Registry P.3 Parish News P.4 Youth News P.6 Philoptochos News P.7 continued on page 2 A Word from Father Rick Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ! Last month I shared some of our experienc- es during the pilgrimage to St. Petersburg Russia. I will share briefly some of our adven- tures in the Holy Land this month. I will also make a presentation with photos on Sunday, December 10 th after liturgy in the social hall. The 13 pilgrims to Russia were joined by 22 more in Tel Aviv Israel. We spent three days in the old city of Jerusalem exploring the var- ious holy sites nearby, including the Holy Sepulchre, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, Via Delaroso (i.e. the Way of Sorrow or Path of 12 Stations of Cross), Mount of Olives, Rus- sia Monastery of St. Mary Magdalene, Garden of Gethesemane, Tomb of Virgin Mary, Birth- place of Virgin Mary; Church of St. Peter Gallicantu (i.e. the cock crows), Wailing Wall, Praetorium, Mount Zion (Upper Room of Last Supper). Then we spent three days in Bethlehem and visited the Nativity Church, Tomb/Chapel of the Holy Innocents, Shepherds’ Field, Milk Grotto, and Bethany. After this we traveled north towards the Sea of Galilee and stayed in Nazareth two nights. Along the way, we visit- ed the St. Theodosios Monastery, St. Gerasi- mos Monastery, Jericho, Dead Sea, and Jacob’s Well. In Nazareth we visited Church of Annunciation and Joseph-Mary-Jesus’ home. Nearby we visited the Sea of Galilee, ancient Capernaoum, Church of Peter’s Pri- macy, Mount of Beattitudes, and the Jordan River. It was a whirlwind of tour. Almost too much to absorb in such a short amount of time. Everything was special and meaningful but a few highlights included three liturgies: one at Golgatha inside the Holy Sepulchre Church in Jerusalem, one at Grotto/Cave under the Nativity Church in Bethlehem, and one in the Greek Orthodox Church over Jacob’s Well in Nablus. Also, meeting the bishops, priests, monks and people of the various shrines per- sonalized the visit. We had an audience with Patriarch Theophilos who gave everyone a gift and took photos with us. Archbishop The- ofanis gave us a tour of the Patriarchate and welcomed us into his home/apartment for re- freshments. Priest-monk Polycarpos helped facilitate con-celebration of liturgy with Arch- bishop Aristarchos at Golgotha. Fr. Issa warmly welcomed us and spoke to our group in Bethlehem. In Bethlehem, we stayed at Ri- ta Kanavati’s brother Joseph’s hotel and shopped at her other brother Johnny’s gift shop. The whole extended family was warm and gracious. Priest-monk Ioustinios also gave us a warm welcome at Jacob’s Well. His story of persecution is compelling and the recent martyrdom of his predecessor, St. Philoumenos (Nov.16, 1979), is particularly unforgettable and humbling. We also enjoyed the company of our guide, Shuckry—a Palestinian Christian, and our bus driver, Ihab—a Muslim. Both of them took good care of us. Of course, we appreciated the leadership of Deb Korluka and Tom & Mary Rudquist for organizing the whole trip. And I particularly enjoyed getting to know my fel- low pilgrims. I thank God for the opportunity to take this blessed pilgrimage. As we traverse the blessed journey of Advent towards the Great Feast of our Lord’s Nativity, we dedicate ourselves to ascetic la- bor in order to receive our Savior into our heart and mind, in order to be born in our words and actions. Make good use of this time to fast, to pray, to worship, to confess, to give alms. We are so supremely blessed to have the freedom and the means to do all these things without persecution. We will have Royal Hours on Friday morning Decem- ber 22. This is when we encourage the chil- dren to participate in the readings of Psalms, Prophecies, Epistles and hear the Gospel that all relate to the Nativity. We also have morn-
Transcript
Regis try P.3
Par ish News P.4
Youth News P.6
Ph i lop tochos News P.7
continued on page 2
A Word from Father Rick
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ!
