Agape 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 F E B

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1 S T. G E O R G E Agape Excerpts from, A Modern Lent by Fr. Stephen Freeman G R E E K 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 F E B Few things are as difficult in the modern world as fasting. It is not simply the action of changing our eating habits that we find problematic - it s the whole concept of fasting and what it truly entails. It comes from another world. We understand dieting - changing how we eat in order to improve how we look or how we feel. But changing how we eat in order to know God or to rightly keep a feast of the Church - this is foreign. Our first question is often, How does that work? For we live in a culture of utility - we want to know the use of things. Underneath the question of utility is the demand that something make sense to me, and that I be able to ultimately take charge of it, use it as I see fit and shape it according to my own desires. Perhaps the fast could be improved? When a modern Christian confronts the season of Lent - the question often becomes: What do I want to give up for Lent? The intention is good, but the question is wrong. Lent quickly becomes yet another life-choice, a consumer s fast. Does any of this matter? Should Christians in the modern world concern themselves with a traditional practice?. Can Lent be improved? A modern Lent is to repent from the modern world itself. By this, I mean renouncing the notion that you are a self-generated, self-authenticating individual. You are not defined by your choices and decisions, much less by your career and your shopping. You begin by acknowledging that God alone is Lord (and you are not). Your life has meaning and purpose only in relation to God. The most fundamental practice of such Godcentered living is the giving of thanks. Renounce trying to improve yourself and become something. You are not a work in progress. If you are a work - then you are God s work. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in (Eph 2:10). Do not plan to have a good Lent or imagine what a good Lent would be. Give up judging - especially judging yourself. Get out of the center of your world. Lent is not about you. It is about Christ and His Pascha. Fast according to the Tradition instead of according to your own ideas and designs. Pray. Fasting without praying is called the Fast of Demons, because demons never eat, but they never pray. We fast as a means of drawing closer to God. Your fasting and your prayer should be balanced as much as possible. If you fast in a strict manner, then you should pray for extended periods. If you fast lightly, then your prayers may be lighter as well. The point is to be single - for prayer and fasting to be a single thing. To our prayer and fasting should be added mercy (giving stuff away, especially money). You cannot be too generous. Your mercy should be as invisible as possible to others, except in your kindness to all. Spend less, give away more. Go to Church a lot more (if your Church has additional Lenten services, go to them). Entertain yourself less. In traditional Orthodox lands, amusements are often given up during the Lenten period. Building a Stronger Orthodox Christian Community by: Spiritually growing together; Sharing the Orthodox Faith through fellowship, outreach, and philanthropy; Worshipping in a traditional Byzantine church; Supported through Stewardship 202 Hillview #1 Eugene, Oregon Website: Phone: (541) frgerasimos@sntgrg.org

2 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 Fast from watching/reading the news and having/ expressing opinions. The news is not presented in order to keep you informed. It is often inaccurate and serves the primary purpose of political propaganda and consumer frenzy. Neither are good for the soul. Opinions are deeply destructive to the soul s health. Opinions are not properly considered, necessary beliefs. They are passions that pass themselves off as thoughts or beliefs. The need to express them reveals their passionate nature. Page 2 FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE BAKLAVA FOR SALE! If you would like some baklava, please see Presvytera or Julie. Presvytera Maria I could well imagine that a modern person, reading through such a list, might feel overwhelmed and wonder what is left. What is left is being human. That so much in our lives is not particularly human but an ephemeral distraction goes far to explain much of our exhaustion and anxiety. There is no food for us in what is not human. And so the words of Isaiah come to mind: Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in fatness (Isa 55:1-2). Let your soul delight itself in fatness... the irony of Lent. Great and Holy Lent begins on Sunday evening, February 22nd, with Forgiveness Vespers. If you have any questions about fasting, prayer, almsgiving, what services to attend, what books to read, etc., please feel free to contact Father Jerry. Wishing you and yours a very blessed Lent! Missions & Evangelism Committee Report House Blessing is a blessing. The Orthodox families in Cottage Grove (Black s and Green s) invited our Inquirers, Ashley and Dean Smith, to participate in our house blessings. The Smith s also had their house blessed. We shared our icon corners and discussed the icons dear to us. This was instructive to the Smith s who are considering their own prayer corner. We ended with a potluck and became more acquainted with Ashley and Dean. House Blessing is a wonderful Orthodox tradition. We have discussed how to encourage more of the Faithful to participate. It can be a time to invite inquirer s, catechumens, and converts to share the experience and learn to practice Orthodox traditions. Several of us went to the Blessing of the Waters at the Willamette River. Our catechumens, the Doran s, were there. How nice it was to share this tradition with them. The Register Guard had an article and picture a water-soaked believer kissing the cross. View the slideshow at local/ /orthodox-believers-wadeinto-willamette-river-to-retrieve-cross.html.csp. What a good witness! In Service, Melita Green

