Beginning March 1 we will have a lecture each Sunday of Great Lent as is our usual practice at St. Vladimir's. The weekly lecture will take place during our weekly meal on these Sundays. The schedule is shaping up nicely and all details will be released very soon. For now, please plan to join us for this year's Great Lenten Lecture Series. You may also want to take note of a small addition to the service schedule this year. On March 1, 15, and 29 we will serve the beautiful Sunday Great Vespers after the scheduled lecture. At this service we transition from the weekend paradigm to the weekday paradigm of Great Lent, including the changing of the color of the church from purple to black (as you may recall is done each year at Forgiveness Vespers). Please join us!

LATE BREAKING NEWS! Dr. Roy (Andronik) Robson has confirmed that he will be with us to give the keynote lecture on March 15! Dr. Robson's area of expertise is Slavic Studies, specifically Russian Orthodox Old Belief, and he has written several books on this subject, including one on the monastery of Solovki as a refuge for Old Believers following Patriarch Nikon's reforms. Dr. Robson is an Old Believer himself and grew up in the Nativity of Christ parish in Erie, PA. He was the second reader on Fr. Gregory's doctoral dissertation. You will not want to miss this lecture!

See more on Dr. Robson here:

http://www.gradschool.usciences.edu/faculty/robson-roy

The feast of our Rector's patron saint, St. Gregory the Theologian, falls each year on January 25/February 7. At St. Vladimir's we will make this feast with Vigil at 6:00 p.m. on February 6 and Divine Liturgy on February 7 at 8:00 a.m. Generally Fr. Gregory and his family welcome the St. Vladimir's family to their home on this day, but since St. Gregory's feast falls on a Saturday this year they will instead host a reception in honor of St. Gregory beginning at 6:00 p.m. on February 12 - the secondary feast of St. Gregory. All St. Vladimir's family and friends are invited! Learn more about St. Gregory the Theologian at the links below. And please join us for the Divine Services on the feast of St. Gregory the Theologian as your personal schedule allows.

English:

http://oca.org/saints/lives/2015/01/25/ ... tantinople

Russian:

http://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life304.htm

We will hold our annual Ice Cream Ice Skate on Sunday, February 22. Ice Skating at Buhr Park Ice Rink 3:15-4:30 p.m. Ice Cream at Washtenaw Dairy 5:00 p.m. Don't miss this fun last taste of ice cream before Pascha and a nice skate to loosen up your legs after Forgiveness Vespers! A youth activity to which all that are young at heart are welcome!

Buhr Park Web Site:

http://www.a2gov.org/departments/Parks- ... fault.aspx

Washtenaw Dairy Web Site:

http://washtenawdairy.com/

Our Sisterhood's patron saint, St. Xenia of St. Petersburg, is commemorated each year on January 24/February 6. At St. Vladimir's we will mark this important date in our parish calendar with Vigil at 6:00 p.m. on February 5 and Divine Liturgy at 8:00 a.m. on February 6. All members of the Sisterhood are urged to attend one or both of these services as their personal schedule allows, and if at all possible, to partake of the Holy Mysteries on February 6. Please learn more about the remarkable life of St. Xenia at the links below.

English:

http://stxenia.stvladimiraami.org/stati ... ife_in_eng

Russian:

http://stxenia.stvladimiraami.org/stati ... ife_in_rus

We need help serving breakfast to families at the family homeless shelter, Alpha House, on Sunday February 8. If you can help please contact Addie Lanterman in church or via email at infor@stvladimiraami.org. This is a wonderful opportunity to live our faith in a very real way – by serving others (just as Jesus Christ came to minister according to this own words). Please join us!

Wednesday 6:00 p.m. - Weekly Akathist for the Ill

Thursday 6:00 p.m. - Vigil for St. Xenia of St. Petersburg

Friday 8:00 a.m. - Divine Liturgy for St. Xenia of St. Petersburg – SISTERHOOD FEAST DAY!

Friday 6:00 p.m. - Vigil for St. Gregory the Theologian – All English Cycle of Services

Saturday 8:00 a.m. - Divine Liturgy for St. Gregory the Theologian – All English Cycle of Services

St. Vladimir’s Church School began January 10. Classes will be held every Saturday afternoon at 5:00 p.m. through May 30 with the exception of April 11. We have condensed the classes to the greatest extent possible for the convenience of our busy families – we value your time. Please do us the favor of valuing the time of the teachers and other volunteers who make our Church School possible by being on time.

All children are urged to participate in the Vigil following Church School and in the Sunday (and other feast day) Divine Liturgies to the greatest extent possible by ringing bells, serving in the altar, singing, helping in the kiosk, and most importantly by being present in the church and praying with their parish family, AND ESPECIALLY by partaking of the Holy Mysteries. The Liturgy is not a spectacle or event that we watch, but a prayerful “work of the people” that we participate in through our prayerful involvement. Please contact Fr. Gregory with questions in this regard.

To learn more about our Church School please contact the Church School Director, Lilia Vershynin: 734-276-7548 or rlvershynin@gmail.com

Please join us for our Sisterhood's annual meeting on Sunday, February 8 during the weekly parish meal. At this meeting elections for Sisterhood offices will take place and reports on the last year's activities will be provided. All women of the parish are invited and encouraged to attend!

DUE TO THE INCLEMENT WEATHER ON SUNDAY 2/1/15 WE WILL HOLD SOUPER BOWL II THIS COMING SUNDAY (2/8/15)!

International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) will hold its 17th annual Souper Bowl of Caring on Sunday, February 1. On that day we are asking all our of St. Vladimir's family to bring non-perishable food items to the Divine Liturgy. At the end of the Liturgy our young people will collect all the food donations and we will in turn provide these to Food Gatherers of Ann Arbor, an excellent agency which helps many in need. Don't miss the fun! Be part of the Souper Bowl and help those in need on this day when billions of dollars are spent on Super Bowl parties alone. If we can spend that much as a society on entertainment can we not spend at least as much on those in need? Let's do our part at St. Vladimir's!

More information on IOCC here:

http://www.iocc.org/

More information on Food Gatherers here:

http://www.foodgatherers.org/

For information on IOCC associated activities in our parish and to learn how you can help, please see our IOCC liaison, Maria Edwards.

Our February podcast, the Vladcast, is up on our You Tube Channel. Click the link below to view it now!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1rH-jN5dic