A Quarterly Newsletter for the Faithful of Saint George Orthodox Christian Church in Houston, Texas. Volume XI, Issue IV Winter 2008

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1 Orodox Christians are used to ings being presented in 3's. We worship one God in Three Persons: Faer, Son, and Holy Spirit. We talk about stewardship in terms of giving of our Time, Talent, and Treasure. And, of course, we work out our salvation in e Church rough Prayer, Fasting, and Alms Giving. 1 - Faifulness So, what's happening at St George? Here's a look in 3 areas Services & Sacraments: In addition to keeping a full weekly and seasonal liturgical schedule, St George is host to a host of churchings, baptisms, weddings, funerals, engagements, memorials, chrismations, confessions, anointings, and prayers. In addition to ese, we have also been blessed wi many hierarchical visits, including: Metropolitan SABA, Bishop THOMAS, Archbishop THEODOSIUS ( Atallah ), Bishop LUKA, Patriarch IGNATIUS, and our beloved Bishop BASIL. We are truly blessed! Education: Our priests and teachers offer education for all ages roughout e year; join us for Adult Ed, Bible Study, Retreats and Church School! Counseling: The offices of our clergy are always open to ose struggling wi problems and decisions, worldly and spiritual. Home Blessings: We have a large community. But, by God's grace, each and every home is welcome to schedule a house blessing following e annual celebration of our Lord's Baptism (January 6 ). It's a joyful time of year! Visitations: The shut-ins, ose in hospitals or convalescing, are visited regularly wi prayer and sacrament by our clergy. Please call e church when needed. Bookstore: What a blessing to have such a beautifully stocked & staffed store! The Chapel: The Chapel of St Elizabe e Moer of e Forerunner is home to weekday and smaller services and sacraments. Seminary: Almost every year finds anoer man from St George attending one of e Orodox seminaries. By God's grace we are preparing clergy for e future! Family Night: Each fall, St George provides fun, fellowship, and faifulness in e form of Family Nights wi Christian Education for all ages! 2 - Fun The MESSENGER A Quarterly Newsletter for e Faiful of Saint George Orodox Christian Church in Houston, Texas Volume XI, Issue IV Winter 2008 What's Happening at St George? Cookouts: Wheer its burgers and dogs or falafel and kabobs, our cookouts at St George are a delicious treat and second to none! New Year's Party: Our annual gaering serves as a safe and joyful place for friends and family to ring in e New Year. You Events: Movie nights, baseball games, outreach, community service, and much,much more. Our teens have even taken on e Parish Council in various sporting events providing fun, food and fellowship for all. Continued on page 2... Saint George Orodox Christian Church 5311 Mercer at Bissonnet Houston, Texas

