“A man obtains the fear of God if he has the remembrance of his unavoidable death and of the eternal torments that await sinners; If he tests himself every evening as to how he has spent the day, and every morning as to how he has spent the night, and if he is not sharp in his relations with others.”

+ St. Dorotheos of Gaza

Please join us for a live broadcast of today's Vigil beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the following link:

http://www.stvladimiraami.org:8000/liturgy.mp3

Please remember - the stream only broadcasts live services. If you would like to listen to previously recorded and edited services please visit our sound blog:

http://soundoftheparish.blogspot.com/

Young people who can read clearly and loudly are welcome and urged to participate! THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO BE ENGAGED IN PARISH LIFE! Research shows that it is very important for young people to be engaged now so they persist in the Church into adulthood.

The sign up sheet can be found at the link below. PARENTS: please contact Karl Meyer or Alexandra Pyrozhenko with questions!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18AHfYesuK3-z4HZ8-ysdAne4RlKaiFEdpPNz6oueoU4/edit?usp=sharing

Beginning 11/26/18 Fr. Gregory’s office hours on Mondays will be 3:00-8:00 p.m. The idea is to have office hours at the parish church on Mondays so that we can advertise for people to stop by and learn about our faith – that the church will always be open 3:00-8:00 p.m. on Mondays. You will still be able to make appointments with Fr. Gregory on Monday nights as you always have been, but you’ll have to meet him at the church on those nights. :) And if an inquirer stops buy he might have to briefly break away from you to say hello. It is important that we reach out to the local community around our parish church, and the only way to do that that we can think of is to provide a consistent time when the neighbors can stop by and learn more. Our local Lima Township folks need the Church just as much as we do! Occasionally Fr. Gregory will have a conflict on Monday evenings. If you would be willing to cover for him on the rare occasions that he needs to be away on Monday nights please contact him.

We present here a short educational offering for both children and adults on the upcoming Sunday's principle Gospel reading so that all can better prepare for the Divine Services. Parents are asked to review the children’s portion with their children. It is very important for us to attend the Divine Services on Sundays and whenever else we are able, but in addition it is our spiritual responsibility to educate ourselves and our families in the faith. It is our hope that this mid-week offering will be an aid in this regard. Please contact Fr. Gregory with questions or suggestions.

For Adults

For Children

When we expanded the parish church in 2006 Bishop Peter gave us a choice of relics that we could place in the foundation. In the end we settled on Great Martyr Demtrius. Vladyka explained that whichever saints we chose we would need to serve the Divine Services for that saint annually. The commemoration of Great Martyr Demetrius falls on November 8 each year, and November 8 this year is this coming Thursday. Please join us as your personal schedule allows!

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Speaking of Expanding our Worship Space

We are packed into our present worship space. The parish council has been discussing this at length and how we can get the new church project started as soon as possible. More on that is coming soon and we think it is important that you understand that we are concerned about this and about how we move forward. We will move forward! Not in 10 years. Not in 5. Hopefully in 1 year. Maybe in 2. We will discuss this at the annual meeting on March 19 in some detail and hope to have an actionable plan fully in place by the end of that meeting. In the mean time, you can help. A lot. By moving forward. Physically. Closer to the front of the worship space. Often we are packed right to the back doors on Sunday – but sometimes there is 10 feet of open space in the front. We appreciate that the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee has made such an impression our parishioners (read here if this reference isn’t clear to you). But we need you to move forward. You. The people who read this email. Not someone else. PEOPLE ARE LEAVING ON SUNDAY BECAUSE THERE IS NO SPACE FOR THEM TO STAND. But there is room. But we can’t expect those who are visiting to stand in the front. If they did that we would probably even judge them for being a little pretentious. So those of us who are regular parishioners need to push themselves (figuratively and literally) to get to the front of the church. Please. Otherwise people will show up, not be able to physically get into the worship space and leave. It happens every Sunday. LET’S MAKE SURE THIS NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN!

Fr. Gregory

Sometimes folks step right up and help when we ask. Sometime not so much. :) But this announcement is not one that we can ignore. We can't expect just a few people to do everything at the parish - everyone needs to pitch in and help here and there. And there is a subset of people that like to do things like event planning. We are looking for one or two of you who like to do that to step up!

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Nativity Ball Planning Time – we Need a Committee Chair

This year marks the 20th anniversary of our Nativity Ball! Our Head Sister, Leta Nikulshina, has been chair of the Ball Committee for 10 years! And she just can’t do it this year. We need someone to step up and lead. Yes – you! Not someone else – you! Leta will not disappear – she will be there to help. In the early years of the ball it was common for someone to lead the committee for year or two and then hand it off to a new chair. We’d like to get back to that cadence. Grab a friend or two and join us – it will be fun! Email info@stvladimiraami.org to volunteer today!

Do not imagine this a victory, holy Sopatros, to have denounced [Tit. 3:9] a devotion, or an opinion, which apparently is not good. For neither—even if you should have convicted it accurately—are the (teachings) of Sopatros consequently good. For it is possible, both that you and others, whilst occupied in many things that are false and apparent, should overlook the true, which is One and hidden. For neither, if anything is not red, is it therefore white, nor if something is not a horse, is it necessarily a man. But thus will you do, if you follow my advice, you will cease indeed to speak against others, but will so speak on behalf of truth, that every thing said is altogether unquestionable.

+ St. Dionysius the Areopagite

Danger - if you do not change your clocks back one hour on Saturday night when you go to bed you will be EARLY to Church on Sunday - and nobody wants that! :) Don't forget: FALL BACK ONE HOUR!

The clergy of our Michigan Deanery will gather at St. Vladimir Church in Ann Arbor/Dexter on Saturday, November 17, 2018 to serve the Divine Liturgy together. All are welcome to join us! Learn more at the link below.

MICHIGAN DEANERY CLERGY GATHERING