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Monthly Newsletter forStewards of
Holy AnargyroiSts. Kosmas & DamianosGreek Orthodox Church Box & SpoonBox & Spoon
2013 Standing
CommitteesPARISH COUNCIL
Aaron Biedermann-PresidentHalina Woroncow-Vice Pres.Tim KellyAndru Peters-SecretaryDan JerghiuTreasurerDon JenkinsTia MaragosErline HolmanRobert Lytle
STEWARDSHIP /OUTREACH
John Maragos ChairHalina WoroncowAri KolasMark SmithDiana OrbeloICONOGRAPHY
Diana Orbelo ChairTia MaragosAndru PetersFr. Mark MuozBUILDING
Tim Kelly-ChairAri KolasBUDGET
Dan Jerghiu ChairFr. Mark MuozAUDIT
Jacob PetersonMark SmithJohn MaragosPHILOXENIA HOUSE
Brad Holman ChairGREEK FESTIVAL
Dan Jerghiu ChairLorenda Jerghiu SilentauctionJoe Forrer Set-up/TeardownTim Kelly Outdoor CooksJohnny Mangouras Marke-tingAri Kolas Marketing
Penny Kolas PastriesMaria Thomas PastriesDenise Mangouras PastriesMartha Voytovich MarketplaceAndru Peters BeveragesMike Brekke Beer GardenAli Ostfeld Children Area
I S SUE
DEC 2 0 1 3
35
St. Leo of Rome: Christmas JoyOur Savior, dearly-beloved, was born
today (Christmas day): let us be glad.
For there is no proper place for sadness,
when we keep the birthday of the Life,
which destroys the fear of mortality and
brings to us the joy of promised eternity.
No one is kept from sharing in this
happiness. There is for all one common
measure of joy, because as our Lord, the
destroyer of sin and death, nds none
free from the charge, so He comes to free
us all. Let the saint exult in that he draws
near to victory. Let the sinner be glad in
that he is invited to being pardon. Let
the gentile take courage in that he is
called to life. For the Son of God in the
fullness of time which the inscrutable
depth of the Divine counsel hasdetermined, has taken on him the nature
of man, thereby to reconcile it to its
Author: in order that the inventor of
death, the devil, might be conquered.
And in this conict undertaken for us,
the ght was fought on great and
wondrous principles of fairness. Truly
foreign to this nativity is that which we
read of all others:
no one is clean from stain, not even
infant who has lived but one day upon eart
Nothing therefore of the lust of the e
has passed into that peerless nativ
nothing of the law of sin has entered
royal Virgin of the stem of David
chosen, to be impregnated with
sacred seed and to conceive the Divinehuman ospring in mind rst and then
body: she learns from the angel that w
is to be wrought in her is of the H
Ghost. Nor does she believe it loss
honor that she is soon to be the Mother
God. Her implicit faith is conrmed a
by the aesting of a miracle, a
Elizabeth receives unexpected fertility
order that there might be no doubt t
He who had given conception to
barren, would give it even to a virgin.
Therefore the Word of God, Him
God, the Son of God who in
beginning with God, through whom
things were made and without wh
was nothing made, with the purpose
delivering man from eternal dea
became man: The true God and true m
were combined to form one Lord, so th
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as suited the needs of our case, one and the same Mediator between God
and men, the Man Christ Jesus, could both die with the one and rise again
with the other.
Rightly therefore did the birth of our Salvation impart no corruption to the
Virgins purity, because the bearing of the Truth was the keeping of honor.
