may very well have permanent implications. This brings us to another forlorn claim that must be clarified. More often than not, we hear it said that even without faith or genuine repentance it will all work out in the end, and that God will accept the good along with the bad, the faithful along with the faithless. This is another terrible lie. The Lord is merciful and He is loving, but it is utter folly to overlook the fact that He is the Judge of the earth. While we ourselves cannot pronounce Gods Final Judgment, this does not mean it will not happen or that the Lord will somehow fail to separate the goats from the lambs. In fact, if the good and the bad, the faithful and the faithless will not have to face Judgment, why does Christ so often speak of heaven and hell? If everyone automatically goes to heaven, what is hell for? The truth of the matter is that God will indeed judge us, and not everyone will be invited to enter into His kingdom. not because the Lord is cruel or capricious, but because people are becoming more content with all of the lies then with trying to follow God and accepting His Truth. This leads us to the familiar claim that God has many names or manifestations and that there is no difference between one or the other. This too is a lie. The fact of the matter is that we believe in One God, He has made His name known and He sent us His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). The Law and prophets did not intend to prepare the world
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for many gods, but to enable us to recognize the one true God. It has never sufficed to believe in A god, for HE has revealed Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Granted, this truth is not universally accepted, it is not always welcomed and it does not make everyone comfortable but truth of the Good News is neither amorphous nor ambivalent. Now let there be no mistake, this is not said with anger or arrogance, anymore than it is a secret meant for select few. This is a wonderful truth meant for the whole world to discover and enjoy. As such, we as Orthodox Christians cannot lie about the person of Jesus Christ anymore than we can choose to hide the Truth about Him. So when people ask why is it so important for Christians to continually live and profess their faith; it is because we all have something important to say and something significant to do as members of His Church and bearers of the Good News of Christ. This also means that whenever sensitivity is deemed the very essence of the Christian faith rather than an aspect of it we are confronting another man-made lie. Christians are polite because we adhere to the Word of the Lord. We are respectful to others because we are in awe of God. We are compassionate because we regularly commune with Jesus Christ. But we can never confuse the natural expressions of the Christian faith with the essential and dynamic belief in Jesus Christ. Finally, one last falsehood that Christians seem to be particularly susceptible to: the idea that it is ok to sleep in on a Sunday morning because we had a hard (Continued on page 6)

God is not found between good and evil...

November / December 2011

mTvs Real WoRld Is a moRally IRResPonsIble WoRld

by Fr. Johannes L. Jacobse MTV, like every other television station, has demographics it hopes to target report the producers of the MTV hit series The Real World. Our key market is 12-29 with the majority of those viewers being between the ages of 16 and 24. We hope to reflect those views when we cast things. Reflect those views? If Real World reflects real life, then their viewers have sexual intercourse whenever the urge strikes them with whoever is available. They think that using a condom is the only moral imperative relating to sex. Real World chronicles the life of a handful of twenty-somethings who live in the same house for six months or so -- kind of like the Osbournes but the characters arent related. The actors are chosen for their personality and looks with the requisite gay or lesbian -- and now apparently bisexual -- character included. This isnt necessarily a problem when these situations are dealt with honestly. Pedro, a character in the third season filmed in San Francisco a few years back, reported he had AIDS while the program was in production and died shortly after the series ended. His crisis was responsibly and sympathetically portrayed. But times change and so has the program. There is so much bumping and grinding that the program could be rated as soft-core porn. The promotion for a recent episode has a male in a hot tub watching two of the female characters sexually arouse themselves. Whats in store next week? There is something tragic about these people. They are bright, healthy, and attractive. They have opportunities (Continued on page 9)

WIsdom of The faTheRs:

A rich man is not one who has much, but one who gives much. For what he gives away... remains his forever. - st John Chrysostom

hoW To Please The loRd

Of the many ways we can show the Lord just how important He is to us and our life, perhaps nothing is as meaningful as when we come to worship Him at His House
at the appointed

To do this as an expression of love speaks volumes about the content of our heart, the fervor of our faith and the importance of Christ in our life. Just as when our own children do something we ask of them, not because they have to but because it will please us, so too will the Lord be moved by an ongoing commitment to attend the services at the Annunciation punctually with ready hearts, minds and souls. Let us all strive to attend the Holy Services of the Church from the very beginning and thereby glorify the Lord with our worship as a Christ-centered church family.

time.

SUNDAY SERVICES matins, 9:00am divine liturgy, 10:00am

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THE PROMISE

The PasToRal message

(Continued from page 4) week or that it is fine to come late to Church services because getting there at some point is good enough. These are monstrous lies! The One who endured beatings, scourgings, was spit on, nailed to a cross and rose from the dead for us and our sake does NOT understand why it is so hard for us to come to Church on Sunday at the hour of His choosing. By filling our mind with seductive excuses that make us feel comfortable with our shortcomings, the world is attacking our soul with poisonous lies. The fact of the matter is that the Lord does not want us to be a little bit better, He wants us to be our best! God did not send His only begotten Son to be crucified and rise from the dead, so that we can respond with half-hearted attempts at honoring Him. Jesus Christ does not offer us His precious body and blood so that when we find it convenient, we can eat and run. The plain truth is that the Lord our God is watching what we do or dont do, Sunday after Sunday. And like it or not, our actions on Sunday speak loud and clear to the content of our heart, and the direction of our soul. In the final analysis, amidst all of the lies that strive to seduce us and break our spirit, the Truth of God gives us every reason to still be of good cheer. For the reality is that God LOVES you and me. He does not just like us, He LOVES us. He does not simply tolerate us, He LOVES us. He does not pass in and out of our life on a whim, He LOVES us. As such, it is a blatant lie to say that God does not exist! It is a flagrant lie to claim that God doesnt care about our problems or us! And it is a boldface lie to say that our life in Christ is inconsequential! Fortunately for us, lies will come and go, but the Lords love and truth are unyielding and eternal. Glory be to God!