Last month I shared some of our experienc-
es during the pilgrimage to St. Petersburg
Russia. I will share briefly some of our adven-
tures in the Holy Land this month. I will also
make a presentation with photos on Sunday,
December 10th after liturgy in the social hall.
The 13 pilgrims to Russia were joined by 22
more in Tel Aviv Israel. We spent three days
in the old city of Jerusalem exploring the var-
ious holy sites nearby, including the Holy
Sepulchre, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, Via
Delaroso (i.e. the Way of Sorrow or Path of
12 Stations of Cross), Mount of Olives, Rus-
sia Monastery of St. Mary Magdalene, Garden
of Gethesemane, Tomb of Virgin Mary, Birth-
place of Virgin Mary; Church of St. Peter
Gallicantu (i.e. the cock crows), Wailing
Wall, Praetorium, Mount Zion (Upper Room
of Last Supper).
Then we spent three days in Bethlehem and
visited the Nativity Church, Tomb/Chapel of
the Holy Innocents, Shepherds’ Field, Milk
Grotto, and Bethany. After this we traveled
north towards the Sea of Galilee and stayed in
Nazareth two nights. Along the way, we visit-
ed the St. Theodosios Monastery, St. Gerasi-
mos Monastery, Jericho, Dead Sea, and
Jacob’s Well. In Nazareth we visited Church
of Annunciation and Joseph-Mary-Jesus’
home. Nearby we visited the Sea of Galilee,
ancient Capernaoum, Church of Peter’s Pri-
macy, Mount of Beattitudes, and the Jordan
River. It was a whirlwind of tour. Almost too
much to absorb in such a short amount of
time.
Everything was special and meaningful but
a few highlights included three liturgies: one
at Golgatha inside the Holy Sepulchre Church
in Jerusalem, one at Grotto/Cave under the
Nativity Church in Bethlehem, and one in the
Greek Orthodox Church over Jacob’s Well in
Nablus. Also, meeting the bishops, priests,
monks and people of the various shrines per-
sonalized the visit. We had an audience with
Patriarch Theophilos who gave everyone a
gift and took photos with us. Archbishop The-
ofanis gave us a tour of the Patriarchate and
welcomed us into his home/apartment for re-
freshments. Priest-monk Polycarpos helped
facilitate con-celebration of liturgy with Arch-
bishop Aristarchos at Golgotha. Fr. Issa
warmly welcomed us and spoke to our group
in Bethlehem. In Bethlehem, we stayed at Ri-
ta Kanavati’s brother Joseph’s hotel and
shopped at her other brother Johnny’s gift
shop. The whole extended family was warm
and gracious. Priest-monk Ioustinios also
gave us a warm welcome at Jacob’s Well. His
story of persecution is compelling and the
recent martyrdom of his predecessor, St.
Philoumenos (Nov.16, 1979), is particularly
unforgettable and humbling.
We also enjoyed the company of our guide,
Shuckry—a Palestinian Christian, and our bus
driver, Ihab—a Muslim. Both of them took
good care of us. Of course, we appreciated the
leadership of Deb Korluka and Tom & Mary
Rudquist for organizing the whole trip. And I
particularly enjoyed getting to know my fel-
low pilgrims. I thank God for the opportunity
to take this blessed pilgrimage.
As we traverse the blessed journey of
Advent towards the Great Feast of our Lord’s
Nativity, we dedicate ourselves to ascetic la-
bor in order to receive our Savior into our
heart and mind, in order to be born in our
words and actions. Make good use of this
time to fast, to pray, to worship, to confess, to
give alms. We are so supremely blessed to
have the freedom and the means to do all
these things without persecution. We will
have Royal Hours on Friday morning Decem-
ber 22. This is when we encourage the chil-
dren to participate in the readings of Psalms,
Prophecies, Epistles and hear the Gospel that
all relate to the Nativity. We also have morn-
continued from page 1
page 2
Meal Fellowship after Liturgy.
Fr. Ioan Poptelecan with Lampros Petanitis at Christ Episcopal Church.
Sev-enth
ing Liturgies on Sunday, December24 and Monday, December
25. Please plan to be with us on one or both of the Nativity cele-
brations.
