Pg. 7 KEFI Dancers Pg. 8 Philoptochos and Sr. KEFI Pg 9 Archangel Michael, AHEPA & more Pg.10 Advertisement Pg.11 Monthly Calendar

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1 ISSUE 11 NOVEMBER 2017 Pg. 2 From Fr. Soteri Pg. 3 Choir and Invitation Pg. 4 GOYA and HOPE/JOY Pg. 5 Volleyball Tournament Pg. 6 PC Nomination Form Pg. 7 KEFI Dancers Pg. 8 Philoptochos and Sr. KEFI Pg 9 Archangel Michael, AHEPA & more Pg.10 Advertisement Pg.11 Monthly Calendar Special Dates in November Wednesday, November 1, 9:00am Cosmas and Damianos Sunday, November 5, 8:45am 5th Sunday of Luke Thursday, November 9, 9:00am St. Nektarios Sunday, November 12, 8:45am 8th Sunday of Luke Thursday, November 16, 9:00am St. Matthew the Evangelist Sunday, November 19, 8:45am 9th Sunday of Luke Tuesday, November 21, 9:00am Entrance of the Theotokos Friday, November 24, 5:00pm St. Katherine Sunday, November 26, 8:45am 13th Sunday of Luke Wednesday, November 29, 5:00pm St. Andrew November Usher Duty: Sunday, November 5th - Team 4 Dora Komninos, Alexis Gonas, Vicky Vantsouris, Rena Gonas & George Vantsouris Sunday, November 12th - Team 5 Alexander Janas Pat Janas and Stephanie Kanellopoulos Sunday, November 19th - Team 6 Bill Christopher Jim Ververis, Sandra Carnevale Gregory and Manny Spantidakis Sunday, November 26th - Team 7 Maria Olavarria Ron Gregory, Rita Hurst, Anastasia Gregory and Dominique Hurst Please be on time for your duty and if you can t be here, Please find someone to fill in. Reverend Father Soterios Rousakis, Protopresbyter Reverend Deacon John Pantelis th Street North St. Petersburg, FL fax: office@ststefanos.org

2 FROM THE DESK OF FR. SOTERI From the desk of Fr. Soteri Every Sunday, everyday, every hour, each moment of our life should and must be a Pascha, a readiness to move on to something spiritually new and transfiguring. A brother priest shared with me an important lesson, the unadulterated wisdom of his mother of blessed memory. She used to say that the Lord gave us TODAY as a gift. So if we hang on to yesterday, we are being SELFISH and we are not trusting God. And if we keep thinking about TOMORROW, we are being greedy. For we never really know if TOMORROW is ours yet. All we can be sure of is what God is giving us right now, TODAY! The Fathers of the Church and the Liturgical life of the Church have always emphasized the eternity of the now moment. They encourage us to experience more fully the transfigured power of Christ within each specific moment of the present. The now of God s love has an abundant dose of the age to come. Eternity is to be found in each moment we breath the breath of life. That is why even the history of salvation is not left in the past in the liturgical life of the Orthodox Church, but is recalled and celebrated in the present. The Greek word, simeron, or today, abounds in the hymnology of the Church. So what can you say: TODAY I must do my best for my Church TODAY I must allow Christ to set up His throne in my heart TODAY Christ must speak to me! Am I listening? TODAY Christ is present with me at the Last Supper TODAY I must make this day the day of my salvation TODAY Is the first day of my life TODAY I must do His work, however hard it seems TODAY I must stop bad habits TODAY I must fight the battles against evil TODAY I must carry only the burden of TODAY! How many times have you said to yourself if only I could live life again! Well, you don t have to live life again. Just don t forget that each day is a new life and a new opportunity given by God to live life again better than before with His help and grace. I invite you to begin TODAY turning your life around and making each day of your life a PASCHA, passing from the old you to the new you. The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time and God s plan is that we meet it one day at a time.