The oRThodoX ResPonse To cRemaTIon

by Kathryn Wehr Everybody knows in their bones that something is eternal, and that something has to do with people (Act 3, Our Town by Thorton Wilder) Cremation became legal in England in 1885, thus beginning an extraordinary change in British death ritual practice. One hundred years later, a 1988 survey showed that 70% of bodily remains in England were cremated, compared with 43% in Holland, 57% in Switzerland and just 15% in the United States. A more recent survey in 2000, found that 70.9% of remains in Great Britain were cremated. Two notable Christian exceptions from this popularity have been Roman Catholics and Orthodox who generally have opposed cremation and supported inhumation [burial]. The Vatican removed its objections to cremation in 1963 but Orthodox have continued their opposition, although there is no official Orthodox canonical or dogmatic statement prohibiting it. (The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese does not grant funerals, either in the Sanctuary, or at the funeral home, or at any other place, to persons who have chosen to be cremated.) Beyond a respect for the tradition of Christian burial, Orthodox see several ethical and theological dilemmas that restrain them from a general acceptance of cremation. These include the respect for dead bodies that is necessarily linked with resurrected bodies, the striking metaphoric problems created, and the way cremation eliminates the possibility for bodily holy relics. While most Orthodox would not say that cremation is sinful, these three areas are enough for most to say that inhumation is by far the better, more ethical choice.

respect for the body

Emperor Julian the Apostate (331-363) once complained that Christians had filled the whole world with tombs and sepulchres and by their processions with and in honour of the departed were straining the eyes of all (Continued on page 14)

Rev Dr. Nicholas J. Verdaris

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sePTember / ocTober 2011

chRIsTmas seRvIces
With the celebration of Christmas we jubilantly celebrate and proclaim the fact that the Lord God Himself has miraculously condescended to take on our flesh in order for us, (His creation), to know Him better, draw closer to Him and be saved by Him. The celebration of such a momentous event naturally calls us together into His Holy House in order to sing His praises, express our love for Him and partake of His life-giving Body and Blood.. There simply is no Christmas holiday without worshiping Jesus Christ. There is no Christmas joy without assembling in prayer within His Holy Church. We as the Annunciation Church family, will have the great and high privilege to herald the birth of our Lord & Saviour together as follows:

a maRRIage bReakeR: obnoXIously InsIsTIng on youR PoInT of vIeW

Fr. George Morelli There is so much in the teachings of Christ and His Church, that if one is committed to be a follower of Christ that one of the major virtues that would be nurtured would be a firm commitment to truth. Consider the approbative words Jesus told the Samaritan woman: But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. (Jn 4: 23) St. John (8: 22) records Jesus very strong assertion: ...you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. During the Divine Liturgy, after reception of the very Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord God and Savior, Jesus Christ, the choir (congregation) chants: We have seen the true light ...found the true faith... It would appear, Christians should not get away from what is the truth. Of course this focus on truth would certainly extend to how the husband-wife father-mother relate to each other in a blessed marriage when they create a domestic church, a little church in their home, and this extends to their children as well.

Saturday, december 24th -

Vesperal Liturgy - 6:00pm

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

the church fathers on truth

St. Maximus the Confessor (Philokalia II p. 188) regards truth as equivalent and linked to divine knowledge: Truth is divine knowledge, and virtue the struggles for truth on the part of those who desire it. St. Maximus uses strong words to convey the ubiquity and demand character of truth. He tells us: Real faith is truth which is all-embracing, all-sustaining and free from all falsehood. Furthermore, to emphasize being truthful St. Gregory of Sinai (Philokalia IV p. 215) points out it is not enough to study truth such as in an academic discipline one has to live it: To try to discover the meaning of the commandments through study and reading without actually living in accordance with them is like mistaking the shadow of something for it reality. It is only by participating in the truth that you can share in the meaning of truth. (Continued on page 12)
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Sunday, december 25th -

The Feast Day of the Nativity

Divine Liturgy - 10:00am

THE PROMISE

on The fall of man

2012
In anticipation of next years Festival we are asking our Church family to help spread the word to any local non-denominational charity that would like to be considered for inclusion in the 2012 Festival and encourage them to please submit a letter to the Church Office expressing their interest along with a description or explanation of their work by November 6th. Charity letters of application will be collected through out the coming month and must be received by November 6th. After which we will be able to decide who our Festival will sponsor 2012.

by St. John Maximovitch

The world was created good and called to the joy of life in union with the Source and Creator of life, the Lord God. The first to sin and to be torn from this union were angels. The angelic realm was split: some remained with God; others, in their pride, desired to live their own life, independent of God. The angelic world was split and sin was born there, but the earthly world remained good. And then the devil, which means the one cast down from heaven, began to strive to join the earthly realm to himself. The highest creation on earth, man, had been given a commandment by God not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Why was the commandment given? This tree was just like all the others, and in itself it had no outstanding characteristics. No, the knowledge of good and evil was not in the tree itself, and not for this reason was the commandment given. The Lord gave it because man was created free, and the Lord desires of man a freely-willed striving and longing for union with God. The commandment was given because only through its fulfillment could man express his freely-willed striving toward God and love for Him. And blessedness consists simply of communication with God through love of Him. The devil is burdened by his separation; he is perpetually in a state of wrath and vengeance, and it comforts him to attract others. The devil never appears as his true self, but takes on various appearances. Then in paradise he took on the appearance of a serpent, and gave man the idea that the commandment had not been given for the expression of mans love of God, but so that man would not become like God. The devil planted the thought that the command was issued, not out of Gods love, so that man would dwell in Gods love, but because God desires to dominate, and to prevent man from being as God, and coming to know the endless and limitless joy of being. When man came to believe this diabolical idea, he was instantly separated from God. Everything changed, and man could no longer enjoy life in God and speak with God freely and straightforwardly as children speak. There was no peace, no joy, and man began to hide from God. Everything changed, the link between God and man was destroyed and nature ceased to heed man. Weeping entered the world, and the soul became burdened.

RemindeR: all charity application letters for the 2012 festival muSt received by november 6th for consideration!

ouR sTeWaRdshIP
Our Stewardship commitment to the Annunciation is tangible way for us to abide in God and share His light. And despite the very difficult times we are currently confronting in this country, each and every one of us serve an essential role as Christian light bearers in supporting the Annunciation in Little Rock and helping to ensure its survival. God will never abandon His Church, but if His flock does not vigilantly protect the parishes, some may very well be overrun by the secular world. All together, let us renew our support of the Annunciation and continue to manifest the light of Christ here in Little Rock.
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November / December 2011

The Real WoRld?

