July Services
+July 15th: Great Prince Vladimir, Equal to the Apostles, Enlightener of the Russian Lands.
+Aug. 1st: Procession of the Holy Cross.  Liturgy for this feast will be followed by a lesser blessing of waters.

Attendance
Attendance for the first trimester of 2008 averaged 47 people per Divine Liturgy.  The low of 35 occurred on March 30th, the Third Sunday of Great Lent.  The high of 60 was met three times, all in the month of April.  While we pray for converts and strive to embrace our role as Orthodox evangelists, we have to admit that our church could be filled every Sunday if only our own people were more faithful in attendance.

Coffee Hour "Goes Green"
In an effort to be better stewards of creation, and to thank the ladies for providing coffee hour, Father is challenging the men of the parish to do the dishes on Sunday mornings.  There will be a new signup sheet on the bulletin board in the hall.  For every Sunday that someone signs up in advance to wash the dishes, we will use our real plates and utensils.  Women may sign up, but men should be the majority!

Summer Camp
There will be three collections taken to help send our kids and counselors to the Rocky Mountain Orthodox Youth Camp.  The cost is $115 per camper/counselor, so we need to raise $345 to send Annie Hoosier, as well as Father and Popadija, who will be a counselor and music director, respectively.  Because the camp we use is rented and not our own, we have to pay for everyone who goes, even if they are going to work.  Pictures from last summer's camp can be seen on our website.

Seminary Appeal
It's time once again for the annual Seminary Appeal of the Orthodox Church in America.  All monies collected are restricted to support our three seminaries and provide scholarships to the students who attend them, such as our own Zachary Lynch at St. Tikhon's.  The collection for Seminary Appeal will be taken July 13th.  Let's be generous and remember that we are investing in the clergy and laity who are paying for the privilege of being able to sacrificially serve God's Holy Church.

Donations Of Olive Oil Are Presently Needed For The Lampadas!

May Treasurer’s Report

Income for May was much lower than usual, and it was not possible to pay Father's salary, or all our bills, on time.  If you are behind in your pledge, please catch up soon.  On the bright side, expenditures for coffee hour supplies have been almost nil of late.  This is a result of your donations, and of our efforts to "go green" by using washable dishware.

Sponsorship
The "children's area" of the church is still in need of a rug.  A nice one will probably run just under $200.  If you are interested in sponsoring this item, please confer with Father and we will get something appropriate.  The set of white vestments that Father wears during the Paschal season are in need of mending.  The seamstress who usually does vestment repairs for us can take care of them for $20-$30.  Thanks to our anonymous benefactor who donated a weed wacker and power edger.  Father has already put the edger to much needed use!  Finally, if anyone is interested in the old doors to the bookstore/bar, please speak with Father.  It was decided not to replace them after the new floor was laid, as their absence opens up the hall a bit more. 

Message From Our Seminarian
Father bless!
Hello Father, Matushka and all our loved ones at St. Michaels!  We made it.  We are still digging out our stuff; boxes are everywhere!  The house will work very nicely for us.  We have set up a web page with pictures and a little news at http://znlynchclan.spaces.live.com/.  We hope to write more later, thank you for all your prayers!  Please keep praying!  We love and miss everyone.  In Christ- Zachary, Natalia and Clan.

Movie Night
It is time once again for another installment of "Movie Night at the Rectory."  This month's feature will be My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding.  Many of you have seen this fine film already, but have you seen it with other Orthodox Christians?  And if you haven't seen it, what better opportunity could there be?  Let's bring ourselves and some lenten snacks to Father and Popadija's on Friday the 11th.  The show starts at 6:30 pm.  Your friends and family are always welcome.

