"Let us not give up the habit of meeting together... Instead, let us encourage each other all the more,"
the earliest Christians said (Hebrews 10:25). So join us for worship and fellowship. To find us, click here: Find HTOC.
For a printer-friendly PDF version of our monthly newsletter, click here: HTOC Newsletter.
For a printer-friendly PDF version of our weekly update, click here: HTOC Weekly Update.
Holy Trinity Orthodox Church is the little church with a big heart and room for all, where Jesus nourishes modern lives through ancient roots! With our priest Father Alexis Woytek on board and common-sense health and safety precautions in place, we continue to gather safely for Sunday Divine Liturgy at 9:30 a.m. and share groceries with hungry neighbors through our friends at People Helping People in Hernando County.
This month we’ll celebrate Christmas (December 25) — the Nativity of Christ, the birth of Jesus.
Christmas celebrates this key mystery of Christian faith: Incarnation (from Latin roots — in + carnis = “in the flesh”). In Jesus’ birth, immortal God came among us in the flesh as a mortal human.
Saint Paul the Apostle explained the incarnation’s impact somewhat poetically: “Remember the generosity of the Lord Jesus: he was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty” (2 Corinthians 8:9).
Second-century bishop Saint Irenaeus of Lyons put it more plainly: “He became what we are so that we might become what he is.”
Both quotes point to an exchange at work: God became something lesser so that we, his children, can become something greater. Embodied as Jesus the Christ, God embraced our human nature so that we — joined to Jesus through baptism and the eucharist (Galatians 3:26-27 and 1 Corinthians 10:16-17) — can “share in God’s nature” (1 Peter 2:4), his unending being, freed from this world’s decay wrought by death-dealing sin.
In the incarnation, God stooped to our level to lift us up to his. What better Christmas gift could we ever get?
Sunday, December 1 · 9:30 a.m.
Divine Liturgy
Twenty-Third Sunday After Pentecost
Friday, December 6
Saint Nicholas of Myra Day
Sunday, December 8 · 9:30 a.m.
Divine Liturgy
Twenty-Fourth Sunday After Pentecost
Sunday Observance of Saint Nicholas Day
Sunday, December 15 · 9:30 a.m.
Typica · Reader’s Service
Twenty-Fifth Sunday Sunday After Pentecost
Sunday, December 22 · 9:30 a.m.
Divine Liturgy
Twenty-Sixth Sunday After Pentecost
Sunday Before Nativity
Wednesday, December 25 · 9:30 a.m.
Compline, Carols, and Divine Liturgy
Christmas · The Nativity · Birth of Christ Jesus
Sunday Before Nativity
Sunday, December 29 · 9:30 a.m.
Divine Liturgy
Twenty-Seventh Sunday After Pentecost
Sunday After Nativity
“Rejoice with those who rejoice” (Romans 12:15). Best wishes to our kinfolk in Christ celebrating special milestones this month! Anniversaries: Luann Donnelly and Mark Willemen (December 3). Birthdays: Luann Donnelly Willemen (December 5), Diane Orloff (December 9), Karen Ragone (December 22), and Stephen Kuzmiak (December 25).God grant you many years!
Christmas at HTOC: Join us 9 a.m. Wednesday, December 25, 2024 to celebrate Christmas — The Nativity, the birth of Christ Jesus — with Compline, Carols, and Divine Liturgy. Remember: Jesus is the reason for the season!
Donate Christmas Flowers: Help deck out our church for Christmas with beautiful flowers that befit the joy of that holy day! See parish treasurer Lydia Pinkowski to donate early toward the cost of poinsettias and other floral decorations. Thank you!
Help Ukraine! Ukraine continues to bear the brunt of unprovoked Russian warfare at a cost of innocent lives, brutal destruction, and human heartbreak. Please relieve the horror by funding humanitarian aid by clicking this link: IOCC Ukraine Response.
Church doesn’t just happen on its own. It happens when we come together and put our time, talent, and treasure at God’s disposal to do his will as followers of Christ Jesus. In a word, that’s stewardship. Want to lend a helping hand? See our parish priest, Father Alexis Woytek to find out what needs doing. Want to become a supporting member? See our parish treasurer, Mrs. Lydia Pinkowski to find out how. Thank you for pitching in to make your church happen!
The Church doesn’t exist for itself. God calls it to reach out and share his love with the world that it lives in. Our parish charity bin is one way we do such outreach, collecting nonperishable food that our friends at People Helping People in Hernando County share with locals in need. Click here for an online grocery list. Thank you for reaching out and helping others through your church's charity!
COVID is no longer a global pandemic, but coronavirus still crops up now and then, here and there. Please keep alert and take sensible precautions while our church remains open.
If you feel ill, please stay home, follow doctor’s orders, and take good care of yourself. Let us know if you want us to pray for you. We look forward to seeing you again once you get well!
Please feel free to wear a face mask if your health requires it or you just feel safer doing so.
Please respect personal space and give each other courteous leeway.
Thanks for your consideration, which is simply part of doing what Christ Jesus told us to do: “Love others as much as you love yourself” (Mark 12:31).
