PAGE 1

THE PROMISE
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
PASTORAL MESSAGE .....................................2
REMINDERS ......................................................3
FREE WILL & FREEDOM IN CHRIST .........6
FIRST CENTURY CHRISTIAN ......................7
THE NEW TESTAMENT ..............................10
THEOLOGY & PRACTICE OF LOVE ..........16
SERVICES FOR THE DORMITION ...............17
HOME MISSIONS ..........................................18
NEWS & NOTES ...........................................19
EASTER SCENES.............................................22
A TASTE ........................................................29
JUNE, JULY & AUGUST CALENDAR.........30
DATES TO REMEMBER
SEPTEMBER 8TH
NATIVITY OF THE THEOTOKOS
DIVINE LITURGY 9:30 AM
SEPTEMEBER 11TH
PARISH ASSEMBLY
SEPTEMBER 28 - OCTOBER 1ST
METROPOLIS OF DETROIT CLERGY-LAITY
OCTOBER 9TH
LUNCHEON DISCUSSION
OCTOBER 23RD
GODPARENT SUNDAY
WORDS OF WISDOM
NOT ONLY ARE WE IN THIS ASSEMBLY
(IN THE CHURCH),
BUT ALSO THE PROPHETS AND THE
APOSTLES AND ALL THE SAINTS;
AND WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL
- AMONG US IS JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF,
THE MASTER OF EVERYTHING.
- ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2011
THE PROMISE
PAGE 2
W
henever people are asked what it is
that they hope for in life? the answers
are varied. People will quickly speak
of boundless happiness, endless riches,
ceaseless fame, never-ending youth, unlimited power
and innite health. In one way or another, such
answers an intense desire for a life without limits.
These response not highlight peoples struggle those
many things (both real and imagined) that seemingly
bind humanitys scope of life, but they reveal a crisis
of faith.
In more ways than one, modern
men and women have developed
an uncanny ability to actually
limit their life rather than expand
its true potential. Sometimes, it
is out of a misguided attempt at
self-preservation. Sometimes, it is
rooted to the refusal to recognize
a power greater than ones own
self. Sometimes, it is out of sheer
arrogance. And sometimes, it
is the result of the ravages of
life in a cruel, unjust and fallen
world. But no matter the reason
or rationale, there is simply no
disputing the fact that human
beings whether by intent or omission, are exceedingly
adept at restricting the true potential of life.
But perhaps in the greatest irony of all, more and more
modern day men and women increasingly make God
and His Church the scapegoat. Such recriminations,
albeit commonplace, are not only ignorant (in every
sense of the word), but speaks volumes to exactly how
far mankind has moved away from God and is
unfamiliar with His Holy Church. After all, the joy
of being an Orthodox Christian and a member of
the Annunciation Church family is not about making
life restrictive, but coming to the realization that Jesus
lives, He is in our midst and He sets us free.
In Christ we are freed from the slavery of sin. In
Christ, we are freed from the nality of death. In
Christ we are freed from the limitations of our
personal knowledge, weaknesses and experiences. In
Christ, we come alive in God. He is the key that opens
a door to a life in Him that is free and transcendent.
A life without limits begins when we appreciate God in
our life and then come alive in Christ.
Perhaps the best evidence of such claims can be found
in the case of the Holy Apostles. Before they realized
that He had risen from the dead, they were captive
to the fear of what might happen next. Before they
accepted the Resurrection of Christ,
their lives were ordinary, limited
and dare we say, forgettable. A
noted theologian once went so
far as to argue that the most
powerful historical proof of the
Resurrection is the resurrected
disciples. He documented how
dull, defeated people at once
became fearless, adventuresome
leaders. Cowards became courageous;
the timid became triumphant;
and the inept did the impossible.
In other words, the moment the
risen Christ became the center of
their life, it became the hallmark
of a new life, A LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS. And the fact of
the matter is that this new and boundless life in Christ
did NOT begin or end with the rst Christians. This
reality transcends time and space. This truth is ours
to have and it is ours to share.
Men and women need to stop looking to become god
and start looking TO God. Only in this way can people
experience the full potential and boundless nature of
their life. Only by looking to God, can men and women
discover that the Resurrection of Christ is a historical fact
as well as a transformative contemporary reality. Only
by looking to God, can mankind realize that with Him
nothing is impossible. The sooner the focus of life moves
(Continued on page 4)
PASTORAL MESSAGE
Life
in the
Balance
PAGE 3
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2011
I will turn their mourning into
joy,
I will comfort them,
and give them gladness for sorrow.
JEREMI AH 31: 13
Make your legacy
of love for your parish
ETERNAL,
remember
the Annunciation in
your Will.
SAVE THE DATE
PARISH
ASSEMBLY
Sunday,
September 11th,
2011
WISDOM:
God is a fire that warms and
kindles the heart and inward
parts.
Hence, if we feel in our hearts
the cold which comes from the
devil - for the devil is cold -
let us call on the Lord.
He will come to warm our hearts
with perfect love,
not only for Him
but also for our neighbor,
and the cold of him who hates
the good will
flee before the heat
of His countenance.
St. Seraphim of Sarov
WELCOME
PETER GESS
We are pleased to note
that our very own Peter
Gess has graciously
accepted the invitation
to fll a vacancy on the
Parish Council until the
Parish Council elections in December. We
thank Peter for his dedication and abiding
commitment to serve the Parish.
THE PROMISE
PAGE 4
THE PASTORAL MESSAGE
(Continued from page 2)
away from fear and dependence ones own inner
strength to the limitless life in the Jesus Christ and
the strength that comes from being in His Body (the
Church), the sooner people will nd peace. For the
true potential of our life can never be contained when
we make Christ the center of our life. Our life will
never be incomplete when it is centered on the joy of
knowing, loving, following and serving the Lord our
God.

To all those who wish more out of life, we say come
to Church, come alive in Christ. To all those who feel
burdened by fear and worry, we say come to Church,
come alive in Christ. To all those who dream of
things rather than eternity, we say come to Church,
come alive in Christ. To all those insist on their own
way and refuse to bend a knee to God, we say come
to Church and come alive in Christ.
And just to be safe, lets compare human capabilities
versus Gods. Mankind has never found the cure for
death, only more ways to advance it. GOD is without
beginning or end; on top of which He graciously offers
us eternal life in Him. Mankind has never created a
treasure that cannot be stolen, devalued, corrupted or
lost. GODS gifts are free, never-ending and accessible
to all. Mankind has never been able to answer every
question or catalog everything that there is to know.
Meanwhile, science has not yet begun to unravel all
of GODS handiwork in the human body, nature or
in the cosmos (let alone understand the grandeur of
heaven). With that in mind, is it really so far fetched
to look to God for a limitless life? And when we
start to look inward instead of UPWARDS for a happy
life without limits, let us remind ourselves as faithful
Christians to the immortal words of the Lord in the
Gospel according to John 14:19: Yet a little while, and
the world will see me no more, but you will see me; because I
live, you will live also.
