wfn.org | Greek Orthodox Archdiocese E-bulletin October 2, 2009

[George Conklin <gconklin@igc.org>]

> GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA
> 8-10 East 79th St. New York, NY 10075-0106
> Tel: (212) 570-3530 Fax: (212) 774-0237
> Web: http://www.goarch.org  - Email: communications@goarch.org

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese E-bulletin October 2, 2009

This is the weekly edition of the GOA E-Bulletin. For more information just click on the links below to go to the topics of interest to you.

If the link does not work from your email, copy the link and paste it into the address bar of your web browser.

CHURCH MUSIC SUNDAY:  The National Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians has designated Sunday, October 4 as Church Music Sunday.  This is a day for local parishes to focus on the importance of music programs in worship, education, and youth and childrenâ??s ministries, and to recognize the contribution of time and talent of faithful of all ages who lead and participate in these programs.  For more information and resources for this day, visit the National Forum web site at

http://churchmusic.goarch.org/events/churchmusicsunday.html

SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF ORTHODOX OBSERVER:  The September 2009 issue of the Orthodox Observer is now available online.  Download the latest news, information, and resources at this site, which also include archives of previous issues.

> http://www.goarch.org/news/observer

2009 PATRIARCHAL VISIT ? NEW WEBSITE:  His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will visit the United States October 20 ? November 6.  He will be leading tthe Religion, Science, and Environmental Symposium: â??Restoring Balance: The Great Mississippi Riverâ?? from October 21-25.  For information on the symposium, the schedule of events for the visit, and more on the Ecumenical Patriarch and his environmental efforts visit the special US visit site at

> http://usvisit2009.org/

NEW FAITH AND LIFE RESOURCE ON ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE: A new brochure on the Ecumenical Patriarchate has been released in the Faith and Life series.  The brochure is designed as an online resource that can be downloaded, printed and distributed in the parish as a educational resource.  Access this new brochure and other resources on the Faith and Life web site at

> http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/faithandlife

2010 STEWARDSHIP RESOURCES AVAILABLE:  Stewardship resources for the 2010 Stewardship Year have been sent to Greek Orthodox clergy serving parishes throughout the Archdiocese of America. In our efforts to provide your parish with practical ministry resources under a unified theme, the National Ministries of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America are creating resources for the coming Ecclesiastical Year under the general theme of the 2008 Clergy-Laity Congress: Gather My People to My Home with the sub-theme of â??Come and See?â?? Additional Stewardship resources for the parish will bbe forthcoming. Contact the Department of Stewardship, Outreach & Evangelism: telephone 646-519-6160 / email stewardship@goarch.org.

PLANNER FOR 2009-10 IS NOW AVAILABLE: The annual planner published by the Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries is now available. Use The Planner to keep track of all your schedules. Keep a daily focus on Christ with Scriptural readings, fast days, prayers, saints of the day, and inspiration from the Fathers. The Planner follows the Ecclesiastical (church) year beginning in September and ending in August. Spiral bound and digital versions available.  Order now at

http://www.goarch.org/archdiocese/departments/youth/planner2009

> THIS WEEK FROM THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN NETWORK

Come Receive the Light - The Nationally Syndicated Land Based Radio Program â?? On this week's CRTL podcast, Michael Pagedas will discuss his OCMC mission trip to Tanzania. Tune in to hear a personal and heartwarming story.  In a short segment, S. Eugene Colhmia will discuss his new, fictional book titled The Chains of St. Peter.

This Weekâ??s Podcasts on myocn.net - This week on Harmony of Thunder: St. Dorotheos begins his remarkable sermon on The Fear of the Punishment to Come" by alluding to a time when he was less than at his best ? this is something you have to love about St. Dorotheos.  Yess, he uses himself as a good example at times, but he's just as likely to use himself as an example of what not to do.  You won't want to miss exploring this very practical sermon on a very difficult topic. This week on Special Moments in Orthodoxy, The Very Rev. Michel Najim will continue his discussion on what is the benefit of faith when the life is impure. All Priests are asked to adhere to high ethical principles and high standards, which are given to us through the Gospel and a life in Christ. Fr. Najim speaks to us about this path, which is put before priests. This week on Theologically Thinking,Fr. William Chiganos will discuss the Sunday of Luke. Find out if you are one that forgets the things you should remember and remember the things you should forget. This week on Beyond the Veil, Presbytera Jeannie continues with Chapter 1 Vs. 3
â??For the Time is near,â?? an explanation on how 1900 years after Revelations was written can those words ring true. New episodes of Get Wisdom will also be available this week.

Internet Radio Stations - Listen to the Ark and the Rudder for contemporary and traditional Orthodox music. Watch myocn.net for our new talk-only streaming radio station called THE ANCHOR, which will debut in about one month.  Have you seen the new interactive RUDDER page?  Visit our web site today and listen at www.myocn.net.

OCN and your iPhone - With the release of the Ark and the Rudder in one convenient and free download, listeners will have even more options from which to listen to OCN's Orthodox liturgical music, ground-breaking podcasts and contemporary Orthodox music. To download your copy, go to the ITunes application store and type ocn. The download is free and is effortless to install. Visit our web site for details at http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=32630749 4&mt=8.

OCN NOW - Special Report - Unity In American Orthodoxy - What does this actually mean and how will it take place? Watch for special reporting over the next several months from people in the know concerning the historic meeting in Chambesy and its ramifications for the Orthodox Christian Churches in America.

All programs available on Internet Radio, Podcast and On Demand at www.myocn.net.