3 A G A P E Page 3 Notes from the Parish Council Your new Parish Council has started and we have new officers: President: Bob Graham Vice President: Art Mehas Treasurer: Neal Zoumboukos Secretary: Greg Sebastian Member at Large: Melita Green We have set the Parish Council meeting to be on the first Monday of each month at 5 pm. We are looking forward to the coming year and the growth that will occur with the implementation of the strategic plans of both our church and the Metropolis. St. George will have more resources to work with and be part of the efforts to grow the Church across the Western United States. This is a year for us to rebuild and grow, and we believe that with the faith and work of all of us, this year will be a great year, both for our church and in our spiritual lives. Join us in embracing the coming year and all that God has in store for us. Your humble servant, Haralambos Stewardship & Treasurer's Report The parish is presently operating without an approved budget. This has occurred because the parish council has appealed the 2015 Archdiocese assessment and until that matter is resolved, we cannot accurately project expenses in this New Year. All line items, including Father's compensation, are being paid at their 2014 levels. The Metropolis has informed us the assessment appeals should be resolved by the end of February. The parish council would like to thank the thirty-nine (39) households who have submitted their 2015 stewardship cards and the five individuals/families who are supporting Saint George as "Free Will" donors this year. If you have not made your commitment of time, talent, and treasure to the parish in 2015, please do so. It's not too late. Stewardship cards are available in the Narthex of the church with a box for submitting them adjacent to the cards. If you would like a card mailed to you, just leave a message on the parish voice mail ( ) with your name and address. We ask each of you to join us in prayer that our parish will grow in faith, love and commitment to growing Orthodoxy in the Willamette Valley. May we all have a blessed new year. Stewardship Thought of the Month The parable of the Publican and Pharisee reminds us that effective giving to the Lord s Church is not a function of self-promotion but rather godly influence born out of humility. The need for the giver to give is always greater than the need for the Church to receive.

4 . PHILIA 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 Page 4 Thanks to the efforts of the Ladies of Philia, the Vasilopita event was deemed a success. With the support of the parishioners, the luncheon and the auction netted $ all of which went to St. Basil s Academy to assist them in their work with children in need. The Lenten Silent Auction is slated for February 22 after liturgy. This is a fundraiser for Philia and we hope that our Lenten foods and other items will help ease you into the Paschal Fast. Please come and support us. See Melita if you have any questions. Another project in the works is the baking of Tsoureki, the Greek Easter Bread. Thanks to everyone s support, this proved to be a very successful fundraiser for Philia last year. Gloria is spearheading this event once again and will have details, such as the needed ingredients and work crew signups at our next meeting. Philia raises funds to support causes such as aid to parishioners in need, Father s discretionary fund, certain church purchases, and community affairs. All contributions are appreciated. For info on wedding or baptismal items contact Gloria at or via at zeazeastimmons@gmail.com. And see Melita if interested in Rada products. Plans for the future: Lenten Silent Auction on February 22. Tsoureki Bake Sale Next meetings: February 8 (please note change from February 1) and March 1, 2015 Reminder: Philia is a philanthropic organization open to ALL women in the parish. Come and join us! We could always use helping hands and helpful minds. Julie Lenkoff, Philia Coordinator *************************************************************************** COFFEE CHAT : Thanks to the members of Philia, the kitchen, the pantry and the refrigerators have been organized and tidied up. Please make an effort to put things back where they belong, and don t forget to take home any items that you might have left behind. Thank you. Julie Lenkoff, Fellowship Coordinator **************************************************************************** CLEANUP CORNER: There are two boxes of lost and found items sitting on and under the skinny tables in the fellowship hall. Please take a moment to see if any of those items belong to you or your children, or if the black ladies jacket, which seems to have found a permanent home in the coat alcove, belongs to anyone you know. Julie Lenkoff, Cleanup Coordinator