Such then beloved was the nativity which became the Power of God and
the Wisdom of God even Christ, whereby He might be one with us inmanhood and surpass us in Godhead. For unless He were true God, He
would not bring us a remedy: unless He were true Man, He would not give
us an example. Therefore the exulting angels song when the Lord was born
is this, Glory to God in the Highest, and their message, peace on earth to men
of good will. For they see that the heavenly Jerusalem is being built up out
of all the nations of the world: and over that indescribable work of the
Divine love how ought the humbleness of men to rejoice, when the joy of the lofty angels is so gre
Christians then must live worthily of Christ their Head. Let us then, dearly beloved, give thanks to G
the Father, through His Son, in the Holy Spirit, Who for His great mercy, wherewith He has loved us, hpity on us: and when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together in Christ, that we might be in Him a n
creation and a new production. Let us put o then the old man with his deeds: and having obtained a sh
in the birth of Christ let us renounce the works of the esh. Christian, acknowledge your dignity, a
becoming a partner in the Divine nature, refuse to return to the old baseness by degenerate cond
Remember the Head and the Body of which you are a member. Remember that you were rescued from
power of darkness and brought out into Gods light and kingdom. By the mystery of Baptism you w
made the temple of the Holy Ghost: and do not subject yourself once more to the devil; because y
purchase money is the blood of Christ, because He shall judge you in truth Who ransomed you in mer
who with the Father and the Holy Spirit reigns for ever and ever. Amen.Feast of the Nativity Liturgical SchedulTuesday December24th: Nativity Royal Hours withtheVesperal Liturgy of St. Basil8:00amTuesday December 24th: Nativity of Our Lord, God, andSavior Jesus Christ
Orthros-9pm/Divine Liturgy
10pmWednesday December 25th: No Services!Today the Virgin gives birth to Him who isabove all being, And the earth offers the Cave toHim whom no one can approach; Angels withShepherds give glory, And Magi journey with astar; For us there has been born A little Child:
God before the ages.
Merry Christmas!
! Craciun Fericit
Hristos de rodi!Feliz Navidad!
God Jul!
Joyeux Noel!
A model of faith and the image of gentleness, your life has shown you forth to your sheep-fold to be a master of temperance. St. Nicholas , Dec
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Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, has shined the light of knowledge upon the world . For a new child has been born for us, the God before all ages. De
Calendar for December 2013Monday Dec. 2nd AC/DC Adult Religious Education 6pm
Tuesday Dec. 3rd Philoptochos Meeting in Church library 6pm
Wednesday Dec. 4th Ss. Barbara & John the Damascene 8:30a
Orthros/Divine Liturgy
Philoxenia Meeting 6pm
Thursday Dec. 5th VIGIL for St. Nicholas the Wonderworker 6pmGreat Vespers, Orthros, Divine Liturgy celebrated consecutively
Sunday Dec. 8th Parish Council Elections after Divine Liturgy
GOYA Outing to MOA
Monday Dec. 9th AC/DC Adult Religious Education 6pm
Tuesday Dec. 10th JOY Faith Night 5pm
Wednesday Dec. 11th Great Vespers: St. Spyridon the Wonderworker 6pm
GOYA Faith Night after Vespers
Thursday Dec. 12th St. Spyridon the Wonderworker 8:30a
Orthros/Divine Liturgy
Strict Nativity Fast CommencesFriday Dec. 13th Philoptochos Holiday Bake Sale Packaging in Church Hall 9:30p
Sunday Dec. 15th Philoptochos Holiday Bake Sale Order Pickups during Fellowship Hour
Monday Dec. 16th AC/DC Adult Religious Education 6pm
Wednesday Dec. 18th St. Sebastian the Martyr 8:30a
Orthros/Divine Liturgy
Building Committee Meeting w/ Jerry Minetos from Archdiocese 5pm
Parish Council Meeting 6:30p
Thursday Dec. 19th St. Philothei Project (GOYA Sponsorship) 6pm
Saturday Dec. 21st Forefeast of the NATIVITY 8:30a
Orthros/Divine Liturgy
Youth Caroling 2pm
Sunday Dec. 22nd Youth Christmas Pageant after Liturgy
Monday
Dec. 23rd
AC/DC Adult Religious Education
6pm
Tuesday Dec. 24th NATIVITY: Royal Hours & Vesperal Divine Liturgy 8am*
NATIVITY: Orthros/Divine Liturgy 9pm*
Wednesday Dec. 25th No ServicesFriday Dec. 27th St. Stephen the First Martyr 8:30a
Orthros/Divine Liturgy
Monday Dec. 30th AC/DC Adult Religious Education 6pm
Wednesday Jan. 1st St. Basil the Great 8:30a
Orthros/Divine Liturgy
*Please note special t
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A model of faith and the image of gentleness, your life has shown you forth to your sheep-fold to be a master of temperance. St. Nicholas , Dec
Parish CouncilThe Parish Council tried a new format this year for the Fall General Assembly. A month prior to the Assembly following reports were submitted to the Parish Council: a yearly summary from each ministry leader, the 2013 yeadate financials and the 2014 budget. These reports were distributed to parishioners via email two weeks prior to Assembly and packets were also available in the Narthex the two Sundays prior to the meeting.
