December 19-25, 2022
Saturday, December 24 – Christmas Eve
4:30 PM — Great Vespers for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ
5:30 PM — Matins/Orthros for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ
6:30 PM — Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great for the Feast of the Nativity(Streamed live from North Campus on our YouTube Channel)
Sunday, December 25 – Christmas Day
No Services today (all festive services are on Saturday evening)
Upcoming and Ongoing Events at St Elias
No Weekday services the Week after Christmas To give our clergy and chanters a bit of a break for the holidays, we won't have weekday services during the week after Christmas. We'll be back for Great Vespers on Saturday, December 31. Houston Visit by the Patriarchal Vicar His Eminence Metropolitan ANTONIOS will be visiting the Houston area December 21-22. This will be Metropolitan ANTONIOS' only visit to Texas prior to the Special Convention in January. Here follows the schedule of services/events of his visit in Houston:
Wednesday, December 21 @ 6:30PM: Advent Paraklesis @ St. George followed by a dinner and "Town Hall" meeting.
Thursday, December 22 @ 9:00AM: Divine Liturgy @ St. George
Thursday, December 22 @ 6:00PM: Vespers @ St. Joseph followed by refreshments in the hall
Note for our Single Adults at Christmas: If you are here in town for Christmas and looks like you'll be alone, please contact the Church Office and let us know. We'd love to connect you with a family in the parish to celebrate our Lord's Birth. And if you have room for someone for Christmas, you can let us know in the Church Office as well. Have you submitted you Stewardship 2023 Commitment? “Let us commend ourselves and each other and all our life unto Christ our God.” This month, we are holding our 2023 Stewardship Drive at St. Elias. Our goal is $450,000 in commitments from 250 families. You can submit your 2023 Commitment by simply clicking on this link). Please respond quickly—and be a part of “This Week’s Stewards” that will be in next Sunday’s Bulletin. Are you caught up on your 2022 Financial Commitment? Please remember, all donations for 2022 must be received by the Church Office or postmarked by December 31, 2022. If you are behind or want to make additional gifts for tax year 2022, please get these in by the end of December. Thanks! Knitting Group at St. Elias The St. Elias knitting group will next meet at the north campus on Tuesday morning, January 3, from 9:30 to 11:30 AM. If you want to learn to knit we can teach you . Please contact Nina Shishkoff, ndshishkoff@gmail.com Family Nights start back on January 11 We are taking a break on Wednesday evenings for the holidays but plan on being back for Vespers and classes on Wednesday, January 11. Father Dan's Winter Class In the Winter, Fr. Dan will teach a series on the History of the Divine Liturgy during the months of January and February. The classes will be completed before the beginning of Great Lent. Save the Date! St. Elias Women's Retreat We will be holding our St. Elias Women's Retreat on Friday, February 10, and Saturday, February 11, at CYJ Retreat Center in Wimberly. Mark your calendars now and keep an eye out for more information as we plan this wonderful time together. House blessings at Theophany House blessing season starts on January 6, 2023. Click here and fill out the request form by January 15 so that we can get your home on our schedules. Thanks! Holy Bread Schedule Would you be willing to sign up for Holy Bread? We are in need at both campuses. Email Fr. David and let him know you would like to offer Holy Bread. We use 5-6 loaves each Sunday. December, 2022 December 25 – open January, 2023 January 1 – open January 8 – open January 15 – Diane Wicks January 22 – open January 29 – open Note on Christmas "Coffee Hour" Since we are having the Christmas Services on Saturday evening, we won't have a formal Coffee Hour after the Liturgy—and we won't be brewing coffee (it's rather late for caffeine by the time we'll be getting out). If you want to bring some food to share with others, feel free. Others might want to head home quickly for family dinners. We'll have a time of fellowship for those who would like to stay, but without the coffee. Coffee Hour Schedule For downtown, please sign up on the board in the hall or talk to Kh. Zohreh, Kh. Elfriede, or Sh. Jessica Slockett. For the North Campus, speak with Linda Mingus or Phae Feaga. When sponsoring Coffee Hour, what is requested is a small snack (muffin, fruit, cheese, bagel, cold cuts, donuts, etc.) to go with the coffee after Liturgy. It is not intended to be a meal. A simple coffee hour is our goal—and is accessible to most of our families to sponsor. We can occasionally have meals on Sundays, but those are special events that should be cleared beforehand with the Church Office.
Sunday Downtown North
25-Dec CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS
1-Jan Vaughn Family OPEN
8-Jan OPEN OPEN
15-Jan OPEN OPEN
22-Jan OPEN OPEN
29-Jan OPEN Feaga (St. Emelia Homeschool)