2 What s happening at St. George? Page 2 Recently, St George Teen SOYO brought home e gold -- winning e championship of e diocese's Fall Gaering Basketball Tournament hosted by St Elijah in Oklahoma City. The ministries of JOY (Junior Orodox You), Teen SOYO and OCF (Orodox College Fellowship) are bo fledgling and flourishing! Country Western Dance: Grab your partner! When e Rodeo rolls into town, even e Orodox get wi e program! All Saints Party: Our annual gaering of saints, princesses, and super heroes provides a safe place for our children and families to enjoy each oer and e season. Ice Cream Social: The annual fall social helps introduce newcomers to our community wi malt shop tunes and ice cream sweets -- just like us -- of all flavors. Vacation Bible School: The annual week-long VBS extravaganza, in conjunction wi Annunciation Caedral continues to grow, in body and soul, each year! Camp St Raphael: Noing but good ings said about is diocesan blessing. We have campers attending bo sessions. -- YABOY! 3 - Fellowship Coffee Hour: Our fellowship in e Hall is one of e most important aspects, second only to e holy mysteries, of our life togeer in Christ. It truly is a joyful noise! Senior Trips: It's hard to keep up wi em; our Seniors are on e move monly touring historic and scenic sites around East Texas. Fundraisers: While is category could fit nicely under oer headings, our relationship wi groups such as IOCC and OCMC provide ample opportunity for us to fulfill our Lord's calling all e while enjoying fellowship wi our broers and sisters in Christ. The Bulletin: Each week, e upcoming events at St George Church are dutifully prepared and presented in e church bulletin. Take one home! The MESSENGER: This quarterly mailing serves you wi local news and seasonal emes. Make sure to read it! The Parish Webpage: Did you know at e monly calendar, weekly bulletin, and quarterly newsletter are all to be found on our parish's website? Check it out! The MESSENGER pics online are even in color! --stgeorgehouston.com-- Senior Bingo: One of e liveliest gaerings you'll ever experience--you might even win a prize! (You sure won't go away hungry!) E-News: We have almost 500 addresses which receive our weekly announcements electronically. This helps our large family to stay on e same page. CPS Christmas Party: Our annual sponsorship and fellowship of needy adolescents is a great blessing for all! Meal for e Department of Aging and Disabled Services: Each year, as e Nativity of Christ approaches, our community opens hall and hear to ose less fortunate. Glory to God for all ings! Thanksgiving Luncheon: And who can forget e special annual meal to offer anks for our community and all of God's blessings! This is only a partial list of e ministry and events happening at St George. None of is would be possible wiout e ministry of full-time clergy, you director, secretary, and maintenance (Alvaro!) working wi e Parish Council, Ladies Altar Society, Church School director and teachers, Fellowship of St John e Divine, Teen SOYO and OCF, Altar Boys, Choir, Chanters, Order of St Ignatius, and e ministries at ey help to sponsor. We are so very blessed at St George Church. Having just celebrated 80 years as an Orodox community, and having steadily grown over e years, by God's grace we remain just one loving family. God has blessed us wi e vocation of being e Moer Church in e surrounding area. Thanks to e prayers, labors, and witness of e faiful of St George our mission of maintenance and witness continues. May God strengen and bless our growing

3 family, our children, missions, and sister parishes. More an anying else, our vision is to continue to spread e Orodox Christian Fai in e greater Houston area; our goal is to do is wi deep and humble gratitude for e blessings we have received -- all as one faiful family. God works rough people, and our work continues. Now, no more an in e beginning, and no less an yesterday, your help is needed as our one loving family continues its faiful witness to e Orodox Christian Fai in Soueast Texas. We need your help. Pledge in We can't do it wiout you. Thank you! Finance Committee Report St George Orodox Christian Church St George Church-Operating-2008 Budget-FY08 P&L January - October, 2008 Total Actual Budget $ Over Budget Income 01-PLEDGES 385, , , CASH IN TRAY 22, , , CANDLES 18, , , DONATIONS 9, , , BAPTISMS 3, , WEDDINGS 2, , , CHURCH SCHOOL COLLECTIONS 8, , , ARCHDIOCESE COLLECTIONS 5, , , CHRISTMAS CARD-MISSION FUND , HALL RENTAL 12, , , BOOKSTORE 4, , MESSENGER INCOME 1, , REIMBURSEMENTS-REFUNDS 1, MISCELLANEOUS INCOME 2, , DESIGNATED EVENT INCOME 2, , , Total Income 478, , , Expenses A-STAFF EXPENSES 226, , , B-ARCHDIOCESE- REGION 51, , C-GENERAL OVERHEAD 196, , , D-OTHER EXPENSES 6, , , Total Expenses 480, , $ -3, Net Income $ -2, $ -12, , Our financial status at e end of October continues to reflect e generous contributions of many St George parishioners. Our year to date Net Income shows a loss, but is nearly $11,000 better an expected This is due to bo greater an expected income and savings on expenses. We are also nearly $20,000 better an we were at is time last year. Even ough we have fewer families pledging is year, our average pledge has increased by 17%. And we are strongly positioned to end 2008 wi a positive Net Income for e second year in a row. These numbers do not yet reflect e significant contributions of ose who supported our 80 Anniversary Gala. A portion of ose proceeds will help pay down e deficit accumulated over past years. Thank you to all who have contributed to a successful spiritual, financial, and fellowship year for St George. Page 3