Our intent was to give parishioners the opportunity to be more informed and to also host an efficient Assembly. Inifeedback and impressions were positive. Attendees were more informed. The meeting was more efficient. A majorof attendees were still present at the end of the Assembly for discussion and new business. Please also note that thwill be a Ministry Sunday hosted after the New Year to focus more time to the different ministries of our parish.
The following stewards in good standing are candidates for the Parish Council Elections to take place on SunDecember 8th, 2013 after the Divine Liturgy: Aaron Biedermann, Denise Mangouras, Terri Mettler, Andru Petand Jacob Petersen. Three (3) of these parishioners will be elected to Parish Council. All stewards in good finanand spiritual standing with our Parish are encouraged to vote.
In Christ,Aaron Biedermann, Parish Council President.
Building CommitteeHow exciting! We are moving towards the building of our new fellowship hall. We have received three schemaoptions from Hammel Green Architects, whittled those down to two options, and will be deciding on the firecommendation of the building committee to the parish council and then on to the parish assembly for final approto begin architectural design(hopefully in early 2014). A special thank you goes out to Gus Chafoulias for financthe HGA schematic studies. Hopefully you have had a chance to view the two posted options we are considering
our existing fellowship hall they are posted on the wall up front.
Unfortunately, we have a large obstacle in the way the $377,000.00in debt outstanding on the loan for the churThere is little doubt that we will be required to take on additional debt to build a new hall no matter which option choose to move forward with. This is a significant concern for the building committee, parish council, and shouldfor the entire church. Debt incurs interest expense, and that only benefits the bank. Thank God for the generoshown by the parishioners of our church to date we have paid the original debt of $2,200,000 down to where we today. That said, we need your help to finish paying off the existing loan.
I am told that it is hard to keep going back to the same well that has given so much already. Well, the money donato the building fund for the church and fellowship hall are ultimately our investment in the Orthodox Faiths future
Rochester. We presently have twenty two families committed to paying off a portion of the debt, totaling ab$157,000.00 in total donations against the remaining balance. In 2013 we had twenty three families donate to building fund, eight of which had not formally pledged to this third phase of fund raising. Isnt that wonderful? Whare the rest of you?
Our existing hall is showing its age (look at the condition of the shingles on the roof and extrapolate that to the enfacility). If you want something to experience fellowship in that is not crumbling around you as you commune wyour fellow Orthodox Christians then please step up and participate in paying off our debt. Thank you to those wcontinue to make the sacrificial gift may your well always run deep with the life giving spiritual water of Orthodox Faith.
Tim Kelly Building Committee Chair and humble Parish Council member
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Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, has shined the light of knowledge upon the world . For a new child has been born for us, the God before all ages. De
Youth Team ReportOur youth and their teachers spent another busy month studying our faith and putting it in action as we entered
Fast of the Nativity.
We present our Grade 1-2 class this month, taught by Kathy Lytle:
Holy Anargyroi's 1st & 2nd grade church school classes meet in the fellowship hall basement. We are enjoy
having our "own" space now. Generally, four or five students arrive --we have room for more! -- and we get ri
down to work! We are getting an overview of the Bible this year, so of course the Old Testament is our start
place. Ask any of these bright kids what the theme of the Bible is and they (should) be able to tell you. : -) It's
really work, though; it's fun to incorporate ideas of creation, sin, and redemption into games and crafts and snac
along with the story.
Let me know if you'd like to join us!
This month, GOYA spent Faith Night exploring the difficult but necessary topic of suicide from both a practical
spiritual perspective.
Our own Dr. Amalyssa Johnson, a clin
psychologist, joined us for the discussion. We w
encouraged to ACT NOW if we have a concern
suicidal intent in others: Acknowledge, Care, f
Treatment with an adults help. Spiritually, we w
reminded that Orthodoxy celebrates life as a gift fr
God. It is a way of life which is centered on life,
its goal is our attainment of eternal life. The act
suicide is a rejection of salvation and a life in Chr
It destroys the opportunity for repentance
reconciliation which is possible only during
earthly lives. As Christians, we are encouraged
cling to hope in moments of bleakness and desp
knowing that God is at our side and will provide respite and rescue on His timetable. There is never no hope.
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A model of faith and the image of gentleness, your life has shown you forth to your sheep-fold to be a master of temperance. St. Nicholas , Dec
Youth Team Report-continued -
GOYA conducted another successful drive for the needy this month, this time collecting canned food and win
coats.
