Centennial Year Church Services

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - Jews or Greeks, slaves or free - and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 4-13)

April 10, 2005 - On the fourth Sunday of Great Lent - the Sunday of St. John Climacus - in the one hundredth year of SS. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church, the youth of our parish were called upon to offer service to the Church normally rendered by adults. They read the Hours, sold candles, attended to lit candles, read the Epistle, gave a sermon, and received the weekly collection, among other things. Below are scenes from the Annual Lenten Youth Sunday.

The morning began (above) with the selling and lighting of candles. Below, Choirmaster Basil Kozak conducts a final review with the children before the reading of The Hours. In all, four or five youthful volunteers shared in the reading of The Hours before the Divine Liturgy proper began.

Above left, parishioner Ekaterina Krivorucko read the Epistle for the day. Above right, every service in our Church - not just Divine Liturgy - is accompanied by a sermon. Today was one of the two or three times within the last year where Rev. David Garretson was not responsible for giving the sermon. Above right and below left, parishioner Amy Gregory is shown offering the sermon as Father David listens approvingly (below left).

After the point in the Divine Liturgy where the Holy Gifts have been consecrated, the children ready themselves for the weekly collection (above right), receive the blessing from Father David (below left), and begin the task of making the collection (below right).

Above left, Choirmaster Kozak leads the children in the singing of hymns during the priest's Communion. Later, the children assisted Father David during the Communion of parishioners by holding the Communion cloth (above right). Altar servers receive Communion immediately after Father David. They offered service today as they do on a regular basis fifty two weeks per year.

Above right, Father David addresses the children upon their dismissal for Church School toward the end of Divine Liturgy, as he does each week. Today, he also thanked them for their service during Divine Liturgy. Note the attention of the youth in the photo above left as Father David addresses them. Adults must not forget the considerable positive influence that they can have on the youth both in word and by example.

You may click on the photo above right to view an enlargement.

Above left, parishioner Kristen Berezniak distributes the Weekly Bulletin to parishioners after they have venerated the Cross. Above right, Church President (Starosta) James Kornafel - bulletin editor, publisher, and regular distributor of the bulletin each week - looks on as Kristen hands a bulletin to Mrs. Helen Pelak.

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Copyright © 2005, Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church, South River, NJ