2nd Sunday of Luke

One-year Memorials will be offered for +Vasilios Veglas and +Panagiotis Strategos. May their Memories be Eternal!

Sunday, October 4th is National Church Music Sunday. Each year, the Archdiocese and the National Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians sets aside the Sunday closest to the Feast of St. Romanos the Melodist to recognize the liturgical contribution of choirs, chanters, directors, composers, and musicians to inspire and lead us in prayer during the divine services of the Church. The Feast of St. Romanos the Melodist, the patron Saint of our Archdiocese's choirs and musicians, is celebrated on October 1. To honor the day, the Byzantine Choir will offer a cake during coffee hour and Father will provide a blessing over former and current members.

Registration for the 2026–27 Sunday School year continues on Sundays following Divine Liturgy — and registration for St. Macrina's Homeschool Co-op, beginning in September, happens right alongside it. Find the registration table at coffee hour, or register your family online in a few minutes.

Athenian Night returns on Saturday, November 7 at 4:30 PM in the George Papadeas Hall — appetizers, an authentic Mediterranean dinner, Greek and American music, Greek dancing by The Villages International Dance Troupe, raffle prizes and a Chinese auction. Tickets are $60 per person, available at Fellowship Hour through Joanne Veglas, or from Kathy Pangas at 561-827-6262. To donate items, gift cards or services for the auction and raffle, contact Ron Badami at 516-458-3844.

We know how important community service is for high school students trying to satisfy graduation or scholarship requirements. In fact, volunteering is a key requirement to be considered for the annual St. Mark's Scholarship. One great way to fulfill your hours right now is by helping our various ministries. Currently, the Events Planning Ministry is looking for volunteers to assist with Athenian Night on Saturday, November 7 — setting up the hall before the event, cleaning up after the event, and assisting with other event logistics. If you are interested in volunteering and securing your hours, contact Linda Arvanitis at linda@arvanitis.org or give her a text/call at 352-233-8910.

Our group will meet at LongHorn Steakhouse, 590 North Hwy 27/441, Lady Lake, FL 32159, on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. We will order from the menu. Please contact Vicki Collins (217) 416-9307 or Joanne Veglas (508) 728-4832 to sign up for the luncheon no later than Monday, October 12, 2026. If you sign up and then are not able to come to the luncheon, please notify Vicki immediately. Thank you.

Thank you to everyone that generously donated to the Belleview Santos school supplies drive. It was a great success! Thanks also to Katerina McLam for decorating the cart that held the supplies. The school was very appreciative of our donation.

Our nine-week journey into the heart of the Orthodox Christian faith is under way, meeting every Wednesday at 6:30 PM. It is not too late to join — all are welcome, Orthodox, curious, or somewhere in between. Child care is offered during the class, and we still need volunteers to help provide it — the sign-up sheet is on the candle table.

The October issue is out now — a note from the Parish Council on our Sunday growth, the return of Athenian Night, A Taste of Greece, the chapel iconography update, ministry news, and the parish by the numbers.

Our Stewardship Drive continues! God is doing great things in our community, and each of us is called to take part in His work. Stewardship sign-ups remain available near the entrance by the candles. Join us in offering back to God a portion of the blessings He has given us, as we grow together in faith and service.

If you have an update, news, or an event that you would like mentioned in the bulletin reach out to stmarkgocit@gmail.com and the IT team will make sure it gets added.