We contemplated our own abundance as we delivered the collection to an urb
shelter, and served up Thanksgiving meals of turkey, mashed potatoes, and pump
pie for a roomful of cold and hungry individuals the faces of Christ on earth.
So you likewise, when you see on earth the man who hasencountered the shipwreck of poverty, do not judge him, do not
seek an account of his life, but free him from his misfortune.
St. John ChrysostomAs we prepare for the great Feast of the Nativity, let us make ready, like Bethleh
and open the gates of our hearts to stand with the Old Testament righteous and
awestruck shepherds, to understand and bear witness that God is with us!
In Christ,Youth Team Coordinators,JOY -Loredana JerghiutaGOYA -Halina Woroncow and Mike Brekke
ST. SERAPHIM OF SAROV
Excessive care about worldly mattersis characteristic of an unbelieving and
fainthearted person.
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Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, has shined the light of knowledge upon the world . For a new child has been born for us, the God before all ages. De
Philoxenia House NewsNovember at the Philoxenia house ministry was business as usual, and I dont have a lot of news to share, but does not mean that the news I do have is insignificant. In fact, two very important events took place this month.
First, we were excited to welcome to Rochester the Metropolis of Chicago Philoptochos Society board. The memb
of the board joined our parish in celebrating of the Feast Day Liturgy of our Parish Saints Kosmos and DamianFollowing the liturgy, Nina Munoz served as tour guide and led the board members through both houses. All of members were very excited and pleased to finally see the ministry in person.
Half way through the tour the Philoptochos board members presented the Philoxenia House a beautiful painting whis on display in the downstairs apartment of the Philoxenia house. When the tour was complete and all questianswered, the Philoptochos board members were pleased to present the Philoxenia House Ministry with a check one thousand dollars of which we were very pleased. Thank you very much.
Irene Arsoniadis, Chicago Metropolis Philoptochos SocPresident, presents a check for one thousand dollars frthe Society to the Philoxenia House Ministry.
Second, I received a text message today at work with the news that the 2013 Philoxenia House Ministry newsletthad been mailed. The preparation and mailing of the newsletter is a huge task that is led by Calli Kelly. Just filling addressing newsletter envelopes takes days, and I want to thank all of those who worked so very hard before and aThanksgiving completing the task. Those who helped Calli were Maria Pasalis, Erline Holman, Martha VoytovJackie Barbes, Karie Pasalis, Maria Thomas, Donald Jenkins, Elaine Jenkins, Anna Ryabova, Anastasia, MaChristina and Stephania Kelly. Over 1110 newsletters were mailed out. WOW!!
Anastasia Kelly demonstrates how toprepare the newsletter for mailing (left).
Our brother and sisters generously donatetheir time preparing the newletters formailing. Starting on the left goingclockwise: Donald Jenkins, Anastasia Kelly,Karie Pasalis, Elaine Jenkins, AnnaRyabova, Martha Voytovich and MariaPasalis (right).
Thank you everyone for an exciting month and God bless.Sincerely,Bradley Holman
President of the Philoxenia House Committee
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A model of faith and the image of gentleness, your life has shown you forth to your sheep-fold to be a master of temperance. St. Nicholas , Dec
Metropolis of Chicago Philoptochos Board visits HolyAnargyroi on the Feast Day of Saints Kosmas and DamianosNovemeber 1st 2013
They celebrated Divine Liturgy with us and toured the
Philoxenia House which they have generously supported.
With Calli Kelly, Father Mark, and Soula Pampori. Soula is aHoly Anargyroi longstanding Philoptochos Board Member in-cluding holding the post of President for 8 years. She is alsohonored to be a past Metropolis of Chicago Philoptochos Boardmember. Soula and Marilyn Tzakis (first on left standing) moth-er were Metropolis Board Members together in the 1980s.
freely you have received, freely give Jesus Christ in Matthew 10:8
Enjoying the company of Maria Thomas at a luncheon.Maria is another longstanding Philoptochos Board Member,and also an 8 year veteran of holding the post of President.
In addition to meeting past and currentPhiloptochos Board and Society Mem-
bers; they also enjoyed meeting futurePhiloptochos members. Here PresidentIrene Arsoniadis and Vice PresidentPam Argyris visit with Anastasia,Stephania, Christina and Maria Kelly.