In December our Stewardship
drive continues as, we begin to focus
on our 2018 commitment of Time,
Talent and Treasure to God’s Holy
Church and complete our commit-
ments in 2017. The 2018 theme is
“Whatever you do, work at it with all
your heart as working for the Lord
and not for men” (Colossians 3:23).
The new stewardship brochure and
pledge card have been mailed. Please
meditate on how, through stewardship
to the Church, you can love the Lord
your God with all your heart, all your mind and all your soul
and all your strength, and your neighbor as yourself (Matthew
22:35-40). Three simple principles for treasure/financial com-
mitment: 1) give generously, 2) give sacrificially, and 3) give
purposively. Three practical guidelines: 1) give at least 3% of
gross income (biblical model of stewardship is tithing or giving
10%), 2) be sure to increase giving from previous year, and 3)
budget your stewardship first—then budget everything else.
Parish Assembly meeting is December 3. Please plan to at-
tend and participate to help chart the future course of our church
community as we present the 2018 budget. Please remember
that the focus of the budget is not the money but rather the fund-
ing of the ministries of our parish. Everything we do should be
with three primary goals in mind: 1) to preach the Good News
of Jesus Christ, 2) to teach the Commandments of God, 3) to
heal the sick and needy, spiritually and physically. We all need
the Great Physician Christ and He meets us in His hospital the
Church, where He prescribes remedies to help us heal. All our
ministries and activities should be geared towards these goals.
Parish council elections are on December 10. This ministry is
important to setting the future course and leading the communi-
ty in all its endeavors. Working together with the priest, the par-
ish council leads by example in all aspects of parish life. The
parish council is not about running the so-called “business” of
the community. It is primarily about leading in prayer and wor-
ship and almsgiving and fasting, because without these as the
foundation, leadership is devoid of the Holy Spirit. Without Ho-
ly Spirit the Church becomes just another charity and/or cultural
club. That is not our purpose. Our purpose is to help lead people
into the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. See the nomination letter
and form inserted into the newsletter for more details.
Kala Xristougenna! Blessed Nativity and Christmas!
+Fr. Rick
EAU CLAIRE, WISCONSIN Divine Liturgy is celebrated on the last Saturday of each month in Eau Claire.
Our parish and the Philoptochos recognized and thanked Ron and Reva Adkins for their many years of dedicated service on September 24 before they moved to Kentucky.
DECEMBER NAMEDAYS December 5: Savvas Nikolaides; December 6: Nick Boosalis, Nicholas Kanavati, Nicholas Mortari, Nik Patronas, Nicholas Petanitis, Nicholas Psimos, Niki Youso, Nikola Popov, Nikolaos Theodoridis, Nick Zubulake; December 9: Anna Christoforides; December 10: Milton Marinos; December 12: Spero Payton, Spiros Kapetanakis; December 15: Adam Fuller, Elefterios Tsengas; December 17: Daniel Kelsey, Daniel Nodes, Danielle Pathos; December 25: Chris Panayoton, Christ Rozikes, Chris Tountas, Emmanouel Kappos, Manoli Mastrogiorgis, Joseph Donnelly, Joseph Weiser, David Crowther; December 27: Stephanie Contolatis, Stephanie Flumerfelt-George, Stephen Arsenault, Stephen Ryan, Stephen Kanavati, Steven McKinney Jr., Stephen Borzeka; December 31: Melina Canas, Melina Donnelly.
DECEMBER WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES Demetri & Joanne Halatsis, December 28; Ron & Reva Adkins, December 30; Pendy & Jeanne Eliou, December 30; Eric & Andrea Chadwick, December 28.
DECEMBER BAPTISMS/CHRISMATIONS Marina Antoniou, December 1; Michael Gomez, December 21; Michael Makredes, December 27; Angela Glaros, De-cember 1; George Antoniou, December 22; Joe Weiser, De-cember 22; Thessaly Balasis, December 16; Karen Petanitis, December 19.
