CHURCH SERVICES:
Sunday Orthros (Matins) 9:00am
Divine Liturgy 10:00am
Sunday School after Holy   
                 Communion
Weekday Holy Days:
Orthros and Divine Liturgy 8:00am

PARISH PRIEST:
Fr. Dionysios Listermann-Vierling
Church:   292-8013
Fax:      851-2800
In case of emergency: Cell 312-3642

COUNCIL OFFICERS:
Mike Dolianitis
   President    286-9372
Hampton Culler
  Vice-President 854-8235
Carl Colozzi
  Treasurer 644-0615
Theodora Vaporis
  Secretary 584-6020
Board Members:
  Tony Bundros
  Scott Graham     
  Matthew Pappas
  Zack Touloupas
  Kimmon Varsamis   
  Terry Woods
COMMITTEES:
Stewardship
   Hamp Culler
Greek Festival
   Mike Dolianitis
Finance
   Carl Colozzi
Maintenance
  Kimmon Varsamis
Religious Education 
  Zack Touloupas
Sick and Visitation
  Brenda Miller
  Bessie Sipsis
Foundation
   (open)
Youth
   Scott Graham
Rental property
    Minas Dascalakis
Nomination Committee
    Stephen Anton
Philoptochos Liaison
    Terry Woods
Welcoming Committee
    All church members

THE SACRAMENT
 OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST

Preparation
To prepare for Communion we must keep our minds and hearts on spiritual things.

Prayer
When we come forward to receive, we should repeat the Communion prayer, which every Orthodox Christian should try to memorize.

Reverence
We approach the Holy Communion 'with fear of God, faith and love', knowing that our bodies and souls will become one with Christ.

Acceptance
We hold the red Communion cloth beneath our chin, using it to wipe our lips if necessary. We should open our mouth wide to receive the Holy Communion and not be afraid to close our lips upon the spoon. If there are acolytes holding the cloth, release the cloth and do not try to hand it to the next communicant. Turn toward the Consecrated
Bread (Antidoron), make your cross and take a piece of it.

Return
Return to your seat, remain standing and say a prayer of thanksgiving for this greatest gift of all on earth and in Heaven.

A Special Note from Father Dionysios about Receiving Communion

Please step up close to receive Communion, take the Cloth and place it under your chin.  When receiving the Communion, please open your mouth wide.

Deadline: The Dormition of the Theotokos Monthly Newsletter deadline is the 20th of the previous month. Please submit your materials on time.

Content: Articles, notes and other information of interest for our parish can be sent by mail. 

Church Attendance: A regular attendance of the church's services reflects how seriously you approach your salvation.

Parents with Sunday School children: Children must sit with their families in the front pews, so they will be served Communion first. During the school year, after Communion, children will proceed directly to their classrooms. Please remember that coming to the church late teaches our children bad habits. Make it a point to bring them on time.

2005 CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS Donations:
Tony & Thalia Bundros, Cheryl Ciulei, Eleni Contogiannis & family, Mary Ann Contogiannis & Ralph Huey, Hamp & Lula Culler, Alex & Titsa Dermatas, Mike Dolianitis, Rasmus & Susie Fenger, Angela Hognoj, Cleo & Dena Kontoulas, Mary Kontoulas, David & Vasso Lundberg, Joanne Macropoulos, Vickie Matsakides, Lampros & Theodora Megremis, Eddie & Maria Merrell, Don & Brenda Miller, Edna Pappas, Peter Poulos, Chris & Ardele Sakellaris, Mikhail & Ginah Soufia, Catherine Stuman, John & Kaki Touloupas, Mark Tzouvelekas, Nick & Debra Tzouvelekas, Betty Varsamis & family, Kimmon & Gwen Varsamis, Vicky West, Terry Woods.
Thank you to Tony and Thalia Bundros who donated the church door wreaths.