Left to right: Pam Argyris (Vice President), Pat Gerbanas,Georgia Sarlas, Father Mark Munoz, Irene Arsoniadis
(President), Marilyn Tzakis and Georgia Gavaris
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Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, has shined the light of knowledge upon the world . For a new child has been born for us, the God before all ages. De
Newer Members: The Johnson FamilyBEN, AMALYSSA AND KIRK JOHNSON
Meet the Johnsons, who are among our newest members.Ben is a pork producer and Amalyssa is a psychologistwith Decision Point Behavioral Health in Rochester.Each holds a PhD degree: Ben in Molecular Biology andAmalyssa in Clinical Psychology. They live on the farmin Dodge Center where Ben grew up.
The oldest of five, Amalyssa was born in Sugarland,Texas, and is proud of her Mexican heritage. Shegraduated from St. Edwards College in Austin with amajor in Psychology and obtained her PhD from TexasTech in Lubbock.
So why did she choose this field? She loves kids and wanted to help them but wasnt particularly interestedteaching. So she figured Clinical Psychology was a good choice. She does work with many children in her practbut also with adults and families.
Ben is the oldest of three and graduated from Triton High School in Dodge Center. He went to UW La Crosse whhe majored in biology and then received his PhD in biology from Baylor University in Houston. Why did he choscience? because he grew up on a farm and there is a strong focus on science in farming. Because he was minterested in teaching than research, he taught in various high schools, junior colleges, and universities.
Ben and Amalyssa met through mutual friends in Houston and were married in St. Georges Antiochian Ortho
Church there. In 2008, they moved to Abilene where Ben was a professor at Hardin-Simmons University
Amalyssa was in private practice. While there, they attended St. Lukes Antiochian Orthodox Church.
Amalyssa was raised Roman Catholic and Ben was raised Protestant. His grandfather was a Lutheran missionaryAfrica and his mother was born there. His grandfather later became an Orthodox Priest. But that isnt the reason Band Amalyssa are now Orthodox.
What influenced them was their mutual desire to be able to worship together as a family. So before they even becaengaged, they wanted to make sure they belonged to the same church. Ben wasnt interested in becoming Catholic Evangelical friends in college had influenced Amalyssa, although she remained Catholic. After many months of stuvisiting churches, and, of course, prayer, they decided on the Orthodox Church because of its theology.
Ben enjoyed teaching but missed farming more. So they moved back to his familys farm in Dodge Center. They lifor a while with his parents, but when his parents moved to another farm nearby Ben and Amalyssa stayed behindthe house where Ben grew up. So if you like bacon for breakfast, you can thank pork producers like Ben Amalyssa.
Three year old son Kirk wants you to know that he has a dog named Deuce and that he loves all the John Deeres wbuckets they have. His Dad even lets him ride in them.
The Johnsons joined our Parish in June 2012. They like it here because we are neither too large, nor too small in sbut just right. And, of course, they really like Father Mark. We are so glad that their road through life led them her
us.
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A model of faith and the image of gentleness, your life has shown you forth to your sheep-fold to be a master of temperance. St. Nicholas , Dec
CHURCH NEEDS LISTPlease Contact Fr. Mark or Jackie to Donate
The vacuum cleaner has been donated!!! Thank you!!!
Coffee and coffee filters $110 per case5 cases per year
Candles $4,200 per year
Two AEDs (automated external defibrillator) $1300 each
Metropolis basketball tournament registration fee $300 per year
OCMC support
(Divided between Hoppe and GOYA missions)$500 per month
BUDGET CUTSPlease Contact Fr. Mark or Jackie to Donate
Church School texts/supplies $750 per year
Parish youth activities $1,000 per year
Outreach efforts $500 per year
Repairs: Air Conditioner (7/8/2013) $1,000
ST. ANTHONY THE GREAT
I saw the snares that the enemyspreads out over the world and I saidgroaning, "What can get throughfrom such snares?" Then I heard avoice saying to me, "Humility."