If your name does not appear or it is listed incorrectly, please contact the church office at [email protected].
DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS Maria Andrist, December 8; Mary Ellen Arvanitis, Decem-ber 20; Bob Baffa, December 23; Tess Chadwick, Decem-ber 27; Sophia Christoforides, December 26; Bill Clemons, December 4; Stephanie Contolatis, December 27; David Crowther, December 27; Robb Dahl, December 12; Andrea Decker, December 21; Antigone Delton, De-cember 10; Mary Ellis, December 9; Nanette Gomez, De-cember 24; Misael Jordan, December 5; Jon Kennedy, December 3; Ellene Kritikos, December 21; Lily Lampros, December 20; Brennan McCullough, December 2; Alkivi-adis Morellas, December 6; Chris Panayoton, December 25; Jonathan Paraschou, December 28; Soule Para-schou, December 23; Theologia Pitsavas, December 6; Athanasios Poulios, Decem ber 19; Zoe Rylander, Decem ber 28; Yiannis Speros, December 31.
Letter from the Youth Minister: Our kids are involved!
As I've said before, the abso-
lute best way to learn about
our Orthodox Faith is to active-
ly participate in it. If you come
to Liturgy on Sunday morn-
ings, you will see our kids do-
ing just that. We have our youth behind the altar, up in the
choir, helping as ushers, and standing with the chanters! It is so
amazing to see such excitement in the worship of our Lord.
This last month, our younger Sunday School classrooms went
up to the choir loft together during Liturgy to sing a hymn we
had been practicing for
weeks. When it was time for
the Choir to sing the Trisag-
ion, our wonderful Choir
Director Denise asked the
adults to sing more softly in
order for the kids to really
stand out, and they did
WONDERFULLY! They did
not want to leave and can
now be found upstairs every
Sunday! If you have not
heard them singing yet, come
to church and experience it
with us!
As many are aware, Alek
Eidsvold has recently been
blessed to wear the altar
server robes and can now be
found on Sunday mornings
assisting Father Rick behind
the altar. He has learned so much about the church and the
practices behind the altar. Lila Simon likes helping pass out bul-
letins and assisting as an usher. Each week she stands in the
back of the church as soon as she arrives.
I am proud of all of our kids! If you see any of them, please
tell them how much they are appreciated for everything they
do.
A request from Nathaniel: As many of you know, I am in the
final year of my Master’s program in clinical social work. With
school and my two jobs, I am no stranger to a busy schedule,
often making it difficult to attend certain functions or even
church itself on some days. While it is not necessarily sinful to
miss a service, spiritually and communally it is not beneficial. I
know that if I were to miss, I would be opening a rift between
not only myself and God, but between myself and all those I
consider family here at St. George. It is the same way whenever
anyone misses church. When one arrives to church late, or does
not show at all, it affects the entire community. We are think-
ing of you. I understand schedules are difficult to manage, and
it applies doubly for those with crazy children running all over
or taking forever to get ready, but coming to church is not only
about coming and meeting with friends of the same faith, it is
about worshiping our almighty God together as one body. We
cannot hope to entrust our faith to the next generation if we
cannot emphasis the importance of it ourselves. Please consid-
er this as we continue with this wonderful school year.
If anyone has any concerns or ideas about our youth pro-
gram, I am always open to hearing them. Feel free to call, text,
email, set up a time to meet. We cannot grow if we cannot ad-
dress issues.
Thank you,
Nathaniel Kostick
Youth Minister
John Pitsavas Memorial Scholarship: eligible high school
seniors and college students are invited to apply for this schol-
arship for the 2017-2018 academic year by submitting an essay
answering the question: "Why are the number of "Nones" (no reli-
gious affiliation) rising in America, and what can we Orthodox
Christians do about it?" Deadline is January 15, 2018. See insert or
bulletin boards for application and guidelines.