3 CHOIR NOTES AND INVITATION In conjunction with the celebration of St Romanos the Melodist, the patron saint of Orthodox music and musicians on October 1, the special and distinguished Archbishop Iakovos Music Service award was presented to Dr Maria Gregory. This special award was presented to Maria for more than her complete devotion, dedication and unselfish love of her church choir, but also her unwavering and true example of being a humble and devout Orthodox Christian. Her melodic voice enhances the worship services for our parish and her zeal and zest for additional projects resulted in organizing and executing one of the most memorable Southeastern Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Music choir conferences here at St Stefanos. Maria was presented with flowers by choir director John Arambages and visiting Father John Lazarek. A lovely reception for Maria and our choir members was hosted by the tireless efforts of Maria Olavarria. Thank you to all of our choir members who generously dedicate and donate their talents to our worship services. In today's world, less than 50% of Orthodox churches have choirs. The average median age of choir members is 73; there are no longer male sections and experienced and tenured choir directors and organists are scarce to find. St Stefanos is blessed in having all of these. A second tray was passed to benefit the National Forum and SFGOCM. Thank you all for your generous donations. Welcome to our new members, Kathryn Annas and Halle Moore, two high school girls. Anyone who is interested in singing is welcome on Thursday evenings at 7pm in the choir loft and 9:20am before church on Sundays. Special Invitation: On Wednesday, November 15th the Advent Season begins. A 40 day period leading us up to the glorious birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To commemorate the day and prepare for this beautiful season, I will be offering the Sacrament of Holy Unction for the healing and health of us all. I am personally inviting you to attend this beautiful service with your family and have the opportunity to receive the Sacrament. Immediately following the Service, the Philoptochos will offer a light Lenten Supper for all of us so that we can break bread together as a Church Family. Praying that you will join me on the 15th for prayer and fellowship, I remain, With Love in Christ, Fr. Soterios Rousakis Proistamenos

4 GOYA GOYA Newsletter November 2017 On October 6th 8 th we hosted our 5 th Annual St. Stefanos Volleyball Tournament with 8 parishes in attendance and 15 teams which included 9 Sr. divisions and 6 Jr. division teams. We played 26 games of volleyball, enjoyed guest speakers from St. George New Port Richey and Hellenic College. We enjoyed a wonderful weekend of faith and fellowship with our fellow GOYAns from the state of Florida. Congratulations: Senior Division 1 st place Holy Trinity Orlando 2 nd place St. John the Baptist Tampa - Team A 3 rd place St. George New Port Richey Junior Division 1 st place Holy Trinity Clearwater - Team Purple 2 nd place St. Nicholas Tarpon Springs 3 rd place Holy Trinity Clearwater Team Yellow St. John the Divine of Jacksonville received the Sportsmanship Award. Congratulations to each and every GOYAn who participated in this event. You demonstrated respect, faith, sportsmanship and fellowship. We are very proud of you! Thank you to ALL of our sponsors and volunteers! We are overwhelmed with gratitude. We could not have done this without YOU! Upcoming events: November 10 th 5:30-9pm - Make a Break Escape Room evening and dinner. If you have not RSVP d and would like to attend please let us know by November 5 th. Consent forms due by November 5 th. Check your for complete information and link for consent form. Save the date: December 2 nd 6pm -? - Jammy Jam Toy Drive Shopping, benefiting SUNCOAST VOICES FOR CHILDREN And Christmas Party December 3 rd, 10 th, 17 th Gypsy Spring Candle Fundraiser December 27 th -30 th Winter Youth Rally, Atlanta Blessed, Kathy and Christine, Thank you to all St.Stefanos parishioners who donated pies and money for the Children's Charity "The Kind Mouse", which provides help to families and children in need. Together we raised over $

5 VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT PICTURES

6 PARISH COUNCIL NOMINATIONS Saint Stefanos Greek Orthodox Church th Street North, St. Petersburg, FL (727) FAX: (727) Website: Reverend Soterios Rousakis, Presbyter Candidate Nomination Petition I, (print full name), hereby place my name in nomination as a candidate for the election to the Parish Council to be held on Sunday, December 10, This petition shall be signed by two (2) members in good standing of the Parish and presented, or sent by mail, to arrive to the Parish Council (at the above stated address) on or before, Friday, November 17, 2017, by 1:00 P.M. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF CANDIDATE: All candidates must attend a pre-election seminar as mandated by the UNIFORM PARISH REGULATIONS OF THE GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA (ARTICLE VII, SECTION 3). The seminar, for all Parish Council candidates who have NEVER served on Parish Council, will be held at here at St. Stefanos at a date to be determined. If a candidate cannot attend this mandatory seminar he or she must make special arrangement and complete training with Father Soterios at least (10) days prior to the elections. CANDIDATE'S SIGNATURE Date: Nomination of Candidate by two (2) members of St. Stefanos in good standing: Signature Signature Name Printed: Name Printed: This is a crucial time in Church finances and General Assembly is Nov. 12th. Please make sure your Stewardship Pledge is up to date. Thank you!

