CHURCH DECORUM Every Orthodox Church edifice is dedicated and consecrated to the glory and worship of God. The church is unlike every other structure in that it has been set aside as the very "House of God". It s the one place where all secular activities are left behind and where we may, wothout distraction, worship our Creator. On Sundays and weekdays, whether services are in progress or not, an atmossphere of peace and quiet should be maintained. The Orthodox Christian is quiet and respectful in church to indicate recognition of God’s eternal presence there. On the Altar the reserve Sacrament of Holy Communion, the Body and Blood of Christ, is kept in the Tabernacle and our behavior should be in accordance with that presence. During the Divine Liturgy and all services of divine worship, we all have the responsibility to maintain proper decorum. The Church is the House of God. Reverence and good manners are required. No irreverent or irrelevant conversation should be carried on inside. There are certain times during which no one should be moving about, entering, or leaving the church. These times are: During the Doxology, while the priest is censing. During the Small Entrance – the procession of the priest and altar boys with the Holy Gospel. When the priest censes the Altar, icons, and the congregation throughout the Divine Liturgy. During the reading of the Epistle and Gospel both in Greek and English. During the sermon. During the Great Entrance – the procession of the priest and altar boys with the Holy Gifts. During the recitation of the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer in Greek and English. During the consecratory of the Holy Gifts. (Se Imnoumen) During Holy Communion. To receive Holy Communion, the faithful come forth from the center and exit via the side aisles to return to their pew. For "antidoron" the faithful approach from the center aisle, pew by pew, and exit via the side aisles in order to go to the church Hall for the fellowship Hour. During any special services such as Memorials or Artoklasia, special doxologies, etc. The general rule is that whenever the priest is outside the Holy Altar, either with the censer or for giving a blessing, there should be no movement in the church. Also, we remind everyone that we should attend the Divine Liturgy and all services of divine worship from the beginning. Please remember that the Parish council members are obligated to maintain order and decorum in the church during worship. Please follow their directions at all times. GIFTS AND BEQUESTS Our community and parish has economic needs just as any other institution or organization. These economic needs cannot be met by our pledge system alone. As part of our total commitment, we should all give serious thought to giving monetary gifts throughout our lives and leaving gifts and bequests through our Wills. It would be wise to contact your lawyer, who can advise you as to the best manner by which to accomplish your wishes in this regard. The exhortation by our Lord that: "Every man shall give as he is able…" applies more so today that it did almost 2,000 years ago. PREPARATION OF PROSFORON The following is the simple recipe and step by step procedure for the preparation of the altar bread. Ingredients: 5 c flour 2 yeast cakes or two packages of dry yeast 1-1/2 c warm water To do this religious task, do the sign of the cross, offer a short prayer for yourself and your family and the ones for whom you are making the altar bread. Sift the flour in a bowl. Dissolve the yeast in a small cup or bowl of warm water. Add the water with the dissolved yeast to the flour and mix thoroughly. If more water is needed to make it dough-like, add the water, but just enough to make it dough. If it gets too moist, add more flour. Knead the dough well for about ten to twenty minutes until it becomes smooth in texture and easy to knead. Shape the dough into a round loaf, place in a bowl, and cover with a white cloth or towel, and another heavier cloth to keep the dough warm.Let it stand for twenty minutes or until it has risen to almost double the original size. Take the dough, after it has risen the first time, knead it again for about ten minutes or until it is very smooth. Cut a piece off to see whether there s an abundance of air pockets in it. This is a good sign that the dough is ready for the second rising time. Take the dough and shape it into a round loaf or ball, flatten it out a little bit so that it fits nicely into the baking cake pan. Make sure the top side is smooth. You should sprinkle the cake pan with a little bit of flour. (Do not use oil or other baking grease.) If you have a seal, take it in your hands, make the sign of the cross, and impress it, or press, on the loaf until it is clear. You may need a little flour on it before you do that so it won’t stick to the dough. Press firmly and evenly for a good, lasting impression. Lift the seal straight up, slowly. (If you don’t have a seal, ask the priest where you can find one, or maybe he can find one for you to borrow. Or he may give you the design of the seal ad you can cut it into the loaf with a knife.) Take a matchstick or a testing tine and pierce the outline of the cross saying the prayer: "In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen." Cover again, as you did before, and let it stand for about thirty to forty-five minutes or until it is again twice the size it was. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 300 degrees for 30 minutes or until it is baked throughout and with a slight, golden-brown color. When it is baked, take it out and let it cool. Place it in a plastic bag when it is cool and say a prayer of thanksgiving. Bring it early to church that it may be used during the Divine Liturgy. You may give a list of names of people you want remembered. PREPARATION OF KOLIVA 4 lb. wheat 1 lb. dark raisins 1 pkg. Zwieback (ground) 1 lb. powdered sugar * ½ c fresh parsley (chopped fine) 1 c browned flour (Put flour into a small fry pan. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly until flour is a light brown in color.) * 1 c ground walnuts * ½ c sautéed sesame seed (sauté sesame in 2 tsp. oil) * ¾ c sugar 1 Tblsp. Each nutmeg and cinnamon. White Jordan almonds for decorating. Wash wheat. Put in pan and cover with water. Add 1-tsp. Salt. Boil wheat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let wheat soak overnight. Next morning, boil again 20-30 minutes until wheat cracks. Strain and wash with cold water. Spread on white sheet to dry. Mix in parsley and raisins and let dry until afternoon (approx. 5 hours.) Put wheat in a large bowl and add seasonings (marked with * in list) and mix well. Mound wheat on tray and press to mold into shape. Sift Zwieback over wheat and then sift flour. Press again to mold. Sift powdered sugar over wheat and again press to mold and form smooth cover. You may now decorate using Jordan almonds to form a cross on top and around base of the Koliva.