(Continued from page 5) that most people in the world only hope for. Yet they have no moral center, no self-reflection about love, intimacy and sex. It never occurs to them that men and women were not meant to copulate like animals. Real World is a morally vacuous world but MTVs irresponsibility comes as no surprise. They have been selling the message that sex has no consequences to teens for years. There are no pregnancies, no sexually transmitted diseases, no exhausted emotions in the sexually charged MTV world. The real world is far different. Over three million teens will be infected with an STD this year alone. Some of them will never be able to bear children because of it. Add to the mix the explosive growth of teenage pregnancy and single parent families, abortion and other measures ostensibly offered as solutions to the problems caused by promiscuity, and its clear that the teen world is far from safe. In an era of justified outrage at the moral irresponsibility of companies like Enron, why the silence about the moral irresponsibility of companies like MTV? Children depend on adults. Right and wrong are taught, not divined out of thin air. Yet MTV marshals millions of dollars and untold hours of creative manpower to mask the consequences of the promiscuous sexuality that they market. MTVs message adds to the moral

confusion that many teens already experience. Clear thinking adults know that the message is a lie. They also know the constant bombardment of this message influences teens and they fight an uphill battle when these gatekeepers of teen culture hide the truth. Who really cares for the kids here? Apologists for MTV argue that the programming stresses safe sex by urging that the teens use condoms whenever they have sex. Its not enough. Sexually active teens are notoriously unreliable about using condoms consistently. No amount of celebrity preaching or slick public service spots will change this. Second, condoms provide a false security. It leads to more sexual activity and therefore increased risk of harm. Moral libertines dont like moral critiques. It makes them uncomfortable. They argue that moral critiques are a thin veil that hides censorship. In fact, moral critiques often function as moral appeals. Are there any parents at MTV or their sponsors, in management, on the boards and in committees, who believe that their responsibility extends beyond the bottom line? Do the adults at MTV understand that selling sex makes them culpable for the harm that results?

goya chRIsTmas gaTheRIng

Let us have some fun together in the spirit of the season on during Christmas break! We are planning an evening of dinner & board games on

thurSday, december 29th!

Details will be provided in upcoming Sunday Bulletins, but in the meantime, keep the night free for some good ole GOYA fashion fun!

Lets share some Christmas cheer together!

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THE PROMISE

InsIde The annuncIaTIon

v the sanctuary v

(Excerpts from the forthcoming annunciation tour booK)

Christ, she contained the Creator of the universe in her womb. The iconographer, Nicholas Pappas reflecting on this icon wrote: This shows a balance in the historical Churchs view of the place and role of Mary. She is essential and significant by her relationship to Christ. Christ could not have been born without her free consent. She is made significant by the One she bore. She provides the throne. She is in the background. These characteristics reveal her humility, and oddly enough the icon in its way honors her because of it. She is significant to us as an example of the potential outcome of free-will submission to Gods goodness. In essence, the icon also helps to present the Churchs view of the place and essential role of Mary in Gods divine economy. In accepting to bear the Christ she is made significant by the One whom she bore. Then, by her free-will submission to Gods goodness and deference to His Will, she is a profound example of obedience to all Christians. The Theotokos (the Mother of God) with Christ icon also serves to teaches a fundamental truth of Orthodox Christianity- that is, that Christ is to dwell in each of us. Thus, the same Christ that condescended to dwell in the Virgin Mary is in us as well. Thereby embodying the words of St. Paul in Galatians (2:20): I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Finally, this particular icon is a required element to every Orthodox Church because it plainly presents through art the doctrine of the Incarnation, God becoming a man through a woman and the Holy Spirit. It intends to call to mind the Truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who was born of a virgin (perfectly God and perfectly human). It highlights how the birth of Jesus the Christ in the flesh becomes the connecting link between God and humans, between heaven and earth. As with most Orthodox icons of Mary, the Greek letters appear on the upper left and right hand side of the head of the Virgin Mary; the abbreviation for the term , meaning the Mother of God (Jesus Christ in the flesh, not the God the Father (Continued on page 13)

In all Orthodox Christian churches, the Sanctuary faces East, in the direction where Christ, the light of world, first shone forth through the darkness of the world. Most importantly, the Book of Revelations tells us that when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead, He will appear from the East. For these reasons, it is the tradition of the Orthodox Church that the Altar of every parish face East. Furthermore, it must be noted that the Sanctuary is elevated from the Nave and Solea by steps. This is an architectural detail whereby the floor of the Church symbolizes the earth, while the Sanctuary being slightly elevated, symbolizes heaven.

oooo

the platytera

Within the apse of the Sanctuary is a half-dome icon of the Virgin Mary with Christ painted by Elias Katsaros in 1985. This icon unites the roof of the Church with the floor, symbolically uniting the heavens and the earth. The icon is entitled in Biblical Greek, Platytera ton ouranon meaning: More spacious than the heavens. Poetically accentuating that in giving birth to the Jesus
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November / December 2011

2011 meTRoPolIs of deTRoIT cleRgy-laITy confeRence You are the Light of the World

Dear Friends of the Metropolis

Become A Friend of the Metropolis

God has called us to do mighty deeds for the glory of His name and for the love of His people. You are called upon to join in this reality of faith working through love as we continue to manifest the love of God for His Church and His people. When you support the Friends of the Metropolis campaign, you are part of a greater outreach that proclaims with one universal voice that God is truly our hope and our rock of salvation. Because of your devotion and help to the Friends program, ministries and programs are implemented on a Metropolis-wide basis which strengthen and enhance our faith and our joint ministry of service. If you have not yet become part of the Metropolis-wide effort, I would like to invite you to join forces with the faithful throughout our Metropolis in support of the ministries which are part of the Office of the Metropolitan. Thanking you for your kind and generous response, I remain, with paternal blessing and prayers, Metropolitan Nicholas
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THE PROMISE

annuncIaTIon chRIsTmas luncheon & PRogRam

The Annunciation will be hosting its annual Christmas Luncheon on december 19th immediately following the Divine Liturgy. You & yours are warmly invited!!! During this very special luncheon our Sunday School students will also be presenting their annual Christmas Program - you will not want to miss it. It is also rumored that a very jolly fellow may even pop in for a visit. Please join us!!!

maRRIage bReakeR
(Continued from page 7)

its about how truth is practiced

The marriage and family breaker is not truth itself however. It is how truth is insisted upon and forced on spouse or offspring. It is when truth is obnoxiously imposed on, that is to say, when it is arrogant and rude. It is the pragmatics of the communication interaction between husband, wife and children which is the family problem. It is the insistence that ones point of view is not only true, but must be adopted by the other, simply because it is true. It is offensively asserting on ones truth over the others viewpoint and demanding they acquiesce to your viewpoint. It is the continual demand that your spouse or children acknowledge your viewpoint and admit they were and are wrong. In disagreements, it is the attitude held is that your spouse and children should acknowledge and submit to truth as you see it.