4 What s Happening at Saint George? THE BOOKSTORE...wants you to be ready for Christmas! They have quite a selection of: * Beautiful "trinket" boxes for bo men and women * Children's Advent Calendar sets, Activity Books and Bibles * Pendant crosses and "cross" earrings * Wall Crosses perfect for over a doorway, bed or on any wall * Icon Sets of Christ and e Theotokos * Icons of Nativity, St. Nicholas, Mystical Supper, Archangels and many more * Christmas and Liturgical CD's sung by Orodox Choirs and Chanters * Children CD sung by Khouriyeh Gigi (Baba) Shadid * Books on Prayer, Saints, Icons, Church Faers, Sacraments, Fasts and much more * 2009 Calendar of Daily Lives, Miracles and Wisdom of Saints. COME VISIT US! CHURCH SCHOOL...has 156 students registered for e current school year. There are still many students who attend Sunday classes who have not yet registered. Registration fees are $15 per child or $40 per family. Please register your child at your earliest convenience, wi eir teacher or in e Church School office wi Susie Sobchak. Adequate accounting of students and collection of fees enable our staff in all aspects of program planning. Classes are now resuming some normalcy following Hurricane Ike recovery, our 80 Gala wi Bishop Basil and e surprise visit from Patriarch Ignatius. The blessings at St. George are abundant indeed. In e whirl of e Anniversary weekend festivities, our children we're treated to a special visit from Bishop BASIL during our annual All Saint's Festival, held on October 31st, where Sayidna helped judge e costume contest! A big heartfelt ank you to all who contributed to e success of is wonderful family event. We couldn't do it wiout you! In December, e children began celebrating e holiday season wi St. Nicholas Day Activities, on Saturday, December 6. Following Great Vespers, e children returned to e vestibule to a find a special treat in eir shoes and were later blessed wi a surprise visit from St. Nicholas himself. Many anks to Iris Reyes and her helpers for putting togeer a memorable night. The annual Children's Christmas Program was held in e hall after liturgy on Sunday, December 14. The delightful program, coordinated once again by e talented Cynia Bassett, featured our beloved children singing songs and putting on a production of our Lord's Nativity. Church School classes will begin incorporating 2009 Creative Festival Theme lesson plans into eir curriculum wi greater emphasis on entry submissions come e new year. This year's eme comes from e Anaphoras of Sts. Basil e Great and John Chrysostom, Be mindful, O Lord, of ose who bear fruit and do good works in Thy holy Churches, and who remember e poor. Next mon we will kick off introduction of e Archdiocese Tiing Program. This year's tiing program focuses on Following e Saints to God, a beautifully presented stepping stone to spiritual maturity. The students will learn about e qualities of ankfulness, stewardship, trust and dedication to God. THE FOOD PANTRY...is riving! Many, many anks to all who participated in our Fall Harvest Food Drive and Advent Fast Food Drive. Wi your generous support, we have restocked e Food Pantry and supplemented e Christmas food baskets at are given each year. We will begin e New Year wi a Baby Food and Cloing Drive, collecting infant formula, infant cereal, and jarred baby foods. In addition, diapers of all sizes and new or gently used clean infant cloing will be collected. Let's all start e New Year wi compassion for ose less fortunate and reach out to help ose in need. THE LADIES ALTAR SOCIETY...felt privileged to host a brunch in honor of Bishop Basil following e morning liturgy for St Raphael on Saturday, November 1st, during e Bishop's recent visit for St. George's 80 Anniversary and Fr John's elevation to archpriest. At eir November 12 meeting, e LAS chose to celebrate anksgiving wi a pot luck lunch which was well attended by current members as well as new members. Since ey've resumed eir meetings in September, e LAS has been blessed to attract 2 to 3 new members per meeting in addition to eir current membership. On Saturday, November 15, e ladies also co-hosted e Advent Retreat wi e Fellowship of St John e Divine and provided a delicious lenten lunch. On Sunday, December 14, e Ladies had a bake sale in preparation for Christmas and sealed 2008 wi a Christmas luncheon in lieu of eir December meeting. As has been customary for Theophany, e LAS will host coffee hour on Sunday, January 4 wi zalabieh and Arabic Coffee. Page 4