THE TREASURER'S NOTE
By Carl Colozzi (644-0615)
 
NOV 1, 2005 - NOV 30, 2005

INCOME    $17,542.80
EXPENSE   $15,348.86          
SURPLUS        $  2,193.94       

Please indicate in the memo portion of your check where payment should be applied: pledge, candles, tray, memorials, etc.  If you are using a business check, please make sure that your name is printed somewhere on the check.  The Budget is based on these incomes.  Thank you.
You may try to keep your good habit of sending your pledged contributions in an orderly way.  If you would like to sponsor a special project, please contact Carl Colozzi at 644-0615 or Mike Dolianitis at 286-9372.

2006 Pledges

Thank you to everyone who has already given their pledge for 2006, if you have not yet, please consider taking a few minutes and filling out a pledge card the next Sunday you are in church, forms are in the Narthex.

Anton, Bill & Mary; Bundros, Tony & Thalia; Chininis, Frank & Toula; Cropper, James & Maria; Culler, Hamp & Lula; Dermatas, Alexis; Dolianitis, Mike; Efstathiou, Dimitrios & Konstantia; Galloway, Ed & Georgette; Graham, Erin; Graham, Scott & Christa; Hattle, George & Jean Elizabeth; Katsikas, Mary; Kazazes, Anne; Kazazes, Barbara; Kontoulas, Dimitrios & Karen; Kotsionis, Harry & Elly; Listermann-Vierling, Fr. Dionysios & Presbytera Elena; Lundberg, David & Vasso; Macropoulos, Joanne; Mandaleris, Chris & Maria; Moye, William & Kelly; Oncea, William & Jennie; Pappas, Edna; Patterson, Vasiliki; Raxter, Donna; Sagos, Joanne & Larry Carroll; Silos, Mrs. Evangelos;  Sims, Roger & Celia; Soufia. Mikhail & Ginah; Stuman, Jim & Catherine; Thevoas, Jim & Hedy; Thompson, Tom & Rhonda; Touloupas, Katie; Touloupas, Mary Alyson; Touloupas, Zack & Sheila; Triantis, Theodore; Tzouvelekas, Mark; Valavanis, David; Varsamis, Kimmon & Gwen; Varsamis, Megan; Vavalides, Phillip & Teresa; West, Victoria; White, Ed & Elizabeth.

CONDOLENCES

To Billy Ragsdale and family.  Billy's wife Katherine passed away on December 2, 2005.  May her memory be eternal!

To John Mirhij and family for the passing away of his mother in Los Angeles, California.  May her memory be eternal!

PARISH SURVEY

A parish survey will be mailed shortly. When you receive it, kindly fill it out and return it to the church as soon as possible. There are a variety of questions, which gives all the members of the community an opportunity to express your concerns and desires. The information, which is completely anonymous, will be useful to the priest and parish council in setting goals and planning future programs. 

Father's Challenge

The Feast of the Theophany (God shining forth) or Epiphany (To show, to make known) of Our Lord Jesus Christ is celebrated on January 6. After Easter and Pentecost, this is the greatest Feast of the Orthodox Church, predating even the Nativity of Christ in importance. Here Our Lord Jesus Christ is baptized by John in the waters of the Jordan, this being the first public manifestation of God the Word Incarnate to the world. As Holy Scripture tells us:

"In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight." Now John wore a garment of comet's hair, and a leather girdle around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.... [And John said,] "I baptize you with water for repentance, but He Who is coming after me is mightier than I, Whose sandals I am not worthy to carry; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire"
 (Matt. 3:1-6, 11)

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of Whom I said, 'After me comes a man Who ranks before me, for He was before me'" [John 1:28-30]. Then Jesus came... to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized. He went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and He was the Spirit of Cod descending like a dove, and alighting on Him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased"
(Matt. 3:13-17)

And John bore witness, "I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on Him. I myself did not know Him; but He Who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on Whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is He Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. 'And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God"
 (John 1:32-34)

