Greek Orthodox Archdiocese E-bulletin July 30, 2010

> 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 July 30, 2010

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.

DORMITION FAST BEGINS: The fasting period for the Feast of the
Dormition (Kimissis) begins on August 1 and concludes on August 14,
the day before the Feast.  For more on this Feast, an explanation of
the icon, readings, and more visit

www.goarch.org/special/listen_learn_share/dormition/index_html

For a brochure on fasting in the Orthodox Church visit the page for
the Faith and Life series at:

> www.goarch.org/ourfaith/faithandlife
FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD:  The Feast of the
Transfiguration of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ is celebrated
each year on August 6. The feast commemorates the transfiguration or
metamorphosis of Christ on Mount Tabor, when our Lord appeared in His
divine glory before the Apostles Peter, James, and John.  For the
biblical story of this feast, a description of the icon, hymns,
readings and more visit

www.goarch.org/special/listen_learn_share/transfiguration/index_html

ORTHODOX OBSERVER ? JUNE/JULY ISSUE:  The latest issue of the
Orthoodox Observer is now available online.  View the latest news,
articles on the Clergy-Laity Congress events, special columns,
features and more.  The Observer can be downloaded as a pdf file from

> www.goarch.org/news/observer
CLERGY-LAITY CONGRESS: The 40th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress of the
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America was held July 4-8 in Atlanta,
Ga.   Visit the Congress web site for news and photos from the
Congress events.  You can also watch video or read the text of the
Keynote Address of Archbishop Demetrios on the theme of the Congress:
Gather My People to My Home: Come and See.

> www.clergylaity.org
NEW SHIPPING PROCEDURES AND RATES FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS
EDUCATION:  Effective immediately, customers of the Department of
Religious Education will notice changes to our shipping procedures and
rates. First, orders involving Department of Religious Education
produced resources ? especially textbooks ? will ship from a new
warehrehouse in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Other resources will ship from the
Brookline offices of the Department. This means that customers will
often receive items in different shipments, at different times.
Shipping times from Oklahoma will be three to four days to most places
in the United States, thus serving customers better. Items shipped
from Brookline will continue to take one to seven days to reach most
customers. Invoices will no longer be included with the order but will
be mailed separately or included only with the items shipped from
Brookline. International orders will continue to be shipped as they
have been, but with the new rates.

Second, shipping rates will reflect the actual shipping charges,
whether UPS or US Postal Service, plus a handling fee based on the
size of the order.

Customers in the Northeast, who sometimes visit the Department to
place and pick up an order should contact the Department first
(1-800-566-1088), before coming to the office.

The Department of Religious Education has initiated these new
procedures and rates to serve its customers with greater efficiency.
Everything else about placing orders, invoicing, and payment remains the sa me.

PARISH MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE INITIATIVE: The Stewardship Commission of
the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America has established a Committee
on Parish Management Software. This effort is being carried out in
coordination with Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Departments of
Administration, Finance and Information Technologies. Committee goals
are to evaluate Parish Management Software programs currently
available and to make a recommendation to the parishes on the most
suitable program for their needs. Additional benefits might include
favorable pricing due to number of users, customization for use by
Orthodox parishes, greater ease of reporting to the Metropolis and
Archdiocese through compatible formats, and better support through
improved communication between parishes and software providers.
Meetings with providers should begin by late summer. Individuals
wishing to offer suggestions and recommendations based upon their
experience with specific software packages are welcome to do so by
email to Stewardship @goarch.org or by phone to the Department of
Stewardship, Outreach & Evangelism at 646/519-6160.

OCF CONNECT KIT FOR HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES: It's not too late to order
an OCF Connect Kit for your graduate. Our kits are full of items to
help our students stay connected to Christ and His Church while away
at college. Visit

> www.ocf.net/store
MESSAGE OF ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW ON GULF OIL SPILL:  His
All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has issued a message in
response to the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  His message
laments the destruction of our natural environment as a result of this
disaster.  He calls for higher levels of accountability and concern
for the created order and for prayers and support for the clean up
efforts and actions to prevent future catastrophes.  You can read the
full text of the message at

www.goarch.org/news/patriarch-gulfoilspill%20-05102010

CENTER FOR FAMILY CARE LAUNCHES NEW EMAIL MINISTRY: FAMILY LINK -
Through the Family Link email ministry, we hope to bring you practical
ideas, inspiration, and upcoming events to assist your family as you
grow in the Orthodox faith. Additionally we will provide ways in which
to assist both your family and your parish's ministry to families.
Through the Family Link, we hope to encourage you to share your
resources for family ministry so that we in turn can share them with
others.  To subscribe to Family Link, visit

www.goarch.org/archdiocese/departments/family/familylinklistserv

YOUTH DEPT. PUBLISHES 2010-2011 ECCLESIASTICAL PLANNER: The Department
of Youth and Young Adult Ministries is pleased to announce the
publication of the 2010-2011 Ecclesiastical Planner. This yearâ??s
Planner is based upon the Archdiocese theme, â??Come and Seeâ?? , set
forth by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America.  The Planner is
an excellent resource for Orthodox faithful to stay connected to their
Faith with daily lectionary readings and inspirational quotes from
scripture and holy men and women of the Faith. It includes daily
fasting guidelines, morning and evening prayers and saints of the day.
The Planner follows the Ecclesiastical (Church) year beginning in
September and ending in August. It makes an excellent gift for
students and helpful resource for church school teachers and youth
workers. The Planner has been published by the Department for over 25
years and is now available for purchase exclusively through the
Department of Religious Education at 800.566.1088 or through the
Orthodox Marketplace at