5 FAITHFULNESS * FUN * FELLOWSHIP By popular request and for e four year, e LAS will be having eir annual Tea Party on Saturday, January 31, Any interested lady parishioner of St. George at would like to share her wisdom and talents in is sisterhood is welcome. For furer info contact Sabine Zahr at (281) or sabinegz@sbcglobal.net. SAINT PHILIP PRAYER DISCIPLINE...members recently gaered in November for fellowship and updates. Thanks to Loretta Prontka who provided delicious lenten refreshments for us to nibble on as we met wi Fr Joseph Huneycutt (who serves as e Advisor of e St. Philip Prayer Discipline for e Diocese of Wichita & Mid America and e Coordinator of e Discipline for Nor American Council for e Archdiocese). During e meeting, we discussed e progress and grow of e Prayer Discipline at bo e diocesan and national level. For ose unfamiliar wi is ministry, e Prayer Discipline exists to provide a daily balance, a rule of prayer for ose who wish to deepen eir spiritual life and to learn to pray as e faiful have done for generations and generations. His Eminence Metropolitan PHILIP gave his blessing years ago for is Discipline to be created. Over e years, a large number of faiful have joined. They come from many jurisdictions and from far-flung places. Many of ose who have become members have preserved and still continue to participate. Fr Joseph updated us about e development of e website: Currently, e website has information about e Prayer Discipline and contact information to join or request furer details; an updated Antiochian Archdiocese parish list, divided over a mon to pray for all of our parishes; various occasional prayers and a list of prayer resources, as well as a prayer request page. Eventually, e hope is at members will be able to log-on to e prayer request page to submit prayer requests. There is also a page being set up to apply for membership online. In e meantime, however, website prayer requests and SPPD applications can be submitted to Fr Joseph via at orodixie@aol.com. To request prayers from or for furer information about our local St George prayer ministry team, St. George SPPD team leader Loretta Prontka may also be contacted at (281) or via at latinka22@yahoo.com. YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS...need YOUR support. About e Advent season or 'Season of Preparation: It is extremely important for our you and young adults to learn at a Lenten season in e Life of e Church is not about fasting from certain foods because ese foods are bad for us or it's e least we could do; instead, we abstain from certain foods, attend more liturgical services, offer charity and hospitality towards oers, especially ose less fortunate an us we do all ese ings, not for oers or God, but ultimately, for ourselves. These are tools prescribed by e Church Faers to help us prepare to receive our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ! Please support, participate, and donate your time, effort, and money towards e wory causes our St. George Parish are helping is Advent Season, and teach our children e true meaning of Christmas. Congratulations to our Teen SOYO teams, who represented our St. George in Houston by participating in e Wichita Diocesan SOYO Basketball Tournament and Retreat held in Oklahoma City, OK. Bo St. George teams made it to e Final Four out of 12 teams from around e Diocese, and ultimately brought home a Championship! We took 20 teens on is tournament and retreat anks to all our parents and families who supported our trip, especially Mrs. Maram Sackllah and Ms. Samana Zabaneh for driving and chaperoning! Our OCF (Orodox Campus Ministry) traveled to Oklahoma City, OK as well for a Regional Retreat. 11 OCF members from e Houston area attended e weekend retreat and enjoyed e fun and fellowship, and most importantly, e spiritual renewal at comes from worshiping wi oer college students and being educated in What's my Part in is World. Our discussions/lectures were led by Fr. Kevin Scherer of Spokane, Washington (OCF Executive Director) and Fr. James Shadid, associate pastor at St. George Antiochian Orodox Caedral in Wichita, KS. Our you and young adults lead very busy lives and we should continue to support eir educational and extracurricular activities, but please keep in mind at, simply put, ere is no place better for our children, an in e Church! We continue to sponsor, host, and participate in various activities and events, all of which teach valuable Christian tools to our you and young adults! Keep up e good work! Wishing you a blessed New Year! Page 5