The secular world cannot comprehend the full
potential of life because it has blinded itself with
greed, lust for power, faithlessness and arrogance. But
in the Church we meet
the risen Christ and are
reminded of the fact
that because He lives,
we live. The secular
world can never show
the way to boundless
life because it has fallen
blindly in love with sin
and death. Meanwhile
at the Annunciation we
meet God; and He not
only give us the breath
of life, but He, Himself,
show us the Way.
This does not mean we
will not face sorrow,
setbacks or suffering in
our life. Sadly as long
as we are in the fallen
world, we will confront
evil, be tempted to go
astray and wrestle with
weaknesses. But we are
not prisoners of the world, we can choose to be free
in Christ. We can either decide to spend our days,
wishing for more out of life and appreciate nothing.
Or we can follow Christ every day, and begin to enjoy
a boundless new life in Him.
Once and for all, the truth of the risen Christ does
NOT limit our point of view, let alone our life.
Instead, it gives our life context and frees us from
death. The instruction, dogma and authority of the
Church does NOT limit human potential; it liberates
us from the errors and pitfalls that can impair our
relationship with the living God illumes the path to
the risen Christ. So as we bid farewell to the summer,
let us renew our prayer life, let us renew our worship
of the Lord at the Annunciation and let us renew our
commitment to follow Him. In this way, we can most
assuredly grasp the limitless life in Christ.
Rev. Dr. Nicholas J. Verdaris
Men
and
women
need to stop
looking to
become god
and
start
looking
TO
God.
PAGE 5
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2011
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 time.
To do this as an
expression of love.
It 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.
SUNDAY SERVICES
MATINS, 9:00 AM
DIVINE LITURGY, 10:00 AM
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
ORTHODOX LEADERSHIP
IN A BRAVE NEW WORLD
by Fr. Johannes L. Jacobse
Almost thirty years ago Soviet dissident Alexander
Solzhenitsyn delivered an address at Harvard University
that still ranks as one of the most trenchant and inspired
critiques of Western culture ever given. Although some
of the political references are dated, two observations
remain as true today as when they were rst spoken. The
rst is that the philosophical materialism that shaped
communism and led to the Gulags now operates in the
Western world. The second is that mankind stands at an
anthropological threshold.
What is philosophical materialism? To use Solzhenitsyns
denition, it is the belief that man has no touchstone
other than himself: To such consciousness, man is the touchstone
in judging and evaluating everything on earth . . . we have lost the
concept of a Supreme Complete Entity which used to restrain our
passions and our irresponsibility.
Philosophical materialism has concrete cultural
ramications. To social utopians, it means that persons
have no enduring valueso society can be forcibly
arranged around notions of the common good. To
hedonists, it means that the body is primarily a pleasure
machine. To nihilists, it means that because the death
of the body is also the end of existence, we should exalt
death and violence.
These themes shaped much of the course of the last
century. Solzhenitsyn had rsthand experience of
Marxist social utopianism, but he was not the rst to
sound the alarm. Almost a century earlier, Dostoevsky
heard the rumblings that would make Russia susceptible
to communist tyranny and warned, Without God,
everything is permitted.
PROPHETS OF THE WEST
The Democratic West had its own literary prophets,
(Continued on page 9)
THE PROMISE
PAGE 6
BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST
The Annunciation family congratulates Keith
& Allison Freeman on the baptism of their
daughter, AUBREY ELIZABETH FREEMAN, who
was baptized at the Annunciation on JUNE 25TH.
Mark & Jana Hunter are the proud godparents.
May the Lord bless our newest servant of the
Lord, along with all of his family and friends!
eee
The Annunciation family congratulates
Ciprian Terlea & Amber Cardinale on
the baptism of
their son, GIOVANNI
CARDINALE TERLEA,
who was baptized at
the Annunciation on
JULY 30TH. Marian &
Liliana Dima are the
proud godparents.
May the Lord bless
our newest servant
of the Lord, along
with all of his
family and friends!
OUR CONDOLENCES
The Annunciation family notes with deep
sadness the passing of our sister in Christ, ALICE
MARIE COBB, the mother of our very own Brad
Cobb,who fell asleep in the Lord.
eee
The Annunciation family notes with deep sadness
the passing of our brother in Christ, JOSEPH
BEAU DICKEY, the son of our very own Joe &
Suzanne Dickey, who fell asleep in the Lord.
eee
The Annunciation family notes with deep sadness
the passing of our brother in Christ, JAMES
GILLASPY, our beloved parishioner and husband of
Cathyrn Gillaspy, who fell asleep in the Lord.
eee
The Annunciation family notes with deep
sadness the passing of our brother in Christ, NALI
KASSEES our beloved parishioner who fell asleep
in the Lord.
eee
Let us keep all of these families in our prayers and
beseech the Lord to offer them His comfort and strength
May Their Memory Be Eternal.
BABY NEWS
We are pleased to announce the birth of
Kristina Sophia Vasquez! She was born at
5:54pm on Thursday, June 9, 2011. She
was 19 1/2 inches long, weighed 7 pounds
3 ounces. To her parents Dimitri & Fofe
and grandparents Ray & Lea Ging, we say
Congratulations
PAGE 7
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2011
WHAT IF...
What if God couldn't take the time to bless
us today because we couldn't take the time
to thank Him yesterday. . .
What if God decided to stop leading us
tomorrow because we didn't follow Him
today. . .
What if God didn't walk with us today
because we failed to recognize it as His day. . .
What if we never saw another ower bloom
because we grumbled when God sent the
rain. . .
What if God stopped loving and caring for
us because we failed to love and care for
others. . .
What if God took away the Bible tomorrow
because we would not read it today. . .
What if God took away His message because
we failed to listen to the messenger. . .
What if God didn't send His Only Begotten
Son because He wanted us to be prepared to
pay the price for sin. . .
What if the door of the church was closed
because we did not open the door to our
heart. . .
WHAT IF GOD ANSWERED OUR PRAYERS
THE WAY WE ANSWER HIS CALL
TO SERVICE?
-Author Unknown-
CONGRATULATIONS
The Annunciation family joyously congratulates
NEHAD & ARLENE KASSEES who were married on June
5th. Their union in Christ was sponsored by Ranya Kassees
The Annunciation family joyously congratulates
NICHOLAS & KELLEY KOLETTIS who were married
at the Annunciation on June 18th Their union in
Christ was sponsored by James Kolettis
eee
May God grant you many years
of faith, love & happiness!
YOUTH MINISTRIES ARE LAUNCHING
...GET ON BOARD!
The Annunciations youth ministries are restarting.
JOY (Junior Orthodox Youth): our ministry to the
youngest members of our Church family up to age 9.