> www.orthodoxmarketplace.com
HELLENIC COLLEGE CONTINUES CHRYSOSTOM SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM: Hellenic
College will continue to award a  scholarship to the winner of the
senior division Chrysostom Oratorical Contest of each participating
parish .The scholarship is for 100% of tuition for the first year and
80% of tuition for each of the following three years providing the
student maintains a 3.0 GPA and adheres to the conduct and standards
expected of a student in the college. Winners are not guaranteed
admission to Hellenic College. Students must satisfy admission
requirements for the college in order to be eligible for the
scholarship. The estimated value of the scholarship over fours of
study is approximately $68,000.  Those interested are encouraged to
contact Mr. Gregory Floor, Director of Admissions, at 617-850-1285, or
via email at gfloor@hchc.edu. Information is also available on the
Hellenic College website at

www.hchc.edu/hellenic/admissions/anniversary-scholarships-continued.html

> THIS WEEK FROM THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN NETWORK
COME RECEIVE THE LIGHT - THE NATIONALLY SYNDICATED RADIO PROGRAM OF
ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY
OCN is very excited to begin a 4-part series with Fr. Andrew Louth
this week, based on his book Greek East And Latin West, available for
purchase on our website now! Fr. Louth is Professor of Patristic and
Byzantine Studies at the University of Durham, England. This first
installment is on the topic of Iconoclasm. But first, friend of the
show Dr. Dean Stamatis is back to answer some questions for us about
bishops of our church. Why do they have bells on their vestments? Why
do they carry a staff? Tune in to find out!
************************
THIS WEEKâ??S PODCASTS
This week on Special Moments in Orthodoxy, join us for another vaulted

CRTL as we take a journey in our way back machine to 2004 where Fr.
Christopher speak with Dr. Demetrios Katos about the patristic
influence in the Church and tells us what the past has to say about
the Church. In this week's episode of Theologically Thinking, Fr. Paul
Tarazi reconciles  How we see God in the Old Testament and the New Testament
**********************
Announcing our Guest Summer Host of CRTL
This summer, get to know our guest host Fr. Steven Ritter from St.
Mary of Egypt Orthodox Church (ROCOR) in Roswell, Georgia, and author
of That Your Joy May Be Full! Fr. Ritter will be interviewing guests
like Fr. Andrew Louth, Dr. Albert Rossi, Dr. Elizabeth Prodromou, Fr.
Luke Veronis and many more! Tune in each week to hear new interviews
with the best and brightest of Orthodoxy!
*******************
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://www.myocn.net/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/exte
rn/url.php?u=1291&qid=862136.
*******************
SHARE THE LIGHT PARTNERS
Our partners are the backbone of the OCN.  We are grateful to God for
them as they form the foundation of the endeavor to Share our Faith
with the world.  Have you ever considered joining us at this level of
commitment?  We currently have 45 partners for this year with a goal
of reaching 75 by the end of the summer.  So why not join us today?
Visit our web site to learn more and take action.  Share the Light
Partners donate a gift of $1,000 or more during the course of the year
and can donate on line or call Kathy at our national headquarters at
954-522-5567 to learn more.
Don't delay act today!  Our faith is to sacred and our mission to
important to not have a strong media voice in this world. Thank you in
advance for considering becoming one of our special partners.

> ******************
> VOICES FROM AFAR
> The OCN is pleased to offer a number of International Stations for our
> listeners. Please visit our web site to hear programs in Greek and
> Russian. In the fall you will also be able to hear programs in Spanish
> as well. Thank you to all who support the growing offerings of the
> Orthodox Christian Network reaching faithful and seekers around the
> globe with our sacred faith. Visit www.myocn.net.
> **********************
> FACEBOOK and TWITTER
> Have you joined the thousands on OCNâ??s Facebook and Twitter pages?
> Join us to follow programming and events covered on the ARK, the
> RUDDER and the Anchor. While you are at it tell your friends to visit as we ll.
> *******************
> 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?CCustomized
> Online Radio 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.
> *******************
> LAND BASED STATION
> Have you ever thought of having your own land based radio program in
> your city which features your church as both an outreach to your own
> parishioners and a beacon of light to those looking for the TRUE
> FAITH!  Call us today to find out how you can do it! 954-522-5567.
> *******************
> 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 954-522-5567.
> **********************
> INTERNET RADIO STATIONS
> Log on to myocn.net to listen to the Ark, the Rudder and the Anchor to
> hear special programming. Whether you enjoy contemporary, traditional
> Orthodox music or a talk format there is something for you at
> myocn.net. Join the hundreds of thousands of people worldwide visiting
> us every week.
All programs available on Internet Radio, Podcast and On Demand at
www.myocn.net.

LOOKING FOR A JOB: OrthodoxJobs.com is the source for Orthodox
Christians who are seeking employment in an Orthodox Christian or
Christian environment. In its current version, it is a posting site of
Job opportunities for any Archdiocese, Metropolis, Diocese, Parish, or
Organization that falls under the jurisdiction of SCOBA, the Standing
Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas. To post a
job on this site, simply send us a job ad/posting with contact
information and duration of the posting. Future releases will include
resources for employers and employees.

> www.orthodoxjobs.com
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
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

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:

> www.goodsearch.com/?charityid=833607
> For online shopping visit
> 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 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: games.goarch.org