6 November 2, 2008: St. George Church 80 Anniversary Gala at e Hilton Post Oak Hotel Page 6

7 & Elevation of e now V Rev Fr John Salem to e Dignity of Archpriest! AXIOS! He is Wory! Page 7

8 Teen SOYO Diocesan Basketball Tournament/Retreat - Patriarch IGNATIUS IV visits St George Page 8

9 OCF Retreat in OKC - All Saints Festival - Pre-Thanksgiving Lunch - OCF at e Greek Festival! Page 9

10 From Generation to Generation As many as have been baptized into Christ... Baptisms September 6 Dalton Thomas Copeland Parents: Kevin & Anna-Leigh Copeland Godparents: Thomas Skaff & Kimberly Spreen October 18 Natasha Mary Nader Parents: Steve & Anoukin Nader Godparents: Arbella Orshan & Bianca Romero September 28 Kamel Luke Zaid Parents: Mazin & Amy Zaid Godparents: Jordan Kamel Zaid & Jacqueline Saman October 18 Jeffrey Taysir Sisan Parents: Ned & Brooke Sisan Godparents: Peter & Luna Sisan October 18 Tyler John Sisan Parents: Ned & Brooke Sisan Godparents: Peter & Luna Sisan October 18 Lukas August Tongol Parents: James & Elian Tongol Godparents: Abdallah Nassif & Diala Nassif Jordan November 16 Julia Mario Aldahu Parents: Mario & Reema Aldahu Godparents: Ibrahim & Faika Mseeh November 30 Dimitri Hanny Shanar Parents: Hanny & Faten Shanar Godparents: Jerry Ibraheem Shanar & Joanna Nedal Dahu Thou art illumined, ou art sanctified... Chrismations September 20 Toni (Irene) Skaff Sponsors: Jordan Matew Wood & Laseema Malerelis Crown em wi glory and honor... Marriages rd August 23 October 4 Groom: Jason Samir Nasra Groom: Rabih Yacoub Wehbe Bride: Samar Marwan Tarazi Bride: Julia Saba Nassif Witnesses: Michael Nasra & Noor Tarazi st September 21 Witnesses: Charles Nassif & Charlene Kafrouni Groom: Brett Sanford Marlowe September 7 Bride: Magideh A. Khalaf Groom: Dana Symeon Kees Witnesses: Michael Ziober & Natalia Zayed November 8 Bride: Jing Anastasia Huang Groom: Nabil Wahib Arwadi Witnesses: Ron & Pearl Ford, Bride: Gabrielle Marie Kyle Gary Nakamura, & Melanie Sakran Witnesses: Ghassan Arwady & Karyn McKernan Memory Eternal Funerals August 29 October 17 Clinton Eugene Wells Ashraf Michel Qumsieh 8/7/1921-8/26/2008 October 6 11/2/ /15/2008 Ibrahim M Zayid September 26 10/13/ /2/2008 October 30 Frank Badeah Mousa Wadad Jardak Salha 9/2/1942-9/23/2008 4/15/ /24/2008 October 15 nd October 2 Samia Saleem Baba st October 31 Thekla Kayal 9/16/ /12/2008 Lamia E. Foty 8/1/1930-9/29/ /17/ /29/2008 Page 10