JUNIOR GOYA: our program geared for those youth too
old for JOY and too young for GOYA! GOYA (Greek
Orthodox Youth of America): our ministry geared
towards those young people in our Church family
ages 13-18. These three vital ministries strive to instill
Orthodox Christian principles and enhance our young
peoples relationship with Christ through their religious
and social life at the Annunciation. These ministries are
guided by the principles of: Faith, Service, Fellowship
& Fun. THE MORE OUR YOUTH PARTICIPATE, AND
THE MORE PARENTS VOLUNTEER - THE BETTER THESE
MINISTRIES FUNCTION.
PLEASE register for these programs and all
together let us enjoy a dynamic youth ministry
at the Annunciation!
THE PROMISE
PAGE 8
OUR STEWARDSHIP
Our Stewardship commitment to the Annunciation
is tangible evidence of our love and devotion
to God and our integral connection with His
Church. And despite the very difficult times we
currently confronting in this country, each and
every one of us serve an essential role in supporting
the Annunciation in Little Rock and helping to
ensuring its survival. Therefore, we must regularly
and prayerfully search our hearts to find the faithful
measure by which we will personally support the
work of the Lord at the Annunciation in grateful
recognition of His Divine Presence in our life
and as a loving expression of appreciation for
the blessings He has entrusted unto us. Christ
our 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.
2
0
1
1
Our friends & neighbors are still talking about
our 2011 Festival!! We are pleased to note that the
Annunciation Church family has received once again
this year received many accolades for our Festival
(in spite of the rain). In fact, in two separate and
independent surveys, one conducted by the LITTLE
ROCK FAMILY MAGAZINE and the other by SAVVY KIDS
MAGAZINE, our International Greek Food Festival was
voted by the readers and men and women of Arkansas
as the Second best Festival in the state of Arkansas!!!!
In both cases, only the mammoth and city sponsored
Riverfest took top honors.
We must thank God for entrusting us with such a great
responsibility as our Festival and then enabling us to create
a function that so many of our friends and neighbors
in the community appreciate. After all, throughout the
state a host of festivals and events are conducted by a
wide array of cities, towns and organizations - and the
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Little Rock
has one of the most beloved! Considering our size, it
is by every measure a breathtaking achievement! Such
compliments by the general public must not only warm
our hearts, but inspire us as we continue to move the
Festival forward. Encouraged by such praise, our entire
Church family must renew its commitment to this
massive (and beloved) undertaking as well as remind
us all of the great opportunity the Festival provides us
to present our Orthodox Christian faith and wonderful
parish to wider audience within our state.
Thank God for 2011,
may He bless us as we prepare for 2012!!!!
2012 FESTIVAL NEWS
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.
REMINDER:
ALL CHARITY APPLICATION LETTERS FOR
THE 2012 FESTIVAL
MUST RECEIVED BY NOVEMBER 6TH
FOR CONSIDERATION!
PAGE 9
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2011
ORTHODOX LEADERSHIP
(Continued from page 5)
who, while not steeped in Christianity as deeply as
Solzhenitsyn or Dostoevsky, nevertheless understood the
Christian moral tradition and thus were able to discern
the cultural trends that Solzhenitsyn would express so
clearly at Harvard years later.
One such visionary was George Orwell, who foresaw
the tyranny of the social utopianism that follows when
traditional notions of truth and virtue are supplanted,
and confronted it in 1984. Another was Aldous Huxley,
who, in his classic BRAVE NEW WORLD, focused more on
the elevation of pleasure and the senseless preoccupation
with stimulation that would afict culture once moral
norms shifted. Neil Postman, in his brilliant AMUSING
OURSELVES TO DEATH, pointed out the differences
between the two authors:
What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What
Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for
there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those
who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who
would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and
egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us.
Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance.
Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we
would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of
the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy.
As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil
libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose
tyranny failed to take into account mans almost innite appetite
for distractions. In 1984, Huxley added, people are controlled
by inicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by
inicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will
ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us.
As trenchant as Orwells and Huxleys prophecies were,
however, Solzhenitsyns emerges as more compelling
because of his explicit religious appeal. In locating the
cultural calamities in the loss of an awareness of God,
he shows the stance Christiansparticularly those who
understand that current cultural conicts require more
than a political solutionshould take today.
THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL THRESHOLD
Mankind, said Solzhenitsyn (and here he means
Christendomthe culture that drew from the well of
Judeo-Christian morality), stands on an anthropological
threshold as signicant as the shift from the medieval to
the modern period: If the world has not come to its end, it has
approached a major turn in history, equal in importance to the turn
from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. It will exact from us a
spiritual upsurge, we shall have to rise to a new height of vision, to
a new level of life where our physical nature will not be cursed as
in the Middle Ages, but, even more importantly, our spiritual being
will not be trampled upon as in the Modern era.
Anthropology comes from the Greek word anthropos,
which means man. In theological terms, anthropology
means what we understand the human person to be. It
encompasses who he is, what he was created for, how he
should comport himselfall the constituents of mans
existence that raise him above the animal, that dene
his purpose, that make meaning out of his relationships.
Consider Solzhenitsyns exhortation in the questions
facing us today, especially the looming issues concerning
the advancements in medical technology. We have
unlocked some secrets about human life that were
unthinkable just a generation or two ago. Who would
have thought we could map the human genome or grow
organs from a single cell, as it appears may soon be the
case? Who foresaw such advancements as locating and
even correcting fetal abnormalities? Who guessed that
we could extend life expectancy by decades in some cases?
These advancements are front and center for several
reasons. First, they require us to answer foundational
questions about the nature and value of the human
person. These questions have not been answered, at
least in terms that have achieved any kind of cultural
consensus. Secondly, how they are answered will drive
research and development in the future. Frankly, how
we decide these questions will determine what kind of
society we bequeath to our children and grandchildren.
These advancements are fraught with ethical difculty.
Is it wrong to test for Downs Syndrome in an unborn child?
(Continued on page 13)
THE PROMISE
PAGE 10
2
0
1
1

F
e
s
t
i
v
a
l

S
h
i
n
e
s
!
PAGE 11
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2011
Special thanks to our master photographer Lyle Glass for
preserving these memories!!!
THE PROMISE
PAGE 12
SAVE THE DATE!
Parish General Assembly
Sunday, September 11th
eee
Parish General Assembly
Sunday, December 4th
Working together to the Glory of God,
let us serve His Church at the Annunciation
with hearts brimming with faith & love.
ANNUNCIATION
GODPARENT SUNDAY -
OCTOBER 23RD
Our Church family is going to pause to remember
our Baptismal/Chrismation vows as well as honor
the Godparents who sponsored our entrance into
the Holy Church on Sunday, October 23rd. On this
special day we will have the blessed opportunity to
renew our dedication to Christ as well as celebrate
our sacred relationship with our Godparents.
If possible,
Godparents and Godchildren should
attend the Divine Liturgy together,
sit near each other
and then receive Holy Communion
together.