5 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 Page 5 Greetings from the Roseburg Mission! I am so thankful for the Roseburg Mission! In the recent years, my family s circumstances have changed making it impossible to travel the distance to St. George, the nearest Orthodox Church. The Roseburg Mission is my opportunity to learn, fellowship, worship, and most importantly, participate in the Sacraments. I cannot overemphasize the Mission s importance to me and others here. However, if providing a place for the faithful to gather were the Mission s only goal, it would be falling far short of the true purpose of Orthodox Mission. Fr. Martin Ritsi, who serves under Archbishop Anastsios in Albania, writes: Without question, the foundation for mission is the glory of God and the redemption of all creation. The Scriptures emphasize this theme over and over again, beginning with Creation itself, and leading us through the rejection of that glory and the subsequent entrance of death into the world. Jesus life, from this perspective, is a manifestation of the glory of God. In Christ, human nature is redeemed and the universal order restored. Finally, the Church becomes a participant in proclaiming this redemption until the Parousia, when the glory of God is fully revealed. We must ask ourselves hard questions: Are we (both individually and as a group) truly manifesting the Glory of God such that we are a witness to the gospel of redemption? If so, why isn t there standing room only in our church? Do we only take what is given to us, and then immerse ourselves in our busy lives without considering those who desperately need to hear the Gospel message? When a stranger forgets their bag at the grocery store I don t think twice about yelling, waving my arms, and running after them, yet I don t ask my neighbors to come to church, out of fear that I will offend them or look foolish. May God forgive me! I challenge us all to think about what mission means, and our participation in it. Then I challenge us all to action! Participation in missions, both as individuals and as a Church, is an action necessary to our fully being who we are. Without it something will be lacking. With two-thirds of our world still missing the love and joy of being in Jesus Christ, we have much to do. May the Lord guide us to actualize this dimension of ourselves so that His saving power may be known among all nations. Ritsi, Fr. Martin, The What, Where, When, and Why of Orthodox Missions, pemptousia.com/2012/05/the-what-where-when-andwhy-of-orthodox-missions/ (accessed Jan 29, 2015). In Christ ~ Lisa Buck February Celebrations Birthdays February 5th-Gwen Knerl February 10th-Brett Batterson February 15th-Bill Lilles February 19th-Richard Green February 27th-Nikki Lenkoff February 28th-Cassandra Batterson February 29th-Debbie Hall Feast Days February 10th-St. Haralambos Bob Graham February 26th-St. Photini Debbie Hall, Bonnie Graham Wedding Anniversaries Happy St. Valentines Day! Baptized in Christ/Chrismated 2/25-Alex Titus 2/28-Raphael Groomer Many Years! Chronia Polla!

