Pg. 7 Youth News Pg. 8 AHEPA, Holy Friday Pg. 9 Sr. Kefi Pg.10 AGAPE, Choir & Dates Pg.11 Monthly Calendar

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1 ISSUE 4 APRIL 2017 Pg. 2 From the Desk of Father Soteri Pg. 3 Holy Week Schedule Pg. 4 General Assembly Pg. 5 Financial Report Pg. 6 Philoptochos Post Pg. 7 Youth News Pg. 8 AHEPA, Holy Friday Pg. 9 Sr. Kefi Pg.10 AGAPE, Choir & Dates Pg.11 Monthly Calendar Looking into April April 2nd - 5th Sunday of Lent 8:45am Orthros and Divine Liturgy Saturday, April 8th - Saturday of Lazarus 8:30am Orthros and Divine Liturgy Palms and Pancakes April 9th - Palm Sunday 8:45am Orthros and Divine Liturgy April 16th - Holy and Great Pascha April 23rd -Sunday of Thomas & St. George 8:45am Orthros and Divine Liturgy April 30th - Sunday of the Myrrhbearers 8:45am Orthros and Divine Liturgy Spring General Assembly Following Divine Liturgy FOR HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE SEE PAGE 3. April Usher Duty Sunday, April 2nd - Team 11 Orson Gregory, Marianna Mullins, Cleopatra Economou Sunday, April 9th - Palm Sunday Everyone Sunday, April 16th - Pascha TBD Sunday, April 23rd - Team 12 Theodora Danzig, Victoria Filides Jim Lenas Sunday, April 30th - Team 1 Maria Olavarria, Christine Klimis, Kathy Foltz, Tori Foltz and Anastasia Klimis There will be an Usher Meeting on Sunday, April 2nd immediately following the Divine Liturgy to prepare for Holy Week Thank you! Reverend Father Soterios Rousakis, Protopresbyter Reverend Deacon John Pantelis th Street North St. Petersburg, FL fax: office@ststefanos.org

2 FROM THE DESK OF FATHER SOTERI From the desk of Fr. Soteri The Resurrection of our Lord becomes a passing over, a Pascha to a new life, new power, new glory, a new light that fills the world with hope. In the Old Testament, the word Pascha describes our own Exodus: from the atmosphere of fear and the discouragement to the territories of hope; from the land of hypocrisy to that of the liberating truth; from the isolation of our selfish ways to the way of active love and from the shadow of death to the promised land of the risen life in Christ. Pascha for Orthodox Christians means more than candles, lambropsomo and red eggs. It means passing over from what we are to what the Risen Lord wants us to be: partakers of divine nature. For us at St. Stefanos, it should mean passing over to the new frontiers and challenges in the life of the parish family. A blessed Pascha to one and all!

3 HOLY WEEK and PASCHA The services of Holy Week transform us into eyewitnesses and direct participants in the awesome events of the Passion and Resurrection Saturday of Lazarus, April 8th 8:30am Orthros 9:30am Divine Liturgy Palm Sunday, April 9th 8:45am Orthros 10:00am Divine Liturgy 7:00pm Bridegroom (Nymphios) Service Holy Monday, April 10th 8:30am Pre-Sanctified Liturgy 7:00pm Bridegroom (Nymphios) Service Holy Tuesday, April 11th 8:30am Pre-Sanctified Liturgy 7:00pm Bridegroom (Nymphios) Service Holy Wednesday, April 12th 8:30am Pre-Sanctified Liturgy 4:00pm Holy Unction Service 7:00pm Holy Unction Service Holy Thursday, April 13th 8:30am Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil 7:00pm Service of the Passion- Reading of the Twelve Gospels Holy Friday, April 14th 9:00am Royal Hours of Pascha 3:00pm Apokathilosis Vespers 7:00pm The Service of the Lamentations Holy Saturday, April 15th 8:30am Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil 11:00pm Canon of Holy Pascha Pascha Sunday, April 16th 12:00am Resurrection Service and the Divine Liturgy of Pascha 12:00pm Agape Vespers 1:00pm Easter Egg Hunt for the children Christ is Risen! Easter Sunday, following the 12:00pm Agape Service The youth of St. Stefanos and other parishes are invited to the Easter Egg Hunt! All children and all ages are welcome Truly He has Risen!