Even if our Godparents are far way or have fallen
asleep in the Lord, in the Risen Christ they will
be with us! So let us all rededicate ourselves to the
Lord and share in His Heavenly Banquet together.
WORDS TO THE WISE:
It is not the critic who counts;
not the man who points out
how the strong man stumbles,
or
where the doer of deeds could
have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man
who is actually in the arena,
whose face is marred by dust and
sweat and blood,
who strives valiantly;
who errs and comes short again
and again;
because there is not
effort without error and
shortcomings;
but who does actually strive to
do the deed;
who knows the great
enthusiasm,
the great devotion,
who spends himself in a worthy
cause,
who at the best knows in
the end the triumph of high
achievement and who at the
worst,
if he fails,
at least he fails while daring
greatly.
So that his place shall never be
with those cold and timid souls
who know neither victory nor
defeat.
- President Theodore Roosevelt
PAGE 13
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2011
ORTHODOX LEADERSHIP
(Continued from page 9)
Is it wrong to extract stem cells from embryos? How
far do our obligations to keep people alive really go?
These types of questions are highly contentious, as any
student of the culture knows. One thing we know for
certain is that as our knowledge increases, the ethical
questions concerning the nature and value of human
life will become more numerous and complexand the
contention is likely to increase.
The contention has been largely dened in political terms.
Every reader is familiar with the hot-button conicts
teen sexuality, homosexual marriage, abortion, the Terri
Schiavo dilemmathat have been fought in the public
arena. The political arena will always remain a venue
for moral conicts, but we sell ourselves short if we
conclude that the political dimension is the arena where
these questions will nd their nal resolution.
For Solzhenitsyn, spiritual development and self-awareness
work hand-in-handclearly a Christian value self-evident
to any Orthodox Christian. But he also warns that
because Western culture has been sidetracked into
a philosophical materialism that has dimmed mans
spiritual awareness, its future is threatened. The only
way out of the present morass is spiritual renewal.
Solzhenitsyn experienced the ravages of the spiritual
darkening rsthand, particularly during his eight years
in a Soviet prison. There he received the fundamental
insight that would propel his ground breaking work:
The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor
between political partiesbut right through every human heart.
The timing of his Harvard speech couldnt have been
better. His words fell on the ears of a nation that was
already experiencing the wrenching dislocations of
a cataclysmic shift in moral values and social order
from the sexual revolution to riots in its citiesin ways
unprecedented in its history. At the same time, the
wondrousand fearfulunlocking of the deep mysteries
of human nature was moving into full swing. America
had entered a culture war.
(Continued on page 14)
WITNESSING LOYALTY,
DEDICATION AND DEPENDABILITY
by Fr. George Morelli
Beloved, it is a loyal thing you do when you render any service
to the brethren, especially to strangers, who have testied to your
love before the church. (3 John 1: 5-6)
Dedication, loyalty and dependability are important
values to impart to children. Our Lord, Himself,
speaking through the angel, told the people of Laodicea:
So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor
hot, I will spew you out of my mouth. (Rev 3:16). The
inhabitants of Laodicea lacked fervent commitment.
Our Lord counsels them to be zealous. (Rev 3: 19). Not
only are dedication, loyalty and dependability spiritual
virtues but they are regarded as essential in social and
occupational functioning in everyday life as well.
For example, a well known youth program stated goal
of, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), is to put youth on
a path toward a more conscientious, responsible, and
productive society. i It should be noted that the rst two
Scouting laws are directly related to this goal as well as
to the topic of this Parenting essay: dedication, loyalty
and dependability:
> A Scout is Trustworthy. A Scout tells the truth.
He is honest, and he keeps his promises. People can
depend on him.
> A Scout is Loyal. A Scout is true to his family,
friends, Scout leaders, school, and nation.
MODELING:
CHILDREN LEARN BY WATCHING.
Children are especially susceptible to being inuenced
by modeling (also known as observational learning)
although the effects of modeling occur at all ages.
Psychological research has found substantial support
for the inuence of modeling in childrens learning and
resultant performance. The work of Gerald Patterson
suggests that pro-social as well as deviant social behavior
(Continued on page 20)
THE PROMISE
PAGE 14
ORTHODOX LEADERSHIP
(Continued from page 13)
THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL DIMENSION
OF THE CULTURE WAR
The culture war is fundamentally a conict about
anthropologyhow we value the human being, how
we ought to dene him, the purpose for his existence,
what social arrangements society deems suitable for men
and women, and so forth. And politics emerged as the
prominent battleeld for the conict.
Complex conicts tend to drift toward simplication,
and the culture war was no exception. Cultural
liberalism and cultural conservatism roughly followed
political lines: Democrats were liberal and Republicans
were conservative. It wasnt a perfect t, but even a big
suit on a small man still covers his body.
No one has really been comfortable with the
arrangement, except perhaps the activists. Adding to
the discomfort is our characteristically American way
of adjudicating moral conict. American culture has
no institution of moral judgment. We have no national
Church, no council of legislative elders, and no nal
court of arbitration that can denitively resolve the
perplexing moral questions that face us. As a result, the
debates and political maneuverings that follow are often
raucous and chaotic affairs.
There is wisdom in this system of apparent chaos,
however. The Founding Fathers, in refusing to establish
a central authority of moral judgment, ensured that
these questions must be addressed by the culture itself,
thereby afrming the precept, politics follows culture, in
ways that inhibit any imposition of a nal adjudication
from the state.
This precept is also drawn from the Christian tradition.
It is grounded in the notion that the power of the state
draws not only from the consent of the people, but from
a people grounded in the Christian moral tradition.
Solzhenitsyn, again stressing the anthropological
dimension, himself acknowledged this point in the
Harvard address: Yet in the early democracies, as in the American
democracy at the time of its birth, all individual human rights were
granted on the ground that man is Gods creature. That is, freedom
was given to the individual conditionally, in the assumption of his
constant religious responsibility.
The model built by the Founding Fathers is not a perfect
formula, but it does resist the tyranny that Solzhenitsyn
experienced in Soviet Russia. One way is by providing
a uidity through which reform movements can arise.
Take Democrats for Life, for example. Five short years
ago an internal challenge to the hard-line pro-abortion
position held by Democratic Party leadership was
virtually unthinkable. But there it is.
Politics will always play a role in the great moral debates.
Its the American way. In taking questions to the culture,
then, we need to look past (but not overlook) the political
factors and dene more clearly the anthropological
dimension of the debate. Its a complex topic, so lets
restrict our discussion to one important theme: the use
and misuse of the Christian moral vocabulary.
MORAL DECONSTRUCTION
Moral deconstruction can be dened as the systematic
take-down and restructuring of the moral assumptions
that used to guide our decisions, especially those that
touched on the foundational constituents dening our
self-understanding and value. These would include
decisions about life, death, sexuality, purpose, meaning,
sacrice, and more.
