PARISH VOICES

Our series looking back twenty years enters its ninth month. Last month I shared the August 2006 issue, a quiet one, with the priest on vacation and the parish singing Paraklesis in borrowed churches. September 2006 is the opposite. Everyone is back, school is starting, and the newsletter is twelve pages of a parish clearing its throat for a new year. Fr. Tom's message is addressed to parents, and it does not waste time. He starts with a newborn's forty-day blessing, jumps to

Sunday, August 30, 2026 and Tuesday, September 1, 2026 — On the last Sunday of the ecclesiastical year, our outgoing and incoming Presiding Priests served Divine Liturgy side by side, marking a peace-filled, beautiful handover. August 30 was the Apodosis of the Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Forerunner, and Fr. Tom and Fr. Rob were concelebrants, both vested in the deep red worn in honor of martyrs and the Cross.

Our series looking back twenty years enters its eighth month. Last month I shared the July 2006 issue, with its building-fund arithmetic and Fr. Tom's story about a couple who would not give up their airplane seats. If July asked "what comes next?" the answer in August is, "a break!" The August 2006 Messenger is quieter, in the way August always is. The priest is on vacation, the knitters are on holiday, the President's Corner is dark, and the whole issue leans toward one thi

One of the funny things about writing a retrospective is stepping back into my memories to think about what’s been going on over the past few months. This quarter’s Treasurer Update includes Pascha! Here it is early August and I can hardly believe that Pascha was less than four months ago…it feels more like a year! But to settle down to the numbers. On the giving side...

Saturday, August 1, 2026 — For one week every summer, a lakeside camp on Raft Island in South Puget Sound fills up with kids who are fighting cancer, the families who are fighting it with them, and a small army of volunteers whose whole job is to create "a place of joy, rest, and unconditional love in the midst of life’s most difficult journey." Volunteers from Holy Apostles have returned, year after year, to help make Camp Agape Northwest possible for nearly thirty years, a

Our series looking back twenty years enters its seventh month. Last month I shared the June 2006 issue, with its feast-day celebration and a graduating class headed out the door. The July 2006 issue is the sound of a parish exhaling, and then, almost immediately, asking what comes next. "Now that we are settled into our new church," George Plumis writes in his President's Corner, the questions have turned practical: ongoing building-fund contributions, maintenance, a capit

Tuesday, June 30, 2026 — We came together to celebrate our beloved parish patron saints, the Holy Apostles, on their feast day. We were blessed with a great turnout at an beautiful local park and fair weather! It was afternoon of togetherness and kids running around having fun; of grilled hot dogs, souvlaki, potato salad, and banana pudding. Thank you to our Parish Council for spearheading our feast day and extra special thanks to Josh, Tina, and Januarius for their leadershi

Our series looking back twenty years enters its sixth month. Last month I shared the May 2006 issue of The Messenger, the parish catching its breath after its very first Pascha in the new Shoreline building. June is when our heroes finally get to throw a party. The front page of the June 2006 issue looks toward the parish's name-day: the Holy Apostles Feast Day Celebration. Vespers on Thursday, June 29, with dessert and coffee to follow, then Orthros and Divine Liturgy on Fr

We celebrate your hard work and all your gifts! May God guide your steps and bless the years ahead! We are so proud of you!

Last week our Men's Ministry just wrapped up the last Pub Night of the ministry year! Let's look back at the last two years of fellowship and connection by the numbers: 10 Pub Nights 5 Breakfast Outings 1 Octoberfest Cookout 1 Mother's Day Brunch (with bonus fire alarm!) Countless boxes packed and moved into storage! Thank you to Nick Strauss for leading our Men's Ministry over the past two years, and thank you to all the men of Holy Apostles who have participated!

Saturday, May 30, 2026 — Thank you to Earl and Rose for spear-heading another Parish Outdoor Clean-Up Work Party! We had great turn-out after the Saturday of Souls liturgy. About a dozen dedicated parishioners tackled the wooded edge of the property west of the parish building. This piece of the Holy Apostles grounds is such a wonderful and peaceful place, and thanks to the hard work of the Clean-Up Crew, it's more accessible than ever!

In just a few days, Holy Apostles volunteers will show up at the lunch room of Edmonds Heights, a local school, and pack weekend meal kits for around 200 kids. These kits provide food to children who are often without a reliable place to call home. Without them, the kids would go hungry when school meals aren't available.

Looking for an elegant way to stay consistent with your daily Bible readings? Check out the new Kandili Orthodox Daily Readings app, developed by our very own Holy Apostles parishioner, Brian Warren! Kandili is beautiful and intuitive. It includes daily Epistle and Gospel readings, Saints and Feasts, and fasting guidelines along with key morning and evening prayers. It’s also lighting fast, to help you avoid the temptation of impatience!

Christ Is Risen! Christos Anesti! Our series looking back twenty years enters its fifth month. Last month I shared the April 2006 issue of The Messenger, and our heroes were anticipating the parish's first Pascha in their new Shoreline building. That Pascha has now happened, and the May 2006 issue is the parish doing what every Orthodox parish does just after the marathon of Lent, Holy Week and Pascha: catching its breath, looking at photos, and trying to articulate what just

It seems like 2026 has hardly begun, but is also already half over! So it must be time to take a look at our first quarter budget. With everything that is going on with the building, it can feel like we barely use the same door two weeks in a row and the walls are in different places every time we set foot inside the church. But there's still the routine cycle of managing our expenses and contributions to make sure that we're keeping the lights on and setting aside what we ne

Sunday, May 3, 2026 — Our parish gathered for the Spring Parish Assembly to hear from ministry and committee leaders and parish council members on the current state of Holy Apostles, the building project, and our financial picture. Parish Council President Josh Ensley reminded us of our focus: being (and building!) a dwelling place for Jesus!

Sunday, April 27 2026 — The second Sunday after Pascha we celebrate the Myrrh-bearing Women. These devoted followers of Jesus remaining with him during his crucifixion and brought spices (myrrh) to his tomb on Pascha morning. Because of their faithfulness, they were the first witnesses to Christ's Resurrection. Our sweet Myrrh-bearers served throughout the services of Lent and Pascha, reminding us of the Myrrh-bearing Women's faithfulness. Today, again, they helped bring o

Our series looking back twenty years enters its fourth month. Last month I shared the March 2006 issue of The Messenger, in which Fr. Tom likened the freshly-painted walls of the new Shoreline building to the soul-work of Great Lent. In 2006, Pascha fell on April 23rd, and in this April issue the parish is deep into Holy Week preparations. Highlights include a full walkthrough of every Holy Week service from Lazarus Saturday through Pascha and news that Metropolitan Gerasimos

Sunday, April 12, 2026 — Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! What a night. Here are some scenes from Great and Holy Pascha 2026. From the midnight Resurrection service to the procession on our new concrete pathway to our darling myrrh-bearers in white with their candles, it was a beautiful Pascha! After Fr. Tom blessed the Pascha baskets, we packed into the fellowship hall and perched alongside our long, red-draped tables for the 2 AM Agape Meal. So many people brought food..

Saturday, April 11, 2026 — Arise O Lord!! This morning we gathered to celebrate Christ's triumph over the gates of Hades! The kids enthusiastically shook shakers, banged on pans, and clanked sticks together while Fr. Tom, at least as enthusiastically, processed through the nave flinging bay leaves and rose petals by the handful. Holy Saturday this year was, as always, such a beautiful turn towards the joy of the upcoming Resurrection!