Lets Have a Merry CHristMas togetHer at tHe annunCiation!

language pragmatics
Roger Brown, a Harvard University research psychologist, made what might be termed one of the most important discoveries in modern psycholinguistics. He reported that when we communicate it is the onomatopoeic aspect of language that conveys the most meaning. In other words, it is the tone of voice and the manner in which the words are spoken which convey the overwhelming meaning in the communication, rather than the linguistic-definitional content of the words themselves. Over the years I have found this Browns research very pastorally and clinically helpful. For example, I may have a mother present a problem she claims her son has. She reports that she simply asks him to clear his dinner dish from the table after supper. The mother tells me this in a pleasant non-emotional conversational tone. She goes on to say, when I tell him this, he flies into a rage, what is wrong with him? Immediately yellow (caution) flags arise in my mind. I ask myself, if she said this to her son as nicely as she is conveying it to me, why would he respond so angrily? (Continued on page 17)

PlannIng ouR cenTennIal

2013 will mark the 100th Anniversary of the Annunciation in Little Rock. The celebration of this important milestone will require much planning and effort! get involved and altogether let us honor our past and look forward to our future!!! If you can help with the planning and festivities please contact Father Nicholas.

Sharing the Light of Christ in Little Rock 1913 - 2013

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November / December 2011

InsIde The annuncIaTIon

(Continued from page 10) A seminal moment of the Christian faith, this large mural illustrates the Gospel account of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. At the center of icon is the image of Jesus nailed to the Cross with the city walls and gates of Jerusalem in the background. His right side is pierced and from the wound flows blood and water. Though there is no doubt that crucifixion was a barbarous form of execution, it is customary for Jesus to be depicted in serenity. The intent is not to dismiss the pain He endured for the sake of all mankind, but rather to emphasize the understanding that Jesus was not an unwitting victim of crime or taken against His wishes but willingly sacrificed Himself on the Cross for the life of the world. At the foot of the Cross is a skull. First and foremost, Golgotha, the Mount of the Crucifixion, means the place of the skull. In addition, this detail helps to underscore the belief that Jesus is the New Adam as well as make clear that with Christs sacrifice on the Cross, death is defeated. On the top bar of the Cross is the inscription I.N.B.I., the initials for the Greek words meaning Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. To the left of the image of the crucified Christ, are images of the women that the Gospels record kept watch: Mary the Theotokos, Mary Magdalene and Mary the wife of Clopas. On the right side of the icon side are depicted St. John the Beloved Disciple and St. Longinus the Centurion who cried out: Truly, this was the Son of God! (Mark 15:39)

or Holy Spirit). In this icon Marys hands are open and outstretched presenting Christ to the world. The open and outstretched hands are in a position of both prayer and presentation. The icon is less an image of Mary then an image of Christ, and for this reason she is in the background while He is at the very front and center of the icon. As with all iconography depicting Christ, within His halo is the form of the Cross along with three ancient Greek letters that are the abbreviation for the phrase: The One Who Is or The Eternal One, thereby unequivocally identifying Him as the Divine Son of God who is without beginning or end. In addition, Jesus is depicted as vested in gold and white robes so as to emphasize His Divine glory while holding a scroll symbolic of His role as Teacher and the Word become flesh. His face is portrayed as that of an adult to indicate the Christian teaching that He was at one and the same time both fully human and fully the eternal God, one of the Trinity. Finally, His right hand is raised in blessing.

oooo
(Commemorated on Holy Friday)

The Crucifixion

In the coming months The Promise will try to include further installments highlighting the beauty of His House at the Annunciation. May these brief commentaries serve as a reminder of the privilege we enjoy at the Annunciation and the duty we bear to continually maintain and enhance the beauty of His Holy House.

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on cRemaTIon
(Continued from page 6) with ill-omened sights of the dead. Early Christians, by contrast, held that the death of believers was a cause of hope, and their bodies, far from being ill-omened, were precious links to the faith Christians had in the Resurrection of the Dead. The Apostle Paul describes this in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 as a joyous day when a loud call will sound and the Lord will come again, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord for ever. Christ himself says in John 5:28-29 that the day is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his [the Son of Mans] voice and will come out. These are the two readings used in the Orthodox Order for the Burial of the Dead and they set a resurrectional tone for the whole liturgy. The boundaries between the living and dead were first broken by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The tomb was empty because the actual, physical resurrection of Christs body had taken place (Matthew 28:5-6, Mark 16:6, Luke 24:5) and although this resurrected body transcended some earthly limitations (i.e. walk through walls - John 20:19 & 26, appearing in various places-John 21:1, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8) it bore direct connection to the body Christ had always had and was recognized by his disciples (Luke 24:31, Matthew 28:9) and bore the marks of his crucifixion (John 20:27-28). This is the hope for all Christians. Our bodies will also be resurrected, not just our souls, we will recognise each other, and the marks of our spiritual and physical battles will somehow be a part of us. Our physical bodies are inseparable parts of our identity as, Orthodox anthropology maintains, a human person is a soma, an animated body one indivisible unit of sarx (body) and psyche (soul). The Order for Burial liturgy instructs the congregation to look at the body in the open casket, and to come forward and to give the dead person a final kiss- a person who, like them, was made in the image of God. By contrast Tertullian criticizes the common Roman practice of cremation as dishonoring to the body. He
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noted the practice of people burning incense offerings to the dead after cremation and said, What piety is that which mocks its victims with cruelty? Is it sacrifice or insult (which the crowd offers), when it burns its offerings to those it has already burnt? Many people today also feel this difference. J. Douglas Davies noted that ashes represent what might be called a post-person state of the deceased. From the Orthodox perspective this post-personal view of the body is unacceptable and burial may best avoid this confusion and maintain a clear link to the bodily resurrection.

mixed metaphors
On one level, there may not seem to be much difference between burial and cremation; what one method does in 5 years the other does in 20 minutes. Does it really matter? Through the lens of metaphor, however, the difference is stark. Burial implies patience and waiting for nature to take its course. It is reminiscent of John 12:24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Each believer can be seen as a seed planted hopefully in the ground, awaiting the new life of resurrection. This same imagery is employed in 1 Corinthians 15:42-43 So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. Cremation, by contrast, conjures up fiery biblical images of hell, judgement, destruction, torment and the lake of fire mentioned in Revelation. Christ consistently used punishment by fire in many of his parables including the Wheat and the Weeds, the Rich Man and Lazarus, and most directly in the Sheep and the Goats. Most people, however, can logically reason that cremation does not have to mean these things, though the natural link is unfortunate and lingers in many peoples mind. A related and subtle metaphoric problem was spotted by Davies in his work on the Cremation Research Project. Because of the finality of cremation and the explicit

