June Calendar

Commemorations 

Wednesday, June 01, 2016  Justin, martyr at Rome, died around 165  Born of pagan parents, Justin was influenced by an elderly Christian in Ephesus. He became a teacher of philosophy and the Christian faith. Jailed for practicing an unauthorized religion, he refused to renounce his faith and was beheaded.

Friday, June 03, 2016  The Martyrs of Uganda, died 1886  On June 3, 1886, thirty-two young men were burned to death for refusing to renounce Christianity. The confident manner in which these Christians went to their deaths contributed to a much stronger Christian presence in Uganda.

Friday, June 03, 2016  John XXIII, Bishop of Rome, died 1963  When elected pope, the former Angelo Roncalli was expected to be a short-term caretaker. He showed great spirit, though, and convened the Second Vatican Council which helped bring great changes to Roman Catholic and other churches.

Sunday, June 05, 2016 Boniface, Bishop of Mainz, missionary to Germany, martyr, died 754 Boniface was a native of England who became a Benedictine monk and was called to missionary work among the Vandal tribes of Germany. With fellow workers, he established churches and schools, and he also worked to reform the church.

Tuesday, June 07, 2016 Seattle, chief of the Duwamish Confederacy, died 1866 Noah Seattle led a coalition of tribes, and convinced them to live peacefully with encroaching white settlers. When he became a Roman Catholic, he held morning and evening prayer with his tribe. The city of Seattle is named for him.

Thursday, June 09, 2016 Columba, died 597; Aidan, died 651; Bede, died 735; renewers of the church These three monks from the British Isles helped keep the light of learning alive during the Middle Ages. Columba founded three monasteries off the coast of Scotland. Aidan was a pastor who led people to works of charity. The Venerable Bede was a Bible translator, historian, and hymnwriter.

Saturday, June 11, 2016 Barnabas, Apostle Barnabas was not numbered among the twelve apostles, but the book of Acts gives him that title. After Paul was converted to Christianity, Barnabas welcomed him to Jerusalem, and later the two traveled together on missionary journeys.

Tuesday, June 14, 2016 Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea, died 379; Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, died around 385; Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishop of Constantinople, died around 389; Macrina, theologian, died around 379 The Cappadocian fathers, as the three men in this group are known, explored the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Basil's monastic rule forms the basis for Eastern monastic life. Gregory of Nazianzus defended orthodox Christianity in Constantinople. Gregory of Nyssa, Basil's younger brother, wrote on the spiritual life. Macrina, older sister of Basil and Gregory of Nyssa, was the leader of a community dedicated to asceticism, meditation, and prayer.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016 Onesimos Nesib, translator, evangelist, died 1931 Onesimos was born in Ethiopia. Captured and taken as a slave to Eritrea, he was there freed by Swedish missionaries. He translated the Bible into his native Oromo and returned to preach there.

Friday, June 24, 2016 John the Baptist John said, "[Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease." And so his birth is celebrated half a year before Jesus', just as the daylight in the northern hemisphere begins to wane. Jesus honored John as being the greatest prophet.

Saturday, June 25, 2016 Presentation of the Augsburg Confession, 1530 On this day in 1530 the German and Latin editions of the Augsburg Confession were presented to the Emperor Charles of the Holy Roman Empire. The Augsburg Confession was written by Philipp Melanchthon and endorsed by Martin Luther, and consists of a brief summary of points in which the reformers saw their teaching as either agreeing with or differing from that of the Roman Catholic Church of the time.

Saturday, June 25, 2016 Philipp Melanchthon, renewer of the church, died 1560 Though he died on April 19, Philipp Melanchthon is commemorated today because of his connection with the Augsburg Confession. Colleague and co-reformer with Martin Luther, Melanchthon was a brilliant scholar, known as "the teacher of Germany."

Monday, June 27, 2016 Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, died 444 Cyril defended the orthodox teachings about the person of Christ. After a conflict involving all of the major Christian leaders of the time, it was decided that Cyril's interpretation, that Christ's person included both divine and human natures, was correct.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016 Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, died around 202 This important early church leader tried very hard to hold to the faith handed down by the apostles. An opponent of the movement known as gnosticism, Irenaeus was one of the first to speak of the church as catholic, or linked together.

Wednesday, June 29, 2016 Peter and Paul, Apostles

These two strong-willed apostles are the pillars of the church in the first generation after Christ. Peter was one of the Twelve, one who both offered a glorious confession of faith and later denied knowing Jesus. Paul once led the persecution of Christians, then was converted and helped bring the faith to non-Jewish people.

Birthdays:

7th - Cale P

11th - Kevin R

11th - Liz F

13th - Tony S

26th - Pastor Tom

28th - Julie N

30th - Alizabeth G