In commemoration of this event, the Church, on January 5, the Eve of Theophany, performs the Blessing of Waters in the church itself, and on January 6, the day of the Feast itself, the Blessing of Waters is usually performed at a site prepared outside the church (preferably a river or lake). People will be blessed with the holy water and over the next few weeks the clergy will visit houses in the parish to bless the homes and families with holy water. The Feast of the Theophany reminds us of our own Baptism in the hymn sung just before the reading of the Epistle at the Divine Liturgy: "As many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Alleluia!" For in the waters of Baptism, we put off the Old Man and put on the New, that is Jesus Christ, and strive to acquire the humility shown by the Lord Himself when He, the Creator, bowed His head under the hand of John, the creature, in the waters of the Jordan River.

            Fr. Dionysios

MANY THANKS
Fr. Dionysios would like to express his thanks for the many donations of prosphora, wine, charcoal, incense and oil. It's a very thoughtful gesture and is much appreciated.

HOUSE BLESSINGS
For those wishing to have their homes blessed, a signup sheet will be posted in the church hall. Please sign your name with a preference for the time of day you would prefer to have your home blessed. Fr. Dionysios will contact you to arrange the exact day and time. Thank you.

AHEPA
By Zack Touloupas (584-1213)

Happy New Year to everyone! We hope our entire church family had a wonderful Christmas season and we wish everyone a prosperous and healthy New Year!

Our first meeting of 2006 will be held on Tuesday Jan. 10 at 6:30 pm. We will be holding an initiation of candidate George Remondos at that time followed by a brief meeting concerning future events. At 7:30 we will be cutting a Vasilopita baked by Dena Efstathiou. Brothers, please make every effort to attend the initiation to welcome a new member to the brotherhood of AHEPA.

JOY
By Susie Fenger and Barbara Vaughan

JOY will go bowling on Sunday, January 15, from 2-4pm.  Location will be announced at a later time.

PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS 
By Sheila Touloupas (584-1213)

Philoptochos would like to thank its members and our other parishioners for the overwhelming support given to our Christmas project.  This year we adopted three families and assisted in providing gifts and food items to each during this holiday season.  A special thank you to Georgette Galloway and Cheryl Ciulei for coordinating this project.

Philoptochos would like to thank all its members that volunteered during the Christmas Craft Show and Bake Sale.  A special thank you is extended to Sophie Rodete and Brenda Miller, the committee chairpersons.

Our Vasilopita Luncheon will be held Sunday, January 8th, immediately following the Divine Liturgy.  Please see separate announcement in the newsletter for more information.  Volunteers are needed to make Vasilopitas that will be cut in church.  Volunteers are also needed to assist during the luncheon.  If you would like to make a Vasilopita or help, please contact Celia Sims or Sheila Touloupas.  Five Vasilopitas will be auctioned at the luncheon.  Philoptochos will match the highest bid for a Vasilopita and this money will be donated to St. Barbara's Ministry Program at Duke in memory of Kathy Ragsdale.

Our next General Meeting will be held Monday, January 9th.  Please make plans to attend as members from St. Barbara Philoptochos in Durham will be our guests and discuss their Medical Ministry Program for Orthodox at Duke University Medical Center.

If you would like to donate flowers for the altar, please contact Thalia Bundros or Titsa Dermatas.   Donated flowers may be brought to the church by Saturday mornings to be arranged by Father Dionysios.

Please continue to bring non-perishable food items for our Year Round Food Bank.  Grocery store gift cards are also accepted and should be given directly to Father Dionysios.

Philoptochos will be sponsoring a parish wide "Support our Troops Project" in February.  Look for more information in the Sunday bulletin.
 
Children in Need Christmas Project
By Georgette Galloway

Thanks so much to everyone who helped with the Philoptochos' Children in Need Christmas Project this year.   What an incredible community response!  Because of your very generous donations, all three adopted families were blessed this Christmas. 

May we continue to remember and help others less fortunate throughout the new year. Happy New Year!

SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS
By Polly Anton (854-5065)

There will be a Parent Meeting on Sunday, January 22, after church services.