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technology used, cremation gives rise to a revival of the Greek philosophic focus on the soul of the individual as the only part of them that continues after death. The theme of resurrection gets left behind. This exclusive focus on the soul can easily be seen in the phenomenon of scattering ashes. Ashes being post-personal, sterile and indistinguishable from other ash, means there are few restrictions on the place of scatterings in the ocean, along a favorite walking path, in someones garden, etc. Scattering requests mostly express a personal connection with a place or a hobby and say nothing about a hope in any eschatological future of the bodily person. As Davies writes, their intention is not to give God an opportunity to show how easy it is to integrate and transform these bits and pieces into a heavenly body, but instead to make a statement about individual identity and this earthly life. This idea is far from the early Christian goal of being buried near martyrs and other Christians in consecrated ground, awaiting the Resurrection together!

than precious stones and finer than refined gold. The Martyrdom of Polycarp records that they put them in a suitable place and there, when we gather together as we are able, with joy and gladness, the Lord will permit us to celebrate the birthday of his martyrdom. The Didascalia Apostolorum likewise urges Christians to come together even in the cemeteries, and read the holy Scriptures, andperform your ministryand offer an acceptable Eucharist. The Didascalia Apostolorum further sites how the body of the prophet Elisha in 2 Kings 13, raised the body of another dead man because of the presence of the Holy Spirit that still dwelt in the his corpse. Orthodox Christians likewise understand that the Holy Spirit still rests in the bodies of saints. Also, since sainthood is not officially recognized by the Church until proper study has been made of the persons life after they have died, there may be a significant lapse of time between the persons burial and the call for their relics. Personal items of the saints are often also used as relics, but cremation would exclude the possibility of cherished bodily relics. This issue is no small concern in the Orthodox Church, as each altar must contain a relic, usually of a martyr in reference to Revelation 6:9 (the souls of martyrs under the altar). Also the square cloth on which an Orthodox priest serves the Eucharist, an antimension, has tiny relics sewn into each corner, which would be impossible with cremated remains. The veneration of relics essentially is a way of making sure that the saints are not without honour among the faithful and in turn the faithful recognise that grace flows out of the whole persons of saints, even after death, as a gift to the Church.

holy relics
Ignatius of Antiochs Letter to the Romans and the account of The Martyrdom of Polycarp, give us two links between the death of saints and relic veneration. In the Letter to the Romans the condemned Ignatius urges the Christians in Rome not to stop his fight with wild beasts in the arena, urging them, coax the wild beasts, so that they may become my tomb and leave nothing of my body behind, lest I become a burden to anyone once I have fallen asleep. This shows that burial is not a prerequisite for resurrection, as indeed God can raise people from any form, but even so, at least part of Ignatius body was recovered and became cherished relics. Polycarp likewise became a martyr in a Roman arena, being burned at the stake in the year 167. The Martyrdom of Polycarp recounts Polycarps death in the flames, but his body was not totally consumed and the Christians were kept from taking away his body, even though many desired to do this and to touch his holy flesh. The Romans decided to further cremate Polycarps body and the Christians in the end took away his charred bones which they considered more valuable

conclusion
After considering the importance of the physical body in the Resurrection of the Dead, the confusing metaphors created by cremation, and the loss of future holy relics, it is clear why Orthodox Christians consider inhumation normative and cremation generally unethical. This is not due to a denial of the process of decomposition (Continued on page 17)
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THE PROMISE to our parishioners celebrating during the upcoming months!

Happy BirtHday

December 19th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elizabeth Hunter Maria Verdaris December 20th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pete Stathakis December 21st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jesse Burks December 22nd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Raouf Kassissieh December 23rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Susan McDowell December 26th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Toni Staley December 27th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stephanie Verdaris December 28th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kristin Alley December 29th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Benjamin Alley

NovemBer
November 1st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lynn McDowell November 4th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mary Henry November 5th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephanie Wilcox November 7th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Irene Vratsinas November 12th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Morgan Bailey Andrew Bene Paul Bene November 13th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lyle Glass Fran Hyde Gabrielle Turjman November 14th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Helaina Harb John Terlea November 15th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Isabel Wilcox November 16th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jonathan Alley Jamie Fotioo November 20th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carole Hawkins November 26th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joyce Harb November 28th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hallie Ramser Kyro Sadaka

c felloWshIP houR d
If you or your family would like to commemorate a special event, honor the memory of a loved one or would simply like to after a gift to the Annunciation family... you too can sponsor a Fellowship Hour! Please check the Bulletin Board and sign up today!

ouTReach commITTee
meeT & gReeT schedule
November 6th . . . . . . . . Christopher Huckabay November 13th . . . . . . . . . . . . .Carole Hawkins November 20th . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jack Weatherly November 27th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Hunter December 4th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robin Jones December 11th . . . . . . . . . . . . Susan McDowell December 18th . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sharon Johnson December 25th . . . . . . . Christopher Huckabay

decemBer
December 1st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jana Hunter December 3rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kate Martin December 9th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ron Harb Marshall Mann December 12th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daniel Kassissieh December 14th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pat Pappas December 15th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Randy Kassissieh Helena Roy December 17th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grant Alley
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(Continued from page 15) or a desire to waste precious land for burial, but an affirmation of each person as a whole being who, even after death, deserves our greatest respect and care. It is not enough, however, to simply say that all cremation is wrong and all burial is good. Further attention is needed for the local laws (i.e. Japan requires cremation) and for the exorbitant costs of some funeral services that can prey upon the vulnerable (a worthy concern of the original Cremation Society of England). The bioethics of embalming should also be considered and how it relates to proper respect for human bodies. Above all, the Christian view of death must allow Resurrection to take centre stage as the focus of hope about the future. With Christ as our Lord and example, the firstborn from among the dead, we wait in hope for our release from our bondage to decay and our rebirth into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

psycho-spiritual consequences of mean-spirited communication

As Brown points out if something is said in an angry or mean tone, it is the tone rather than the words which carry the message. In this example, the mothers tone. was strident and angry. This is the message received by her son. He then would most likely respond emotionally himself, perhaps experience some anger, hurt or confusion, and would likely infer his mother was mean. He will likely close himself off to any forthcoming messages. Interestingly, I have found the most consistent complaint children have about their parents is that they speak meanly to them. If the content of the truth one is insisting on is of a spiritual nature, ones opponent, spouse or child may in fact, stubbornly resist, simply to retain some sense of selfworth. I have previously emphasized that learning is much more effective when discovered by the learner than being forced by some teacher. One problem with the attitude that one has to get husband, wife and children to affirm the truth as you understand it is that individuals with such cognitive sets tend to be incognizant that they may both hold points of view that both may be contain a portion of what is really true. Referencing the Parable of the Wheat and the Chaff, it may be a failure to realize that each family members viewpoint may contain some chaff but some wheat and as well. Thus it behooves the members of the domestic church to listen to Christs parable and apply it to marital and family interaction: But he said, `No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. (Mt 13: 29).

