S T. G E O R G E G R E E K O R T H O D O X C H U R C H. Glad Tidings

Transcription

1 St. Paul, MN S T. G E O R G E G R E E K O R T H O D O X C H U R C H April 2010 Volume 16, Issue 4 Glad Tidings A Word from Father Rick Dear Faithful: Being Resurrected Hopefully you ll receive this edition of Glad Tidings shortly before or during Holy Week. I invite you to delve into the final leg of the journey to Pascha the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet it s not just His resurrection but ours as well because He grants resurrection to the fallen. We are the fallen. We have become dead to the world including its values, ideals and teachings. We have become dead to our sinful behaviors and passions (disordered desires). Now we ready to be resurrected. We sense this lightness, this being lifted up towards the end of Holy Week if we ve put forth a serious, concerted effort to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Christ during Lent and Holy Week. Plan ahead to attend as many worship services as possible as a means (death, dying) to and ends (resurrection). Of course, the journey itself is meaningful and edifying. Our Parish Feast Day Once again, because of an early date of Pascha (April 4 th ) we are able to celebrate our parish feast day of St. George on its normal date of April 23 rd. Therefore, we are planning on a Great Vespers service and reception the evening of April 22 nd and Divine Liturgy on the morning after. We look forward to honoring our patron saint who leads us, protects us, guides us and prays for us. St. George was a highranking, highly decorated Roman soldier who was also secretly a follower of Christ. At that time (3 rd century) the emperors fiercely persecuted Christians because of their beliefs. Ordered to kill Christians, George instead confessed his faith and was promptly arrested. In the coming days, he was tortured and enticed to renounce Jesus Christ. He refused and was executed in the year 300AD. Imitating St. George The sacrifice that St. George made for his faith in Christ confronts us with the question, What do we sacrifice or what are we willing to sacrifice for our faith in Christ? When presented with a choice between Christ and some idol, between sinfulness and holiness, between secular values and God s life-giving commandments, what have we done? What will we do? During our recent Lenten Retreat with Dr. Vigen Guroian we learned that societal attitudes regarding marriage and end-of-life issues can, at times, present us with a choice that is opposed to the teachings of our Orthodox Faith. What will we do? Do we adopt the values of the world when convenient? Do we shy away from the teachings of the Church when they are inconvenient for us? Reaching Out to Those in Need Our Lenten lectures this year focused on the theme Missions - The Universe is our Parish. We learned from several guest speakers about various organ- (Continued on page 2) Inside: Registry pg. 3, Parish Announcements pgs. 4-5, Youth News pg. 7

2 Glad Tidings Page 2 (Continued from page 1) izational ministries that outreach to the poor, the prisoners and other marginalized groups. From these presentations we learned that we have another choice between helping ourselves or helping the lowly of society. Who will we help? Who will we give to? These questions are not just posed to us as individual persons but also to parish communities. What are we as a church doing for the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the sick and the prisoners? Studies Show Recent studies show that Orthodox Christians make up about one percent of the population in the United States. That puts us at about the same level as Jehovah s Witnesses, Muslims and Buddhists and about half the level of Mormons. Why do I offer these statistics? Well, for one it dispels our own myth that we are much more popular or prevalent. It also shows that we Orthodox are in a delicate situation in American society. Our young people are growing up in a situation where they might be the only Orthodox Christian in a group of 100 kids, maybe the only Orthodox in a school of several hundred kids. This creates a difficult dynamic because generally young people do not want to be different, they want to be like their peers in almost every respect. Therefore the temptations to deny one s unique Orthodox identity, to adopt beliefs and practices of other faith traditions, and to eventually leave the Church altogether are very strong. We adults may be subject to the same temptations. Remaining Faithful Another aspect of studies and surveys of religious life shows that today s young adults (18-29 years of age) are the least religiously affiliated of any previous young generation. Although religious belief and affiliation tend to increase with age, if it starts low it tends to end up lower. The message is that we must work hard to regularly and strongly affiliate ourselves with Christ in the life of the Church. This of course cannot be in a perfunctory manner but our relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus must be deeply personal. It must be nurtured by a rich life of prayer and righteousness in God s house and in our own homes. Sunday Mornings Our new Sunday morning format, initiated last Fall, has challenged all of us in certain ways. Moving Sunday School (and adding adult) classes before (9:30am) the Divine Liturgy (10:00am) is motivating families to rise earlier and be at church for a longer period than in the past. To help with the challenge, please allow me to offer a few reminders. The gathering of the faithful and the communal worship of God the Trinity in the Divine Liturgy is the primary medium by which the Orthodox Christian Faith has been perpetuated from generation to generation since the time of the Apostles. Intellectual learning has been an important aspect, although not primary, in life of Orthodoxy. Two examples of this are: 1) the great theologians of the Church like St. Gregory Nazianzus and St. Katherine of Sinai were able to articulate Christian dogma/ doctrine, not just because of their classical education, but primarily because of their deep faith applied to their thoughts, words and actions in daily life; 2) when Orthodoxy was under fierce persecution, under the Romans (33-312AD), the Arabs Muslims in the Middle East (8-14 th cent.), the Ottoman Muslims (15-19 th cent.) and under Communism (20 th cent.), the ability of the Church to formally educate its members was greatly hampered and even completely obliterated. At certain times and places, all the Church had left were a few uneducated priests and some elderly yiayias secretly celebrating the liturgy, not to mention many martyrs who were killed because of their faith in Christ. However, the Church during these horrific periods had its most faithful members (Continued on page 6)