Prepare the Feast
A CD of liturgical music in
Greek and English
sung by the choir of
Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church
Professionally recorded in cooperation with the
Southeastern Federation
of Greek Orthodox Choirs and Church Musicians.
Includes different versions
of hymns sung during each Divine Liturgy, and many beloved
feast day hymns.

Cost: $20

Available at church.  Call Kevin Lawrence (784-5128) to place orders.  Please consider purchasing this CD as a gift for family and friends!

All proceeds from the sale of this CD go to the Dormition of the Theotokos parish (choir fund).  Please make check payable to Dormition, with a note that this is a payment for the choir CD.
                                                          
Donations Needed

Our parish does not have fireproof safes to store important documents and archival material, such as the church registers of baptism, marriage and death. We need to do all we can to make sure these records are preserved for future generations. Please contact Fr. Dionysios if you would be willing to donate toward the purchase of a couple of fireproof cabinets.

APOKREATIKO GLENDI
The traditional Apokreatiko Glendi (Pre-Lenten Dinner) is scheduled for Saturday, February 25th. While a long way off, a chair is needed. Please contact Fr. Dionysios if you are able to help chair this event.
                 

SICK AND VISITATION

In December Visitation Committee members delivered Christmas gifts that were purchased by the Dormition of the Theotokos and the St. Philothea Chapter of the Philoptochos Society to our home bound and nursing home members.  The gifts were appreciated.  However it was the visits that they REALLY enjoy.  As you are making your New Year's resolutions list, perhaps you could consider adding to it visiting our members who are not able to get out and around.  Even short visits of 15-20 minutes brighten up their days.
 
Van Woltz, Mary Amprazis, Elizabeth Contogiannis and William Vaughan (Bill Vaughan's father) are recovering from recent hospitalizations.  Your prayers for their speedy recovery would be appreciated.

The following parishioners would welcome your calls and/or visits.  Please be sure to call before visiting.    

Eleni Dermatas
Calliope Hatgelis (currently staying with granddaughter)
James Toompas (Arbor Acres UM Retirement Comm.)
Chris Orphanides (Wesley Long Nursing Center) 
Vonnie Kleanos (Evergreen Nursing Home)  
Maria Vurnakes (Evergreen Nursing Home) 
Margaret Spence (Wesley Long Nursing Center)
Van Woltz (please call first)

We would appreciate your sharing with us the names of any parishioners you know of who are ill, hospitalized, or home-bound sick so that we may pray for them, visit, phone or send a card.  Donna at church office (292-8013), Brenda Miller (851-1415) or Joanne Macropoulos (288-6991).

A message from the President
By Mike Dolianitis

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  May the joys of the Season find you in good health and may the Holy Spirit guide you throughout the upcoming year.  Recently our Parish elections took place and we have three new members to the Council.  I would like to welcome George Hanna, Eleni Harrison and Kiki Tarasidis to their new role within the Parish.  This commitment is also a form of Stewardship.  Remember - time, talents and treasures come in many ways.    I would also like to thank the 2005 Parish Council - Tony Bundros, Carl Colozzi, Hamp Culler, Scott Graham, Matthew Pappas, Zack Touloupas, Theodora Vaporis, Kimmon Varsamis and Terry Woods for their excellent service to the Parish.  Their contributions to the Parish have been made with love and I thank them all for their hard work and dedication.

As we enter 2006, please take time to speak with the Parish Council members about the hopes and aspirations they have for the upcoming year.  I encourage you to engage with them and involve yourself in the activities that make our Parish a wonderful home.  There is so much for you to offer.  There is so much the Parish offers.  Please make 2006 the year in which you see the joining of these energies.

Lastly, please accept my gratitude for allowing me to serve as your Council President.  I am very much convinced that we are in good hands; not only with the newly elected Council, but also with the gifts brought by Father Dionysios - himself an 18 year veteran of Parish Councils.  Again, Merry Christmas and let's make 2006 a year of Spiritual and personal growth as well as building on our Parish family.