GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF ST. GEORGE Fr. Basil Hickman, Presbyteros October 2014 NEWSLETTER We will celebrate Great Vespers every Saturday (unless noted) at 5:00 pm. OCTOBER EVENTS The Annual Metropolitan Iakovos Nameday Banquet will be held on the evening of Thursday, October 23 in Chicago. Anyone wishing to attend should contact Fr. Basil. Food Pantry Collection is always the third Sunday of each month. Please bring nonperishable food items. You are welcome to bring donations at any time and leave the items in the Hall. October 5th is Naonal Church Music Sunday **************** Sunday, October 12 Philoptochos Cultural Unity Dinner Following Services (note flyer) **************** Sunday, October 12 Des Moines Area Hunger Hike (1:30 pm at the Hall of Laureates) Adult Synaxis will meet Thursday, October 16, 7:00 - 8:00 pm in the Parish Hall. We will watch and discuss a video entitled “History of Orthodox Christianity - Byzantium.” Bring a friend! AHEPA will meet at a time to be announced. Please watch for further information. DOP will meet Wednesday, October 15, 7:00 pm in the Parish Hall. Zifa Hackett hosting. GOYA (our teens or those starting 7th grade) are planning their first get-together at the Farrell residence on Sunday, October 19 at 6:00 pm. We will discuss events for the upcoming year and elect officers. Parish Council Meeting - Monday, October 6, 6:30 pm in the Parish Hall. Philoptochos will meet Wednesday, October 8, 7:00 pm in the Parish Hall. Chrystalla Daly hosting. Sunday School meets every Sunday (unless noted) immediately following Holy Communion. Please remember: students and teachers should be first in line to receive Holy Communion so they can get to class as soon as possible. Contact: Harry Zubulake - 262-4529. Library News – Please see Elaine Avgerinos (278-2032) for all books, tapes, videos, icons and updates. Looking for a Gift Certificate? Check out the library. **************** NURSERY SCHEDULE Saturday, October 25 Greek Glendi 6:30 pm Parish Hall OCTOBER 5TH 12TH 19TH 26TH LISA CADE LISA PEARSON ZIFA HACKETT SANDI WURSTER (note flyer) Greek School Classes for our children will begin Wednesday, October 1st! The classes will take place every Wednesday from 6:00 to 7:00 pm in the Church basement. Greek School is currently seeking a volunteer with knowledge of the Greek language to teach one of the Greek School classes. Anyone interested, please contact Presvytera Efi at (515) 278-1175. Junior Orthodox Youth (JOY) All kids from about 5 to 12 years of age are encouraged to participate in our JOY Group, further developing their relationships with fellow Orthodox Christian children as we meet for fun and educational activities. Join us at Howell's Pumpkin Patch Sunday, October 12, 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. 3145 Howell Court 515-981-0863 Cumming, Iowa 50061 www.howellspumpkins.com General Admission $8.00 (plus extra $ for snacks &/or gift shop) Lots of Activities: wagon rides to corn maze and pumpkin patch, Barn Yard, Kiddie Korral, corn pool, giant slide and much more! For all the details, contact Kathy Triantafyllos at 987-2254. Orthodox Cultural Unity Dinner Sunday, October 12, 2014 After Divine Liturgy (Sponsored by Philoptochos) On the day of our Cultural Unity Dinner (October 12), we will recite the Lord’s Prayer (the “Our Father”) in various languages during the Divine Liturgy as part of our celebration of the many cultures which come together in our Church Community as one Family in Christ. Freewill donations to support Philoptochos Charities throughout the upcoming year. Questions: call Christy Karthan 266-4918 or Catherine Madcharo 987-8555. Wave Your Flag, Share Your Recipe, Celebrate Your Culture! Please sign up on the flip board (separate sheet by the coffee hour list). Any Orthodox Christian who would like to represent his/her culture of origin by leading the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer in the language of his/her heritage is asked to contact Father Basil by Wednesday, October 8th. 45th Annual Des Moines Area HUNGER HIKE Sunday, October 12, 1:30 pm Starting at the Hall of Laureates - 100 Locust St. For information on walking or donating, please contact Jim Zeller at 2057780. REGISTRY