wfn.org | Greek Orthodox Archdiocese E-bulletin October 23, 2009

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@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 23, 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.

FEAST OF SAINT DEMETRIOS: October 26 is the feast day of the Holy,
Glorious Great Martyr Saint Demetrios, the Myrrh-streamer.  Saint
Demetrios suffered in Thessalonica during the reign of Galerius
Maximian (c. 306). He belonged to one of the most distinguished
families of the province of Macedonia and was widely admired not only
because of his noble ancestry and grace of bearing, but also for
virtue, wisdom and goodness of heart surpassing that of his elders.
Visit this site for the story of this saint, readings, hymns, and to
send an iconogram.

http://www.goarch.org/special/demetrios/index_html

2009 PATRIARCHAL VISIT ? WEBSITE:  His Alll Holiness Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew will visit the United States October 20 ?
November 6.  He will be leading the Religion, Sciencce, 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, promotional materials for your
parish and more on the Ecumenical Patriarch and his environmental
efforts visit the special US visit site at

> http://usvisit2009.org/

Schedule of Events: http://www.patriarchate.org/events/usvisit2009/itinerary

Parish Resources:

http://www.patriarchate.org/events/usvisit2009/resources

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew:

http://www.patriarchate.org/patriarch/biography

Ecumenical Patriarchate:

http://www.patriarchate.org/patriarchate/about

> Orthodox Christianity and the Environment:
> http://www.patriarchate.org/environment

ARCHON WEEKEND AND ASSEMBLY OF ORDER OF ST. ANDREW: The annual Archon
Weekend and Assembly of the Order of Saint Andrew will be held October
30th - November 1st at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. His All
Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will be present and will be
honored by the Order at the Archon Grand Banquet Saturday, October
31st. The Patriarchal Divine Liturgy and Investiture of new Archons by
His All Holiness will take place at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the
Holy Trinity to conclude the weekendâ??s ceremonies on Sunday.  For
the schedule of events and more on the Order of St. Andrew visit

> http://www.archons.org/

National GOYA Facebook Page Created

Our newest resource from the Department of Youth and Young Adult
Ministries has just been created. In an effort to create a presence on
facebook, we have created a page that provides the GOYAn's of our
Archdiocese with community, updates, news, and information from across
the country. We hope that it will be a place for teens to learn about
their faith and upcoming GOYA events, as well as connect with each
other! On facebook you can search for "GOYA- Greek Orthodox Youth of
America" and become a "fan".

Orthodox Christian Fellowship Announces REAL BREAK registration is open
Join hundreds of other college students this Spring Break with Real
Break, the service learning program of OCF. This year's trips are
scheduled for Constantinople, Jerusalem, Greece, Romania, and more.
Register online now at www.ocf.net/realbreak. Hurry while there are
still openings!!!

OCTOBER ORTHODOX OBSERVER ONLINE: Read the latest news and events,
discover resources, and be inspired by messages and reflections in the
October edition of the Orthodox Observer.  This full-color issue is
available for download along with back issues at

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

> FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION:

New 'zine from DRE: "Heaven on Earth: The Divine Liturgy" now
available.  Heaven on Earth is a guide to the Divine Liturgy of St
John Chrysostom, providing the junior high reader with information
about what is taking place and directions for greater involvement. It
also provides a "glossary" of items seen at the Divine Liturgy and
introduces the reader to the development of the Liturgy in the
Orthodox Church. Twenty-four pages, fully illustrated in color. Could
also serve as a handout in adult education classes, be given to
visitors to the parish, or placed in the narthex or in the pews.
$3.95 per copy. $2.95 on orders of more than 50 copies. A Teacher's
Guide for classroom use will be available soon.

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.

2010 St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival Topics Available.  The
2010 Festival Topics, Topic Tips, and Bibliography are now available
on the Department's webpages

www.goarch.org/archdiocese/departments/religioused/sjcof

As more information from the Metropolises arrives, with the dates and
locations of District and Metropolis Festivals, it will be posted.
The 2010 Archdiocese Festival will be hosted by the Direct Archdiocese
District and held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York City, from
June 4-6.