Coming back to our literary prophets, we can see that
cultural deconstruction was what they feared. Orwell
warned against the imposition of tyranny, Huxley
against a mechanization of the body, and Solzhenitsyn
against a moral redenition of man through which his
God-given direction towards freedom (ultimately found
in Christ) would be obscured.
Ideas have consequences. How we think determines
how we act. This describes not only the individual but
also the society he inhabits. A society cannot continue to
(Continued on page 17)
PAGE 15
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2011
THANK You!!!
With your help, the Annunciation GOYA and youth
ministries conducted another a very successful
rummage sale. It was quite project, but thanks
to everyones generosity, this endeavor not only
strengthened our parishs youth ministries but
all of the donated items that were not able to be
sold were in turn donated to a local chapter of
the Boys & Girls Club. Thanks again to all those
advisors and adults who helped this project
get off the ground again this year: STAR AKEL, TANSA
BISHARA, WAYNE & CLAIR ALLEY, STEPHANIE ALLEY, HELEN HRONAS
& JANET MIRON, and to all your young people who
worked so hard for two weeks before and early
on Saturday Morning to make sure that our
Rummage sale was another grand success.
BRAVO!!!
THE PROMISE
PAGE 16
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
to our parishioners celebrating
during the upcoming months!
September 1st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeremy Diggins
Susan Ward
September 2nd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nic Roy
September 3rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joseph Dickey
Oksana Pavilv
September 5th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gabriela Tsoukatos
September 6th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . James Daly
September 7th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephanie Leake
September 9th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Issa Kassissieh
September 10th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Haitham Alley
September 11th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Suzanne Dickey
September 12th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . George Plastiras
Anna Marie Plastiras
September 13th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Giovana Cimino
September 14th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Paul Cantrell
September 15th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew Bell
September 16th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tamara Kassissieh
September 17th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sharon Johnson
September 18th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fr. Nicholas
Nada Lelovic
September 19th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Richard Zraick
September 21st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christopher Akel
Will Martin
September 22nd . . . . . . . . . . . . . Diane Montgomery
September 23rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Susan Campbell
September 24th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brian Alley
September 26th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mason Mann
October 3rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joaquin Tsoukatos
October 5th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alex Paslidis
October 10th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Henry
Athena Pappas
Fofe Vasquez
October 11th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Laura Miron
October 15th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fuad Farah
October 18th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robin Jones
October 21st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jack Weatherly
October 24th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jill Weatherly
October 26th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aubrey Freeman
October 28th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daniel Hunter
Maria Moutos
October 30th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nicholas Cobb
Samuel Moutos
E 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
September 4th . . . . . . . . . . . . . Susan McDowell
September 11th . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sharon Johnson
September 18th . . . . . . . Christopher Huckabay
September 25th . . . . . . . . . . . . .Carole Hawkins
October 2nd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jack Weatherly
October 9th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Hunter
October 16th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robin Jones
October 23rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Susan McDowell
October 30th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sharon Johnson
PAGE 17
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2011
ORTHODOX LEADERSHIP
(Continued from page 14)
function without shared notions of right and wronga
dynamic we call the moral consensus. These ideas and
values function as universals, as ways that a society
organizes itself.
Further, these ideas depend on language, because its
through language that the ideas are passed from one
generation to the next. They shape a story, a cultural
narrative, which references ideas and actions to a larger
body of meaning. Solzhenitsyn, in arguing that the moral
touchstone has shifted from God to man in Western
culture, thereby implies the narrative has shifted as well.
Solzhenitsyn says as much by writing the Gulag series,
which attempted (successfully as it turns out) to destroy
the Marxist cultural narrative by telling the truth about
it, employing the values and ideas of the traditional
narrative Marxist ideas sought to supplant.
In terms of how these concepts enter the culture,
however, Orwell is probably the clearest. IN POLITICS
AND THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, Orwell warned of how
the meanings of words are subverted to stand for ideas
and concepts that are not true to their meaning. The
promises of the socialist utopia sweeping Europe (and
the American intelligentsia) at the time were Orwells
target, but the dynamic remains true today.
In all corners of the culture, words drawn from the moral
tradition are employed to justify actions and behaviors
that the tradition otherwise discourages and often
prohibits. We saw it in the great debates about abortion
and euthanasia in the last few decades. The conict was
not only about competing moral values, but also about
the language by which those values were communicated.
Words like freedom, choice, human value, and others
whose meanings were relatively clear when the cultural
consensus was shaped by traditional Christian morality
now served a different function as that consensus
shattered.
This co-opting of the Christian moral lexicon is one
reason for the deep moral confusion in the culture. It
creates a kind of moral schizophrenia in which people
are unsure if right and wrong even exist. Repeat certain
words over and over again, and people will tend to believe
them. If these words have moral power, which is to say
if they derive their authority from the moral tradition,
people will tend to believe their new applications are the
tradition.
Thats what Huxley warned against. If man is a
biological machine, and if that machine responds to
pleasure, why not frame the pleasure-inducing activity
in the terminology of a private good? Orwell warned of
the same corruption. If man is machine, why not frame
the attempts at social reorganization in terms of the
common good? All it takes is wrestling common terms
from their traditional moral contexts and employing
them in ones that justify the dehumanization as progress.
Good becomes evil, and evil becomes good. Society has
reconstructed itself in a new moral order.
What makes Solzhenitsyns exhortation so compelling
(and ultimately more valuable) is his conviction that the
crisis is fundamentally one of anthropology. As such,
it might also be one of historical inevitability. Perhaps
our progress has forced this dilemma upon us, just as
the Nestorian controversy forced the elucidation of the
two natures of Christ, and the Arian controversy the
elucidation of Christs divinity. The question we as a
society need to answer is: What is Man?
THE RE-CHRISTIANIZATION OF CULTURE
As awe-inspiring as our technological advancements are,
and despite the promise they hold for the alleviation of
human suffering, the application of new technologies
towards the betterment of the human condition in terms
traditionally understood is not assured. The moral crisis
facing American culture, particularly the deconstruction
of cultural forms that managed to safeguard the common
and private good (and sometimes correct its failures), can
easily subvert the knowledge into something grotesque
and ugly while claiming to serve the good.
(Continued on page 18)
THE PROMISE
PAGE 18
ORTHODOX LEADERSHIP
(Continued from page 17)
Solzhenitsyn warned as much when he said the crisis
can only be resolved if man reawakens to the spiritual
dimension of his existence: This ascension will be similar to
climbing onto the next anthropologic stage. No one on earth has any
other way left butupward.
If Orthodox Christians should understand anything,
it is this: Salvation is a concrete, existential encounter
with the living God. Moreover, this Lord gives gifts,
including wisdom, knowledge, insight, and courage
all the elements needed to confront the maelstrom of
confusion in which our culture nds itself, and all meant
to be applied in the work of daily life, whether as mother,
researcher, mechanic, priestwhatever our vocation
may be.