maRRIage bReakeR
(Continued from page 12)

Two hypotheses emerge, one, her son does have an emotional problem, or two, she is not accurately conveying to me how she told her son to perform the cleanup. At this point I usually ask her to role play the exact words and tone of voice she used when talking to her son. I may have to recite a possible typical script to get her started. I begin with a saccharine intoned: Sweetheart, would you please, help mommy and take your dinner dish to the sink; or BOBBY, TAKE your dish to the SINK, NOW! It has been by pastoral and clinical experience that in most situations such as this example, invariably the words she chose to talk to her son and her tone of voice is closer to the second script. This is not to say the child may not have an behavioralemotional problem as well, but it is to say, the parental communication is harsh and mean.

pride: the spiritual root of insisting on ones view of truth

Our first thought should be to consider and utilize ourselves Our Lords own question about involving oneself in the affairs of others: Why do you see the speck that is in your brothers eye, but do not notice the that is in your own eye? (Mt 7: 3). This meditation should be done in the context of St. Pauls famous (Continued on page 18)
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maRRIage bReakeR
(Continued from page 17) description of love, part of which reads: Love does not insist on its own way... (1Cor 13: 5). One of the descriptions of Pride given by St. John Climacus in his Ladder of Divine Ascent is that it is the mother of condemnation [and] a source of anger. This is exactly what obnoxiously insisting on imposing ones truth on others is (even if correct according to Christs teaching). The seriousness of Pride, the passion that leads to insisting others conform to ones view point can be seen in this dramatic metaphor of St. John: Pride is utter penury of soul, under the illusion of wealth, imagining light in its darkness. The foul passion not only blocks our advance, but even hurls us down from the heights.

christ-liKe assertiveness
One method of effective communication is related to the psychological communication skill of assertiveness. Assertiveness is defined as an honest communication of real feelings in a socially acceptable way; that is to say not mean-spirited, harsh, arrogant or rude. This means all assertive pragmatics imbibe the ethos of the love of Christ which includes patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control - what is known in scriptural terminology as the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5: 22-23). There are socially and spiritually appropriate behavioral boundaries that must be in place in a Christ-like family, but they should be enacted and guided by the love of Christ just mentioned. The most effective methods of ensuring behavioral compliance is a scientific cognitiveemotive-behavioral program enlivened by Christs Holy Mysteries and His Church.

communication versus obnoxiously insisting on your point of view

This is not to say that family members should not communicate their real feelings to one another about some issue. This is especially important if their viewpoint or feelings are true, that they conform to Christs teachings. In fact, we could consider communication of what is true as a gospel imperative. This is described to us by St. Luke (8: 1) in telling us of the very actions of Jesus Himself: Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him... Of course in dysfunctional families some may insist on their own way regarding everyday things as well. In one non-normative case I had several years a the father in the family would demand no viewpoint on any issue except the viewpoint he would first utter. But there is a world of difference between simply, communicating ones viewpoint, (which in fact may reflect the view of Christ and His Church), versus obnoxiously insisting that others accept it. As I pointed out in a recent article Jesus did not make demands on others, He respected their free will.

communication aids
(Continued on page 20)

ThanksgIvIng seRvIce
There is no better way for Orthodox Christians to celebrate and honor one of the most noble of national holidays than to gather as a Church family and praise God for all the blessings He has given us - in His Holy Church. This year before you finish or start to cook the turkey, mash the potatoes, and prepare the table for family and friends, let us gather at the Annunciation on W edneSday evening , November 23rd and together as a faithful Church family us offer the Lord our God true thanks. The Divine LiTurgy will begin at 6:00pm. Let us all make some time to thank the Lord this Thanksgiving.

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check us ouT
Dont forget our website: WWW. orthodoxchurch.com! It has an up to date monthly calendar, the latest edition of the promise, sermons and all sorts of information, you can even contribute to the Church online! Find us on facebooK at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church and Like us! If you know someone who might be interested in being a vendor at the 2012 Festival, have them visit www.greeKfoodfest.com - application forms & information are available.

vasIloPITa saInT basIls bRead

On Sunday, January 8th the Annunciation Church family will celebrate one of the most beautiful and inspiring traditions of the Orthodox Church, the observance of the Vasilopita (Saint Basil's Bread). It is an annual observance, together with many other traditions of our Church, which joins our Orthodox Faith with the history of the Christian religion itself. Our Ladies Philoptochos (Friends of the Poor) Society will use this blessed occasion to raise funds for the Saint Basil Academy - an Archdiocesan project to support and nurture youth & families in crisis. An auction will take place immediately following the Divine Liturgy. Donations will be taken and slices of Vasilopita will be available for our Parishioners to take home. The Annunciation Ladies Philoptochos wishes everyone a very Happy New Year!

college sTudenTs!
Attention College
students And or pArents of College students, the Annunciation wants to stay in contact with you! Please provide the Church Office with mailing and e-mail information in order for the Annunciation and the Office of Campus Ministry to keep the lines of communication going while far away from home.

you aRe InvITed!

The annunciation scholarship foundation invites you to a

name: ______________________________ e-mail:______________________________ Cell: _______________________________ addreSS:____________________________ city:____________________State:______ Zip:________

Wine Tasting Event on Saturday, January 21, 2012

Tickets for this special occasion will soon be available for purchase from a Scholarship Board members. Save the date, invite a friend and make plans for a wonderful evening that will help a wonderful cause.
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maRRIage bReakeR
(Continued from page 18)

trying out the others perspective

One insight I had early on in my pastoral and clinical ministry is that the world always makes sense in some way to the person I was talking to. Their perspective many not be mine, but it made sense to the other. As a priest-psychologist I found it important to attempt to see the world as the other saw it, so I could understand their perspective. A non-family case provided the material for this understanding. My patient was a financial planner. He reported significant anxiety and depression when his clients did not take his advice. One specific example he gave stands out. A female senior-citizen consulted him regarding investments. He suggested a high yield municipal tax-free bond. When she found out this would mean giving up her bankbook, (a passport-like book that had a typed sequential bank stamped in printed record of deposits and withdrawals and balance) she declined his advice. He could not understand her decision at all. Objectively he saw it as irrational (he was correct). She would be giving up 7% interest for a bankbook. I perfectly understood the elderly womans perspective. For her having a printed record in a bankbook, was safe, it was proof of her holdings, a bond certificate was simply a piece of paper, it meant nothing. Trying out the others perspective is also related to the psychological process of empathy. Empathy can be described as thinking and feeling what the other is thinking and feeling. Being a member of a relational unit which emphasizing shared goals, objectiveness and cooperation and being of one mind should facilitate empathy. The research of Markus, & Kitayama, demonstrated in fact that a socialization pattern emphasizing an such connectedness indeed fosters cooperation. In turn such a collective focus helps to bring about empathy, agreeableness and cooperativeness. A proper understanding of the psychospiritual ethos of the domestic church, the little church in the home as well as the parish community, would indicate this is exactly
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what Orthodox family life, as well as membership in the parish community should look like. The exclamation ending the Anaphora prayer the priest recites during the Divine Liturgy expresses this relational perspective: And grant us with one mouth and one heart to glorify and praise thine all-honorable and majestic name: of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