Baptism - September 6th George Shilkaitis. Parents are Jack & Marie Shilkaitis. Our heartfelt condolences to the family of Elaine Koutsounis. Elaine passed away on September 17th. Our heartfelt condolences to the family of Gregory Spanos (brother of Chris Spanos & Chrisoula Papadopoulos), who passed away on September 18th in Florida. Our heartfelt condolences to Presvytera Efi, whose uncle Efstathios Polychronopoulos passed away in September. WHERE WE STAND January through August Stewardship Received - $70,886 Pledges received (as of 9/21/14) 62 families, totaling $66,382 $152,202 (Goal) Friday, Feb. 6 Sunday, Feb. 8 at Sts. Constantine & Helen Church in Wauwatosa, WI Memorial - September 7th Ben Siepmann - 1 year Alexandra & Nikolaos Antoniadis (parents of Presvytera Efi) Memorial - September 21st Georgios Vassos (1 year), father of Dimitra Vassou-Kassiotis May their memory be eternal. Please send in your 2014 Stewardship Commitment Pledge. MARK YOUR CALENDARS! 2015 Basketball Tournament Prayers and Get Well Wishes: Elaine Avgerinos, Tom Boosalis, Helen Gates, George Pappas, Pam Said, Robert Siepmann, Lula Soter, Sophocles Vendoures, Yvonne Wessels, Mildred Woltz, & Hayden Zubulake. PLEASE NOTE: Parish Council Minutes are posted on the bulletin board in the Church Hall for everyone’s perusal. Spread a little sunshine! 47% Collected $70,886 Please remember our friend who is not able to get out and about by stopping by to say hi, or by sending a card, note or phone call. This would brighten her day. Krenio Wright Wesley Acres - Rm #JH310 3520 Grand Ave. Des Moines, IA 50312 271-6696 SERVICE MINISTRIES FOR OCTOBER Narthex Duty: Joanna Farrell & Andrew Georgopoulos DATE ALTAR BOYS READER of EPISTLE PROSFORA COFFEE HOUR Sunday, October 5th Cameron Caldbeck & Ky Pearson Chanters Helen Christakos “OPEN” Sunday, October 12th John & Peter Gliniecki Dr. Jim Prickett Mary Hatzigiannakis Philoptochos Cultural Unity Dn. Sunday, October 19th Christian & Noah Roberts Chanters Pres. Efi Hickman Chris & Erica Axiotis Sunday, October 26th St. Demetrios Nicholas & Teddy Triantafyllos Dr. Jim Prickett Christy Karthan “OPEN” SERVICE MINISTRIES FOR NOVEMBER Narthex Duty: Dean Hackett & George Mirras DATE ALTAR BOYS READER of EPISTLE Saturday, November 1st Sts. Kosmas & Damianos Sunday, November 2nd Alex & Evan Economos Chanters Dimitra Kassiotis “OPEN” Freezer Pete Economos & Nathaniel Skinner Dr. Jim Prickett Thursday, November 13th St. John Chrysostom Sunday, November 16th COFFEE HOUR Freezer Saturday, November 8th Archangels Michael & Gabriel Sunday, November 9th PROSFORA Elaine Notis Philoptochos Thanksgiving Dn. & General Assembly Freezer Ky Pearson & Caleb Shenouda Chanters Friday, November 21st Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple Denise Ragias “OPEN” Maria Skinner Sunday, November 23rd Gabriel & Zacharias Miller Dr. Jim Prickett Barbara Smith “OPEN” Sunday, November 30th St. Andrew Nicky Karamanlis & Ky Pearson Chanters Judi Telenson “OPEN” DON’T FORGET - We need Coffee Hour Stewards!!!!! We have a lot of Sundays without names listed to host coffee hour. As you enter the kitchen, you will notice the flip chart. Please pick a Sunday of your choice and sign your name, or call the office - 277-0780. Greek Glendi Saturday, October 25 - 6:30 pm St. George Greek Orthodox Church Come join us! Dance the night away to Greek & American Music! EVERYONE IS WELCOME!!! Featuring - OPA Hellas DJ (Greg Ragias) by red o s n Spo EPA & A H t e rs o f gh Dau nelope Pe Hors d’oeuvres & Beverages Adults: $10.00 High School & under: Free! "…AND YOU SHALL BE MY WITNESSES…" ACTS 1:8 By Father James W. Kordaris (Director of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Department of Outreach & Evangelism) Forty days after His Resurrection, at the time of His Ascension, Jesus gathered His disciples with Him and promised that they would soon receive the Holy Spirit. He called upon them to be His witnesses “…in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” This same calling is directed to each one of us – not just to professional religious people such as clergy and monastics. This calling to be witnesses of the faith was originally directed to the disciples, who were faithful people with ordinary professions. And