3 Registry February 17, 2010 Births Thomas George, born to George & Corie Kaniamos Memorials St. Paul, MN Church Staff and Office Hours Church Office Hours Mondays-Friday 9:00 AM--3:00 PM Rev. Fr. Richard Demetrius Andrews, Presbyter (651) Page 3 February 14, 2010 February 28, 2010 Festal Icons Needed Gramatiki (3 yrs) & Efstathios (23 yrs) Hangistamoulou Antonia Kontenakos (1 year) Please donate a Festal Icon (11" x 14") in memory of a loved one. The cost is $50.00 per icon. The icons are displayed in the church nave and are put out for veneration on the Feast Day of the Saint or event they represent. To donate an icon, fill out a form (found on the bulletin board by the kitchen) and return it to the office. Seven Youths of Ephesus August 4 Synaxis of the Holy Apostles June 30 Synaxis of Saints of America From the Archdiocese Games Online to Explore and Learn the Orthodox Faith The Department of Internet Ministries is pleased to announce an exciting new web site at games.goarch.org where kids and adults of all ages can explore, create, play, learn, discover, and grow in the Orthodox Faith. The site features online games and puzzles in a colorful, engaging environment, all with an Orthodox theme. The games are suitable for kids from ages 5 on up and currently features a coloring book, jigsaw puzzles, a memory game, a word finder, crossword puzzles, and more. The online games are currently in beta and we encourage feedback so that we can further enhance this new online offering. Save the Date Lori Kurtyka, Administrative Assistant (651) office@stgeorgegoc.org Eric Chadwick, Parish Council President (507) chadwick@ptslaw.com Reva Adkins, Philoptochos President (651) rradkins@comcast.net Rebekah Moll, Youth Minister (763) Andrea Faches, Sunday School Director (507) afaches@msn.com Stella Hofrenning, Greek School Director Jennifer Argeros, Glad Tidings Editor Sue Gnetz and Sandra Thole, Loaves and Fishes Coordinators suegnetz@yahoo.com, quadmom196@yahoo.com Submissions for upcoming issues are due by the 11th of the preceding month.