4 GENERAL ASSEMBLY AGENDA SPRING GENERAL ASSEMBLY AGENDA - APRIL 30, 2017 Call to Order Parish Council President Opening Prayer Fr. Soterios Rousakis Quorum Verification PC Secretary & Treasurer Election of General Assembly Chair Parish Council President Reading of minutes from previous General Assembly Parish Council Secretary Treasurer s Report Parish Council Treasurer President s Report Dora Komninos New Business - Festival Report Bill Pedroff - Election of Delegation to Metropolis Clergy-Laity Conference - Other Adjourn Closing Prayer Fr. Soterios Rousakis ** Just a reminder that you must be an active Steward for 2017 with a card on file in order to vote at the General Assembly **

5 FINANCIAL REPORT Income Jan 2017 Feb 2017 Mar thru 3/20 Y-T-D Candle 1, , , , Donations 13, , , Fundraisers 2, , Greek Festival 2, , , , Hall Rental Hospitality Ministries , , , Misc SPIFFS 0.00 Stewardship 22, , , , Trays 1, , , , Total Income 44, , , , Expense Adminstration 18, , , , Archdiocese 4, , , , Church Alter Church Office 1, , Church Service , Fundraiser Expense 1, , Greek Festival 5, , , , Hall/Bldg/ Facilitites 2, , Hospitality 0.00 Insur/Lic/Fees , , Luncheons Metropolis of Atl 0.00 Ministry Groups 1, , , Misc , Retreat SPIFF 0.00 Upkeep/Repairs 1, , , Utilities 1, , , , Total Expense 40, , , , Net Income 3, , , ,281.78

6 PHILOPTOCHOS Summer Camp Scholarships Available - ACT NOW! Philoptochos Scholarships for this year s St. Stephen's Summer Camp are available for those who are in need. Please see either Fr. Soteri or Suzy Balasis.

7 PHILOPTOCHOS AND YOUTH NEWS We're over halfway through the Lenten Season and would like to thank all of the parishioners and Philoptochos members who attended and helped with our Lenten Retreat with Fr. Stefanos Alexopoulos on the "Power of Worship." He gave us some interesting information on how our Liturgy came to be in the form that we currently use. We are looking forward to Holy Week. Our Ladies are baking and getting ready for your Easter goodies to break the fast. We will be having our Easter Bake sale and our traditional Palm Sunday luncheon for $10; please join us! Many thanks to John Maroules who so generously donates each year for our luncheon. Saturday, April 29, at 11am, will be our big fundraiser-- our Tea Party and Fashion show with fashions by LulaRoe and Anglo Couture. Please plan to join us for our Paris themed tea luncheon to benefit International Refugee Committee. Tickets will be $25, and the food will be delicious! Please see Maria Olavarria or Maria Gregory for tickets and bring your friends. Ooh, la la! Our next regular meeting will be after church Sunday, April 23. We encourage all of our church members to join with us in order to fulfill the mission of the Philoptochos-- to help the poor, promote the charitable purposes of the Church, preserve the Orthodox faith, and promote participation in the activities of the St. Stefanos community. Don't forget that our gentlemen can be members as well; they just cannot vote at our meetings! Please come and bring a friend! GOYA Newsletter April 2017 We have several upcoming events. Please check your s for complete information and paperwork. Save the date for upcoming events and check your for complete info: March 5 th April 9 th - Ham Raffle Fundraiser March 28 th St Stephens Camp registration begins March 31 st April 2 nd St John s Lenten Retreat April 5 th Pre-sanctified Liturgy and All Youth sponsored dinner April 8 th Saturday of Lazarus and Pancakes and Palms April 14 th Holy Friday Retreat at St Stefanos April 21 st -23 rd St George Flag Football Tournament April 30 th Beacon House Grateful, Kathy Foltz Christine Klimis Myrrhbearers for Holy Friday Girls in grades 3-5 may serve as Myrophores (the myrrh bearing women) on Holy Friday. The girls must attend Sunday School regularly and be active in Church activities. Flower wreaths and baskets will be provided, and white dresses are available if needed. Girls must be available before the service and must be able to stay through the entire service on Holy Friday in order to participate. Please contact Rita Hurst at or by at: Ihurst1@tampabay.rr.com

