Announcements

Friday, 4/11/25:

PASCHA READERS STILL NEEDED! Please sign up for a slot here if you are able!

If you are willing to host an Individual or Family overnight during Holy Week or Pascha, please send Father Andrew an email. Many of our parishioners live more than 45 minutes away!

The Women’s Guild needs volunteers to help with decorating the Church and bringing items for Palm Sunday and Pascha Services. See the sign-up sheets near the coffee or in the emails sent out. See Paige Svetahor or Jen Scully

Volunteers needed to help adorn the church for Pascha starting at 11 am on Holy Saturday! Sign up in the hall by the coffee. 

Parking: With Palm Sunday and Pascha the next 2 weeks, John Scully will be coordinating parking for these 2 services. On Palm Sunday, John Scully and one other volunteer will be out directing parking. We will be parking people at an angle to maximize the number of cars we can fit in the lot. Filling in from closest to the church out toward Blue Clay Road. On Pascha, the same basic rules will apply, but there will be 4 of us there starting 2 hours prior to the beginning of the Service.  We will fill in from the church out towards Blue Clay Road. Please carpool if possible, and feel free to reach out to John Scully at: sean_scully7@yahoo.com 

Usher Ministry: At the March council meeting, it was decided to start a more formalized usher ministry with the action to draft roles and responsibilities and poll the congregation for interest in participating. 

The basic role of an usher will be to allow our faithful congregation to have a peaceful and orderly experience through greeting and assisting parishioners and visitors, ensuring safety, security, and service assistance.

While we are finalizing more detailed roles and responsibilities, if any men are interested in participating in this important ministry, please contact George Taft or Kevin Dixon.

Friday, 4/4/2025:

PASCHA READERS STILL NEEDED! Please sign up for a slot here if you are able!

If you are willing to host an Individual or Family over night during Holy Week or Pascha, please send Father Andrew an email. Many of our parishioners live more than 45 minutes away!

There will be a Parish Council Meeting on Sunday, April 6, 2025.

Usher Ministry: At the March council meeting, it was decided to start a more formalized usher ministry with the action to draft roles and responsibilities and poll the congregation for interest in participating. 

The basic role of an usher will be to allow our faithful congregation to have a peaceful and orderly experience through greeting and assisting parishioners and visitors, ensuring safety, security, and service assistance.

While we are finalizing more detailed roles and responsibilities, if any men are interested in participating in this important ministry, please contact George Taft or Kevin Dixon.

Friday, 3/28/2025:

Attention Catechumens: Please remember to bow your heads when you hear the prayers for the catechumens during liturgy. These extra prayers are for you on your journey to Illumination and Chrismation!

April Basket Collections will go to Share The Table: Share the Table, Inc. is a faith-based nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Through our free community meals, food pantry, and school backpack program, we feed over 1,000 Pender and Onslow County residents per week. You can read more about Share the Table at this link: sharethetablenc.com.

4/5/25 Church Clean up: Time TBD. Church clean up will be done at this time instead of Lazarus Saturday. Lazarus Saturday decorating will still be done, Choir has rehearsal at this time and it is difficult to accomplish some cleaning tasks as this time when many are in choir/without interrupting as well as baptisms/liturgy and potluck in the morning on Lazarus Saturday. There will be a sign-up for this.

4/12/25 Lazarus Saturday, church decoration with palms, and set up for Palm Sunday. This will begin after potluck to be completed and cleaned up from before 5pm vigil. There will be a sign-up posted for this.

Please Begin to collect brown and yellow onion skins to dye eggs Red for Pascha more information to follow

4/26/25 at 3pm: Deacon Patrick and Matushka Anne will be giving a beginning gardening workshop and advice on growing Vegetables.

Friday, March 21, 2025:

 

The Holy Synod meeting under the presidency of His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, unanimously decided to elevate His Grace Bishop Alexei of Sitka and Alaska to the dignity of archbishop. May God grant His Eminence Archbishop Alexei many years!

Volunteers Needed! We need volunteers to help decorate the Cross before Vigil on Saturday, March 22nd. If you can help, please reach out to Paige and Jen! 

Pascha Readers Needed for Psalms, Matins, and Acts of the Apostles during Holy Week! If interested, please sign up for one-hour shifts here: 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054DA5AD29A0FCC43-55722325-pascha

Breakfast Bundles: The children will be partnering with Nourish NC by collecting items to create “Breakfast Bundles” to help families and children struggling with Food Insecurity in our area. Items needed are in envelopes on the bulletin board near the restrooms. All items need to be collected by April 1st. The goal is to create 100 Breakfast Bundles. See Nancy Coons for more information!

Children’s Choir: Every year at St. Basil the children’s choir sings the Communion Hymn (Koinonikon) on Lazarus Saturday: “Out of the mouths of babes and infants, thou hast fashioned perfect praise”. All children are encouraged to participate. This will be at the Lazarus Saturday Liturgy on April 12th following the baptisms at 9 am. There will be a children’s choir rehearsal for this on Sunday, April 6th at 12 pm. Questions? See our choir director, Laura Gunn. 

Church Garden: Deacon Patrick, Zach Winters, and Joshua Henson will be preparing the Church Garden for planting soon. If you would like to help out with planting, donating seeds/seedlings, or have suggestions for what to plant this year, please reach out to Deacon Patrick, Zach, or Joshua!

Catechumen/Inquirers Classes on Saturdays at 3:30 pm. The dates are listed on our calendar on our website. The dates are as follows: March 22, 29; April 5, 12, 26; May 3, 10

 Youth Catechism Classes on Sundays at Noon. The dates are listed on our calendar on our website. The dates are as follows: March 23, 30; April 6

Bookstore Reminders! Only cash or checks are accepted for the purchase of bookstore items. See Heather Sekela for any bookstore-related questions, or email bookstore@wilmingtonoca.org.

National Orthodox Baby Shower

From now until the end of Lent, our parish will once again be participating in the annual National Orthodox Baby Shower. We are partnered with Lifeline in Wilmington to donate all items collected. Below is a list of specific items Lifeline needs, but all baby items are welcome. Questions? See Laura Gunn. 

  • Diapers (mainly sizes 5 and 6)

  • Wipes

  • Bottles 

  • Baby bathtubs

  • Clothes of all sizes

  • Baby wash, shampoo, and lotion

  • Washcloths (new or gently used)

March's Basket Donations will go to supporting the Orthodox Christian Mission Center. For 40 years, the Mission Center has been bringing people into the fullness of life in Christ through their work. You can learn more about the OCM at this link: https://www.ocmc.org/

 Jeff Castiglione will be starting another series of the Systema Breathwork Workshops beginning on Friday evenings at 8:00 pm.  Join the Zoom Meeting at the following link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89259334072?pwd=oia69VogeVG3FhkhaHMlWAZZefVmk0.1

Please reach out to Jeff directly at jeffrey.castiglione@gmail.com with any questions!

 St. Basil Book Group: Cindy Heise will be leading a discussion on the book Till We Have Faces, A Myth Retold by C.S. Lewis starting on Sundays, after coffee hour. We'll be meeting every other Sunday (unless there is an event or special service), covering about six chapters at a time.  The hope is to finish the book over four sessions.  Bring your insights you'd like to share with the group!