There are few things that are quite as invigorating as as a full church, a wonderful Liturgy, communing from two chalices, etc. What a great day we had on December 4 when the feast of the Entry of the Theotokos coincided with a Sunday! It reminded one of how things were before the pandemic! Since the pandemic we have slowly been getting back to our average number of folks kissing the cross. We’ve long since surpassed pre-pandemic numbers of people partaking of Holy Communion every Sunday, but not the numbers attending. Of course, some folks fell out of the habit of going to church every Sunday during the pandemic. That is understandable, of course, but it is time for us to start working hard to reacquire that good habit. We encourage everyone to push themselves in this regard, especially during the Lenten period we are now working through as we prepare ourselves for the great feast of the Nativity of the Lord.

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Spread the word! The St. Vladimir’s Christmas Bake Sale is back!

It is not too late to reach out to our Head Sister, Leta Nikulshina, and ask her what she needs you to bake! This can be a great fund raiser and a great outreach to our local community if we all pitch in and make it just that. So let’s do that! Please contact Leta today and ask how you can help.

MOST IMPORTANTLY: tell everyone you know to come join us! A flyer can be found at this link:

BAKE SALE 2022

SPREAD THE WORD - PRINT AND SHARE THE FLYER

Every Sunday this Nativity Lent we will have a lecture on the Divine Liturgy. As a parish family it is very important that we understand the Divine Liturgy to the greatest extent we are able to, as this is our main act of corporate worship as a parish family. The Liturgy is the work of the people. We PARTICIPATE in the Divine Liturgy – we are not bystanders or spectators. We encourage everyone to read “On the Divine Liturgy” by Gogol during this Lenten period. Copies are available in the kiosk in English. We are working on acquiring copies in Russian as well. In the mean time, you can find the book on-line in Russian here:

Размышления о Божественной литургии

SEE LECTURES ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Growing pains can be hard for a community. There are many benefits to having a parish school. There are also many responsibilities. To whom much is given much will be required, as the Lord says. So let us dig deep. Let us challenge ourselves. And let us find a way to help:

*We Need a Volunteer to Help Wednesday Afternoons*
*We Need a Volunteer to Help Friday Afternoons*

Just these days. Just a few hours on these days. May the Lord help us and guide us!

At the onset of the pandemic, with the blessing of Archbishop Peter, we instituted a video live stream to better serve those who were unable to come to church. As the pandemic wore on, it was more possible to come to church, but as an exception the video live stream served those who stayed home due to medical issues. We were thankful to have this technology to support our parishioners in their spiritual lives.

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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 Various Ages: from the Antiochian Archdiocese

Our parish is pleased to host the inaugural meeting of the Michigan Prince Vladimir Youth Association January 14-15, 2023. Young people aged 18-25 from throughout our state and the upper Midwest will join us, but they will need a place to stay January 14. A few may come for the ball on January 13, in which case they will need a place to stay for two days. The young people will be fully engaged throughout the day on January 14 and 15. They will not be hanging out at your house. :) But they do need a place to sleep. If you can host young people, please contact Fr. Gregory. If you cannot host young people, please contact Fr. Gregory to volunteer to help otherwise for this important event. We need all hands on deck to make this important event a success!

All hands on deck = EVERY STV FAMILY MEMBER!

Join us on Friday, January 13, 2023 for our annual Nativity Ball! All proceeds benefit Ann Arbor Orthodox Classical Academy! Last year's ball was GREAT GREAT GREAT! This year: EVEN BETTER!

Ball tickets make perfect Christmas gifts. Join us for a great evening of fun in celebration of our Lord's Incarnation, and help us raise money in support of our parish school! We aim to raise $5,000 to support our school, so even if you can't join us for the ball, visit the link below to help us reach that important goal!

BUY NATIVITY BALL TICKETS

The Pastoral School of the Diocese of Chicago & Mid-America is committed to making high quality Orthodox theological education as accessible to all interested students as possible.

Applications for admission for the spring semester are due February 1, 2023. Classes begin February 13, 2023. Applications and further information on the Pastoral School programs can be found at our web site:

DCMA PASTORAL SCHOOL
Questions should be directed to the Dean of the Pastoral School, Priest Gregory Joyce:

fr.gregory.joyce@orthodoxtheologicalschool.org

The Divine Liturgy this Wednesday was originally set for 9:00 a.m., but we will move that to 8:00 a.m. All parish schedules have been updated. Please make a note of this and please share this information with those whom you know, or even suspect, were planning to join us on that day.