8 AHEPA/DOP and HOLY FRIDAY RETREAT AHEPA/DOP: Next meeting April 19 th, 2017 at 6:00 pm, guest speaker. The Daughters of Penelope will get together to attend the Early Bird Dinner Theater on April 1 st at 11:00am. The play is Ain t Retirement Grand. If you like to join us please call Diane Kotsaftis Daughters of Penelope will host the Lenten Coffee Hour on Holy Tuesday, April 11 The regular business meeting is on Wednesday April 19 th at 6:00 pm. We will have a speaker from Metro Crime Prevention. It is a nonprofit organization founded by retired law enforcement personnel that for over 25 years, has been going out providing free Crime and ID Theft Awareness programs for the community. The goal is to empower people and the community with valuable information on how to protect themselves and their loved ones from crime. The program takes only 30 minutes with an extra 15 minutes for questions and answers. Refreshments will be served. We invite the entire St Stefanos community to join us. ST PETERSBURG AHEPA FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION: Pease save the date for the Annual Scholarship Banquet on Friday, May 5, 2017 at the Del Sol Yacht and Country Club. **Applications are available to eligible students. Deadline is April 15 th. Please Dr. Linda Murray at jmurray8@tapmabay.rr.com for an application. St. Stefanos Sunday School Presents: Holy Friday Retreat for all Church School families Theme: People of Holy Week in the Life of Christ Friday, April 14th 11:00am - 4:00pm There will be a special seperate retreat for the kids in Pre-K and Kindergarten. Each lesson will bring to life people in the life of Christ. A Lenten lunch and craft project will be included. Most importantly, at the conclusion of the instructional activities, all the children and adults will be able to see everything that they have learned come to life during the Apokathilosis Service at 3:00PM. Please return this portion to the Church Office by Wednesday, April 12th. Name: Grade: Phone: If you have any questions or need a school excuse letter please contact Fr. Soteri at (727) or fr.soterios@ststefanos.org

9 SR. KEFI DANCERS It is with great pleasure that I introduce a new ministry at our church-the St. Stefanos Senior Kefi Dancers. Due to an overwhelming response to our reunion show at the festival- we have decided to continue Greek dancing and representing the church we all love. The mission of the St. Stefanos Senior Kefi Dance Program is to bring together Greek Orthodox Adults in an atmosphere of Christian Fellowship to promote, perpetuate, and celebrate the Greek orthodox faith, heritage and culture through traditional music and dance. I welcome all ages and skill levels of dancers and encourage you to come to our first meeting on March 26 th after church in the Sunday School Building. I will have classes for those who have always wanted to learn to Greek Dance as well as an Advanced Techniques Group that will travel for performances and competition. Ministry members may participate in one or both groups. I will be teaching many different types of dances so if there is a dance you have been wanting to learn please let me know and I will make sure it is on our workshop schedule. As a former Kefi Dancers ministry leader at St. Stefanos for 18 years, I look forward to leading the Senior Kefi Dance Program ministry with the same love and enthusiasm as we felt from all of you who attended our reunion show. Soula Hareas Senior Kefi Dancers Ministry Leader St. Stefanos Greek Orthodox Church Upcoming Events: March 26 th Meeting After Church in the Sunday School Building March 29 th - 6:30 pm Presanctified Liturgy Dinner by the Senior Kefi Dancers April 23 rd 1 st Practice- all skill levels welcome after church- Sunday School Building April 30 th - Practice all skill levels welcome after church- Sunday School Building May 6 th - 8:00 pm Senior Kefi Dancers Greek Night Out-Acropolis St. Pete May 7 th Practice- all skill levels welcome after church- Sunday School Building May th New Orleans Greek Festival Road Trip

