Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Seventh Sunday of Luke
Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Magnesia
The Thirty-three Martyrs of Melitene
Who Was Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Magnesia?
Saint Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt Galesius near Ephesus was born in Lydia, in the city of Magnesium. An educated young man who loved God, Lazarus became a monk at the monastery of Saint Savva, the founder of great ascetic piety in Palestine. He spent ten years within the walls of the monastery, winning the love and respect of the brethren for his intense monastic struggles.
Ordained to the holy priesthood by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Saint Lazarus returned to his native country and settled near Ephesus, on desolate Mount Galesius. Here he saw a wondrous vision: a fiery pillar, rising up to the heavens, was encircled by angels singing, “Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered.”
On the place where the saint beheld this vision, he built a church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ and took upon himself the feat of pillar-dwelling. Monks soon began to flock to the great ascetic, thirsting for spiritual nourishment by the divinely-inspired words and blessed example of the saint, and a monastery was established there.
Having received a revelation about the day of his death, the saint told the brethren. Through the tearful prayers of all the monks, the Lord prolonged the earthly life of Saint Lazarus for another fifteen years.
Saint Lazarus died at 72 years of age, in the year 1053. The brethren buried the body of the saint at the pillar upon which he had struggled in asceticism. He was glorified by many miracles after his death.
Source: Orthodox Church in America.
Services This Week
- Sun Oct 31 — SUNDAY DIVINE LITURGY – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Mon Nov 01 — Divine Liturgy Sts. Kosmas and Dimianos 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Wed Nov 03 — Paraklesis to the Theotokos 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Fri Nov 05 — Divine Liturgy St. Raphael of Brooklyn 6:00pm LIVE STREAM
Services Next Week
- Sun Nov 07 — SUNDAY DIVINE LITURGY – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Mon Nov 08 — Divine Liturgy Synaxis of the Archangel Michael 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Tue Nov 09 — Divine Liturgy St. Nectarios of Aegina 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Fri Nov 13 — Divine Liturgy St. John Chrysostom 9:30am LIVE STREAM
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Capital Campaign Progress Report
Remember what the Church used to look like?
Soon the contributors to our Capital Campaign (which made the purchase of our new location possible) will be receiving a letter with a gentle reminder that we are approaching the due date of our next contribution.
The money being raised through our Capital Campaign has helped us with our initial down payment on the purchase of our new church building and property and it helped us make the significant improvements and renovations that you see every Sunday. In addition, all remaining contributions pledged are necessary to pay off our $120K Second Mortgage. Your continued and generous support is greatly appreciated.
If you have not previously participated in our Capital Campaign but you would like to do so nowover the next 2 years, please fill out a Capital Campaign Pledge form and return with your contribution OR send a check marked “Capital Campaign” on the memo line of your check. The Capital Campaign Pledge forms are available on the counter in the church Narthex OR you can download the form from the church website.
Could You Support a Special Project?
Some parishioners have requested a needs list they could contribute to. Below are the special projects we still need to get done. If you can help please mention it to Fr. Hans, Jack Long, or John Simon.
- Replace Flat roof on Church
$30,000.00 - Replace windows in the Sunday School rooms
$8000.00 - Upgrade Church sound system
$1700.00 - Seal coat and restripe parking Lot
$6,300.00
Life at St. Peter’s
Singing for Young and Not So Young
Mark Your Calendar! Parish Assembly Meeting November 14, 2021
We will hold our Parish Assembly Meeting following the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, November 14, 2021 in the Social Hall.
This meeting will discuss 2022 goals, approve the 2022 budget, reports from the Parish Council and Fr. Hans, and other business. We will keep the meeting short and to the point.
Cafe of Life Ministry Update
One of the greatest enemies of our spiritual freedom is the cancer of greed. The quickest way to become slaves to our selfishness is to fail to actively develop the spiritual discipline of generosity.
We all know that generosity is the eternal truth that what we have been given must be given away if we are ever going to enjoy what we’ve been given.
Let us look not only to our own interests but also to the interests of others.
So please be generous with your tax- deductible check for the hungry and you will be enriched in every way.
Thank you, God bless and IC XC NI KA!
Work to Be Done At St. Peter’s
This is some of what remains to do with our building:
INSIDE CHURCH:
- REPLACE MISSING CARPET STRIP BETWEEN CHOIR & ALTAR
- RELOCATE FIRE EXTINGUISHER IN NARTHEX
- ORDER BISHOP CHAIR/2 ICON STANDS – ORDERED
- NEW CANDLE STAND FOR NARTHEX
- UPGRADE ELECTRICAL PANEL –WORK TO BE SCHEDULED
- REPLACE CEILING TILE & ADD LED LIGHTS INSIDE HANDICAP AREA HALLWAY
- ADD CARPET STRIP IN SACRASTY, STEP INTO REAR OF ALTAR
OUTSIDE CHURCH:
- REPLACE FLAT ROOF ASAP ($30K estimate)
- NEW SIGNS-STATUS?
