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Great and Holy Pascha
Russian Orthodox Community
Visitors Welcome!
The Perfect Church
Great and Holy Pascha   Christ is risen from the dead trampling down death by death and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!
  Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!  
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Russian Orthodox Community St. Stephen is a parish of the Orthodox Church in America which traces its roots to the Russian Orthodox missionary presence on the North American continent. While most services are conducted in English, the language of the people in the United States, St. Stephen is also pleased to offer services for the Russian immigrant community in Church Slavonic.
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Visitors Welcome! Our parish continually strives to provide a holy place of worship that is inviting to all. Visitors are always welcome. We have services on Saturday evening at 5PM and Sunday morning at 9:30AM. See our calendar for other occasional services. At St. Stephen you will find a warm and welcoming place where people of all ages and backgrounds are able to develop a dynamic relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. We provide Church School for all ages, youth ministries, Christian education classes, social events for youth and adults, and FOCUS Central Florida, a ministry to the homeless of downtown Orlando.
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The Perfect Church  St. Stephens is not the perfect parish, but we are the perfect Church. When most people think of church, they think of a man-made organization of people who claim to follow the teachings of Jesus. But the Church much more than this.
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Welcome to the Orthodox Church of St. Stephen the Protomartyr!

Mid-Feast of Pentecost

Angela Poupart

May 08 |19:23
Last Updated on Tue, 08 May 2012 19:29

 In the middle of the 40 days of Great Lent we come to the Sunday of the Cross. The Cross is the central theme of Great Lent so its commemoration is celebrated in the middle of the Feast. Now we are in a different Liturgical Season - the Pascha season. The Pascha season lasts from the Resurrection up to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The central theme is Christ who is victorious in His resurrection and who is sending the Holy Spirit.

The Gospel reading from John 7 describes Jesus' teaching ministry in the Temple. In the Troparion we sing, "In the middle of the Feast, O Savior, fill my thirsting soul with the waters of godliness, as Thou didst cry to all: 'If anyone thirst, let him come to Me and drink'. O Christ God, Fountain of our life, glory be to Thee!" Christ's teaching is like water for our thirsty souls. Water features prominently in the Gospel readings of the Pascha Season. Last week we heard about the Paralytic who could not get anyone to lower him into the pool.

Next Sunday we will read about the woman at the well. In each story water is a source of life and is used to point people to Jesus. As part of the water theme, we will have a small blessing of water tomorrow morning after the Liturgy.

From Fr. Daniel's Weekly Email

 

Reaching Out

Angela Poupart

Apr 29 |15:58
Last Updated on Sun, 29 Apr 2012 17:14

 This Sunday, Fr. Daniel talked about reaching out to spread the Gospel and caring for the poor as it is recorded that the early Church did in Acts of the Apostles. Here at St. Stephen’s we have a number of opportunities to reach out to those around us, in and beyond the Orlando area. 

One opportunity to do this is through the Ephraim Project. The Ephraim Project partners which St. George Orthodox and  people in our parish feeds the homeless and offers help to those in need in Orlando. Here are three ways you can help.

  • Volunteer to prepare food for the homeless on May 25th at 5:30 p.m. Anne v. d. B. or Bertina know more.
  • Bring men or women’s underwear or toiletries for the homeless  a container in the narthex. 
  • Every Thursday from 12-3 p.m at 1st Baptist there is a chance to help by sorting clothes.  

This summer we will will be able to reach out even further through, a Focus North America,  mission trip. The trip will be from July 22-28 and we will be spending the week helping families in an impoverished area of North Carolina. There will also be time for daily prayer and reflection, fellowship, and time to explore the beautiful Carolina landscape. The cost is $250 per person plus travel expenses.

   

Wedding

Angela Poupart

Apr 27 |15:32
Last Updated on Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:25

 Congratulations to Mr. Eric Chaney and Mrs. Amineh Chaney on their marriage which took place at St. Stephen’s this past Friday!

 

May God grant you both Many Years!!!

 

   

Classes and Events - St. Thomas Week

Angela Poupart

Apr 20 |12:01
Last Updated on Sun, 22 Apr 2012 13:44

The week following Bright Week (Antipascha or St. Thomas Week) Fr. Daniel will be attending the Exponential Church Leaders Conference here in Orlando. There will be no Wednesday evening Vespers and the Wednesday and Thursday bible Studies will be canceled until the week of April 30th. Our choir director is on vacation this week so we will only serve Vespers on Saturday instead of the whole Vigil. 

We have a number of classes and opportunities to learn and grow in your Christian faith at St. Stephens which will continue after the end of April.  

Such as the Prayer and Care Bible Study.  This group was started by request because of the needs of our parish and meets every other Thursday morning at 10 AM.  Prayer and Care Bible Study be resuming its prayers and study, everyone is invited to attend.

In May we will also be resuming our Daily Vespers and “The Way” education program starting at 6:30pm every Wednesday evening.  This a good program to bring people to who are interested in learning more about the Orthodox faith and is also a wonderful place to for current Orthodox adults to learn more about the rich teachings of the church. 

There is also still to time to get involved in the online study of Unseen Warfare edited and revised by Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain and Theophan the Recluse.  We are doing the study at Goodreads.com.  Unseen Warfare is available in the church bookstore, the parish library, and online at the St. Nicholas Cathedral website. Please join us on this study.. 

From Fr. Daniel’s weekly email with additional information and comments added. 

 

 

   

Christ is Risen!

Angela Poupart

Apr 20 |11:03
Last Updated on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:38

  Throughout the Paschal season we sing Psalm 118:24, "This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!"

 In this verse we proclaim that Pascha night is a new day, a new creation. All things have become new for those who are in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17). Those who taste and see the resurrection on this night can never be the same again. The joy of Pascha fills every part of our lives. On the first day God took darkness and made light (Gen 1:2-3). But this day is even greater than the first. This is the day the Lord has made. This is your resurrection from death to eternal life. This is the new creation. This is the Day of the Lord. On this day we celebrate the New Heaven and the New Earth.
 
According to St. Gregory of Nyssa the New Heaven is our faith in Christ and the New Earth is a tender heart which drinks up the grace of God just as the earth drinks up the rain which falls on it. To celebrate this new day we keep a joyous Feast until we come to Pentecost in 50 days. On Wednesday of the 4th week of Pascha we celebrate the Mid-Feast with a Liturgy and the Blessing of Water. 40 days after Pascha we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord. During this 50 day period there are no prostrations and we sing "Christ is risen..." in place of the prayer "O Heavenly King."
 
The week after Pascha is called Bright Week. On this week there is no fasting even on Wednesday and Friday. Instead of our regular prayer rule at home we recite the Paschal Hours. The Divine Liturgy is also served every day of Bright Week if possible. 
 
 
From Fr. Daniel's Weekly Email
   

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Orthodox Church of St. Stephen the Protomartyr

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Longwood, Florida 32750
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