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PO
Box 1025, Bonners
V. Rev. Fr. Gregory Horton – Pastor Home:208-267-0897;
Church:208-267-3693 Dear Beloved Ones in the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ! Christ is Risen!!! It is with the utmost joy that I greet all of our beloved family, friends, benefactors and loved ones during this most Holy and Festal season of the year. Great Lent may have been filled with the various challenges of life…loss of loved ones, health issues, financial issues, crises with the children etc, but all of that now fades in the Brilliant and Radiant Light shining forth from the empty tomb of Christ. May you all experience this Uncreated Brilliance and truly lay aside all earthly cares. In this spirit, we are pleased to report that our little mission parish emanates a sort of “Paschal Fragrance”…not only at this time of the year, but ALL OF THE TIME. This is most refreshing and pleasing to the pastor of such a vibrant little community. Knowing this to be the truth of the matter, I am certain that we will be consecrating our new church building to the Glory of God and under the patronage of the Holy Myrrhbearing Women within the next year. I have already spoken about this with His Grace, Bishop JOSEPH, who is anxious to come and do this. So, it can be as early as the fall or possibly on our joint feast of the Myrrhbearing Women and St. Joseph of Arimathea after next year’s Pascha. We shall see. In the meantime, please look at the “wish list” on the newsletter page. There is still much to be done as we prepare for the consecration of our church and cemetery. We are most grateful to our loving and giving friends from everywhere that have helped us to this point. This will be the final push and it is all laid out in that list. I suppose that this will be one of the major themes for us during the coming year. My fervent prayer, however, is that it is not our only theme. We are, after all, a worshiping and praying community first and foremost. After that, let us never tire of teaching and learning the many, many truths of our Holy Orthodox Faith. Finally, our work must always extend to the world…into the communities where we live. I have some dreams about what we can do in this area, by the Grace of God. One of them is some sort of ministry to those who are terminally ill and dying. I believe that this will become a greater and greater issue for the Church community as more and more people find themselves alone with no family and help coming from nowhere. I am open to ideas about this…but I have been thinking about a home for terminally ill people somewhere in this area. What do you think? So, my dear friends and coworkers, as we enjoy the Paschal Mystery, let us bring that joyful mystery to the entire universe…the mystery of CHRIST IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD!!! Hooray!!!! All of My Love in the Risen Christ, +Fr. Gregory March/April 2010 1) We have started worshiping in our new church temple…Glory to God! We no longer do anything at the former location, so please make a note of our new physical address when you come for a visit (not the mailing address…this remains the PO Box for the time being). Our new physical location is: 1957 Pleasant Valley Loop in Bonners Ferry. The location is just about three miles south of our former location and three tenths of a mile west of Highway 95. Come and join us and see the new church building! 2) The "paper products" need has been met…our supply is well stocked at this time. Thank you to all who made contributions. 3) Memory Eternal to Laurie (Joanna) Ivins who reposed and was buried in our parish cemetery in September. We also extend our love and prayers to her husband, Gary (Theophan). In the wake of her treatments and care, Gary has been left with a significant amount of debt. If you would like to assist him with this burden, please feel free to donate to our parish for this need and to earmark your donation “Ivins Medical Fund”. 4) Memory eternal to Jim Bourekis who reposed on October 31st. Our little parish has lost a dear friend and benefactor in Jim…our love and prayers go out to Kathy and the family. Also, memory eternal to Sherry Fagerness from St. John the Baptist Church in Post Falls who reposed just after Christmas. Our love and prayers go out to Doug as he begins this new phase of his life. 5) We are pleased to announce that our parish is ready to begin selling wooden coffins (pine or a wood of your choice) for $500 each (pine). They come in two different styles…the traditional “shaped” style and the simple large rectangular style. We will begin offering them far and wide as production increases. This price is the lowest that we have found…all proceeds (after material costs) will be used for the development of the parish cemetery. Please contact Fr. Gregory at 208-304-3673 (cell) or abounagregory@mybluelight.com for details and/or to order. 