2005 News Archive

• Christmas Compline and Liturgy will be held on Saturday, December 24th, 7:00pm at Slayton House. There will not be services at Slayton House on Sunday, December 25th. (posted 12/05/05.)

• During the annual parish meeting held on Sunday, November 6, the following members of our parish family were elected to serve on the Parish Council of Stewards for two-year terms beginning January 1: Anastasia Borichevsky, Chairperson; Dale Steinacker, Treasurer; and Jeff Edens and Dana Potts, Council Members. Mark Bailey and Marianne Larkin are completing their terms as Chairperson and Treasurer. Thank you Mark and Marianne for your outstanding, generous and dedicated service. Thanks also to Valerie Foster, Susan Petry and all who helped with the lunch served last Sunday. It was great! (posted 11/13/05.)

• We will celebrate the feast day of St Matthew after liturgy on Sunday, November 13. (posted 11/01/05.)

• The annual parish meeting will be held after liturgy on Sunday, November 6. (posted 11/01/05.)

• We raised $2,000 for IOCC for the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. (posted 10/23/05.)

• We have secured a $1.6 million loan from Howard Bank! See the building page for updates. (posted 10/09/05.)

• We have reached the $130,000 goal for our Building Fund Pledge Drive!! See the building page for updates. (posted 9/18/05.)

• The latest scrip ordering form is available on the fundraising page. (posted 9/05/05.)

• Metropolitan Herman's archpastoral message in response to the Hurricane Katrina tragedy and call upon the faithful to offer aid to Katrina victims. (posted 9/04/05.)

• Church School classes will begin on Sunday September 11th. The classes for this year will be: Preschool (3-4 years), Grades K & 1, Grades 2 & 3, Grades 4 & 5, Middle School and High School. (posted 8/31/05.)

• The Women's Fellowship Group will kick off their meetings this year with an open invitation to a Saturday retreat. The retreat will be held on September 17th, at Christ Church Episcopal Church in Columbia. The day will be split into two parts, beginning with coffee and bagels at 9:00am. The talk will begin at 10:00am with a pot luck lunch from 11:30am to 1pm and finishing up at 3pm. There will be time for questions and answers both in the morning as well as in the afternoon. If you want to attend but cannot stay for this entire event, please come anyway for the part that you can!

  The speaker will be Dr. Al Rossi, who will give a talk on spiritual growth titled: "Be still and know that I am God, Your Path to Holiness." Dr. Rossi is a retired professor of clinical psychology and now a member of the pastoral theology department at St. Vladimir's Seminary.

  Please contact Melissa Edens for further information. (posted 8/31/05.)

• Deanery Day Liturgy & Picnic will be held on Saturday, September 10th at 9:00am at St. Luke Church, McLean, Virginia. Everyone is invited to attend! Metropolitan Herman will meet with the Youth of the Deanery after liturgy. This will be a wonderful opportunity for our youth to interact and get to know His Beatitude. Directions: Take the Capital Beltway (I-495) across the American Legion Bridge. Once across the bridge get into the right hand lane. It is a dual exit. Take the Georgetown Pike exit. At the bottom of the ramp, take a left going towards Langley. The church is one mile ahead on the right. It is the second St. Luke Church on the right. (posted 8/31/05.)

• Metropolitan Herman's New Year Message for the beginning of the ecclesiastical year. (posted 8/31/05.)

• Parish picnic: Mark your calendars! The annual parish picnic will be held a Lake Elkhorn on Sunday, August 28 from 1pm to 6pm. (posted 7/31/05.)

• The new scrip ordering form is available. See the fundraising page. (posted 6/09/05.)

• Posted pictures of chrismations & baptisms on Palm Sunday and of the Ressurection Matins, April 2005 (posted 5/30/05.)

• CYC Summer Camp will be held this year at Camp WO-ME-TO in Rocks State Park in Harford County from Monday August 15^th - Friday August 19^th. Camp is for youth ages 8 to 16 as of December 2005. Cost is $325 for the first child and $295 for each additional child from the same family. Scholarships are available by contacting Fr. Ray. There will be a day camp on Thursday, August 18^th from 8:00am to 6:30pm for youth ages 6 & 7. Cost is $75. Fliers with registration forms are available on the lobby table or you can receive one by calling the church office at 410-992-0608. Come and join the fun and fellowship with many other Orthodox Christian youth from area parishes. Fr. Ray & Fr. Duane will both be in attendance for the week. (posted 5/30/05.)