- REPLACE EXTERIOR METAL DOOR
- GET ESTIMATE TO SEAL COAT PARKING LOT & RE-STRIPE LINES
- PAINT CURBING IN PARKING LOT
- UPGRADE LANDSCAPING
SUNDAY SCHOOL ROOMS:
- REPLACE SUNDAY SCHOOL WINDOWS
…but check the website to see what has already been done!
Pledge & Income Report – September 2021
Donations received in September: $21,018.
Amount of money needed to cover expenses: $22,760.
We are behind by $1,742.
These numbers reflect the operating costs of the the Hickory Drive property.
St. Peter Orthodox Church
7470 Hickory Drive
Fort Myers, FL 33967
You can also donate online:
The Social Hall All Stars are the men and women that make St. Peter’s Social Hall happen. Thank you All Stars!
November 7 – November 28
- Olga Bilych
- Pavlo Bilych
- Bonnie Joseph
- Al Joseph
- Sandy Krotov
- Leon Dephkalion
- John Hurley
- Nader Sahawneh
December 5 – December 26
- Marlene Haley
- Tom Haley
- Cheryl Morse
- Elaine Semeretis
- Gregory Semeretis
- Tim Morse
- Anna Tsikitas
Procedures for Hospitality
Please note: If you would like to bring in your own prepared food, please contact Tom Haley at 239-887-0753 a week before the upcoming Sunday. That way we know not to prepare any food for Sunday.
- On most Sundays we will serve lighter refreshments like coffee, sweets, hummus, olives, feta, pita and similar items. Please continue bringing these items. Even though we have a range (unlike our former facility), we appreciate items that are “ready to be served.”
- Please do not donate coffee. We have a space age coffee brewer that we acquired at no cost if we buy our coffee from one supplier. If you bring in coffee, we can’t use it.
- We cannot continue preparing meals for Memorials, Name Days, Anniversaries, and other celebrations. We don’t have the appliances or manpower to do it well. We do, however, have the name of two catering companies that can prepare and deliver the food if you would like to sponsor a celebration. Please call Tom Haley at 239-887-0753 for details and to make arrangements.
- If you would like to bring in your own prepared food, please contact Tom Haley at 239-887-0753 a week before the upcoming Sunday. That way we know not to prepare any food for Sunday.
The Safest Way to Come to Church
US 41 is a busy highway and the intersection at Hickory Drive does not have a stop light. We recommend turning on Sanibel Boulevard and following Coconut Road instead.
Calendar At A Glance
Calendar also available on the St. Peter website.
NOVEMBER
Nativity Fast Begins November 15 through December 24, 2022
- Sun Oct 31 — SUNDAY DIVINE LITURGY – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Mon Nov 01 — Divine Liturgy Sts. Kosmas and Dimianos 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Wed Nov 03 — Paraklesis to the Theotokos 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Fri Nov 05 — Divine Liturgy St. Raphael of Brooklyn 6:00pm LIVE STREAM
- Sun Nov 07 — SUNDAY DIVINE LITURGY – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Mon Nov 08 — Divine Liturgy Synaxis of the Archangel Michael 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Tue Nov 09 — Divine Liturgy St. Nectarios of Aegina 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Fri Nov 13 — Divine Liturgy St. John Chrysostom 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Sun Nov 14 — SUNDAY DIVINE LITURGY – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Sun Nov 14 — PARISH ASSEMBLY MEETING following Divine Liturgy in the Social Hall
- Tue Nov 16 — Divine Liturgy St. Matthew the Apostle 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Fri Nov 19 — Paraklesis to the Theotokos 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Sun Nov 21 — SUNDAY DIVINE LITURGY – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Wed Nov 24 — Divine Liturgy St. Katherine / Thanksgiving 6:00pm LIVE STREAM
- Sun Nov 28 — SUNDAY DIVINE LITURGY – Orthros 8:30am Divine Liturgy 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Tue Nov 30 — Divine Liturgy St. Andrew the First Called 9:30am LIVE STREAM
- Thu Dec 02 — Divine Liturgy St. Porphorios 9:30am LIVE STREAM
Wisdom From The Elders
He who does not rely on himself is thankfully amazed that he did not fall lower; he praises God for sending him help in time, for otherwise he would still have been lying prostrate. Swiftly he rises and begins his prayer with a threefold Praised be God. Tito Colliander
Those who have much invested in definite ideas and opinions are so often strangely hard on those who do not agree with them. Hieromonk Alexander Golitzin
St Basil the Great, mouthpiece of Christ and pillar of the Church, says that a great help towards not sinning and not committing daily the same faults is for us to review in our conscience at the end of each day what we have done wrong and what we have done right.1 (See St Basil, ‘An Ascetic Discourse’ (323CD), in W. K. Lowther Clarke, The Ascetic Works of Saint Basil (London, 192$), p. 139.) Job did this with regard both to himself and to his children (cf. Job 1:5). These daily reckonings illumine a man’s hour by hour behaviour. St. Hesychius the Theologian of Jerusalem, disciple of St. Gregory the Theologian
Now one cannot be a half-hearted Christian, but only ENTIRELY or not at all. Fr Seraphim Rose
Why do we forsake the pursuit of spiritual wisdom, and engage in agriculture and commerce? What can be better than to entrust our anxieties to God, so that He may help us with the farming and commerce? Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai
You have seen that in this life anyone, even our closest of kin, can abandon us. We all have our weaknesses and often hurt the people closest to us. They can turn their backs on us because of our rudeness, or they can forgive us but still be hurt. But the Lord and His Most Holy Mother … Oh, how many times have we insulted God and the Most Holy Theotokos, but when we repent and turn to them in our hearts, they forgive us everything, never remembering our sins and evil deeds! Elder Thaddeus(Strabulovich) of Vitovnica
Remember in Your Prayers
List has been updated. If you want some names restored, please mention it to Fr. Hans.