7 KEFI FUNDRAISER

8 PHILOPTOCHOS and SR. KEFI DANCERS Our Ladies' Philoptochos did lots of baking under the direction of Betty Morgan for our minifestival and sold out before dinner!!! We also hosted the GOYA Volleyball tournament gyro luncheon on Saturday, October 7. We fed the homeless at Pinellas Hope on October 26th with bag breakfast/lunches. Many of our members helped out with SPIFFS. We began our fall letter writing to college students and seminarians. We began baking for the Holidays!!! Our Thanksgiving Bake Sale will be Sunday, November 19, after church. Our next meeting will be held on Sunday, November 26 after the Divine Liturgy in the Educational building. We hope you can join us. We encourage all of our church members to join with us in order to fulfill the mission of the Philoptochos-- to help the poor, promote the charitable purposes of the Church, preserve the Orthodox faith, and promote participation in the activities of the St. Stefanos community. All are welcome. If you would like your college students to receive an encouraging card each month, please see Maria Gregory with their address! SAVE THE DATES: Saturday, December 16 at 1pm-- Philoptochos Christmas party at the Hollander Hotel downtown. Monday, December 26--St Stefanos vespers reception Friday-Sunday, March Philoptochos Lenten Retreat featuring Fr. Anthony Salzman speaking on Iconography. Sr. Kefi Dancers Fall is upon us and with this brings a full schedule for our ministry. We performed twice this month - once at the request of Parish Council member Jimmy Kalyvas and the second time at SPIFFS. We had a great time at both events! Currently we are having practices on Thursday only. We will be keeping this schedule all through November as well with no practice on Thanksgiving. Our ministry held our first fundraiser which was a Family Fall Costume Party. We had a lot of fun seeing all the creative things people wore to our event and we raised some money too! Currently our focus is on learning new techniques for dancing at Greek parties and events as well as perfecting our more difficult dances for performances. We always welcome new dancers on Thursday from 7-9. We will be performing November 4th at St. George's festival in New Port Richey at 8:30 pm.

9 ARCHANGEL MICHAEL, AHEPA, AGAPE 2017 Archangel Michael Awards The Archangel Michael Award is awarded to those individuals who are singled out for their dedication and works for our church. His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios honors the recipients with this beautiful medallion. Congratulations to our well deserving members: Adult Bill Christopher Youth Anastasia Gregory Thank you for your continued service and love to our Parish! ἀγάπη The November meeting will be held at Mamas Kitchen Seminole Blvd. Seminole Date: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 at noon. You will order from the menu, and also celebrate the November birthdays. Family and friends are welcome to join us, but please remember you need to call your reservation. Please call Nicky to make reservations at HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

10 ADVERTISEMENT

11 21 Entrance of Theotokos Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Don t forget to fall back on November 4th before you go to bed. 5 SS Food Drive 8:45am Orthros Kefi & Sr Kefi Practice 12 SS Food Drive 8:45am Orthros General Assembly All Kefi Practice 19 SS Food Drive 8:45am Orthros All Kefi Practice Philoptochos Bake Sale 26 8:00am Orthros All Kefi Practice Philoptochos Meeting :00am Baking 6:30pm Greek School 14 12:00pm AGAPE 6:30pm Greek School 9:00am Orthros 6:30pm Greek School 28 6:30pm Parish Council 6:30pm Greek School November Ss. Cosmas & Damian 9:00am Orthros 6:30pm Kefi Practice 8 Archangel Michael 10:00am UAW 6:30pm Kefi Practice 15 Christmas Fast 9:00am Baking 6:00pm Holy Unction 6:00pm AHEPA/DOP 6:30pm Kefi Practice 2 9:00am Baking 7:00pm Choir Practice 7:00pm Sr Kefi Practice 9 St. Nektarios 9:00am Orthros 7:00pm Choir Practice 7:00pm Sr Kefi Practice 16 St. Matthew 9:00am Orthros/Liturgy 7:00pm Choir Practice 7:00pm Sr Kefi Practice Thanksgiving Office Closed 29 5:30pm Divine Liturgy 6:30pm Kefi Practice 30 St. Andrew 9:00am Baking 7:00pm Choir Practice 7:00pm Sr Kefi Practice 3 10:00am Prayer Group 10 10:00am Prayer Group 6:00pm GOYA Outing 17 10:00am Prayer Group 24 Office Closed 5:00pm Orthros 6:00pm Divine Liturgy 4 1pm HOPE/JOY Outing 11 6pm AHEPA Veterans Dinner/Dance 18 11am Kefi Tea Party 25 St. Katherine

12 ST. STEFANOS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH th Street North St. Petersburg, Florida NON - PROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #6203 ST. PETERSBURG, FL St. Stefanos 2017 Community Christmas Card Form With joy and love, we invite your family or business to participate in the St. Stefanos 2017 Community Christmas Card. For a small donation, you may join the rest of our parish family in sharing our greetings in celebration of the Holy Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Please fill out the section below & return to the Church Office or submit to Visha Anevich during Coffee Hour by Sunday, Dec. 10th. Thank you! Please write legibly, make sure order of names and spelling is correct Name (s) as you wish to appear on card: Contact Person: Phone Number: Donation: $20.00 per Household $40.00 per Business Date paid: Payment method: Cash or Check #