Salvation is not understanding the correct theological
concepts; it is not nostalgia for civilizations past; it is not
formal membership in a long-standing parish; it is not
social activism; it is not morally appropriate behavior;
it is not mastery of the moral vocabulary. Further, it is
not enough to recall the certainty of the past. Nostalgic
impulses, as comforting as they may be (including the
Orthodox variants, such as the longings for Hellenistic
Greece or Holy Russia), simply wont meet the challenge.
Orthodox leadership today requires moral clarity and
courage. When Solzhenitsyn delivered his address three
decades ago, he spoke not as a philosopher, but as a
voice crying in the wilderness. He cried out against the
dehumanization of men he experienced in the East and
saw advancing in the West. Only people with moral
clarity and courage could successfully challenge it, he
exhorted. What the world needs is not more philosophers,
but moralists.
The exhortation drew from a supreme condence in
the power of truth. Solzhenitsyn believed that truth is
self-verifying. When the truth is spoken, its veracity is
self-evident to the hearer. This is a profoundly Christian
notion rooted in the teaching of the apostle Paul: When
the Gospel is preached, Christ (who is Truth) is revealed.
Any Orthodox response to the cultural challenge must
rst presume a recovery of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The wisdom of the Fathers, the artistry of the poets,
the healings of the miracle workers, the courage of the
martyrs, the knowledge of the scholars, the patience of
the teachers, the foresight of the bishops, the faithfulness
of the priestsall the elements that shaped and forged
the moral tradition that founded Western civilization
and must renew it todaystart with the recovery of
the Gospel. As Jesus said, I am the vine, you are the
branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears
much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing
(John 15:5).
Rev. Johannes L. Jacobse
is the president of the
AMERICAN ORTHODOX
INSTITUTE.
ATTENTION
GOYAns
Please remember that we will
need to set- up for the Halloween
Carnival
on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29th!

If we all pitch in,
it wont take long!!!
PAGE 19
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2011
LUNCHEON DISCUSSIONS ON
OUR FAITH
when: Sunday, October 9
where: Annunciation Ballroom
food: Will be provided!
cost: $0.
discussion
& fellowship: Priceless
you will be the only ingredient needed to
make this a success!
On SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9TH, all invited to partici-
pate in another edition of our Luncheon Discus-
sions on our Faith with Fr. Nicholas.
A QUESTION BOX will be set up for people to
anonymously write down question(s) about any
aspect of our faith, morality, etc. that they have
always wanted to ask and never could find an
opportunity to ask. Then on SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9TH
after the Divine Liturgy we will share a lunch together,
and Father Nicholas will answer the anonymous
questions that were submitted as well as any off
the floor. This will looks to be another enjoyable
opportunity for our Church family to break some
bread together, as well as discover a little bit more
about the Church and faith that is so very dear to
us and our life. Please make plans to join us.
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.
NAME: ______________________________
E-MAIL:______________________________
Cell: _______________________________
ADDRESS:____________________________
CITY:____________________STATE:______
ZIP:________
CHECK US OUT
Dont forget our website: WWW.
ORTHODOXCHURCH.COM! It has an
up to date monthly calendar, the
latest edition of THE PROMISE and
all sorts of information, you can
even contribute to the Church online!
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
THE PROMISE
PAGE 20
WITNESSING LOYALTY
(Continued from page 13)
is heavily inuenced by observing the social exchanges in
the family, as well as the childs temperament, parental
discipline style and personality, and the social context of
the family.
Bandura points out the four conditions that must be
present for effective observational learning to take place:
1) ATTENTION TO THE MODEL. The amount and
quality of attention to characteristics of the model such
as: salience (e.g., attractiveness, competence; prestige,
similarity to the observer); the affective valence of the
model, that is to say whether strong or weak emotions
are aroused by it; its functional value and prevalence
as well as the attention characteristics of the observer:
e.g. their perceptual cognitive capability, cognitive set
(thought patterns) and arousal level at the time.
2) RETENTION PROCESSES. The encoding processes
of the observer: their level of or capacity for verbal or
imagery, cognitive organization, their rehearsal and
memory skills.
3) MOTOR REPRODUCTION PROCESSES. The observers
ability to replicate the models behavior: through physical
capability and component sub-skills and observation of
feedback. A child in a wheelchair will not be able to
reproduce the behavior of a high-jumper.
4) MOTIVATIONAL PROCESSES. The external, internal,
hedonistic, social, moral, or religious incentives, or
compelling reasons, that motivate the observer to
perform (or avoid) the models behavior. A little girl can
imagine herself being applauded if she sings like her
favorite pop star.
A child who observes a parent behaving in a dependable
way will be learning dependability themselves. In a
previous paper I noted the importance of behavioral
pinpointing. Behavioral pinpointing has to be done both
in informing the child what appropriate behaviors are
expected and also in reinforcing appropriate behavior
and helping the child
to cognitively un-
derstand the specic
appropriate behaviors
to be performed.
While appearing easy
the next step:
pinpointing behavior
is usually the most
difcult for parents to
learn. The denition
is easy: what is the
child doing or saying,
when, and where.
It is the opposite of
general descriptions.
For example, describing a toddlers eating as good
is totally useless. Telling a child You were bad today
is equally meaningless. Words like good, bad, hostile,
considerate . . . , etc. are all abstract words, meaningless
for behavioral management. If a teacher reports back
to you that your son was hostile today. What does this
mean? It could mean anything from the child using
some rude word to a classmate, to picking up a baseball
bat and hitting someone.
Merely telling a child (or anyone, for that matter) to be
more dedicated, loyal and or dependable is ineffective
in communicating and facilitating behavior change. It is
to fall into the abstraction trap. One aid would be for
parents to start out pinpointing their own dependable
behavior. If a parent takes a child to an after school
activity, instead of merely saying for example, Ill take
you to baseball practice this afternoon after school,
they may highlight the consistency and dependability of
their action when they fulll it: Johnny, you know when
Mommy says she will be there at 3:30 to pick you up,
she means it, you know she is true to her word; when she
says something it can be counted on. That is the way all
of us should try to be.
PINPOINT LOYALTY, DEDICATION, DEPENDABLE
BEHAVIOR
In aiding the child to learn loyalty, dedication and
PAGE 21
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2011
responsibility the child should be informed in
behaviorally pinpointed terms exactly what is expected
from him or her. (This is also true for adult interaction
as well. Poor spouses, managers etc. ask others to
try harder or be more detailed or care more;
not realizing these terms are abstractions, having
many different possible interpretations, and are quite
ineffective in communicating and facilitating behavior
change). Certainly, children will have a difcult time
knowing what a parent means if abstract instructions
are given, for example, if the child is told to simply be
more dedicated. A pinpointed instruction delineating
the specic dedication behavior should be given.