4 Glad Tidings Page 4 Parish Announcements 1135 Summit Update The home next door to the church is still for sale. The list price is now $1,249,000. We ask everyone to pray that the Lord enlighten and inspire any person (or group of persons) to consider purchasing the home and donating it to the parish. Many good possibilities exist for using the home to enhance or expand our ministries. Pascha Egg Hunt Donations are being accepted for the annual egg hunt on Sunday, April 4th following the Agape service. Please donate candy and/or trinkets to fill eggs for the children. There is a basket in the social hall for your donations. Daughters of Penelope News Next meeting is Thursday, April 15 at 7:00 pm. Dates to note: May 1 : Third National Regional Salute Banquet in Chicago, IL. May 14-16: Grainfield District Convention in Mason City, IA July 11-18: AHEPA Family Supreme Convention in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Hellenic College Holy Cross Scholarships: Two scholarships are being offered to students. 1) Come & See offers 80% off of tuition for all incoming students Fall It continues throughout degree program if a 3.0 GPA is maintained. 2) Chrysostom operates in conjunction w/ parish Oratorical Festival and offers 100% off of tuition for one year (80% for rest of degree program). For more info, contact Greg Floor at or gfloor@hchc.edu. Information is also available at Photography & Photos We encourage everyone to take pictures at our various parish events. They are a great way to preserve memories of wonderful experiences and serve to create and keep a historical record. Please your pictures to photos@stgeorgegoc.org so we can upload them to our parish online album Orthodox Media The Orthodox Christian Network (OCN) produces the Come Receive the Light (CRTL) weekly radio broadcast. Through OCN, we have own online radio station, accessed through our parish website. This station is not yet being used to its fullest potential. We need a station manager to help us make full use of the station. If interested contact Fr.Rick. The CRTL program broadcasts Saturdays at 5:00pm on KKMS 980AM. You can also listen on the internet anytime along with an array of other Orthodox Christian programming on Ancient Faith Radio also has excellent programming: Please make use of these excellent resources. Philoptochos Update Thank you parishioners for the collection of $324 for the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) on Cheese Fare Sunday, Feb. 14, Dues will be remitted to the National and Metropolis offices at the end of April. Thank you for your membership offerings. Clergy/Laity Congress will convene in Atlanta, GA July 4-8. The next Philoptochos meeting is Tuesday, April 6 at 1:30 pm.. Recipes Wanted Maria Andrews and Georgia A. Erich are collecting your tried and true recipes to establish a permanent recipe file at Church. With ample recipes by June, we plan to produce a St. George Cookbook by Greek Festival time. Everyone from our parish is encouraged to participate. Be inspired! Give us your recipes! Practical Stuff for Lent Fasting- do not eat meat, dairy or fish; reduce intake; skip a meal or two per day; Fast from sinful words & actions. Prayer- pray each day; use prayer book; say Jesus Prayer throughout day using prayer rope; Lenten Prayer of St. Ephraim each day; attend Lenten worship services each week: Sat. Sun.-Vespers, Mon. -Compline, Wed.-Liturgy, Fri.-

5 St. Paul, MN Page 5 Parish Announcements Akathist; seek opportunities to serve & participate more in worship. Almsgiving- take time & money you would spend on yourself and give it away to serve the poor & needy. Quiet Time- turn off the TV & radio; sit down meals with family; do not participate in entertaining/ celebratory activity. Reading- read one chapter per day from Scripture (start w/ gospels); follow Lenten lectionary of Church (Genesis, Proverbs, Isaiah); read lives & teachings of Saints & Church Fathers; attend bible study. Repentance- participate in Sacrament of Confession; forgive others; apologize & ask for forgiveness. Parish Assembly Rescheduled The assembly will be held April 18 following Divine Liturgy. Hellenic American Legion Auxillary Luncheon A soup & salad luncheon will be held Saturday May 1 st at 11:30am at St Mary s GOC. There will be entertainment and prizes. All funds are used for veteran programs. For further information or to make a reservation please contact Stella Lake at Festival of Nations The Festival of Nations will be held on Thursday, April 29th, through Sunday, May 2nd, at the River Center in St. Paul. It is a fundraiser for both St. George and the Greek School. Volunteers are needed for all four days in the Cafe Booth, Bazaar Booth and Cultural Booth. Contact Jean Pliakas at jwpliakas@aol.com for the Cafe Booth and Anna Christoforides at annachristoforides@comcast.net for the Bazaar and Cultural Booth. Volunteers receive a free admission ticket. Signup sheets will be posted in the Social Hall. Mark your calendars and enjoy the Greek dancing performances: Thursday, April 29th: Children Dance Group (performance time to be announced) Saturday, May 1st: Children Dance Group 12:30 performance Teen Dance Group (performance time to be announced) Greek Dancers of Minnesota 7:00 pm performance. Scholarships Available The District 14 AHEPA & Daughters of Penelope Educational Foundation scholarship application is now available online at: dist14education.webs.com. Mail completed forms to Elaine Koutsoukos before May 1st, Free Student Travel to Greece The National Hellenic Society and DEREE-The American College of Greece are sponsoring a new program for young Greek Americans and first-time visitors to Greece. Interested Greek American students (18-26) with excellent academic credentials who have never been to Greece should apply for this free trip to Greece where they will experience an incredible program with their peers and earn 3 college credits. For more information contact Art Dimopoulos at or info@helenicsociety.org. Second Annual Alexis (Toth) Lecture St Mary's Cathedral is pleased to announce the 2nd Annual St Alexis (Toth) Lecture, Thursday, May 6 at 7 pm following Vespers at the Cathedral. Archimandrite Meletios Webber will address the topic of mission with a lecture entitled PRAYER OF THE HEART: A MISSION STATEMENT. A reception at the parish center will follow. The St Alexis Toth lectures are a ministry of the St Mary's Cathedral Boriss-Hansen Committee. Fr Meletios is the Abbot of the Monastery of St John the Wonderworker in Manton, CA. He is a noted and popular speaker, with pod-casts on Ancient Faith Radio and several books published by Conciliar Press. For more information please call (612)

6 Glad Tidings Page 6 Father Rick, continued (Continued from page 2) and bequeathed to us a rich heritage and tradition that we can live and pass on to subsequent generations. Sacrifice is Required In light of this history, cannot we make small sacrifices for our Faith in Christ? In America, we do not live in society (at least not yet) where our Christian faith and identity will cause us to lose our job or secular educational opportunities. We do not have to worry (at least not yet) about being imprisoned or killed because we are Orthodox Christians. Thus, we have unprecedented opportunities to live out our faith in Christ like no other generation perhaps since the Byzantine Empire (4-14 th cent.). The new Sunday morning format encourages us to arrive at church only fifteen (15) minutes earlier than the old (Divine Liturgy started at 9:45am). With the old and the new formats, issues and problems arise when we place more importance on Sunday School than on the Divine Liturgy. We must remember that the primary goal of religious education is theosis to become God-like. Classroom education can help us learn about Christ, the Church and the Saints but it can never replace the liturgical life of the Church in which we come to know Christ through His Word and Sacrament. We must ask ourselves, Do we have the same standards for our Sunday morning experience of God in the Church as we do for the other activities of our life? How early do we arise for work and school? Do we allow ourselves to be late for work and school, and if late, how late? Asking these questions will help us reflect on the relative priority we give to Church, Liturgy and Sunday School compared to other aspects of our lives. Any and every format for religious life and education will require some sort of sacrifice because the devil and his demons will always work to oppose every effort towards theosis or God-likeness. Finish Strong My article in last month s newsletter expressed the theme that it s never too late to start or start over when it comes to our relationship with Christ. I offer the same message regarding our new Sunday morning format. Even though it may have been or is difficult to participate under the new format, it s never too late to give it a new try, a renewed effort. That is the cycle of the spiritual life. The monks often say, As often as I fall down, I get up and I keep going. The important thing for us and our parish community is that we must help each other get up when we fall. Remember what I said above, from the Kontakion of Pascha, that Christ grants resurrection to the fallen. To be Christ-like, we must reach out and lift each other up from our graves of old life to live a new and different life. This is a daily, if not hourly cycle, for us as followers of Christ. Let s help each other finish this school year strong and finish strong every period of our life within the life of Christ in His Church. Kalo Pascha kai Kali Anastasi! Christos Anesti! Blessed Pascha and Resurrection! Christ is Risen! +Fr. Rick

7 St. Paul, MN Page 7 YOUTH NEWS UPCOMING YOUTH EVENTS The children of St. George celebrate Sunday of Orthodoxy. Holy Friday Youth Retreat is April 2nd. Church Cleaning is Lazarus Saturday, April 3rd. Pascha is April 4th. Loaves and Fishes is Tuesday, April 12th. Festival of Nations is April 29-May 1. Festival of Nations The Greek School children and teen dance groups are practicing every Sunday after Liturgy. Please plan to attend. Summer Church Camp Helping Haiti We are busy planning for another incredible Summer Camp Session for this year! Camp dates are Saturday June 26th to Friday July 2nd. The registration fee is $360 per camper. If you need financial assistance, please contact Father Rick or Rebekah Moll as soon as possible. We are designing a new and improved Summer Camp Registration Website, which will have a new URL address. Watch the bulletin or Glad Tidings for more information. Register between April As always, registration is on a first come, first served basis. Our youth are th participating in the Saturday April 17 is the next JOY gatheringiocc details to come. (International Orthodox Christian Charities) program to help the people of Haiti by collecting supplies that can be used in an Emergency Clean-Up Bucket. Sunday, April 18th - Cake Auction Items needed include: 5 gallon bucket with re-sealable lid Scouring pads, scrub brushes, sponges Laundry detergent, dish soap, concentrated household cleaners (like Lysol) Clothesline & 50 clothes pins Heavy-duty trash bags Dust masks Latex or work gloves GOYA will be having a Cake Auction during the coffee hour. Please let your youth leader know if you will be there and will be bringing a cake to auction off. If you don t want to make a cake, make some cookies and we ll sell packets of them You may drop off items in a box outside of the for a straight price. The money raised will help Sunday school rooms when you come on Sundaysoffset some of the activity fees and also donate an just look for the signs the youth created!! icon to the church on behalf of GOYA. The more participants we have, the more fun the auction will be. Show your baking talents to St. George!

8 S T. G E O R G E G R E E K O R T H O D O X C H U R C H 1111 Summit Avenue St. Paul, Minnesota ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID St. Paul, MN Permit No. 177 Phone: Fax: Web Site: Weekday Worship Schedule REGULAR WEEKLY SERVICES Holy Week 6:30pm Washing of the Feet, Thursday, April 1 7:00pm Holy Passion-12 Gospels Service, Friday, April 2 9:00am Vesperal Liturgy-Descent into Hades, Saturday, April 3 11:00pm Orthros Service, Saturday, April 3 12:00am Resurrection Service-Anastasi, Sunday, April 4 1:00am Divine Liturgy, Sunday, April 4 11:00am Agape Service, Sunday, April 4 Sts. Raphael, Nicholas and Irene 9:00am Divine Liturgy Tuesday, April 6 St. George 8:00am Orthros 9:00am Divine Liturgy Friday, April 23 Holy Confession: By Appointment Vespers: (Sept. May) Saturday 5 pm Orthros: Sunday 8:30 am Sunday School/Adult Education: (September - May) 9:30 am Divine Liturgy: Sunday 10:00 am

9 April 2010 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Coming in May ASCENSION OF OUR LORD 21 - STS. CONSTANTINE & HELEN 22 - SATURDAY OF SOULS 23 - PENTECOST, Graduation Sunday Greek Orthodox Junior Olympics in Chicago, IL 30 - Memorial Service at Roselawn Cemetary 31 - Memorial Day - Office Closed :00am VESPERAL +9:00am ROYAL +9:00am VESPERAL LITURGY- HOURS LITURGY- MYSTICAL *11:00am Youth DESCENT INTO SUPPER Retreat & Cleaning HADES +6:30pm WASHING +3:00pm DESCENT OF FEET SERVICE FROM CROSS +11:00pm ORTHROS +7:00pm HOLY VESPERS PASSION :00pm *5:00pm Radio GOSPELS LAMENTATIONS Program KKMS SERVICE SERVICE 980am + STRICT FAST - GREAT AND HOLY WEEK GREAT & HOLY +ST. THEODORA +STS. RAPHAEL, PASCHA NICHOLAS & IRENE +12:00am +9:00am LITURGY RESURRECTION - ANASTASI *10:30am Bright *12:00pm MEOCCA *5:00pm Radio Week Breakfast Meeting Program KKMS +1:00am DIVINE 980am LITURGY *1:30pm *7:00pm Parish +5:00pm VESPERS Philoptochos Mtg. Council *2:30am Community Lamb Dinner +11:00am AGAPE VESPERS + BRIGHT/RENEWAL WEEK - NO FASTING ANTIPASCHA +FAST DAY +FAST DAY -THOMAS SUNDAY +8:15am ORTHROS *9:30am Sunday School Classes *5:00pm Loaves +10:00am LITURGY & Fishes *5:00pm Radio *11:30am Acolyte *7:00pm *5:00pm Spiritual Program KKMS Training Catechism Class Life Cmte 980am +5:00pm VESPERS RD SUN. PASCHA +FAST DAY +FAST DAY -MYRRHBEARERS +ST. GEORGE +8:15am ORTHROS +8:00am ORTHROS *9:30am Sunday +9:00am LITURGY School Classes *5:30pm Youth +10:00am LITURGY & Family Ministry +6:00pm GREAT *11:30am Choir Meeting VESPERS *5:00pm Radio Practice *7:00pm Parish Program KKMS *12:00pm Goya *7:00pm *7:00pm Bible Study Feast Day 980am Cake Auction Catechism Class at Fr. Rick's Home Celebration +5:00pm VESPERS *12:30am Parish w/ Fr. Rick Assembly TH SUN. PASCHA +FAST DAY +FAST DAY - PARALYTIC +ST. MARK THE EVANGELIST +8:15am ORTHROS *9:30am Sunday School Classes *7:00pm *7:00pm +10:00am LITURGY Catechism Class Stewardship Cmte FESTIVAL OF NATIONS St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 1111 Summit Avenue, St. Paul, MN Rev. Father Richard Demetrius Andrews -- Phone: (651)