• Paschal Encyclical from His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman (posted 5/01/05.)

• The April 17^th parish meeting was attended by over 70 people! Great attendance. Financing for the new church building was discussed --- including three loan proposals from local banks. Two motions were made and accepted by the assembly:
  1. to hire Hencken & Gaines as our general contractor; and
  2. to empower the parish council to enter into a loan for the purposes of constructing our first permanent home.
  You will be hearing from the council very soon with regard to building fund pledge commitments necessary for us to have for lenders. Details will follow shortly on the loan and equity contribution necessary to proceed with construction. Thank you for your tremendous support in this effort. (posted 4/25/05.)

• First Confession & Class will take place at Fr. Ray's on Saturday, April 16^th at 10:00am with Fr. Duane and Fr. Ray. There will be instruction on what confession is and the opportunity for Church School students to receive this mystery of reconciliation. It is intended for second or third graders or those students who have yet to participate in this sacrament of the Church. Please let Fr. Ray or Fr. Duane know this week if your child will be attending. (posted 4/09/05.)

• Easter Egg Hunt will be held on St. Thomas Sunday, May 8^th around Slayton House. Donations of candies are requested. They are needed by May 1^st. Please give your donations to Melissa Edens. (posted 4/09/05.)

• Orthodox participation in the Pope's funeral:
  • OCA.org: Bishop Seraphim and Fr. Rentel represent the Metropolitan Herman and the OCA
  • Catholic World News: Large Orthodox Delegation at Pope's Funeral
  (posted 4/09/05.)

• OCA.org article: Metropolitan Herman sends condolences on death of Pope John Paul II . (posted 4/04/05.)

• Parish Meeting: At 12 noon, on Sunday, April 17, 2005 at Slayton House, we will have a parish meeting to discuss the financing plan for our new building. Plan to attend!! The financing plan includes proposals from three local lending institutions interested in working with us. God willing, we will begin the foundation and construction in May. (posted 4/03/05.)

• Archpastoral Message of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman at the beginning of Great Lent 2005. (posted 3/13/05.)

• Orthodox Christian Mission Sunday is today (3/13/05) as designated by SCOBA (see Encyclical of SCOBA for the Sunday of Cheesefare and Mission Sunday). During Lent, please make your contribution to OCMC by filling the coin box you received with your March newsletter. The coin box offering will be made on Palm Sunday. On April 24^th, you can either bring your box filled with change to church or count the money (with your children, if you have children) and then write a check to St. Matthew Church designating the OCMC Coin Box Offering in the memo section. Thank you in advance for your generosity. (posted 3/13/05.)

• Orthodoxy Sunday is Sunday, March 20. In our commemoration, we will have a procession of icons with the children. Parents, please remember to have the children bring their personal icons with the for the procession. (posted 3/13/05.)

• Lenten Outreach. Pasta, Rice and Soup Food Collection for Shalom Square and St. Matthew House will again be sponsored during Great Lent by the Church School students. Items can be dropped off in the marked boxes beginning Sunday, March 20^th through April 24^th. Shalom Square provides housing for 50 elderly, low income physically disabled persons. Church School students hope to package 65 food bags for these folks. Your contributions are most appreciated. If you prefer to make a monetary donation, see Debbie Velencia by April 17^th and the food for this outreach project will be purchased for you. Thank you! (posted 3/13/05.)

• Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers will be held this year at Annunciation Cathedral (24 W. Preston St., Baltimore) on Sunday, March 20^th at 6:00pm. Following the service there will be a reception. All are welcome and encouraged to attend this Baltimore area Pan-Orthodox event celebrating the victory over the iconoclasts. (posted 3/06/05.)

• The Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts is celebrated on Wednesday evenings during Great Lent, beginning on March 16^th at Slayton House at 7:00pm. (Wednesdays 3/16, 3/23/, 3/30, 4/6, 4/13 & 4/20.) Following the first Presanctified (3/16), Jeff Edens will be giving a presentation on Ethiopia: Its culture history and faith. Beginning with the second Presanctified (3/23), teachings on "The Orthodox Concept of Personhood" by Fr. Duane will follow the Presanctified Liturgies. The Divine Services and teachings offer each of us an opportunity to deepen our relationship with the Lord and each other. Don't pass up these opportunities. For those who stay for the presentation/teaching, time is available for dinner. Remember to brown bag dinner. (posted 3/06/05.)