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Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, has shined the light of knowledge upon the world . For a new child has been born for us, the God before all ages. De
Philoptochos SocietyDear brothers and sisters in CHRIST+
This past month has been filled with many uplifting experiences. At the beginning of the month we were blessedspend our Patron Feast Day with members of the Metropolis of Chicago Philoptochos Board on Nov 1st in honoSaints Kosmas and Damianos. The Metropolis of Chicago Philoptochos Board and its many chapters have been biggest supporters of the Philoxenia House all these years. If it were not for their financial assistance; we would
have this ministry to provide to those in need here in Rochester. I believe we have changed as a pish in our work for God with the Philoxenia House here at Holy Anargyoi these past nine years. TPhiloxenia ministry has been a stepping stone for us in creating a mission based parish that striveoffer, as best as we humanly can, Gods love to others. It was a wonderful blessing to meet share the Philoxenia House with the Board Members who have given all these years to the Howith faith and love just as our Patron Saints lived by in answering Jesus Christs call to ChristiansMatthew 10:8
freely you have received, freely give.
On Nov. 21st, eleven of our Society Membershosted the Churchs St Philothei Project inwhich we prepared the weekend meals, 450 inall: breakfast, lunch and dinner for the Roch-ester Womens Shelter. Our Society also gavea $200 donation to St Philothei. Nov 21st wasa blessed evening for us because followingthe St Philothei Project we hosted a Bereave-ment Workshop as part of our MagdaleneMinistry to aid the dying and the bereaved.Society Member Lexie Biedermann, CertifiedNurse Practitioner, (far right in front) gave awonderful presentation that covered profes-sional, personal and spiritual aspects of bereavement care. Father Mark added to the presentationdiscussing the perspective of death in relation to our Orthodox faith. It was a spiritually reflectevening for those in attendance.
This month many of us donated gift wrapped hats andmittens to Moms and children at the Healing Housein Minneapolis. The Healing House is a Christian res-idential recovery center that allows mothers to bewith their children while going through therapy. It isthe only one of its kind in the state of Minnesota.
This donation from our Society is in collaborationwith St. Marys Greek Orthodox Churchs Philopto-chos Society in their work with the Healing House.On Nov 30th, we provided the hats and mittens andSt Marys provided blankets and books for the resi-dents. It is a Christian example of two PhiloptochosChapters working together to bring a little comfort toothers during a time of difficulty.
Wishing you a reflective and spiritual journey leading to the celebration of our Lords Nativity.
With sisterly love in CHRIST+
Calli Kelly, Philoptochos President
have much grati-ude to Metropolisresident Irene Ar-soniadis for en-uraging members
f the Philoptochosoard to visit Holy
Anargyroi.
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A model of faith and the image of gentleness, your life has shown you forth to your sheep-fold to be a master of temperance. St. Nicholas , Dec
What is Christian Stewardship?Christian Stewardship is
learning how to be a responsible and concerned caretaker of ChristsChurch; it is learning how to enjoy Church life and be happy in Church
work., for in Her dwells the fullness of the Spirit of God.
our active commitment to use all our time, talent and treasure for thebenefit of humankind in grateful acknowledgment of Christs redeeminglove.
caring for the needs of others.
offering ones self to God as He offered Himself to us.
what a person does after saying I believe, as proof of that belief.
devotion and service to God and His Church as persons, as families, as diocese/metropolis, as national Church as Church universal.
The Gifts of the Magi icon presents the Wise Men ofing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the ChChild. These wealthy scholars and priests of the East dured numerous dangers, and traveled great distancesoffer their treasures to Christ, the newborn king. Whbeautiful and meaningful example of stewardship theyfor all future generations, helping us to understand blessing of properly using and sharing Gods gifts.
Everything we have is temporal. We dont know for hlong we have it. The fundamental question, though
how will we use all that we have for the glory of God?
Christian Stewardship is about becoming good caretakers of all that Godhas given us. God has given each of us special and unique gifts. Andthrough Holy Scripture He teaches us all that we have is a loan. He lendseverything to us, and reminds us that one day He will ask us to give a de-tailed accounting of what we have done with the gifts He has given us.Archbishop Anastasios of Albania has noted that we find ourselves byoffering ourselves. Have we learned the blessedness of generously giv-ing to others of all we have?
One day, a person complained to his priest that the
Church and Christianity is one continual give, give,give.To which the priest replied, Thank you verymuch for the finest definition of Christianity I haveever heard. Youre right, Christianity is all about aconstant give, give, give. God giving His only Sonto the world to show His unconditional love. HisSon Jesus giving His life on the cross to forgive oursins and destroy death. Then our Lords disciplesgiving all they had to make sure Gods Good Newsof love was preached to all people everywhere. Theynot only gave away their homes and businesses, but
h i li i i d