10 AGAPE, CHOIR & DATES There will no April meeting due to the Easter season. We wish you all a Happy Easter. St Stefanos Choir is proud to present a CD of our 2016 Christmas Pageant, a beautiful collection of songs and tableau now available for purchase for $20. Please see John Arambages or Maria Gregory to purchase. There are also a few CDs of the Kypros Liturgy of Peace left from the St Stefanos SFGOCM Choir Conference 2015, available for purchase for $15. St. George Greek Orthodox church in New Port Richey will be hosting part of Mozart's Requiem on Saturday, April 8, 2017 (Lazarus Saturday) at 4pm. It will be sung by over 100 voices in the Tampa Oratorio Singers, including our own John Arambages. Tickets are available from Maria Gregory for $20 and include dinner. We are planning to share rides to take our parishioners there and back. Choir practices are Thursday evenings at 7 and Sunday mornings before service at 9am. If you are interested, please join us! Also, we are searching for an organist (paid position) to be available at the same times. If you play or know someone who does, please let John Arambages know, so that he can conduct full time, and not have to play the organ as well. We are looking forward to the Lenten Season and Holy Week. The Choir plans to sing the Hymn of Kassiani on Holy Tuesday again this year and the Lamentations on Holy Friday. Please plan to join us! Birthdays in April 4/04 Viriginia Moraitis 4/06 Helen Spanos 4/08 Anastasios Halverson John Maroules 4/09 Elizabeth Kappos 4/12 Lorena Rossi Jr. 4/13 Marc Mariani 4/14 Georgina Demetriou George Tanase 4/15 Visha Anevich Stella Misoyianis 4/16 Athina Koukoumtzis 4/18 Athanasios Kokkinakos 4/19 Jennifer Aiello Maria Moshouris 4/20 Bill Pedroff 4/21 Tom O'Mara 4/22 Stefania Loumpos 4/23 Joseph Policasti 4/24 Georgia Janas 4/25 Christina Apostolou 4/26 Paul Alberty Jr. Lefkothea Hegberg 4/27 Demi Liadis 4/30 Nicholas Karakatsanis 4/10 Tonya & Dana Welk 4/12 William and Pamela Tatro Anniversaries in April 4/14 Panagiotis & Maria Loukatos 4/16 Jim & Sylvia Davakis 4/21 Bill & Joanna Pantazes 4/28 John & Anna Tischner Please note: If you do not see your date listed here, that means our database information for you is either incorrect or incomplete. Please let the office know so that you won t be missed in the future.

11 2 8:45am Orthros 10:00am Divine Liturgy 9 Palm Sunday 8:45am Orthros 10:00am Divine Liturgy Luncheon & Bake Sale 7:00pm Bridegroom 16 Holy and Great Pascha 12:00pm Agape Service 1:00pm Easter Egg Hunt 23 8:45am Orthros 10:00am Divine Liturgy Philoptochos Meeting 30 8:45am Orthros 10:00am Divine Liturgy General Assembly GOYA Beacon House 3 4:30pm Greek School 10 Holy Monday 8:30am P/S Liturgy 7:00pm Bridegroom 17 4:30pm Greek School 24 4:30pm Greek School 4 10:00am Office Angels 6:30pm Greek School 6:30pm VCS Meeting 11 Holy Tuesday 8:30am P/S Liturgy 7:00pm Bridegroom D.O.P. Coffee 18 6:30pm Greek School 25 6:30pm Greek School 6:30pm PC Meeting April :30pm Greek School 12 Holy Wednesday 8:30am P/S Liturgy 4:00pm Holy Unction 7:00pm Holy Unction 19 4:30pm Greek School 26 4:30pm Greek School 6 7:00pm Choir Practice 13 Holy Thursday 8:30a Vesperal Liturgy 7:00pm Passion Service 20 7:00pm Choir Practice 27 10:00am Office Angels 7:00pm Choir Practice 7 10:00am Prayer Group 14 Holy Friday 9:00am Royal Hours 11:00am Retreat 3:00pm Apokathilosis 7:00pm Lamentations 21 10:00am Prayer Group 28 10:00am Prayer Group 1 8 Saturday of Lazarus 8:30am Orthros 9:30am Divine Liturgy Pancakes and Palms 15 Holy Saturday 8:30a Vesperal Liturgy 11:00pm Vigil/Anastasi am Philoptochos Tea

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