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 ffor the parish will be 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 RADIO PROGRAM OF
ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY
On this week's CRTL podcast, Fr. George Morelli joins Fr. Chris to
talk about how our human expectations can lead to trouble in our
relationship with our spouse and with God himself. In a short segment,
Fr. Chris will speak with Emily Aultman. Emily is a high school
senior, who recently participated in a Project Mexico and St. Innocent
Orphanage mission trip.
*******************
SHARE THE LIGHT PARTNERS PROGRAM
The Orthodox Christian Network focus for the month of October will be
to partner financially with 100 new individuals to â??share the
lightâ?? of Orthodoxy. In order to ensure a steady flow of income to
our ministry, we are looking for individuals and foundations that will
pledge amounts of $50 a month, $100 a month, $200 a month or the
pacesetter amount of $400 or more a month to our ministry. This money
will help sustain the Internet radio stations, The ARK, The RUDDER and
our new talk show The ANCHOR. It will also provide the financial
backing for our newest endeavor Internet Radio Solutions where
parishes can establish their own individualized Internet radio
ministry along with the OCN's extensive program and music libraries.
It will help priests minister to their parishioners 24/7 over the
Internet. Another area that this will help fund is our newest popular
effort this year of embedded reporters bringing you news from around
the world of missionary and philanthropic activity. To sign up, please
go to the Support tab under STL Partners on our OCN website www.myocn.net.
*******************
RADIO SOLUTIONS for Orthodox Christian Parishes Worldwide
The Orthodox Christian Network (The OCN) is pleased to announce a new
service to Orthodox parishes and ministries world wide?Customized
Online Radiio Stations. Since recently acquiring new online radio
server software, we can now offer completely customized 24/7 online
radio stations in a cost effective and efficient way allowing parishes
to stay connected to their parishioners more so than ever before. OCN
looks forward to being your supplier of customized Orthodox Christian
programming. For more information about Orthodox Internet radio
solutions visit our web site at www.myocn.net or call us today at
954-522-5567 to speak to one of our support staff.
*******************
ADVERTISING/SPONSORSHIP Opportunities
Sponsor a program or feature your company on the high trafficked
MyOCN.net website. OCN is now making available the opportunity for
people and corporations to advertise on our site to support the
ministry. Ad space is available so call our headquarters to discuss
it. Call today 954-467-1515
**********************
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 our new interactive RUDDER page design yet?
**********************
THIS WEEKâ??S PODCASTS

This week on Special Moments in Orthodoxy, Bishop Kalistos live at
Saint Paul's in Irvine California will continue with part three of a
discussion on the Mystery of the Eucharist: Communion, Eating and
Drinking at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. This week on
Theologically Thinking, Fr. Athanasios  Haros  from the
Transfiguration of Our Savior Greek Orthodox Church in Florence SC
will speak on The Golden Rule, A "How to get to Heaven" Manual. This
week Orthodox Teen Talk Online, Fr. Christopher speaks to South
Florida District Youth concerning the media and who is driving their
agendas. This week Harmony of Thunder starts a new series on the
catechetical lectures of St. Cyril of Jerusalem. They were preached to
catechumens, but they're valuable for everyone in the church!  You
won't want to miss this inspirational series. This week on IOCCâ??s
News Updates will cover the assistance IOCC is giving to the Church in
Romania to serve the poor as well as the history of the agencyâ??s
extensive philanthropic involvement in the country. This week on Just
Thinking Fr. Chris and Rod Dreher of the Dallas Morning News will
discuss The Balloon Boy Story: Suffering Exemplified.  There will also
be a new episode of Get Wisdom with Jason Barker.
**********************
TWO NEW PODCASTS: ORTHODOX LIFE TIPS and IOCC NEWS UPDATES
Orthodox Life Tips is a one-minute program offered each weekday,
reflecting on an issue we face in our daily lives and offering advice
from a saint or Orthodox teacher on handling that issue and growing in
our relationships with God and the world around us. Jason Barker, the
host of Orthodox Life Tips, is also host of the OCNâ??s popular
podcast Get Wisdom. To learn more about Orthodox Life Tips and
Jasonâ??s other resources visit http://www.orthodoxresource.com, and
listen to the Get Wisdom podcast at www.myocn.net.
IOCC News Updates- Learn the latest about what IOCC is doing to bring
humanitarian help around the world in these "IOCC News Updates." IOCC
continues to assist people around the world during some of the most
difficult times in their lives. Come here from people in the know
about what it takes to minister to â??these the least of my  brethren.â??
*******************
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,
groundbreaking 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=3263
07494&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

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

-------------------------------------------------------------

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
-reader-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