these people changed the world by their witness. They didn’t do this by use of their vast knowledge of theological issues, but by their simple faith in what they had experienced in Jesus. The front lines of Jesus’ army today are you – faithful men and women who live ordinary lives in the world, attending school, making a living, raising families, participating in the daily life of our society. You are the ones who will reach the people whom we as clergy may never see – relatives, friends, coworkers, and in athletics, clubs and organizations. You will be placed in situations where you will be a witness to your faith – not by standing up and preaching – but by the way you conduct yourself as a Christian. In whatever you do, you are a Christian first – a Christian athlete, a Christian doctor, a Christian in business, a Christian parent, Christian teacher, a Christian friend. (Continued on next page) (Continued from previous page) There will be good days – those days when things fall into place and you feel that God is using the gifts that He has given you for His purposes. You will sense that He has placed you in a certain situation for which you are uniquely prepared. You will succeed and hopefully you will honor Him with your success, knowing that all that you accomplish has come from Him. There will be bad days – those days when the world seems to reward those who do not honor God or His commandments, those who strive to succeed regardless of the spiritual cost to themselves and others. Success, as it is measured in the world today seems to reward unethical, un-Christian behavior. As Christians living and working in this world, we struggle to remain faithful, and are wounded in the battle. Saint John Chrysostom referred to the Church as a “hospital” where people come to wash away their sins. The Church is like an army field hospital where clergy and staff work behind the lines, providing spiritual nourishment and a place to be healed and refreshed in the faith. People enter these doors each week, tired and wounded in their daily lives, doing their best to be faithful Christians in a world that does not always encourage or reward Christian values. The Church should be a safe place. Just like the giant cross painted on the army field hospitals and vehicles to keep them from being attacked, the cross of this church should remind us all that Church is a safe place where we come to be healed, to be what God created us to be, free from the fear of attack. We are healed by praying and worshipping with others. There is a great sense of community that gives us strength when we pray and worship together in liturgy. We pray for ourselves and others and we thank God for the many blessings in our lives. We also lay out our troubles before Him, as Hezekiah did in the Old Testament when he “spread out his troubles before the Lord.” There is no problem so small that we cannot place it before God in prayer. As Saint Paul wrote to the Philippians, “…in all things, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will set your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” It is important to let God speak to us. The Holy Spirit may move us in the silence of prayer, in interaction with other people of faith, and through the reading of Holy Scripture. This often-neglected source of spiritual nourishment has the ability to change your life. Reading our Bible, participation in worship and sacraments, and daily prayer provide us with the spiritual armor to face the challenges of daily life and to be witnesses of our faith by the way we live our lives. In his book, Bread for Life, New Testament Professor Fr. Theodore Stylianopoulos writes, “God will provide many opportunities to the growing Christian for sharing with others his or her experience with the Bible. What better witness for the truth of the Christian faith than a solid Christian life nourished by Holy Scripture and radiating true Christian love at home, at Church and at work?” God will place you in situations to share your faith. As He called upon His disciples on the day of His Ascension, He has also called upon you to be His witnesses “…in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Amen.
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