Basketball Tourney Info: February 9-11, 2018 at Holy Trinity
GOC in Sioux City, Iowa. Theme is “One Church, One God,
One Goal.” Hotel is Delta by Marriott, South Sioux City River-
front. www.greekbball.org.
page 6
Dear Young Choir Members, It is wonderful to have children singing in the choir. I thank Nathaniel for doing such a great job. They are going to be the future choir members of St. George, and I am proud of that. Thank you, kids, for your enthusiasm in participating in our choir. Keep up the good work! Blessings for serving God, Evanthia Thomaidis. Choir Member October 26, 2017
6:30p-8p Holy Land Presentation w OCF at UMN w/ Fr. Rick
15 +FAST DAY
+ST. ELEFTHERIOS
10:30a-2:30p FOCUS MN - Clothes Closet
16 5pm VESPERS
7pm GOYA Youth Nite - Ice Skating
17 +11TH SUN. LUKE
+ST. DIONYSIOS & PROPHET DANIEL
8:15am ORTHROS
9:30am LITURGY
4p-7:30p FOCUS MN - Serve a Meal
4:30p-6:30p Greek Dance Practice
18
19 6:30pm Parish Council Mtg.
20 +FAST DAY
+ST. IGNATIOS THE GODBEARER
11:30a-4:30p FOCUS MN - Food Shelf
21 10a-2:30p FOCUS MN - Work Day (odd jobs)
10a-12p Glad Tidings mailing
7pm Ahepa Mtg
22 +FAST DAY
+ST. ANASTASIA PHARMOKALYTRIA
9am ROYAL HOURS of NATIVITY
10:30a-2:30p FOCUS MN - Clothes Closet
23 5p-6p VESPERS
24 +CHRISTMAS EVE
+SUN. B4 NATIVITY
8:15am ORTHROS
9:30am LITURGY
4p-7:30p FOCUS MN - Serve a Meal
25 +NATIVITY OF CHRIST
12a-2a LITURGY
12a-1a ORTHROS
26 +SYNAXIS OF THEOTOKOS
27 +FAST DAY
+ST. STEPHANOS PROTOMARTYR
11:30a-4:30p FOCUS MN - Food Shelf
28 10a-2:30p FOCUS MN - Work Day (odd jobs)
29 10:30a-2:30p FOCUS MN - Clothes Closet
30 5p-6p VESPERS
31 +APODOSIS OF NATIVITY- ST. MELANIE
+SUN. B4 THEOPHANY
8:15am ORTHROS
9:30am LITURGY
4p-7:30p FOCUS MN - Serve a Meal
COMING IN JANUARY…
1 ST. BASIL / CIRCUMCISION OF OUR LORD / NEW YEAR DAY
6 THEOPHANY/EPIPHANY
7 Vasilopita Celebration
12-14 Youth Winter Camp
14-16 Metropolis Clergy Couple Retreat
15 Martin Luther King Holiday
22 ST. TIMOTHY THE APOSTLE
28 TRIODION BEGINS
Parish Council Meeting Minutes Summary, October 17, 2017
I. Call Meeting to Order – 6:42 p.m.
II. Opening Prayers and Readings (Oct 17) – Romans 9:18--33, Luke 9:23-27
III. Submission of past Parish Council Meeting Minutes – Stephen Arsenault – 6:52 p.m.
Motion: To accept the Parish Council Minutes of September 19, 2017.
Moved by Nanette; Seconded William. Motion passed unanimously
IV. Treasurer’s Report– John Simon - 6:55 p.m.
Financials as of 30 September 2017
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ General FON G. Festival 75th Lot Sales Capital Total Income Total Expense Net ________________________________________________________________________________________ INCOME 182,272 23,423 74,739 16,915 2,000 299,349
EXPENSES 252,704 9,302 53,424 245 5,100 320,775
NET (70,432) 14,121 21,315 (245) 16,915 (3,100) (21,426)
- Reviewed tonight the figures for month ending September 30, 2017: revenue, expenses, investments and transfers from the
Investment Accounts, and a projection for the end of the year.
Motion: To accept the Treasurer’s Report. Moved: Jim., Seconded: Nanette. Passed unanimously.
