Proclaiming the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ
St. John’s Russian Orthodox Mission Church, September 7535/2026 Newsletter

New Year’s Resolution

Dearest to Christ,

As we enter the new year 7535 in Orthodox Christian reckoning (based on the Bible from the Byzantine era), two photos sum up aspects of our past Church year at a glance. One (above) is a picture of an immature red-tailed hawk perched on the Slavic Cross on our recently installed Onion Dome, taken by Longinus. The hawk can be taken as a local symbol here in Penns Woods of the soaring vision gifted us by the Holy Spirit, God willing, and in our Orthodox Church Tradition including Holy Scripture. The Cross indicates the need for our continued humble and repentant struggle as we enter a new year’s cycle of worship on the Church calendar. Lord have mercy!

The second photo (below) is from our showing of the film Moses the Black at the Campus Theatre last week, as part of our outreach activities to the community, glory to God! It is a reminder of those outreach activities in local downtowns and to our area university students and in our prison ministry as well as of course regularly in our services and coffee-hour education programs, but also of the whole primary orientation of our parish as a mission with God’s help. It likewise reminds us of the needs of sacrifice, most of all in the challenges of spiritual warfare daily, but also of time and when possible financial support, in the work of each and all of us as missionaries for the Orthodox Gospel. May the Lord give us good strength!

“New Year’s resolution” often means something on our “to do” list for the new year. But “New Year’s resolution” can also mean a quality of character that in Orthodoxy we understand ultimately to be God-given: A state of openness to faith and service, reflecting the Biblical virtue of might or courage, perseverance–resoluteness. May God grant us such resolution in our mission work in following our Lord’s New Commandment in 7535, to love one another as He loved us.

Looking forward to this month, you’ll see below upcoming events: Most of all our regular services, a major feast, and the visit of a Bishop for our fall feast, as well as our annual meeting, the baptism of a new arrival, and the wedding of our Warden to a new member of our parish. Glory to God for all things!

Asking for your prayers.

Father Paul the unworthy Rector

***

Please note: On the Church calendar, September and our New Year start on the civil (secular) calendar’s  Sept. 14, when our monthly newsletter appears. Dates are listed below by the Church calendar/slash/civil calendar.

Regular Schedule

Vigil 4:30 p.m. Saturdays, Divine Liturgy 10 a.m. Sundays (Prayers of the Hours 9:40)

Akathist Wednesdays 7 p.m.

Confessions at Vigil or by appointment

Online Orthodoxy Saturdays 10 a.m.-11 (please email Fr Paul for the link, priestpauls@pm.me), except 9/19

Community Bible Study, 2:30 p.m. Sundays (though not Sept. 7/20)

Prison Ministry Mondays.

Please check stjohnthewonderworker.com calendar to confirm.

Special Feasts and Events

Baptism of the Infant Anthony, Sunday Sept. 7/20, 8 a.m. (before Liturgy).

Nativity of the Theotokos: Vigil 6:30 p.m. on Sunday Sept. 3/20, and Divine Liturgy on Monday Sept. 8/21

Wedding of Nicholas and Sophia: 2 p.m. Monday Sept. 8/21.

Annual Parish Meeting (Members only): After Liturgy on Sunday Sept. 21/Oct. 4. Elections and reports, planning for the year ahead.

Fall Feast and Bishop’s visit. The Feast of the uncovering of the relics of St. John will be commemorated at Vigil on Sunday Sept. 29/Oct. 11 at 6:30 p.m. and at Divine Liturgy on Sept. 30/Oct. 12 at 10 a.m. (Prayers of the Hours at 9:40 a.m.)  Bishop Luke is scheduled to visit us, and plans to engage at meals with discussion with members, catechumens, newcomers, and inquirers, in instruction on Orthodox Christianity. This will be a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the faith from an Orthodox hierarch and educator (Bishop Luke is also Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary). All laity and inquirers welcome!

Financial Support and Planning

A reminder that we aspirationally tithe at St. John’s, and we may be requesting voluntary private pledges for 2027 at the Annual Meeting to help with budget planning. We also hope to begin a public fundraising campaign for a new permanent iconostasis (designed by architect Andrew Gould) soon.

In addition, please note that in order to keep our budget planning on track, we are asking that any projects related to the Church or property first be routed to Fr Paul as Rector, and then as needed he will route them to the Parish Council for review. Any project, large or small, should first be reviewed, even if a donation of time and money, to determine its possible impact on the larger budget and also its appropriateness for the site. Thank you for all of everyone’s help with donations of time, money, other gifts, and most of all prayer!

Many thanks to our Treasurer Vince for all his work in keeping track of our budget!

Please Pray for our Catechumens

Corey, Noah, Charles, Laura, Ty, James, Wyatt, Aaron

Diocesan Assembly

Our Diocesan Assembly will be held Oct. 9-11/Oct. 22-24 in Nyack, NY (main day of business on Thurs. Oct. 10/23). We’re looking for a lay delegate who could be at the Assembly with Fr. Paul. Please be in touch with him if you are interested. This is a good way to get to know the governance aspects of our Diocese and its part in the larger Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and highlights the conciliar as well as the hierarchical aspects of our Lord’s Church.