the domestic church

As alluded to above, the family is the most immediate place where the teachings of Christ should be understood and practiced. Like the Holy Trinity, the members of the domestic church, being of one flesh through marriage of the husband and wife, or their offspring is a relational unit based on love. The words, teachings and actions of Jesus should be the spirit of family inter-relationship. Husbands, and wives, as such, and as fathers and mothers, should be the leaders of the church at home in Christs name, with the enlivened by the counsel of St. Paul: Even so husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. (Eph 5: 28). These words of St. Paul, often overlooked, indicate marriage is not a dictatorship of the husband or wife, obnoxiously insisting one ones point of view, but rather a relational mutuality of family leadership and partnership. They should bless one another and their children, and reciprocally witness and guide their children in Godliness. This can be done in ordinary daily events like blessing the food which is partaken, give thanksgiving for all that God has provided (house, furnishings, etc.), and thanking God for the health and talents He has rendered to all family members. The God-centeredness of the family should

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also be applied in dealing with individual problems thing is for us is to accept that we have different views on family members which may incur and in witnessing this subject and move on. Psychologically at least there to one another how Christ would view and deal with are no winners and no losers. contemporary events. The sanctity of their conduct, cooperativeness and empathy should be shown in word humility: the spiritual cure and deed. In contemporary American (and Western) secular society, humility is not a virtue, it is considered a vice and the disarming technique disability. Jesus beautiful words known as the Beatitudes At times a family member, or even someone outside in the Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are the meek, the family will stubbornly insist on his or her own for they shall inherit the earth. (Mt 5:5), would be reviewpoint and be intent to prove the other wrong. It phrased: Cursed are the meek, for they shall lose it all. almost appears like warfare in which the insisting one Robert Greene would utter the motto of the proud in will not back off until their spouse or child declares his 15th Law of Power: Crush your enemy totally. unconditional surrender. discussed a very effective communication tool in dealing with such situations. Jesus taught us just the opposite: For what does it profit It can be used in situations in which your point of a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits view is rejected outright. It is called the disarming himself. (Lk 9: 25). How apt for those who obnoxiously technique: After expressing your view to a person and it is insist on imposing their viewpoint on family, friends rejected, disarming becomes a powerful way to deflect conflict. and others to apply to themselves the Idiomela by St. Basically it makes a neutral statement about the other individuals John of Damascus sung during Funeral Service in the response. One does not have to agree to what was said and Eastern Church: I called to mind the Prophet, as he cried: I what you consider false, so truth as you see does not have to am earth and ashes; and I looked again into the graves and beheld be compromised. This is especially important if the truth you the bones laid bare, and I said: Who then is the king or the warrior, expressed and that was rejected by another individual reflects the the rich man or the needy, the upright or the sinner? Yet, o Lord, give orthodox teaching of Christ and His Church. Some representative rest unto thy servant with the righteous. Disarming Responses: Hum! Thats an idea; That is one way of looking at it; Thats a possibility; Thats a point to St. Pauls instruction to St. Timothy should be the motto consider. If the person you are communicating with is a friend of a good, smart marriage in Christ: And the Lords and you want to maintain the friendship and they keep pursuing servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, the point a last effort communication might be: Well if we want an apt teacher, forbearing . (2Tim 2:24). to keep our friendship, we will just have to agree to disagree on this point. St. Dorotheos of Gaza dedicates a whole chapter his in Discourses, that he entitles On Building Up of Virtue. St. Dorotheos uses the analogy of building a house, agreeing to disagree that must starts with its foundation. In this context, he As simple as it sounds, in a communication impasse then first discusses faithfulness which is a foundation (especially within family and among friends), just that without which it is impossible to please God. (c.f. suggesting to the other, a change in how to continue Heb 11: 6). He moves on to the stones of obedience to relate to one another, a truce so to speak, may be and patience, and with perseverance and courage as an effective communication tool: Look! We are all the cornerstone of the structure. But what holds it all members of our family, we love one another, and together is the mortar, which is humility. St. Dorotheos should love one another. Sometimes we have to agree goes on to point out humility is composed of the to disagree. You know, we all cant agree on everything, earth and lies under the feet of all. Then to accentuate nor should we have too. I can love you even though you the extraordinary importance of humility, he goes on to hold a different viewpoint than I do. The most important (Continued on page 22)
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WIsh a meRRy chRIsTmas To youR annuncIaTIon famIly

Help support the ministries of the Annunciation as well as share your Christmas love with your Church family by including your family name in the

maRRIage bReakeR
(Continued from page 21) say: Any virtue existing without humility is no virtue at all. To this however, must be added discretion, which braces the building so to speak, and the roof of the building will be charity, which completes the house. But at the end of his description, he returns back, or rather looks up to humility again, which he calls the houses crown: The crown is humility. For that is the crown and guardian of all virtues. As each virtue needs humility for its acquisitionand in that sense we said each stone is laid with the mortar of humilityso also the perfection of all the virtues is humility..the man that is getting closer to God looks on himself more and more as a sinner. It is impossible to overcome the barriers to a good marriage without humility. As St. Isaac the Syrian tells us: Grace is preceded by humility. St. Isaac goes on to say humility is embracing a voluntary mortification regarding all things. In the case of the obnoxiously insisting on imposing your point of view on spouse or other family members, it would mean letting go, giving up, putting to death this prideful stance. As St. Isaac writes: He that has humility in his heart, has become dead to the world. So in regard to insisting on others acquiesce to ones own viewpoints, we should apply St. Isaacs wisdom: honor silence; for it prevents many wrongs.

annunciation community christmas card.