V. Committee Reports –
A. Stewardship Report- submitted by Alexis Bighley and Fr. Rick Fr. presented the September detail of stewardship and giving compared to previous year. Fr. also presented ways that PC members can work to increase participation in the Stewardship Program. Stewardship Totals: 2017 – Goal $ 240,000
SEPTEMBER Totals 2017-Pledges Received thru Month End
A. 123 Parishioner Pledged-$ 175,073 (Previous Year 122 = $168,834). 1) Of Which 53 increased Thru SEPTEMBER increase of $ 17,615). 2) 9 Parishioners are New Pledgers this year compared to 2016 ($ 5,471)
B. Total dollars received thru Month End $ 147,533 plus $ 2,700 Non- Sectarian (2016 = $139,901) C. No Action Items Council Meeting with Alexis
B. Scholarship Committee – 7:45 p.m. Plans in the works, decision to be made.
C. Landscaping/Grounds Report – Nanette – 7:46 p.m.
Reported on the performance of True Green lawn and garden service.
D. Website Projects Report – Andrea – 7:52 p.m. Changing pictures, new articles, priest’s sermon.
E. Missions and Benevolence (M&B) Report – Jon for George – 7:54 p.m.
FOCUS dinner will be on October 14th. 169 people served by our church at FOCUS.
In the plans is a fundraising dinner and presentation in November by Pres.Vera Proctor in support of the mobile health
unit. Also mentioned: We need more servers at Loaves and Fishes.
Silent auction mentioned and, year-end activities: two bake sales, maker’s mall, adopt a family.
F. Capital Projects – Nanette- 8:05 p.m.
Tuck pointing and masonry restoration. Presented and discussed tonight are the problems with the building
masonry and presentation of restoration bids. Acme bid for restoration of problem areas is a total = $113,765 with a
breakdown for each wall, and a 3%-7% discount if we did all four walls. Also, Building Restoration bid to replace all
the grouting on all walls for a total = $281,117. Work to start in Spring 2018. After discussion, PC members were
looking for more options and cost detail before a decision can be made and presented to a Parish Assembly.
G. Iconography: - Stephen Arsenault and Fr. Rick – 8:02 p.m.
1.The two mural icons in the altar area are needed to complete the Festal Icon project. Two bids are being obtained.
Mother Theodora’s bid of $10,000 each is the same as for the other completed four mural icons.
2.The icon at the second altar table has a bid of $3,500 from Andreas Sitorengo. All funding is by donors.
H. Young at Heart Senior Program – deferred.
I. Investment Committee - deferred
VII. New Business
A. Next Elections slate and New Candidates for Parish Council – Jon Kennedy and Fr. Rick
Tonight, we reviewed of PC members who will be leaving and those rerunning.
B. 2018 Budget Planning Discussion – Jon Kennedy and Jon 9:24 p.m.
Discussed is the process for establishing the 2018 operating budget to present at the Parish Assembly in December. .
Suggested tonight is an effort in 2018 to further develop our parish vision and mission and then pursue funding for
these ministries and activities.
C. Other New - List of youth. Fr 9:16 p.m. Father handed out the list of children, by age groups of the parish, active and
inactive. Demographic analysis and discussion followed.
VIII. .Adjournment: 09:44 p.m. Respectfully submitted: Stephen Arsenault, PC Secretary.
All women and men of St. George are invited. The cost is $34.00 per person. Contact Vicky Paraschou at 763.785.8882 or email at [email protected] to make your reservation and food choice. Deadline is Monday, December 4
th.
Pool & Yacht Club 1600 Lilydale Road, Lilydale, MN 55118
11:30am Social Hour; 12:30pm Lunch
Guest speaker Rebecca Tumm, Project Manager for International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) US Programs, will speak about the general mission of IOCC US, including their recent
response to hurricanes in Houston and South Florida, as well as the shooting in Las Vegas
Broiled Canadian Walleye Accompanied by fresh lemon and tartar sauce
Grilled Salmon Grilled and finished with lemon and herb butter
Tiger Prawns 3 broiled prawns accompanied by drawn butter
or cocktail sauce
Jumbo Broiled Scallops 3 scallops glazed with lemon garlic butter
accompanied by fresh lemon
All entrees include a strawberry salad, rolls, roasted red potatoes, vegetable medley
and vanilla ice cream with holiday cookies.