• Paschal & Lenten Services:
  
  
  • Holy Unction: Wednesday, April 27, 7:00pm, Slayton House.
    
    
  • Passion Gospels: Thursday, April 28, 7:00pm, Slayton House.
    
    
  • Matins/Lamentations: Friday, April 29, 7:00pm, Slayton House.
    
    
  • Resurrection Matins & Liturgy: Saturday, April 30, 11:00pm, Slayton House.
    Blessing of the Baskets & Community Agape Meal follow.
    
    
  • Paschal Agape Vespers: Sunday, May 1, 12:00 noon
    at St. Nicholas Cathedral, 3500 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington D.C.
  (posted 3/06/05.)

• Added links to Ancient Faith Radio and Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity to the links page. (posted 3/04/05.)

• This article on fasting from Touchstone may be of interest as we head into Lent. (posted 3/04/05.)

• The Superbowl Sunday collection for IOCC was $155. Thank you for your support of IOCC's outstanding humanitarian efforts. (posted 2/14/05.)

• Introductory Seminar on Orthodoxy will be held on Monday evenings at 7:30pm during the six weeks of Great Lent at Fr. Ray and Debbie's home. The seminar will begin on the first Monday of Great Lent, March 14th. [Orthodox Easter is on May 1st this year (see Calendar of Feasts).] It is a survey of the Church, its beliefs and history. Although it is designed primarily for the uninitiated in the faith, it is open to all. If you plan to attend, please see or call Fr. Ray or Fr. Duane. (posted 2/09/05.)

• Building update: We have received the pricing for our building from our general contractor, Hencken & Gaines. The construction budget has come in just slightly over $2 million.

  We are now determining our financing options. Sometime at the end of February or the beginning of March we will have a parish meeting to discuss and hopefully approve financing for our project. We hope to begin the foundation and construction by the end of March. (posted 1/30/05.)

• Desiree Melnychenko has volunteered to compile a new parish directory. Please fill out the form in your February newsletter by March 15, 2005 and submit it to Desiree at church, by email or by US Post. (posted 1/30/05.)

• Stewardship statements for 2004 have been mailed to those who made donations in 2004 and were either pledged or donated more than $250. If there are any questions please contact Dale Steinacker. Thank you statements were also sent to our young people who used their envelopes for their offering. The members of St Matthew thank you for your contributions. Thank you Dale for your hard work and commitment as pledge secretary. (posted 1/26/05.)

• Last week, an offering was taken in behalf of the tsunami disaster relief effort in south Asia. The contributions totaling $1,378 were sent to IOCC for distribution. Thank you for your generosity. (posted 1/16/05.)

• Diocesan assessment: Our stewardship to the national church and diocese is $125 per adult member in 2005. Thus for a couple, the first $250 contributed to the parish's general fund goes out of the parish in support of the diocesan and central church's ministries. There is an envelope designated in your stewardship packet for a contribution towards this parish commitment. As in the past, any and all gifts made above and beyond one's stewardship commitment are greatly appreciated! (posted 1/09/05.)

• Revised scrip order forms are available on the fund raising page. (posted 1/02/05.)

• Contacts page updated with membership of the Parish Council of Stewards. (This year's members were inducted after liturgy today.) (posted 1/02/05.)

• Christmas Compline and Liturgy will be held on Friday, December 24 at 7:00pm in Slayton House. (posted 11/28/04.)

• Model of new building and photos of the construction site in November 2004 posted. (posted 11/27/04.)

• New web page design put in place. The old web pages are still available here for a limited time. (posted 11/20/04.)

• Annual parish meeting held. New Council of Stewards members elected: Mitchell Mathis (Vice President), Sandy Hinsche (Secretary), John Hudak (Member at Large) and Michael Jancarek (Member at Large). Their terms will begin on January 1, 2005. Kristine Patico Koumentakos (Secretary), Derek Conran (Member at Large) and Stan Yunkunis (Member at Large) are completing their terms as members on the Council. (posted 11/07/04.)

• Registration for our new domain name has been completed. Please update your links and use www.StMatthewOCA.org. (posted 11/05/04.)

• Building permit for our new building obtained from Howard County! [details] (posted 11/03/04.)