11 Lives of e Saints St Paul e Hermit of Thebes Memory celebrated 15 January Long before monasteries had been formed by pious men to express e will of God, ose joining togeer in holy efforts had started out by individually isolating emselves from e rest of e world and, ereafter, collectively banding togeer in cloisters. In e late ird century, e man who had generally been acknowledged to be e first self-appointed hermit was Saint Anony, but he in turn came to discover at he really had not been e first and discovered at e first genuine religious recluse was a man from Thebes named Paul. It was not until after Anony's example of isolation in e name of e Lord had been followed by oers, wi e result at ere came into being e first of countless monasteries, at it was made evident at Paul had preceded Anony by several years in is ascetic way of life. And it was only rough a divine intervention at Anony and e world came to know e tru as to e identity of e originator of asceticism in isolation. Born in e city of Thebes, Egypt, Paul was orphaned at an early age and was brought up by devout Christians who saw to his complete religious education. He had been left a considerable estate but gradually widrew from e social set whose Sybaritic preferences he deplored. He could have enjoyed e favor of e Emperor Decius but he chose to follow e dictates of his Christian conscience and forsook his estate for e quiet and solitude of e desert. He was only twenty-two years old when he abandoned his worldly goods and sought out a cave in which he could meditate and pray. Close by e entrance to e cave was a spring from which he drew water as he needed and next to which was a tree which was virtually a tree of life for him. Not only did he cloe himself wi garments fashioned from e durable leaves of is tree, but he sustained himself much of e time wi its fruit. It is said he was given bread by a raven, much as Elijah subsisted on bread borne to him by a raven sent from God. Perhaps in spite of his meager diet raer an because of it, Paul lived well beyond 100 years, alough ere is much to be said for abstinence particularly from foods at do anying but prolong a man's life. Paul had already reached e age of 114 when e ninety-year-old Anony had a vision in which it was revealed to him at deep in e desert was a predecessor. This revelation prompted Anony to seek out e unknown holy man, and after telling his fellow monks of e vision, he departed for e desert and eventually made his way to e cave where Paul had lived for nearly seventy years. As Anony approached e cave, Paul, who knew of e coming of e visitor, called e delightfully surprised Anony by name, and ey embraced in e glory of God whom each was serving so nobly. After many hours of gentle conversation and meditation, Paul announced at his time was near and asked if he could be buried wi e cape of Aanasios of Egypt, now in e possession of Anony, as his shroud. Amazed as much by e fact at Paul knew of e cape as by e fact at he knew at dea was at his door, e visiting monk returned to e monastery and brought e cape back wi him to Paul's cave. *Taken from e Greek Orodox Archdiocese of Australia website: What s e envelope in e newsletter for? Use it! Send it in, marked Pledge. Send it in noted for special prayers. Send it in toward e costs of is newsletter. Send it in toward any project you wish. The envelope can also be used by Shut-Ins, far away friends, and ose who are infrequent for whatever reason in church participation. We need everyone's help. It's your envelope to use, to God's glory, however you wish; just don't row it away. Support e work and witness e Church! Use e envelope. Glory to God for all ings! Page 11

12 Volume XI, Issue IV Winter 2008 St. George Orodox Church 5311 Mercer at Bissonnet Houston, Texas Website: Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Houston, Texas Permit No The PRESENTATION of Our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST in e TEMPLE Commemorated February 2nd SAINT SYMEON S PRAYER Nunc Dimittis (Luke 2:29-32) Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to y word. For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before e face of all people; a light to lighten e Gentiles, and e Glory of Thy people Israel. Church Staff Pastor V Rev Fr John Salem Asst Pastor Rev Fr Joseph Huneycutt Emeritus V Rev Fr Joseph Shahda Deacon Rev Dn Joseph Carter You Director Paul Fuller Secretary Diane Door Parish Council Officers President Nada Farah Vice President Aida Ganim Treasurer George Kaleh Secretary Carmen Salameh Communications Committee Advisor Fr. Joseph Huneycutt Members Daphne Baba Vivian Hermantas Kimberly Michael Gary Nakamura Susie Sobchak Abeer Srour Yusra Zanayed