VALET PARKING IS AVAILABLE.
Southbound: Take 35E to Highway 13 (Sibley Memorial Highway). Exit at Highway 13. Turn left at the end of the ramp. Cross over the freeway. Turn right on Lilydale Road and follow it down the hill and under the bridge. Lilydale Road is the first right after the freeway ramps. Northbound:
Take 35E North to Highway 13. Exit at Highway 13.
Turn right at the end of the ramp. Turn right on Lilydale
Road and follow it down the hill and under the bridge.
Lilydale Road is the first right after turning right on
Highway 13.
Pool & Yacht Club 1600 Lilydale Road Lilydale, MN 55118
ST. GEORGE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 1111 Summit Ave., St. Paul, MN, 55105 • Tel.: (651) 222-6220 • Fax: (651) 225-9276
November 21, 2017 Entrance of Theotokos into Temple
RE: Survey, Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America*
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The hierarchs of our Church have nominated our parish for participation in the national study “Sharing Our
Faith: Evangelization and Outreach in US Orthodox Christian Churches.” This study will help to better
understand how Orthodox parishes and their members live out our Faith in 21st century America, how they
connect to their local neighborhoods, and how they reach out to non-Orthodox people.
I ask all of you to help our Church by taking part in this study. All you need to do is to complete an online
questionnaire (the link to it is provided below). It will take about 20 minutes. Please be as honest as you can
when completing the questionnaire: there are no “right” and “wrong” answers and the survey is completely
anonymous. If you have several adult (age 18+) and teenage (age 14+) church members in your household,
please make sure that everyone completes the survey independently from each other. Here is the link to the
survey: click on it to complete the questionnaire. http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/OurFaith1
I am most grateful to all of you for taking time to share your thoughts.
Rev. Fr. Richard Demetrius Andrews, Presbyter
* Alexei D. Krindatch, Research Coordinator
Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America http://www.assemblyofbishops.org/news/research Office: 510-647-9427 Information on Orthodox Christianity in the USA: www.orthodoxreality.org "You can't manage what you don't understand, and you can't understand what you don't measure."
2017 Parish Christmas Card A Fundraiser by the Philoptochos
Now is the time to sign up for the Parish Christmas card! To be included, simply submit the names to be listed on the card and return this form to a Philoptochos
member, the Philoptochos box in the social hall, or the Church Office.
Your name (please print):____________________________________________________________________ Amount Enclosed: _________________Cash _______________Check
A minimum donation of $20 must accompany this form. Please make your check payable to Philoptochos. Thank You!
2017 Parish Christmas Card A Fundraiser by the Philoptochos
Now is the time to sign up for the Parish Christmas card! To be included, simply submit the names to be listed on the card and return this form to a Philoptochos
member, the Philoptochos box in the social hall, or the Church Office.
Your name (please print):____________________________________________________________________ Amount Enclosed: _________________Cash _______________Check
A minimum donation of $20 must accompany this form.
Please make your check payable to Philoptochos. Thank You!
CHURCH FLOWERS FOR CHRISTMAS 2017
We welcome your donations for floral decorations for Christmas. Please print clearly the names of loved ones you wish to memorialize. Names will be listed in the Christmas bulletin.
Deadline is Sunday, December 17th.
In memory of (please print):___________________________________________________
Your name (please print): _____________________________________________________
Amount Enclosed: ______________ Cash
______________ Check (payable to St. George GOC,
memo line “Christmas Flowers”)
A donation must accompany this form. Thank You!
CHURCH FLOWERS FOR CHRISTMAS 2017
We welcome your donations for floral decorations for Christmas. Please print clearly the names of loved ones you wish to memorialize. Names will be listed in the Christmas bulletin.
Deadline is Sunday, December 17th.
In memory of (please print):___________________________________________________