6 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 Page 6 News and Events What s New! First Saturday Breakfast: The dates for January s First Saturday Breakfast events are Friday, February 6th and Saturday, February 7th. Many hands make for light work so please consider lending us yours. Konevets Quartet: You are invited to join us on Wednesday, February 11th, at 6:30 pm, for a live concert by the Konevets Quartet, from St. Petersburg, Russia. The quartet travels the world performing liturgical music and Russian and Ukrainian folk songs. If you are unable to make it Wednesday evening, you can catch them on Thursday, February 12th, when they will be at St. John the Wonderworker church for their celebration of the feast of the Three Hierarchs (Old Calendar). The Hours will begin at 7:40 am and the Liturgy will begin at 8 am. Everyone at St. George is invited and encouraged to come (from Fr Daniel) Saturday of Souls: Please join us for a special Orthros, Liturgy and a Memorial Service, on Saturday, February 21st-the Saturday of Souls. As is the custom, please complete a list of names for commemoration and Koliva, for these services. May God grant rest to the souls of our departed loved ones! Great Lent: Great Lent begins on Sunday evening, February 22nd with Forgiveness Vespers. You will find a schedule of the Lenten services on the back of this month s calendar. May it be blessed! Prepare/Enrich: For over thirty years, PREPARE/ENRICH has led the way in helping couples explore and strengthen their relationships.. Built on a solid research foundation, PREPARE/ENRICH has been improved and refined over the years to become one of the best, most effective, easy-to-use relationship assessment tools available. In February, Father Jerry was certified to be a facilitator of this program as part of the Metropolis Strategic Plan s goal of getting all Metropolis clergy certified. If you are interested in learning more about Prepare/Enrich please contact Father Jerry, or visit their website, In our prayers: Pray for one another that you might be healed (James 5:16)-Jim, Eleni,, John, Yelena, Sarah, Sharon, Alexandra, Christopher, Ruth, Elaine, John, Fr. Constantine, Fr. James, Kevin, Lisa, Eugenia, Niko, Rebeca, Maria, Anastasia, Zinaida, Katherine, Rachel, Nektaria, Leda, Jesse, John, Ann, Kay, Photini, Elaine, Elle, Bill, Jan, the Orthodox Christians in Iraq, Egypt, Syria, the Middle East and the Ukraine, the unborn, pregnant women contemplating abortion, & those who pray for the end of abortion. Please also be praying for Michael Creech who is deployed to Afghanistan, and for Liana and the kids. Homeless Hospitality: On January 18th, we again participated in the Interfaith Shelter Project. As in year s past we partnered with St Thomas Episcopal Church to provide hospitality to homeless families. Walid Saleeby prepared a delicious entrée and the Kaelins, Timmons and Markopoulos families took care of the rest. Thank You to Walid, Gloria, John, Pres. Maria, Ann Marie and Stephen Kaelin, and Melita! Pictured are Pres. Maria, Gloria and John Timmons, serving the meal.

7 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 Page 7 2/1 2/8 2/15 2/22 FELLOWSHIP Lilles Lilles Lenkoff Markopoulos GREETER Larissa L. Ann C Ann L Liana C PROSFORON Hauser Lilles Hauser Creech FLOWERS OPEN OPEN OPEN OPEN READERS Brad Thomas Brad Thomas Brad Thomas Brad Thomas CLEANING CREW 2/7 Hauser 2/14 Green 2/21 B & L Lilles 2/28 Knerl GET INVOLVED!!! Look through this list of organizations, programs, and ministries at our parish, then call the contact person and get involved!!! PARISH COUNCIL Bob Graham ACOLYTES Bob Graham BOOKSTORE Greg Sebastian PHILIA WOMEN S GROUP Julie Lenkoff CHURCH SCHOOL Ann Marie Kaelin CHANTER/CHANT GROUP Brad Thomas , Ann Marie Kaelin FRIENDS OF ST. JOHN CONVENT Art Mehas FELLOWSHIP Julie Lenkoff STEWARDSHIP Neal Zoumboukos GREETERS Your name here??? OUTREACH/1ST SAT. BREAKFAST Bonnie Graham FLOWERS Diane Monger MISSIONS & EVANGELISM Melita Green FUNDRAISERS Presbytera Maria

8 Saint George Greek Orthodox Church 202 Hillview 1 Eugene, OR A word from the Fathers... People today are complicated, multi-faceted, confused, and in one way or another, their souls are layered: layer upon layer of blindness, layer upon layer of callousness, layer upon layer of pride. For this reason they are never healed once and for all. As soon as you take a humble attitude, though, Grace intervenes and works a miracle: you are freed. But the work does not end here. This Grace, this light, this healing that comes, proceeds also to the next layer further down. And here the sin is more unyielding, is more strongly rooted, the resistance is uncompromising. If you say, May it be blessed, My God. I will look even deeper and I will acknowledge my stubbornness and my sin, and will humble myself, then another miracle takes place. And in some incomprehensible way, the second and the third, the fourth and the fifth layers of the soul are put right. But some people will not accept this. They remain at the superficial layers, and spend their life like this and are never healed." Transcribed talks by Arch. Symeon Kragiopoulos (trans. by Fr. Matthew Penney)