For example: Johnny, you said you wanted to take up
martial arts, Mom and I are willing to buy your uniform
and will commit ourselves to take you to all the practices
and events. But your responsibility is to be dedicated and
responsible to attend all these practices and to do the
homework assignments given. This example actually
comes from a family I treated in counseling several years
ago. It was so effective the child would often come into the
family therapy session in his uniform and demonstrate
his martial arts movements for me. I was happy to point
out how pleased I was with his dedication and success.
REINFORCING THE PINPOINTED BEHAVIOR
Once again, in a previous paper I pointed out that when
rewarding (or punishing) a child one should specify the
pinpointed behavior and not use abstract, ambiguous
statements. For example, it is so tempting to praise a
child by saying Johnny, you were a good boy today;
or, Sally, Dad and Mom think youre wonderful. An
effective everyday life example I gave was: All behaviors
- good and bad - will increase if followed by a reward.
For example, if a child places their dirty dishes in a sink
(a good behavior) and the parent responds with Mary,
I am proud of you for putting dishes in the sink, the
behavior is reinforced and will increase.
Notice in this example that the behavior of putting the
dishes in the sink is specied. So too, if a child performs
a dependable behavior the behavior performed should
be specied in the social reinforcement given by the
parent. For example: Johnny, you said you would take
out the garbage cans immediately after you came home
from school;you did, great dependable work; Mary,
you told your new friend Sally, you would stick up for
her when someone teased her at school; I saw you do
this; that is very loyal of you; Sammy, at the beginning
of this school year you said if we got you a saxophone
you would attend and perform all the assigned practices.
Mom and dad are proud of you for keeping your word
and dedication.
A COUPLE OF PERSONAL EXAMPLES
When I was growing up I lived in the last house on the
edge of a very rural upstate New York village. When I
entered high school, I was asked to take care of an elderly
neighbors horse. This meant getting up in the morning
way before school, biking to the farm, then giving the
horse fresh water, hay and oats. Many mornings were
very cold and it was even more difcult on snowy days.
I had to repeat this in the afternoon after school as
well. Once a week I had to clean the barn and groom
the horse. I knew a commitment was a commitment. I
gave my word. I did get a small salary, but even at that
time the pay was not close to the value of the chore I
committed to.
My last two years in high school were dedicated to my
village church. I was blessed to be chief altar boy as well
as sacristan. My daily and weekly duties entailed setting
out the appropriate vestments for the priest to robe, as
well as the required sacred vessels and altar xings. I was
expected to be available for all church services to ll in if
one of the other altar boys was missing. (Recall, I lived in
a very small, isolated village. The parish church was just
down the block). I had a key to the Church building and
was expected to make sure it was locked in the evening.
When I think back, quite a responsibility for a teenager.
After being graduated from high school, I went off to the
seminary for a life of further dedication to Christ and His
Church.
DEVELOPMENTAL ASSETS
Certain external and internal assets facilitate interiorizing
loyalty, dependability and dedication. Among the major
(Continued on page 22)
THE PROMISE
PAGE 22
REGARDING THE CHURCH
& TRADITION
WHAT ARE `OUR TRADITIONS?
THEY ARE EVERYTHING
THAT THE GOD-MAN CHRIST,
HE HIMSELF,
AND BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, GAVE THE
COMMANDMENT TO HOLD AND TO LIVE
ACCORDING TO THEN;
WHATEVER HE DELIVERED IN HIS CHURCH,
IN WHICH HE DWELLS CONTINUOUSLY WITH
HIS HOLY SPIRIT
(CF. MT. 28:19-29).
`OUR TRADITIONS
ARE OUR WHOLE LIFE IN GRACE IN GOD,
CHRIST,
AND THE HOLY SPIRIT,
THE LIFE OF US CHRISTIANS,
WHICH BEGAN IN THE CHURCH OF CHRIST,
THROUGH THE APOSTLES,
BY THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
ALL OF THIS LIFE OF OURS IS NOT FROM US,
BUT FROM THE LORD JESUS,
BY THE GRACE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT,
OR, MORE PRECISELY,
OUR ENTIRE LIFE IS FROM THE FATHER,
THROUGH THE SON, AND IN THE HOLY
SPIRIT.
- Saint Justin Popovich
WITNESSING LOYALTY
(Continued from page 21)
external factors are: a strong family support and
communication system whereby youngsters are willing
and open to listen to parental advice; a caring
neighborhood, school and church support system
encouraging and valuing youth involvement; good
parental, adult and peer models. Internal factors include
encouraging achievement, a milieu of pro-social values
[and for the Orthodox Christian family, that would mean
values that are centered on Christ and His teachings],
cognitive and social competency and healthy identity
and self-esteem.
JESUS TEACHING: THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER
The importance of steadfastness, the spiritual term
that incorporates loyalty, dependability and dedication,
symbolized by the seed that takes root and comes to
fruition, was told to us by Jesus Himself, in the Parable
of the Sower: A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some
seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.
Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and
immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but
when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root
they withered away. Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns
grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought
forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who
has ears, let him hear (Mt 13: 3-9).
Steadfast loyalty and dedication to a task, especially
spiritual tasks, are succinctly summarized by Jesus as
recorded by St. Luke (9: 62): No one who puts his
hand to the plow and looks back is t for the kingdom
of God. In this regard, it should be noted that many
commitments that are made involve giving our word
to others about something about some service we will
perform. In a recent paper I point out that agape comes
under the guise of service to others.
(Continued on page 26)
PAGE 23
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2011
2012 PARISH COUNCIL
ELECTION NOTICE
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, 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.
2012 Halloween Carnival!
Our GOYAns are looking forward to hosting
another fabulous event that will be fun for ALL
ages! So make sure to find something fun to
wear and keep
Sunday,
October
30th
at 6:00pm
...clear!
See you there!
E
xplore T
he
O
rthodox C
hristian F
aith
Lets go deeper into the Word of the Lord and
the teachings of the Church!
We are going to continue to explore our
Orthodox Christian Faith in the light of
St. Pauls Letter to the Romans.
All are invited - no previous experience or
expertise required, just a desire to grow in Christ!
WEDNESDAY, September 14th at 6:30pm


October 5th at 6:30pm



October 19th at 6:30pm



November 2nd at 6:30pm
KITCHEN REMINDER!
Please remember that if any items are used
from the Church Kitchen for Fellowship Hour,
etc. they need to be cleaned aferwards.
Te washing of dishes, utensils, etc. is not
included in our agreement with the Cleaning
Service.
THE PROMISE
PAGE 24
S
A
N
A
N
T
O
N
IO
T
R
A
V
E
L
E
R
S
!
As the pictures m
ake clear, our youth and advisors
had a wonderful adventure in San Antonio, T
X
.
O
ur young people once again em
bodied the very
best attributes of our C
hurch fam
ily in all facets of
the trip. Everyone from
Little Rock enjoyed m
uch
laughter, endured m
uch heat, developed a greater
appreciation for seafood, better understand the
m
eaning of road trip and have host of fond
m
em
ories!