For $15.00 you can support the work of the parish and spread some love. Sign up and you can rest assured that everyone in our Church family receives your loving Christmas wishes. The LAST DAY to sign up for the Card is Sunday, December 11th see Anna Clift or Eva Sargent.

house blessIngs!
If you would like your home to be blessed for the New Year... this announcement is for you! As is the tradition of the Church following the feast of Theophany, Orthodox Christians may ask to have their homes blessed by the priest with holy water. Beginning December 4th and ending December 25th, a sign-up sheet will be posted in Gabriel Hall for all those in a Church family who would like to have their home blessed the New Year. please
help maKe this enormous undertaKing

When pride comes, then comes disgrace; but with the humble is wisdom. (Proverbs 11:2)

orderly by registering during the month of

december. All those who kindly register their name by December 25th will then be contacted by Father Nicholas after the feast of Epiphany to make arrangements for a blessing.
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Please remember to submit your 2012 annunciation steWardship card by January 22nd!

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November / December 2011

eXPloRe The h IsTIan faIT odoX chR oRTh d the

d an Word of the Lor deeper into the Lets go Church! teachings of the ur ue to explore o going to contin We are light of n Faith in the hodox Christia ns. Ort r to the Roma St. Pauls Lette ertise perience or exp - no previous ex All are invited Christ! desire to grow in required, just a 6:00pm November 2nd at ednesday, W 6:00pm November 16th at 6:00pm November 30th at

seRvIces foR The feasT of TheoPhany & sT. John The baPTIsT
EvE of ThEophany
small blessIng of The WaTeRs
Thursday, January 5th 9:30am

ThEophany
gReaT blessIng of The WaTeRs
Friday, January 6th 9:30am

2012 PaRIsh councIl

elecTIon noTIce

fEasT of sT. John ThE BapTisT

Saturday, January 7th 9:30am

Elections for the Annunciation Parish Council will be held on sunday, december 4, 2011. Please note that candidates and nominating witnesses must be members in good standing with the Parish for at least one year immediately preceding the date of the election and register as candidates in person. Those men and women who love the Lord, are active in the life of the Annunciation, and have a sincere desire to serve Christ and His Church at the Annunciation and would like to be a candidate for a seat on the Parish Council must register as a candidate in person along with a witness by sunday,

kITchen RemIndeR!
Please remember that if any items are used from the Church Kitchen for Fellowship Hour, etc. they need to be cleaned afterwards. The washing of dishes, utensils, etc. is not included in our agreement with the Cleaning Service.

november 20th, 2011.

Then, in accordance with the Archdiocesan Uniform Parish Regulations, ALL candidates are required to meet with Father Nicholas on Sunday, november 20th for a review of expectations and duties of a Parish Council Member in order to be eligible to serve and be placed on the official ballot.
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THE PROMISE

Lets

inist ling th m r you to go bow ay, Ou d nd invite er on Su have h! We for ogeth t t er 27 ts vemb angemen No fun rr ade a ave some l in m h w us to nnium Bo vices er lle at Mi le after s burn s el t Maum e 27th. Le giving s on th se Thank ther! ho ge off t es off to i calor

BowL! ries are

youTh volleyball

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November / December 2011

y
o u T
Some caught big weeds ...........

... and some caught big

fIshIng

fish.

x hodo Ort erence Conf & sions s on Mi i nge- l2s2m vaary 20 2 , 012 , TX E nu rth
Ja o ort W as & F Dall
the icate mmun we co hrist how do ws of Jesus c ne s? und u good d e aro os world, an to th lized the

st evange . of the pa r n practice locally h the Churc s into mode tt & e how neycu oseph Hu ill examin nt proven method ference w uist, Fr. J T his con s how to put ancie m Fr. Peter Gillq ns fro discus Ar matas resentatio Fr. Evan l feature p go to It wil lease
p gister to re n and matio infor .org. atest ntom the l www. for n missio free ad

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THE PROMISE

annUnCiaTion ThanksgIvIng luncheon

sunday, novembeR 20Th Let us celebrate our blessings

together!

What Happens When You Add Homemade Cookies + The Philander Smith Choir + Christmas Cheer + Our Church Family?

The Annunciation Christmas Cookie Party on December 4th! annUnCiaTion ThanksgIvIng eve lITuRgy
Wednesday, novembeR 23Rd
Lets Come Together and Give Thanks to the Lord!
The entire Annunciation Church family is invited to our annual chriStmaS cookie party! We want to get into the Christmas spirit together as well as explore everyones wide variety of Christmas cookies. The evenings festivities will include a special performance by the renowned philander Smith choir. This promises to be another memorable evening replete with Christmas music, joy and treats. the price for admiSSion to thiS exciting event 3 dozen homemade cookies per household. pleaSe note, Store bought cookieS are not Welcomed! We want to enjoy each others family recipes - not what the Keebler Elves or Sam Waltons staff can make in a factory! Festivities will begin at 6:00pm. So prepare those 3 dozen cookies and lets have some fun together.

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November / December 2011

annUnCiaTion GREEK oRThoDoX ChURCh

1100 napa vaLLEy DRivE, LiTTLE RoCK, aR 72211 REv. DR. niChoLas J. vERDaRis, pasToR

n ovembeR 2011
Sun Mon Tues 1 Wed 2 Thurs 3 Fri 4 Sat 5

Orthodox Study Class 6:00pm

7th Sunday of Luke Matins 9:00am Divine Liturgy 10:00am

Daylight Savings Time Ends

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Festival Charity Letters Due

Parish Council Meeting 6:00pm

8th Sunday of Luke Matins 9:00am Divine Liturgy 10:00am

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Scholarship Foundation Meeting 6:00pm

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Sunday School Open House

Orthodox Study Class 6:00pm

9th Sunday of Luke Matins 9:00am Divine Liturgy 10:00am Parish Thanksgiving Luncheon

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Entrance of the Theotokos Liturgy 9:30am

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Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Eve Liturgy 6:00pm

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13th Sunday of Luke Matins 9:00am Divine Liturgy 10:00am Youth Bowling Fun!

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Orthodox Study Class 6:00pm

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THE PROMISE

annUnCiaTion GREEK oRThoDoX ChURCh

1100 napa vaLLEy DRivE, LiTTLE RoCK, aR 72211 REv. DR. niChoLas J. vERDaRis, pasToR

d ecembeR 2011
Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs 1 Fri 2 3 Sat

13th Sunday of Luke Matins 9:00am Divine Liturgy 10:00am Parish Assembly Parish Council Elections Parish Christmas Cookie Party

6
Feast of St. Nicholas Liturgy 9:30am

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11th Sunday of Luke Matins 9:00am Divine Liturgy 10:00am

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Parish Council Meeting 6:00pm

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6th Sunday of Luke Matins 9:00am Divine Liturgy 10:00am Christmas Luncheon & Program

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Christmas Eve Liturgy 6:00pm

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Sunday of the Nativity Matins 9:00am Divine Liturgy 10:00am

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GOYA Christmas Gathering

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