- Names will remain on the list for two months.
- If you would like to keep them on longer please mention it to Fr. Hans. We will keep the names on the list for as long as the person needs prayers.
- Names will include the person who requested the prayers and the month the name will be removed.
- The permanent list includes friends and members of St. Peter’s and others including shut-ins.
Were names dropped that should have remained? Please mention it to Fr. Hans. He will add them back.
Updated November 1 / Resets December 1.
Current Prayer List
Georgia (Sarros 1/22)
Maria (Dusckas 12/21)
Aggie (Dusckas 12/21)
Fr. Thomas (Forderhase 12/21)
Emily (Forderhase 12/21)
Sean (Breitenbach 12/21)
David (Zafiris 12/21
Robin (Zafiris 12/21
Dana (Zafiris 12/21
Mackenzie (Zafiris 12/21
Harry (Zafiris 12/21
Bettina (Zafiris 12/21
Harry James (Zafiris 12/21
Anastasia (Protopapadakis 12/21)
Barbara (Dusckas 11/21)
Dave (Dusckas 11/21)
Elizabeth (Wolfe 11/21)
Catherine (Breitenbach 11/21)
Permanent Prayer List
Hope (Isadore)
John (Long)
Pantelis (Tsikita)
Marisa (Tsikita)
Barbara (Dionysopoulos)
Patricia (Evanoff)
Gabriel (Mankus)
Baby Dani (Repya)
Maria and her unborn child Iakovos (Diveris)
Sophia (D. Constantine)
Herman (Kerr)
Innocent (Kerr)
Nicholas (Kerr)
Paola (Jacobse)
Gregory (Yankopolos)
Soterios (Ninos)
Pauline (Poulos)
Sergio (Kazakos)
Rae (Semeretis)
Fran (Hansen)
Nina (Krotov)
Franklin (Pyrrson)
George (Chionis)
Stamatia (Evelyn)
Demetrios (Kuchera)
Theodosios (Palis)
Theodora (Webb)
Helen (Rogers)
Robert (Smith)
Robert (Jarvis)
Presbytera Rosy (in Pakistan)
James (Hord)
Vassiliki (Kontinos)
Vassiliki (Morekeas)
Founders, Members, and Benefactors Departed this Life
John (Hansen)
Anatoly (Kurdsjuk)
Thareni (Brooks)
Milan Evanoff
Jean (Sam)
Eleni (Pearson)
Richard (Pearson)
Fr. Stephanos (Shagoury)
Panagiota (Bea Chionis)
Anthony (Mourgis)
Anthony (Mankus)
Constantine (Houpis)
Constantine (Joseph)
Mary (Jarvis)
Panagiota Margarita (Palis)
Maria (Ninos)
John (Katsigianopoulos)
George (Chionis)
Gregory (Pappas)
Angela (Coran K)
How should we pray for the sick? Remember them daily. Say their names (first names are sufficient) and ask God to bestow mercy and grace on them.
Add or remove names and print this list for easy reference during your prayer time on the St. Peter website.
Sunday Readings
EPISTLE
For the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
O chant unto our God, chant ye.
Clap your hands, all ye nations.
The Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians. (1:11-19)
Brethren, I would have you know that the Gospel which was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the Church of God violently and tried to destroy it; and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people; so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when He Who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to me, in order that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were Apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia; and again I returned to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other Apostles except James the Lord’s brother.
GOSPEL
For the Seventh Sunday of Luke
The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke (8:41-56)
At that time, there came to Jesus a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue; and falling at Jesus’ feet he besought Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. As Jesus went, the people pressed round Him. And a woman, who had had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had spent all her living upon physicians, and could not be healed by anyone, came up behind Him, and touched the fringe of His garment; and immediately her flow of blood ceased.
And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched Me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the multitudes surround Thee and press upon Thee! And Thou sayest, ‘Who touched Me?’” But Jesus said, “Someone touched Me; for I perceive that power has gone forth from Me.” And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before Him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed. And Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”
While Jesus was still speaking, a man from the ruler’s house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.” But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she shall be well.” And when Jesus came to the house, He permitted no one to enter with Him, except Peter and James and John, and the father and mother of the child. And all were weeping and bewailing her; but Jesus said, “Do not weep; for she is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But taking her by the hand Jesus called, saying, “Child, arise.” And her spirit returned, and she got up at once; and Jesus directed that something should be given her to eat. And her parents were amazed; but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.