From the Archives: The Ghost of Christmas Past
A search of the Pueblo Chieftain has turned up several articles relating to the early life of the Greek Catholic, and subsequently Orthodox, community of Pueblo.  A common theme of these articles concerns the festal vitality of our faith, which was known throughout this city in those days.  God-willing, and through our growing witness, the joyousness of Orthodox Christianity will once again become infamous in Pueblo:
1) Greeks' Christmas.  January 8, 1902, p.8.
Special services in observance of the Greeks' Christmas were held in St. Mary's church in the grove yesterday morning.  Father Nick Seiagelli [sic] of Denver conducted the services, which were attended by nearly all of the Greeks in the city.
2) Celebrate Christmas.  January 8, 1903, p.6.
The Greek Catholics of east Bessemer celebrated their Christmas yesterday and last night.  Several hundred of the nationality participat[ed] in the ceremonies.  After certain religious rites were observed the crowd gave themselves to merriment and feasting.  A barbecue was established on Berwind avenue where four fatted animals were roasted.  Simultaneously ladened tables were spread at two large boarding houses and the entire day and night was pent in dancing and feasting.
3) All Greek Catholics To Celebrate Christmas: Great Preparations Now Going on For The Event.  January 7, 1904, p.8.
Elaborate preparations have been made for the celebration of Christmas by the Greek and Servian population of Bessemer.  All yesterday men with eager anticipation depicted upon their faces were to be found preparing for the feasting which is a marked feature of the observance of the birth of the Saviour by the adherents of the Greek Catholic church, whether they be found on the cold steppes of Russia, under the tropical suns of Armenia, Montenegro or Servia, or at the foot of the great Rockies.  All through the Greek and Servian quarters smoke was to be seen curling up from wood fires at which the carcasses of sheep, swine and poultry were being roasted on slowly turning spits.  Primitive indeed is the barbecue known to the American where cattle and sheep are roasted in pits for the delectation of the backwoods people upon some great occasion, either political or national, but more primitive is the roasting of the meats for a Christmas celebration by the members of the Greek Catholic church from the Balkan states.
A fire of logs with convenient wind breaks to assure a continuous heat at the right point, a line of pans to catch the grease as it slowly oozes from the carcass, and half a dozen to a dozen men to keep the roasting flesh in constant revolution in order that it shall be cooked evenly throughout.  These are the essentials of a Servian barbecue.                                                              
The animal, be it a huge porker, a sheep or a turkey, is spitted with a long pole which is passed completely through the carcass.  This pole is supported upon two forked sticks on either end.  Two men squatting upon the ground slowly turn the pole so that each portion of the roasting animal is subjected to the same amount of heat.  From time to time the "cooks" are relieved by a couple of their fellows and the spit is kept revolving until the chef declares that the roast is done.  It takes four hours to roast a small animal while a larger one requires a correspondingly longer time.  Eighteen hundred years ago the followers of the Christ in the orient celebrated the nativity by a feast and the meat was prepared in precisely the same manner given above.  That manner has not been changed a particle since.  Many of the well to do Servians and Greeks have bowed to the march of progress and cook their Christmas meats in the modern stove and range, but the average Greek and Servian is not prone to adopt innovations, and although he accepts modern methods in every day life he still clings to the way of his ancestors when it comes to the celebration of a religious feast and the Christmas pig is prepared today for the delectations of the Bessemer Servian in exactly the same manner as it was for his forebears centuries ago under the shadow of the Balkans.

Festival Meeting
On Sunday, July 13th, there will be a meeting to organize St. Michael's Feast Day Festival, which will be held on Sunday, September 7th.  The meeting will take place during coffee hour.  Lisa, Gabriella and Popadija are leading the organization this year.  They will bring a plan to the meeting that can then be discussed and altered, if need be.  Please come to the meeting and put in your two cent's.  Also, please bring an open mind and a giving heart.  The success of our festival depends on all of us pitching in.

Women's Group
Picnic anyone?  If you are interested in going on a picnic in July at one of our nearby and shaded local parks please let Popadija know.  The proposed date is after Divine Liturgy on July 15th and a nice park near the Orton's house (5 minutes' drive).

Readers
All those who have been asked to join the group of church readers should please make time one Saturday before Vespers to learn about and practice liturgical reading.  We will decide in the next couple of weeks on which Saturday during July we can do this.

Thanks to all who made our cornerstone rededication such a great day!

Recommended Reading
Facing East: A Pilgrim's Journey Into The Mysteries of Orthodoxy is Frederica Matthewes-Green's semi-autobiographical account of her family's embrace of the ancient Christian faith, and of their subsequent efforts to establish an Orthodox parish in their homeland of Maryland.  Her husband's entrance into Orthodoxy is swift and sure, initially leaving Matthewes-Green somewhat intimidated and with many reservations to overcome.  A former Episcopalian priest, her hubby is ordained to the holy priesthood immediately after being chrismated, and the author finds herself thrust into the role of matushkahood (or khouriyahood) almost as if by surprise.  As she grows into the depth of the faith, so their new parish begins to grow as well.  Facing East is a fascinating account, both as the tale of an individual convert, and as the tale of the birth of a parish community.  Many readers will relate to the author's occasional beffudlement, and even unease, with some of the more paradoxical and incomprehensible facets of Orthodox faith and life.  You will also laugh at, and share sorrows with, the members of their budding community, recognizing many of them as types who can be found in just about every Orthodox parish.  Maybe you will even recognize yourself in one of them!  Matthewes-Green, a well-know author and speaker, writes in a clear and engaging style.  The only drawback is the sometiems overly sarcastic humor, which can strike one as immature.  But she herself seems to be aware of this fault, so no harm done.  This book is great reading for parishioners of St. Michael's mainly because of its depiction of the struggle to build a parish in the face of intimidating odds, a struggle we can identify with.  Bookstore price: $14.

Also recommended is Sandra Johnson's moving book, God's Child Andrew, in which the author tells the story of her beloved son's life, and of his tragic death in a car accident.  This powerfully written memoir introduces us to her vibrant, golden child, and walks us through her and her family's grief in the wake of his passing.  Johnson also deals with the heartache of her earlier miscarriage, confronts her struggle with food, and reveals a person who is honestly seeking God.  This book is recommended for anyone who has ever, honestly grieved a loss, or who wants to understand what grief is like.  Keep tissues handy, even if you think you are too manly to need them.  They'll get used.  The only weakness of the book is the extent to which Matushka Johnson grasps for hidden meaning in some of the seemingly random coincidences that occur in the wake of her son's passing.  But she never gets New Agey, and even this apparent foible is only an outgrowth of her love for a boy whom God has taken.  The wonder is that she's kept her faith at all, let alone strengthened it, through such a loss.  Bookstore price: $10.

Both books are in stock now.

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