Unless you have a handicapped license plate or hang tag. Even if the spaces are open. It is immoral to take parking spaces from those who need them and this is happening too often. Please see Fr. Gregory or Nathan with questions or concerns.

This year Great Lent starts quite late: March 14 in fact. But that will not keep us from holding our annual Great Lenten Lecture Series! The inaugural lecture will be given by His Eminence Metropolitan Jonah on Sunday, February 28 (yes – a bit before Great Lent, but well within the time of the Lenten Triodion so certainly close enough!), and we are working out details for a keynote lecturer later in Great Lent. The theme of this year's series is “The Practice of the Ancient Church”. Please plan to join us each Sunday of Great Lent during our parish meal for a lecture on this theme!

According to a joint press release by the Moscow Patriarchate and the Vatican, Patriarch Kyrill and Pope Francis will meet in Cuba on Friday, February 12 - one week from today. The western media has already begun to report things about the impending end of the schism between East and West. This seems a bit optimistic, and neither the Moscow Patriarchate nor the Vatican are claiming anything of the sort. Perhaps this will be the beginning of a long process that will end the schism, and of course that would be welcome. If all can unite in truth. But for now, let us pray that the meeting will be fruitful and lead to further constructive dialogue between the two largest Christian Churches. More information can be found at the links below. Please contact Fr. Gregory with questions or concerns.

English:

https://mospat.ru/en/2016/02/05/news127862/

Russian:

https://mospat.ru/ru/2016/02/05/news127862/

Fr. Gregory's Name's Day falls on February 7 each year. This year February 7 is a Sunday and happens to be the feast of the New Martyrs of Russia. Therefore the feast of St. Gregory will be moved to February 8. The schedule will be:

February 7: Vespers & Matins 6:00 p.m.
February 8: Divine Liturgy 8:00 a.m.
February 8: Open House @ Fr. Gregory's 6:00 p.m.

Please join us as your personal schedule allows. All are welcome to the Divine Services and the Open House!

As most of our parishioners are aware, Fr. Gregory has several responsibilities in addition to being our parish Rector. He is the Dean of the Michigan Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, the Dean of our Diocesan Seminary, and the Secretary of the the Diocesan Council. All these things are getting done, but with some help they could be done much better than they are. Presently there are two volunteer opportunities to help Fr. Gregory with these duties:

1. Help with the Michigan Deanery. This year we will found a mission advisory board for the Deanery. We will also establish a web site for the Deanery. It would be good to increase communication between the clergy within the deanery as well. This volunteer will have a direct impact on the founding of new parishes in Michigan in areas that are unserved or very under-served by the Orthodox Church. In other words, this volunteer will make a real difference in spreading Orthodox Christianity in our state.

2. Help with the Seminary. This year we intend to found a foreign language sector of the seminary, and we may execute a joint agreement with a seminary in the former Soviet Union. Much work is also needed in reinvigorating our Catechist program. If the Michigan Deanery volunteer is successful in helping to found new parishes, then the Seminary volunteer will focus on helping to prepare new clergymen and catechists to spread the faith in our state (and beyond).

Please contact Fr. Gregory if you would like to volunteer or if you would like to learn more. Both volunteer opportunities have very flexible work schedules and hours. We can work around your schedule!

Please note that the evening services for St. Gregory the Theologian will take place immediately following the weekly parish meal on Sunday, February 7. THERE WILL BE NO EVENING SERVICES AT 6:00 P.M. THAT DAY. Please make a note of this and please share with those whom you suspect would have attended the 6:00 p.m. service.

As we prepare for our annual meeting on March 6 is it important that those who have not yet paid their 2015 membership dues in fact do this to participate in the meeting. And given our membership dues are not too much ($55/year for a working adult and $27.50 for non working adults) why not just take care of 2016 now too? By joining St. Vladimir's you show your visible support of the parish which nourishes you and your family spiritually. We all hope the parish will be there when we need it (for marriages, funerals, baptisms, etc.). By joining the parish we support it both spiritually and financially. To renew your membership or to become a new member, please contact one of our membership coordinators: Vasiliy Krivtsov (vasiliy.krivtsov@gmail.com or 734-669-8712) or Dmitry Knysh (dmitriknysh@hotmail.com or 734-358-5996) or Konstantin Poplavsky (734-944-4087 or 419-344-2071). We cordially invite you to join our parish family!

Please find our membership form here – you can just fill this out and return to one of the membership coordinators:

http://stvladimiraami.org/flyers/membershipform.pdf

Please see the file at the link below - this outlines Fr. Gregory's basic availability to bless houses this year. Please contact him and arrange your house blessing EARLY. There is always a rush during Chessefare week. This is not the best time to have one's house blessed. Rather, one should have one's house blessed in January or February if at all possible - so that this is not rushed. Please contact Fr. Gregory with questions.

http://stvladimiraami.org/flyers/houseblessing2016.pdf

The Washtenaw County Sheriff and Forgotten Men Ministries are working together to help those who are incarcerated during the winter. There is a need for both men's and women's thermals, socks, and t-shirts. At St. Vladimir's we will take up a special collection at the kissing of the Cross on Sunday, January 31 in support of this worthy cause. If you cannot be present on the 31st but would like to make a donation please contact our parish's International Orthodox Christian Charities' liaison Marina Edwards, or Fr. Gregory.

Special Guests Fr. Pavel Vishnevsky and Connie Meyer will tell us about their work in Moscow helping those in need. Fr. Pavel and Connie work closely with our Russian with Love effort. We hear about that effort all the time at St. Vladimir's and how important it is to support it. Now is the time to hear what really happens on the ground when we support (and don't support) this worthy cause. We'll also have the opportunity to enjoy some sweets and each others' company. A question and answer session will follow the presentation. Please join us!

RSVP at this link:

http://goo.gl/forms/4ZwDctznwi