6) Our Paschal celebration this year will be held in and around Memorial Hall at the Boundary County Fairgrounds in Bonners Ferry on Pascha afternoon. The beginning of the celebration will be at the church at 11:30pm the evening before (April 3). This will be followed by a festal celebration at the church. At 2:00pm on Sunday, the Agape Vespers will be celebrated at the church and then everyone will proceed to the fairgrounds for egg hunt, lamb roast and the “fully laden table”. Be ready for CHRIST IS RISEN!!! WISH LIST: (In no particular order) *Prices can be researched for you* Altar Table (funds and someone to build it) Iconostasis (Funds and someone to build it) Wood for ceiling and floor Gravel for parking lot Aluminum Cross for top of Church Vacuum Cleaner Wardrobe for server vestments Olive oil (always) Copy Machine Outdoor Processional Candles Epitaphion (For Tomb of Christ) Candle Stands (2) (Funds and Someone to Build Them) Chanter Stand (Money already donated-need someone to build it) Baptismal Font Bishop’s Candle Sticks-$200 Icons ($35 each): Protomartyr Stephen, Joseph the Betrothed, James the Brother of the Lord, Circumcision of Christ, Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, Gregory Palamas, Christ Enthroned Thank you: To St. John’s Church in Post Falls, ID for donating lots of folding chairs; To everyone who has donated various icons of the saints, etc; To Shelli Morris for the Benches from the Snoring Sasquatch (once it is sold) SPECIAL DATES: (Please contact us if any are missing…please submit your feast days and anniversary dates and also the childrens’ birthdays…if you don’t know your feast day, please call Fr. Gregory for assistance with this important matter): January 2-Namesday of Julie Schrom (Juliana of Lazarevo) 7-Namesday of John Stephen Van Fossen (St. John the Baptist) 10-Namesday of Gary Ivins (St. Theophan the Recluse) 12-Namesday of Tatiana Horton (St. Tatiana of Rome) 15-Namesday of Shelli Morris (St. Ita of Killeady) 17-Namesday of Dr. Anthony Rigas (St. Anthony the Great) 21-Namesday of Maximos Horton (St. Maximos the Confessor) 25-Birthday of Nathanael Van Fossen 25-Namesday of Fr. Gregory & Nathanael Van Fossen (St. Gregory the Theologian) 27-Namesday of John Mattmiller (St. John Chrysostom) February 7-Birthday of Emma Feltham 9-Repose of Stephan Lysnewycz (Martha’s Husband and Christine Holbert’s Father) 23-Birthday of Leesha Feltham & Natalia Horton March 3-Namesday of Leesha Feltham (St. Piama) 8-Repose of Fr. Thomas Neustrom 13-Repose of Barry Gallatin (Matthew’s Brother) 19-Birthday of Ruth Mattmiller 20-Repose of Margaret Hancock (Alice G’s Mother) 26-Namesday of Cliff Harris (Archangel Gabriel) 26-Repose of Harry Gallatin (Matthew’s Father) April 3-Birthday of Aquilina Kemper 7-Namesday of Aquilina Kemper (Martyr Aquilina of Sinope) 8-Birthday of Jimmy Matthews 11-Birthday of Maximos Horton 11-MOVEABLE ANNIVERSARY of John & Liz Soura (St. Thomas Sunday) 14-Repose of Andromahi Barbas (Mother of Molly Tsalaky and Kathy Bourekis) 16-Namesday of Gayle Goodsen (Martyr Galina of Corinth) 18-MOVEABLE-FEASTDAY OF OUR PARISH and Namesday of Bishop JOSEPH (St. Joseph of Arimathea); Namesday of Suzanne Neustrom & Quira Horton (Holy Myrrhbearers) 21-Anniversary of Paul and Mary Neustrom 22-Birthday of Quira Horton 23-Namesday of Jed Bartlett (Greatmartyr George) 25-Repose of Theophilus John Tsalaky 27-Birthday of Andrew Feltham That the true 'struggler' for Christ will find Salvation "The person that is struggling to the best of his abilities, who has no desire to live a disorderly life, but who - in the course of the struggle for faith and life - falls and rises again and again, God will never abandon. And if he has the slightest will not to grieve God, he will go to Paradise with his shoes on. The Benevolent God will, surprisingly, push him into Paradise. God will insure that he takes him at his best, in repentance. He may have to struggle all his life, but God will not abandon him; He will take him at the best possible time." +Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain |