IN THIS ISSUE January/February 2019

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1 IN THIS ISSUE January/February 2019 Sunday Services Matins.. 9:00 a.m. Church School. 9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m. Saturday Services Confession... 4:30 p.m. Great Vespers... 5:00 p.m. Church Contacts Fr. Aaron Warwick, Pastor Fr. Deacon James Kallail Chris Pearce, Admin. Asst. Phone (316) Facebook The Scroll Testimony to St. Mary Robbie Namee From Fr. Aaron Lenten Journey The Treehouse Parish Drive Humanitarian Team Working together to honor a special couple for a wonderful cause Did You Know? Prayers in times of need. Cook's Corner Vegetarian Chili Diocese of Wichita and Mid America Parish Life Conference Mediterranean Festival Cooking schedule National Archdiocese Convention July Plus..From the Ministry Teams, Celebrations, and Bits & Pieces St. Mary Orthodox Christian Church 344 S. Martinson, Wichita, KS Rev. Fr. Aaron Warwick - Deacon James Kallail Website:

2 Testimony to St. Mary By Robbie Namee I received Father Aaron s and my first thought was what did I do now! I am what many refer to as a cradle Orthodox, I am also a cradle parishioner/member of St. Mary. Father s request was to speak about how St. Mary has impacted me. Many of you may not know that when I was nine my family moved to Hutchinson in We drove every Sunday to attend Sunday school and church. I moved back to Wichita in the late 80 s. Growing up. you were expected to come to church; if you didn t, you would need to be sick or out of town! I was coming to church; but I was not here. I wasn t involved with anything. One year my Sitti told me you need to go the church and help the ladies in the kitchen! I told her there was NO WAY I was going into that kitchen. They are crazy! One year I was asked to be a Sunday School teacher. I was reluctant but did it. Years went by and I was asked to help as a leader with Teen Soyo, again reluctant. Then I was asked to run for parish council, which I have served for several years. Now my involvement extends with the other ministry teams, the Belles, the Festival, Family Promise and the Kitchen! (Be wise as to the comments you make to your Sitti.) In your day-to-day life in business or socially, have you ever had anyone mention coming to St. Mary, to one of our events such as the bazaar or festival or aware of our involvement in the community? I have, and the comments are always over whelming positive. That has an impact on me. I am proud and humbled to be a member of this amazing parish family. Being involved with the ministry teams has given me growth in my spiritual life, but the I impact it has had on me as person has turned into a way of life. My Sitti

3 Beloved in Christ, Some of you may recall a quote I shared from St John Cassian s Second Conference: On Discernment in the February 3, 2019 bulletin. I wish to call it to your attention once again as we prepare to embark on our 2019 Lenten journey: There is an old saying: 'Excesses meet.' Too much fasting and too much eating come to the same end. Keeping too long a vigil brings the same disastrous cost as sluggishness. Too much self-denial brings weakness and induces the same condition as carelessness. Often I have seen men who would not be snared by gluttony fall, nevertheless, through immoderate fasting and tumble in weakness into the very urge which they had overcome. Unmeasured vigils and foolish denial of rest overcame those whom sleep could not overcome. Therefore, life must be lived with due measure and, with discernment for a guide, the road must be traveled between the two kinds of excess so that in the end we may not allow ourselves to be diverted from the pathway of restraint which has been laid down for us nor fall through dangerous carelessness into the urgings of gluttony and self-indulgence. As we go through Lent together, I hope we will remember this beautiful passage from St John because it speaks to all of us. On the one hand, some of us do not regularly fast during Lent. Perhaps it was not something our parents taught us growing up, or over the years we fell out of the habit or just simply got tired of it. On the other hand, some people go overboard for Great Lent, becoming obsessed with following rules or, in some cases, imposing on themselves additional rules to be more strict than what the Church or their father confessor prescribes. In both cases, we err because we are guilty of what St John says: Excess. I look back on my own spiritual journey in Orthodoxy and realize I was once guilty of excessive fasting. I remind myself of the young basketball players I coached recently. They began the game with great intensity and enthusiasm, only to run out of steam by the second half. They were not yet mature enough to understand the idea of pacing themselves. Twice we lost games we led at halftime. Finally, by the end of the season, the players learned how to make it through a full game, and we actually won a game after being behind at halftime. Often we, in our spiritual lives, are not yet mature enough to pace ourselves. Like my players listening to their coach, we should listen to our coaches, the saints of the Church. Time and again the saints remind us we are running a marathon in this life not a sprint! God willing, for most of us, this Lent will be one of many more fasting seasons. We do not need to weary ourselves to death. We simply need to practice and learn moderation. We should not aim to see results this year; we will practice moderation over the course of many Lenten seasons and then eventually in the rearview mirror we will see we have made some progress in our lives. I wish all of you a blessed and spiritually prosperous Lenten season. Yours in Christ, Fr Aaron

4 Chrismation of Kevin Conrad (in Larned Correctional Facility) on 12/14/2018. Congratulations and Many Years! On Dec. 23 we welcomed the newly chrismated, Olivia Nina Oller, Anthony Vulgamore, Drew Edward Holland, and Matthew Allen. Congratulations and Many Years! The newly elected Parish Council s Board: Rick Husselman, Joey Salome, TC Wallace, Judith Shippy, Helen Stitt, Darren Minks, Tracy Namee, Ken Dannenberg, and Dennis Fairbanks. Congratulations and Many Years!

5 Holy Theophany, January 6 Bishop BASIL with his Deacons on Clergy Retreat February 8

6 THE SCROLL From the Ministry Teams Next Issue Will Cover ~ March/April 2019 Deadline to Submit News ~ April 13 On Website ~ April 26 Available in Foyer ~ April 28 Send news to: rokallail@att.net PARISH COUNCIL The newly elected Parish Council Members are: Tracy Namee, Joey Salome, Judith Shippy and T. C. Wallace. Returning members are: Ken Dannenberg, Dennis Fairbanks, Rick Husselman, and Darren Minks Parish Council Officers for 2019 are: T. C. Wallace Chairperson Helen Stitt Vice Chair Ken Dannenberg Secretary A very positive response to the first small group meeting held in January was reported. St. Mary will be hosted Family Promise February 10 thru 16 Preparations for the Mediterranean Festival have begun and the schedule of events are contained in the weekly bulletin everyone is encouraged to attend as many of the preparation dates events as possible to support our largest fundraising event. A captain s meeting to review the status of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) strategic planning task group was held on February 3. Joey Salome agreed to prepare the meat for the Paschal banquet. Father and Deacon James attended the clergy retreat on February 5 thru 8, MEAL TRAIN The St Mary Meal Train ministry was formed in 2016 to serve the families in our parish immediately following the birth of a child. After the birth of a child, what to eat for dinner is not usually at the forefront of new parents' minds. Instead, new parents are focused on the new life they have created and finding their new normal between dirty diapers, seemingly near-constant cries, and many feedings. Our goal is to provide the evening meal every day for a week. The meals have been a mixture of home cooked, frozen, and store-bought meals as well as restaurant gift cards. We also provide a supply of paper products such as plates, napkins, cutlery, and cups to reduce the work load of the family. Being part of this ministry does not mean that you have to be involved every time a request is sent out. Each of us has our own commitments and are sometimes unable to help. Any help at all is much appreciated by the families we are serving. If you would like to be part of this ministry, please contact Mary Shippy at murrybeth@hotmail.com to get on the mailing list. The Lord's Diner exists to combat hunger in the community. The Diner's singular mission is to serve a nutritious meal with dignity and respect to anyone who is hungry. The Lord s Diner serves an evening meal 365 days a year. The Lord s Diner serves an average of 2,500 meals nightly at two dining facilities (one in downtown Wichita and one in south Wichita) and three food trucks (one in northwest Wichita, and one in southeast Wichita, and one in northeast Wichita) to any guest who needs a nutritious meal, 60 percent of which are families. St. Mary volunteers serve at The Lord s Diner on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. We gather at the downtown location, Central and Broadway, at 5:15 p.m. We are usually finished by 8:00 p.m, so come join us. All volunteer sign up is now taking place on SIGN UP GENIUS. For more information contact Vicki Jones at or vawj55@gmail.com.

7 From the Ministry Teams TEEN SOYO Our Teen SOYO has been active in several different ways in the past few months. We currently have 10 members and we have good attendance for all of our activities. We have three of our teens working hard to prepare for the Bible Bowl at our Parish Life Conference in June. The Bible Bowl will cover the books of Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians. The questions are very challenging and the competition is fierce. We are very proud of these young ladies for agreeing to take this on! (Those teens are Sophie Jacobs, Ellie Jacobs and Emmelia Warwick.) We are also working hard to raise enough money to cover most of our expenses to attend the PLC, which will be held in Dallas. The generosity of our parish family at supporting these fundraisers continues to be a huge blessing to our teens and we thank each of you. All of our gatherings aren t always about fundraising and studying. In January, we gathered for a breakfast together and spent time in fellowship. We will be trying our luck at an Escape Room in March. We will also plan a service project during Lent. We were blessed to welcome two of our active teen members into the Orthodox faith. Olivia Oller and Anthony Vulgamore were both chrismated on December 22 nd. They are an important part of our teen family. We thank each of you for your continued support, prayers, encouragement and guidance. We are so blessed to be a part of the St. Mary parish family. THE BELLES The Belles have been busy. We will be offering a parish dinner on Sunday March 3 rd Meat Fare Sunday. We hope everyone will join us. We sponsored a team in the Family Promise Battle of the Congregations Chili-Cook off fundraiser. March is Women s month we are participating by reading the Epistle and taking the tray collection through the month of March. If you would like to participate, Shirley Ellis has the sign up sheet. Meatfare Sunday Parish Dinner after Liturgy Mark your calendars for March 3, 2019 Donations accepted

8 DILLON S REWARDS From the Ministry Teams ST. MARY We had a very good meeting on Sunday, February 3. There were 10 in attendance, including newcomers Aiman Bishara and Mora Estafanous. We look forward to their participation and having them attend our activities. We are a group who likes to eat out, and many suggestions were made for new places to go, including Cracker Barrel, Wichita Art Museum, Los Comprades, Freddas, and Legends. We will try to find places with private rooms for our group. Most still want to try to schedule an outing at the Stearman Bar and Grill at the Stearman Field in Benton, KS. There was also some interest in going to movies together, so this will be included in our activities several times a year. YAH Bingo at St. George has been enjoyed by all, so we plan on continuing to attend 3 to 4 times a year. Following a discussion of the frequency of activities, we decided to plan for activities every 4 months (March, June, Sept, and December). Activities will be planned according to the church calendar and try to not conflict with church activities. We talked about having some things scheduled on Saturday and then coming to Vespers if possible. Our next scheduled activity will be in March. All are welcome to join us, so be sure to look for the announcement in the bulletin. Please contact me at ormaktoob@cox.net for any questions or suggestions for this church fellowship.

9 Parish Collection Drive to benefit Treehouse moms and babies March 24 th April 14 th In these times of difficulty we urge you to donate items that will help the tiniest victims of poverty. *Size 6 diapers or pull ups *Similac Pro-Advance or generic brand formula (22.5 oz) *New or gently-used spring/summer clothing (newborn to size 8 youth) *Gently used crib sheets, towels, and bassinet sheets Please help us give a gift that celebrates life-affirming decisions made by mothers in desperate situations. The Treehouse vision is to foster the well-being of women and their newborn babies by supplying basic necessities and programs supporting their growth and development. PLEASE DELIVER ALL COLLECTED ITEMS FOR THE TREEHOUSE TO THE DISPLAY IN THE CHURCH HALL.

10 THE HUMANITARIAN TEAM Dear Lois and St. Francis Oncology Department, Please accept this gift from St. Mary Orthodox Christian Church Humanitarian Ministry for your compassion cart in loving memory of Eli and Terri Ferris, who volunteered at your campus for many years. We still have over $ to spend on this project, so we will continue to restock your cart as long as we can. Most of the compassion (comfort) stones were made by eighteen of our parishioners and Ferris family members. We even had a few young children making the stones, so they are not perfect, but each is made with love. We hope they will bring hope, love, and encouragement to the patients and their families during their battle with cancer. Sincerely, Helen Stitt Humanitarian Ministry Team Chairperson St. Mary Orthodox Christian Church 344 South Martinson Wichita, Kansas colored pencils 50 coloring books 25 picture frames 15 word finds 15 inspirational books 25 pkgs. blank thank you notes 20 pkgs. (three-pack) sanitizers (60) 25 (three-pack) purse-size tissues (75) 23 body lotion 6 boxes crackers (peanut butter and cheese) (240) 3 boxes Kind bars (54) 3 boxes cookies (60) 4 boxes of asst. chips (120) 4 boxes of Nature Valley bars (206) 4 boxes Rice Krispie Treats (100) 1 Container Twizzlers (150) 1 Twix (70) 1 asst. Hersheys bars (180) 1 Reese s cups (70) 1 Kit Kat (75) Can of popcorn 50 blankets 274 Compassion (comfort) Stones

11 Thank you note from Littlest Heroes Love gives the courage to transform pain into power. Dear members of St. Mary, Thank you so very much for adopting our organization for Christmas. Because of your help we were able to provide a Christmas gift to all 400 children who attended our Christmas party. Caring for the families of 375 children with life-threatening illnesses is a huge undertaking, but it is so very worth it. We hope you will partner with us again. Thank you, Bev And an excerpt from the thank you from Via Christi David Alexander, Vice President of Philanthropy Ascension Via Christi. Dear Helen, On behalf of the Via Christi Cancer Institute, and our precious patients and their families, I would like to acknowledge and thank the members of St. Mary for their generous donation of items for our compassion cart, which were given in loving memory of Eli and Terri Ferris. The compassion cart page for a special tribute article that can be viewed on the Ascension Via Christi Facebook page about this project honoring Eli and Terri, are given in loving memory of Eli and Terri Ferris. (

12 Compassion stones were made by eighteen of our parishioners and Ferris family members Time for delivery Compassion cart

13 DID YOU KNOW? Prayers in times of need. Literature can be found in parish foyer.

14 Insanely Easy Vegetarian Chili Ingredients 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 cup chopped onions 3/4 cup chopped carrots 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup chopped green bell pepper 1 cup chopped red bell pepper 3/4 cup chopped celery 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with liquid, chopped 1 (19 ounce) can kidney beans with liquid 1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn, undrained 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil Directions 1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions, carrots, and garic until tender. Stir in green peppers, red peppers, celery, and chili powder. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes. 2. Stir in mushrooms, and cook 4 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, kidney beans and corn. Season with cumin, oregano, and basil. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Nutrition Facts Per Serving: 155 calories; 3 g fat; 29 g carbohydrates; 6.8 g protein; 0 mg cholesterol; 423 mg sodium.

15 SAVE THE DATE DIOCESE OF WICHITA AND MID-AMERICA PARISH LIFE CONFERENCE, JUNE 19-22, 2019 ST. PETER CHURCH, FORT WORTH, TX WESTIN DALLAS FORT WORTH AIRPORT $129 USD/ per night Book by 05/25/19 Rate available 06/18/19 to 06/23/19

16 Mediterranean Festival 2019 May 17-18, 2019 Work Days March 9 Saturday 10 AM Make Grape Leaves (after liturgy) March 16 Saturday 9 AM Make Kafta March 30 Saturday 9 AM Make Kibbee May 11 Saturday 9 AM Make Baklawa May 12 Sunday 12 PM Start Festival Setup May 13 Monday 9 AM Make Greek Cookies May 15 Wednesday 9 AM Make Hummus May 15 Wednesday 5 PM Make Baklawa Sundaes May 16 Thursday 9 AM Make Green Beans & Rice May 16 Thursday 5 PM Make Chicken Kabobs May 17 Friday 9 AM Bake Talame Bread May 17 Friday 9 AM Festival Setup (All Day) May 17 Friday 6 PM FESTIVAL OPEN FROM 6-10 PM May 18 Saturday 9 AM Festival Set up May 18 Saturday 12 PM FESTIVAL OPEN FROM 12-8 PM May 18 Saturday 8 PM Festival Clean up Please mark your calendar and come help as we prepare for our parish fundraiser. These work days are a great source of fellowship, as well as a way to serve the parish. With your help, we are looking forward to another record breaking year!

17 January 1 Abdallah Abdayem 2 Deanna Ferris 3 Rosemary Kallail 4 Subdeacon John Laham 6 Xochitl Hewitt 6 Jessica Abdayem 8 Padelis Kambiotis 8 Leah Zarich 9 Eric Namee 10 Anthony Vulgamore 15 Elisabeth Oller 22 Olivia Oller 23 Ivy Jones 26 Brandon Abdayem 29 Dee Ann Bragg 29 Vaughn Walker BIRTHDAYS February 2 Jerry Stitt 2 Malaki Jones 2 Beverly Taylor 5 Jason Ewertt 6 Abby Jones 6 Anna Jacobs 8 Linda Farha 8 Simone Warwick 9 Gabriel Hernandez 12 Laura Stanley 13 Julia Jacobs 15 Sophia Jacobs 20 Hannah Faissal 21 Marie Patterson 21 Luke Ewertt 21 William Ewertt 28 Sarah Hussleman 28 Julia Shippy ANNIVERSARIES January 5 January Fr. John and Kh. Cindy Baize February 12 February 24 February Tony and Micheline Abdayem Bruce and Joan Ferris Many Years!

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19 About The Scroll The Scroll is the news magazine of St. Mary Orthodox Christian Church, 344 S. Martinson, Wichita, KS, It was first published in March of 1974 as a newsletter and has evolved to its present magazine-style format. The Scroll includes information about our Orthodox Christian faith as well as news of our parish community. Deadline dates for publication are listed in each issue of The Scroll and also in the weekly church bulletins. Inquiries and news items should be sent to: rokallail@att.net or to the above church address C/O The Scroll. All news must be received by the announced deadline dates. Submitted material may be edited for content and space limitations. All submitted items should include the name of the person sending the material as well as identifying the original source of previously published pieces. LOOKING AHEAD March 3 Meatfare Sunday March 9 Make Grape Leaves March 10 Cheesefare Sunday March 11 Great Lent begins March 16 Make Kafta March 17 St. Patrick s Day March 25 Annunciation of the Theotokos March 30 Make Kibbee The Scroll Ministry Team Claire Dannenberg Deacon James Kallail Ro Kallail Elizabeth Rollins Michelle Shaheen April 20 Lazarus Saturday 12:30 p.m Chancery April 21 Palm Sunday April 22 Great and Holy Monday April 23 Great and Holy Tuesday April 24 Great and Holy Wednesday April 25 Great and Holy Thursday April 26 Great and Holy Friday April 27 Great and Holy Saturday April 28 Holy Pascha