DAILY BIBLE READINGS FOR FACEBOOK AND iGoogle: The Department of Internet Ministries has launched an enhancement to its Online Chapel service that will now provide Facebook and iGoogle users access to the daily Bible readings and lives of the saints directly from their customized home pages. Visit the Online Chapel at http://www.goarch.org/chapel  for more information on how to add the new Online Chapel for Facebook and Online Chapel for iGoogle to your home pages

> FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION:

New On-line Group for Religious Educators - The Department of Religious Education has created Orthodox Christian Religious Educators a group on Facebook so that teachers and other interested youth workers can share ideas, discuss programs. The Facebook group is the latest attempt of the Department to bring Orthodox Christian Religious Educators together. The group is open to anyone who works with young people in Orthodox Christian parishes, whether as a clergyman, a Sunday Church school teacher, supervisor, a youth group advisor, interested parent, or others.  For those already using Facebook, search for the group and join.  For those not using Facebook, you will have to join the social networking site (it's free).  Already the group has hundreds of members with topics being discussed ranging from Vacation Church School to teaching Environmental Stewardship.

Traveling on the Ark of Salvation: Feasts of the Theotokos - a Vacation Church School program with daily lessons covering the Feasts of the Virgin Mary, a daily puppet show, activities, crafts, hymns and songs. Also available are t-shirts, posters, banners, and other products. The entire kit is available for  $79.95.

"Enter In": Four DVDs Explore Orthodox Christian Feasts - The Department of Religious Education is excited to announce a major new production. Entitled "Enter In," the resource includes sixteen 15-minute video presentations--over four hours of video?on foour DVDs. These presentations explore the major feasts of the Church, and the meaning and purpose of Orthodox Christian worship. Other resources include Discussion Questions, a web site, a Viewer's Companion, and a Teacher's Guide. Full of interviews, music, hymns, icons, and beautiful visuals, this rich resource will both inspire and provoke. Designed for individual, family, or group study, it's the perfect resource for a parish's Great Lent Bible study or adult church school class! Call the Department at 800-566-1088 to order now, or visit

http://goarch.org/archdiocese/departments/religioused/feasts

ORTHODOX MARKETPLACE - www.orthodoxmarketplace.com

> --------------------

> Now available on the Orthodox Marketplace:

> The Planner 2009-2010

> ---------------------

The Planner is used by thousands of Orthodox Christians to keep track of fasting periods, feastdays and of course their own schedules and plans for the ecclesiastical year. The calendar runs from Sept 1, 2009 to Aug 31, 2010. The Planner is produced by the Department of Youth Ministry.

You can purchase the 2009-2010 Planner online for
$13.95 by going here with your web browser:

http://www.orthodoxmarketplace.com/calendars/the-planner-2009-2010.html

The Children's Bible Reader - English Edition - BACK IN STOCK

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Having gone out of print after two runs, we have brought this soon-to-be classic back into print. This title features the same spread of bible stories from the Old and New Testament accompanied by Byzantine-style illustrations. The tone and paraphrase of the text is faithful to the biblical original. The stories walk the child through the history of the faithful, the lessons of Christ to the disciples, the experience of the apostles and the glory of God's Kingdom.

Now available for $19.99, bookstore and parish discounts are available. Select 'Parish or School' or 'Bookstore' as your membership on your user profile to apply for the discount.

You can purchase the Bible Reader in English here:

http://www.orthodoxmarketplace.com/children-and-039s-1/childrens-bible-reade r-english-edition.html

SCOBA, the Orthodox Marketplace, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and the American Bible Society are partnering to offer the acclaimed Children's Bible Reader to military families with children at a 50% discount for a limited time.  Just fill out this survey to receive your discount coupon:

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB229BUWPHN76

> Orthodox Military New Testament and Psalms

> ------------------------------------------

This special edition of the New Testament and Psalms includes several full color icon plates, devotional prayers, short articles about faith topics relevant to servicemen and women, pages to list the living and the dead for personal prayer discipline. It is 4" x 6", softcover, and fits easily in your pocket.

A suggested donation of $5 per copy is requested. Servicemen and military chaplains may receive a coupon allowing them to get free copies by filling out the following survey online:

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey.zgi?p=WEB229B4RX2WD4

> New Music and Video

> -------------------

We have added several new titles to our catalog over the past few weeks, including:

* Akathist to the Mother of God: Nurturer of Children (Based on the text from St. Sergius Monastery)
* Pascha: The Resurrection of Christ DVD (aired on ABC around Pascha 2009)
* Jesus Prayer Rings - additional women's and men's sizes are now available.

Be sure to check our web page and subscribe to our newsletter for more information as it becomes available.

> http://www.orthodoxmarketplace.com

The Orthodox Marketplace is the Official Online Store of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.

SUPPORT THE ARCHDIOCESE WHILE SEARCHING or SHOPPING ON THE WEB:  The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese has partnered with GoodSearch.com, a new search engine that donates half its revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. You use it just as you would any search engine, and it's powered by Yahoo!, so you get great results. To use GoodSearch.com and support the ministries of the Archdiocese, simply go to:

> http://www.goodsearch.com/?charityid=833607

> For online shopping visit

> http://www.goodsearch.com/goodshop.aspx

GAMES ONLINE TO EXPLORE AND LEARN THE ORTHODOX FAITH: The Department of Internet Ministries is pleased to announce an exciting new web site at http://games.goarch.org  where kids and adults of all ages can explore, create, play, learn, discover, and grow in the Orthodox Faith. The site features online games and puzzles in a colorful, engaging environment, all with an Orthodox theme. The games are suitable for kids from ages 5 on up and currently features a coloring book, jigsaw puzzles, a memory game, a word finder, crossword puzzles, and more.

The online games are currently in beta and we encourage feedback so that we can further enhance this new online offering.  Click here to visit: http://games.goarch.org

> Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
> Department of Communications
> 8 East 79th Street, New York, NY 10075