Prison Ministry

Fr Paul continues to visit the prison regularly (usually each week) for two classes that each include prayers. On the New Year (Sept. 1/14 he made a new catechumen, Elizabeth). Please pray for our Orthodox Christian inmates Tatiana, and Tanya, and for the catechumen Elizabeth, and for Letitia and Crystal who are also in the catechumen class (we have about a dozen others who attend the large-group class regularly too). We have a couple other parish members getting involved as well as a couple interested students. Please contact Fr. Paul if you would like to participate as a volunteer also.

Brotherhood of St. Alfred the Great

Many thanks to Longinus for all his work on cutting the lawn, which has helped our budget a lot. In addition, he has helped to spearhead efforts to clean up the “front lawn” at the doors to the Church. A contractor during the building made a mistake and dumped gravel and coal dust in what was supposed to be a couple small patches of grass lawn. Longinus has been donating his time and equipment to beautifying the space in time for the upcoming wedding. The brotherhood has discussed a field trip this fall to Holy Protection Monastery and perhaps later in the new Church year to Holy Cross Monastery in West Virginia and to Jordanville. Thanks also to Nik and others for help with work around the building.

Sisterhood of St. Olga of Alaska

Matushka Olga has been assisting with plantings in front of the Church. She and Viktoria also have been helping with Church cleaning. The Sisterhood plans to work on helping to coordinate future coffee hours and also perhaps to have a lunch this fall.

Campus Ministry

Many thanks to Eleni for helping to promote services and events to students at Bucknell, and to Lizzy for her work at Susquehanna. Please pray for our students Eleni, Lizzy, Verna, Maia, and others. Upcoming films this fall will be on campus at Bucknell (see note above).

Ministry to Sick and Shut-Ins

This continues with regular visits to Mary and Innocent, and to others as needed who are in hospitals are sick at home. If you would like to help as a visitor, please be in touch with Fr. Paul. Thanks for Justin in helping with this ministry greatly!

Film Series Continues Later This Fall

Please mark your calendars for the final (fourth and fifth) film showings in the Susquehanna Valley Orthodox Christian Film Festival hosted by St. John’s and the Bucknell University Orthodox Fellowship. Films are free, and will be followed by brief discussion. Invite a friend, inquirer, relative, co-worker to these outreach mission events.

Tuesday, October 7/20, 7 p.m. Bucknell campus: Elaine Langone Student Center Forum. Andrei Rublev.

Tuesday, November 4/17, 7 p.m. Bucknell campus. Elaine Langone Student Center Forum. Man of God.

Reminders: On Preparing for Communion and Appropriate Dress

Please remember that appropriate preparation for Communion includes following fasting rules, saying preparation prayers, and attending Vigil the night before (especially Vespers). Fasting includes following regular fasting rules for Wednesday, Friday, and any special fasting periods, as well as a total fast beginning at midnight the night before Communion, and from marital relations the day before. Confession should be heard at least during each of the four major fasting periods of the Church year, and before Communion (at Vigil or by appointment) if any deed or passion presents an obstacle to receiving Communion with a clear conscience, as otherwise it may be spiritually harmful. (Confession is always completely confidential.)  If you are unable to attend Vigil or at least Vespers, please say Reader Vespers at home and come to Liturgy early for a blessing from Fr. Paul to receive. https://www.saintjonah.org/services/vespers.htm Appropriate dress includes long pants and long-sleeve shirts for men, long dresses or skirts with shoulders covered and head scarves for women. Appropriate apparel is not to be legalistic but to support a spirit of humility and obedience before God for the community as a whole, as does the dress of your unworthy Priest. The whole tradition of preparation for Communion, called govenie, is to highlight our struggle with God’s grace to be accountable and repentant in approaching the Body and Blood of our Lord, in effect supping with Him in the greatest “feast” possible, of His Resurrection. Glory to God!

Our Diocesan Bishops have issued a statement that parishioners should receive confession from their parish priest who also should be their spiritual father for seeking counsel and prayer. With his blessing, you may also seek spiritual help from monastic elders and others, but this is to strengthen the Church family of the parish, where we all seek to support each other for salvation.

If you will be attending another Church on travels or pilgrimage, please ask Fr. Paul in advance for a blessing, so that you can then contact the Priest in advance to let him know you have been blessed to receive by your spiritual father, and ask for his blessing to do so.

Please be in touch

Feel free to contact Father Paul by phone or text, 570-863-9039, or at priestpauls@pm.me

St. John’s Russian Orthodox Mission Church, 92 St. John’s Lane, Winfield PA
Post Office Box 155, Winfield PA 17889
stjohnthewonderworker.com

Asking for your prayers!