10 A Press Release from the Metropolis of Boston PRESS RELEASE On October 8, 2009, The Metropolis of Boston issued the following statement: The Center of Disease Control (CDC), fearing an H1N1 Pandemic, strongly discourages participation in group activities, recommending individuals, (especially children) with colds or the flu remain at home and follow the instructions of their medical doctors. Many faithful have approached our Parish Priests expressing concern about their participation in worship services, especially in the sacramental life of the Church. While the warnings of the medical community should be heeded by persons with colds and flulike symptoms, people, in general, should not panic but carry on with their usual activities, including going to church and receiving Holy Communion. It should be noted, that the Church has always been clear in its belief that diseases are not transmitted from the Holy Chalice which we believe contains the very Body and Blood of our Savior. Hence, the distribution of Holy Communion was never a question even when various diseases ravaged the world. As is well known, Priests consume what remains in the Chalice at the end of the Divine Liturgy, regardless whether it was celebrated in a parish church, a hospital or hospice chapel. Orthodox Faithful have always acted responsibly. As we face the reality of the present flu pandemic fears, Orthodox Christians are urged to use discretion as they follow the directives of the medical community. Regrettably, a priest serving in New England --- surely pressured by well meaning parishioners concerned with the outbreak of the H1N1 flu pandemic --- utilized plastic spoons to distribute Holy Communion. This unacceptable violation of Church order was addressed in accordance with Ecclesiastical procedure. The Metropolis expresses its regret that this lapse of judgment resulted in widespread controversy, and is appalled that some individuals questioned whether this practice was authorized. It expresses its fervent prayer that those who arrive at rash judgments --- hurling paranoid condemnations in the press and on the internet --- will rather invest their time in prayer and self examination during the Great Lent. They should reflect on the countless passages in the New Testament which urge the followers of the the Crucified Lord to avoid gossip and the sin of judging others. Let us all etch in our hearts and souls the prayer of St. Ephraim, O Lord and Master of my life, Give me not the spirit of laziness, curiosity, lust for power, and idle talk. But give to me your servant a spirit of prudence, humility, patience, and love. Yes, Lord and King grant me to see my own faults and not to judge my brother. For You are blessed unto the ages of ages. Amen.

11 ST. GEORGE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 1111 Summit Ave., St. Paul, MN, Tel.: (651) Fax: (651) Web: March 22, 2010 To: Parish Assembly From: Eric Chadwick I write to inform you of a Parish Assembly meeting scheduled for Sunday, April 18, 2010 to begin shortly after completion of the Divine Liturgy. The items on the agenda include the following: (1) approval of the 2009 audited financials; (2) nomination of delegates for the 2010 Clergy-Laity Congress; (3) nomination and election of the Board of Elections; (4) nomination and election of the Board of Auditors; and (5) a brief update on capital projects. Please make every effort to attend and help direct the important affairs of our parish life. I look forward to seeing you. Sincerely, Eric Chadwick-Parish Council President