W
e m
ust all m
ake sure to give special thanks to
those adults who along with Fr. N
icholas personally
m
ade this joyful excursion possible: W
AYNE &
C
LAIR
ALLEY, T
INA ALLEY, K
ATHERINE BURKS, ANNA C
LIFT,
EVA SARGENT AND PRESBYTERA M
ARIA V
ERDARIS. O
ur
beautiful parish is truly blessed to be able to provide
our youth with such opportunities that not only build
stronger bonds, but provide m
em
ories that will last
a life tim
e. W
ithout the faithful com
m
itm
ent of our
entire parish, the C
hristian integrity of our youth
and the sacrifice of parents and advisors, such events
would be im
possible. T
hanks be to G
od for such
opportunities!
What do you mean the Parish Council
President has to lead the youth on the roller
coaster?
Another
walking tour?
Y!
anks Kerri
I have not been
eating enough...
Tese new Pom
unIforms are
nwrsomrt
How much
longer till
the boys
graduate
GOYA?
Shhhh...
PAGE 25
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2011
With visions of
Rummage Sales
dancing in his
head...
Somebody
is xin to get a whuppin...
Who is having fun?
And who does belong
in this picture???
p p p
p
Looking for Captain
Jack Sparrow
Father,
I have this idea for
new Altar Boy
vestments...
Who ordered the
Filet O Fish?
My name is Bond,
James Bond................
NOT!
e further adventures of
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
I love roller coasters
MORE than NY...
Seriously???
Smile,
I have a plan...
THE PROMISE
PAGE 26
WITNESSING LOYALTY
(Continued from page 22)
Service to others is one way to begin a life of love. Serving
those who are in real need of help is a way of loving
them; it is an act of love. Did not Jesus tell us: But not
so with you; rather let the greatest among you become as
the youngest, and the leader as one who serves (Lk 22:
26).
Love as agape is that it is an attitude, a heartfelt intention
and a set of actions that are aimed at the good and
welfare of the other in emulation of the seless, self-
emptying (kenotic) love Christ Himself had for us. Love
means having truly benecent care for the welfare of
others in thought word and deed. Steadfastness, that is
to say dependability, is acquiring the spiritual virtue of
carrying out this love to its completion.
FORTITUDE, ONE OF THE CARDINAL VIRTUES
We remember well St. Pauls reection on his own life:
I have fought the good ght, I have nished the race,
I have kept the faith. (2Tm 4:7). Our holy Spiritual
Father St. Barsanuphius informs us how a life of prayer
is so necessary to accomplish this end:
Therefore just as gold is red in a furnace and held by means of
tongs, being beaten into shape by the hammer and thereby being
tested and proving acceptable for a royal diadem, so also a person
who is supported by the prayers of the saints, which is able to and
indeed accomplish a great deal...
Parents and their offspring must add their prayers to the
prayers of the whole church so that all members of the
domestic church can give witness of loyalty to Christ and
of dependability and dedication in all their actions.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your
labor is not in vain.
(1Cor 15: 58)
UPCOMING EVENTS

> SEPT. 18TH - YOUTH LUNCH, MEETING & FUN
> SEPT. 28TH - OCT. 1 - METROPOLIS OF DETROIT
CLERGY/LAITY MEETING
> OCT. 9TH - LUNCHEON DISCUSSION WITH FATHER
> OCT. 15TH - YOUTH SAVE THE DATE
> OCT. 22ND - RACE FOR THE CURE
> OCT. 23RD - GODPARENT SUNDAY
> OCT. 29TH - SET-UP FOR HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL
> OCT. 30TH - HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL
> NOV. 13TH - SUNDAY SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE
> NOV. 20TH - THANKSGIVING LUNCHEON
What Happens
You Add
Homemade
Cookies

+
The
Philander Smith
Choir
+
Christmas Cheer
+
Our Church
Family?
The Annunciation
Christmas Cookie Party
on December 4th!
More details will be announced soon
PAGE 27
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2011
SU Mo TUis Wiu TuUvs Fvi S.1
5
Labor Day
Church Ofces are Closed
4
12th Sunday of Matthew
Matins 9:00am
Divine Liturgy 10:00am
12 11
Sunday Before Elevation
Matins 9:00am
Divine Liturgy 10:00am
Parish Assembly
18
Sunday After Elevation
Matins 9:00am
Divine Liturgy 10:00am
Youth Lunch & Fun
25
1st Sunday of Luke
Matins 9:00am
Divine Liturgy 10:00am
Clergy Meeting in Detroit
19
Stewardship Meeting 6:00 pm
26
Clergy Meeting in Detroit
7
14
Elevation of the Cross
Liturgy 9:30 am
Orthodox Study Class
6:00 pm
21
28
Clergy Meeting in Detroit
6
Scholarship Foundation Meeting
6:00 pm
13
Parish Council Meeting 6:00 pm
20
27
Clergy Meeting in Detroit
1
Church Ecclesiastical
New Year
8
Nativity of theTheotokos
Liturgy 9:30 am
15
22
29
Metropolis Clergy-Laity
Meeting in Detroit
2
9
16
23
30
Metropolis Clergy-Laity
Meeting in Detroit
3
11
17
24
October 1
Metropolis Clergy-Laity
Meeting in Detroit
ANNUNCIATION GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH
1100 NAPA VALLEY DRIVE, LITTLE ROCK, AR 72211
REV. DR. NICHOLAS J. VERDARIS, PASTOR
SEPTEMBER 2011
THE PROMISE
PAGE 28
3
10 9
3rd Sunday of Luke
Matins 9:00am
Divine Liturgy 10:00am
2
2nd Sunday of Luke
Matins 9:00am
Divine Liturgy 10:00am
17 16
4th Sunday of Luke
Matins 9:00am
Divine Liturgy 10:00am
23
6th Sunday of Luke
Matins 9:00am
Divine Liturgy 10:00am
Godparent Sunday
30
5th Sunday of Luke
Matins 9:00am
Divine Liturgy 10:00am
Halloween Carnival
6:00pm
24
31
5
Orthodox Study Class
6:00 pm
12
19
Orthodox Study Class
6:00 pm
26
Feast of St. Demetrios
Liturgy 9:30 am
2
Orthodox Study Class
6:00 pm
4
11
Parish Council Meeting
6:00 pm
18
25
November 1
6
13
20
27
3
7
14
21
28
4
8
15
22
Arkansas Race for the Cure
29
Youth Set-Up
for
Halloween Carnival
5
SU Mo TUis Wiu TuUvs Fvi S.1
ANNUNCIATION GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH
1100 NAPA VALLEY DRIVE, LITTLE ROCK, AR 72211
REV. DR. NICHOLAS J. VERDARIS, PASTOR

OCTOBER 2011