12 St. George Greek Orthodox Church Parish Council Meeting Minutes February 11, 2010 Attendees: Fr. Rick Andrews, President Eric Chadwick, Vice President Paul Pliakas, Secretary Tom Lampros, Treasurer Frank Mortari, Asst. Treasurer Diane Anastos, Stacy Katsiyiannis, Christ Kontenakos, Frank Nemeth, Joe Weiser, Absent: Jason Barbes, Sophronis Mantoles, Jim Theros I. Call to Order, 7:00 II. Opening Prayer III. Submission of Minutes: Minutes from the January 2010 meeting were approved. IV. Treasurer s Report: Frank Mortari reviewed the January 2010 Bank of accounts, Financial Report, and the Rental Property Profit and Loss Report. Some observations were made including that the expense for the basketball tournament bus would be covered 100% through fees and donations. V. Father s Report This Sunday is Cheesefare Sunday. Father reviewed the schedule of events for the Lenten period, including additional worship services, lectures and retreats, and encouraged all to participate. Father provided an update on the Youth Ministries and noted that Rebekah Moll is working with several parents to reactivate the JOY Youth age group (K-5 th grade). Fr. reviewed the events of the basketball tournament and Council participants commented how much fun it was and also how Stacy Katsiyiannis and the Women s team won their division. VI. Committee Reports a) Property Management: A decision was made to organize a committee to study future options for the property and there was a discussion on some options including but not limited to organizing a sale, identifying caretakers, or defining some kind of ministry. b) Building & Grounds: No activities or projects to report. c) Stewardship: Steve Arsenault attended this portion of the meeting and presented a report and reviewed how Stewardship is the most critical fundraiser. He also explained goals and efforts around Time, Talent and Treasure activities. 73 stewardship cards have been received for 2010 and the average pledge has increased over 10%. More than 75 typical stewards have yet to submit cards. Some goals include increasing stewardship further as a percent of total revenue and getting more stewardship committee members. VII. New Business a) Youth Sunday: No discussion, addressed at last meeting. b) Networking for Sunday School: Frank Mortari discussed a proposal to install computer network jacks in Sunday School rooms and to install a recently donated printer downstairs that teachers could use. Joe moved, Stacy seconded to allocate up to $400 from the 2010 budget to install the printer and network jacks in each room. It was noted that within a few years, it was likely that all teachers would probably own their own laptops and that Wi-Fi downstairs is not feasible due to the block walls and hard ceiling. c) Marsden Update/Back-up Plan: Frank Mortari advised that the cleaning firm s labor force is part of a Twin Cities union that may go on strike soon. Options to source cleaning services alternatives were discussed. d) 2010 Fundraisers: Eric Chadwick discussed the list of planned fundraiser activities, not including stewardship and other donations, and which ones are likely to happen and already have leaders. It was decided that the Greek Festival and Festival of Nations would continue to be our focus, the Pie Sale would be cancelled, the Art Auction is TBD and there were discussions about adding a dinner, a silent auction and other ideas. e) Lenten Vespers Meal: St George Parish always hosts the second Sunday of Lenten Pan Orthodox Vespers and a dinner following. Frank Mortari, Diane and others volunteered to organize and serve the meal. The Council prefers that for this year, Sunday March 28 th be a combined Palm Sunday and Greek Independence Day with AHEPA and Greek School participation and Frank will talk to Stella Hofrenning and John Antoniou about it. f) Pascha/St. George Feast Day Meals: Plans are made for the midnight dinner but TBD for the dinner after Agape service on April 4, especially because Western Easter is the same day and many parishioners may have multiple commitments or options for that afternoon s meal. g) Parish Council Ministry Liaisons: The list was reviewed and additional Parish Council liaisons were identified. VIII. Unfinished Business a) Donor Recognition Policy: Paul Pliakas reviewed the recent draft. Diane moved, Joe seconded to accept the draft as written. The motion was amended for a few modifications in the second section and the motion passed. b) Parish Assembly Meeting: Planned for March 14 th, the agenda was discussed and the budget will be the focus. c) 1135 Summit Avenue Update: No offers have been received yet and the owner still wants the church to drop the first right of refusal. There were no motions to change it. An item continues to run periodically in the weekly bulletin. d) Other: It was approved to rent the church hall on the evening of May 30 th to a 3 rd party. IX. Adjournment and Closing Prayer, 10:20 1