Fr. Alex s Message: A Dark Summer Night

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1 Fr. Alex s Message: A Dark Summer Night Do you remember chasing fireflies as a child? Many of us probably spent more than a few warm summer nights running through our backyards with jars or little nets trying in many cases hopelessly to catch these illusive little bugs. I did my share of this as a little one. As children the erratic patterns they traced seemed magical; as adults, it s still enchanting to see a pitch-black yard or field lit up with their comforting glow. Just a few weeks ago, in fact, I was driving home from my parents home, late in the evening. I took a detour and drove by an area in West Newbury, MA, where I used to do landscaping when I was in college. I pulled up to a favorite little bridge on a forgotten back-road, rolled down the windows and took in that beautiful almost summer evening breeze. To my surprise and joy, a nearby field was full of fireflies, illuminating the night. As I watched them dance for a bit, a flood of memories came countless nights running around my backyard with friends, nets and jars in hand, pleading with our bright little friends to just slow down a bit. And broader thoughts entered: summer vacations as a child, simple and sweet times with my parents and siblings, summer jobs where I worked hard and learned a lot about life, old friends whom I haven t seen in ages simpler times, perhaps times when I felt safe and like I had a very secure and protected place in the world. It s amazing how small things can trigger major memories and make us aware of things we seem to have forgotten about. Driving home, I also thought about my own little family, my children. My mind raced: What kind of a life have my wife and I made for them? Are they building memory banks full of their own sweet memories, and have we worked to surround them with true friends and people who care on a daily level? Will their collective childhood be a simple and sweet place to travel to someday when they are older and need to recharge their batteries? As they journey through life, will they have such things to draw on from their earlier days? Will they chase fireflies and find warmth and love all through life? God has blessed us all with so much. There are parents who nurtured us, siblings who JULY/AUGUST 2014 Table of Contents Liturgical Schedule 2 Stewardship 3 Youth 4,5 Photos 6,7 Calendar 8,9 Community/ Outreach 10 Education/ Events 11 Sponsors 12,13 St. Philip Church 500 West Hollis St. Nashua, NH facebook.com/ StPhilipNashua (Cont d. on Pg. 2)

2 LITURGICAL SCHEDULE July/August Schedule Sundays July 6: 4th Sunday of July 13: Sunday of the Holy Fathers July 20: 6th Sunday of July 27: 7th Sunday of Aug. 3: 8th Sunday of Aug. 10: 9th Sunday of Aug. 17: 10th Sunday of Aug. 24: 11th Sunday of Aug. 31: 12th Sunday of Weekdays Aug. 6: Holy Transfiguration Aug. 15: The Dormition Paraklesis, 6:30 pm Aug. 1, 4, 6, 8, 11 & 13 (Don t forget to submit names!) Pastoral Visits Fr. Alex regularly makes visits to our parishioners who are homebound, in rehab, in the hospital or otherwise unable to make it to Divine Liturgy. Families are asked to contact Fr. Alex directly to plan a visit for their loved ones. Please don t hesitate to contact him. Voices of Faith Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. Isaiah 52:8 Our parishioners (adults and children) are always invited to read the Epistle during Sunday Liturgy. Like the holy people of scripture, we too can lift up our voices in praise of God. This is a profound way to participate in the liturgical life of our parish. Please contact Fr. Alex to arrange a reading on a coming Sunday. A Dark Summer Night (continued) grew with us and played alongside us. There are friends who loved us before and love us now and will love us throughout life. And, most importantly, He has blessed us with the most important relationship of all our relationship with Him, His beloved sons and daughters. We all know life has its share of rough times, sometimes inordinately so. But these relationships, and the memories they create, are a wellspring. I hope this summer, we make the time to nurture our relationship with God and to nurture our families, that we make the effort to simplify our schedules in order to let relationships bloom and sweet memories to form. And maybe catch a firefly or two or at least have fun trying. Fr. Alex 4th of July Doxology Sunday, July 6 On the 6th following Divine Liturgy, we will celebrate a brief Doxology in commemoration of the 4th of July. Together, may we truly give thanks to God for our many freedoms that are so easily taken for granted! Please join us on the 6th! The Transfiguration... Is celebrated each year on Aug. 6 with a special Divine Liturgy. Is one of the 12 Great Feasts of the Orthodox Christian Church. Commemorates the transfiguration, or metamorphosis, of Jesus Christ atop Mt. Tabor. Revealed His divine glory to the Apostles Peter, James and John. Reveals to us, right here right now, that Christ is indeed the fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets the Savior of all! Daily Readings Mobile Apps Want to stay connected to your faith and receive inspirational daily readings? There are wonderful phone apps available through our Department of Internet Ministries and it couldn t be easier to get connected. Visit goarch.org today and select Daily Readings Mobile Apps. Come and See 2

3 STEWARDSHIP A Summer Reflection Staying Close to Our Parish Home During the summer, with all of our planned vacations, travel, and down-time, it is all-too easy to drift away from attending Sunday Liturgy. But there should be no vacation from Church. Giving thanks to God is a pleasure, not a chore that we put aside during our summer fun-time. God has granted us our lives, children, grandchildren, friends blessed us with talents and creativity offered us His unfailing love, guidance and mercy. What should our response be? As often as you are in town this summer, please make sure to join us, worshipping alongside your brothers and sisters, and always remembering to lovingly bless St. Philip with your time, talent and treasure. See you soon! We hope to see you as often as possible this summer. Our parish family is never complete without you! St. Philip Greek Orthodox Church 500 West Hollis St. Nashua, NH P (603) ; F (603) Rev. Fr. Alex Chetsas: fralex@stphilipnh.org Office Staff Cheryl Petren & Sophie Theoharis: office@stphilipnh.org Summer Office Office Hours: Hours: M - F, T 10 - F, am 9 am pm 2 pm Online Delivery of Come & See Online Delivery of Come & See Over the next few months, we will continue to Over introduce the last online year, delivery we have of been Come making & See. an Help effort to us introduce conserve online needed delivery resources of Come at St. & Philip, See. Help and us conserve contact the needed office resources today to confirm at St. Philip, online and contact the delivery. office Thank today to you confirm for your online help! delivery. Stewardship Program 2014: Finish Strong! While the 2014 Festival now seems like a distant memory, this was no small accomplishment. Further, this event is a must succeed for St. Philip. Without it, our Church would be operating at a severe deficit and could not sustain itself. Is this the way things should be? What if we got to a level of stewardship where the funds raised by our admirable festival were able to be used for campus improvements, special programs and community outreach? This is one reason why our Stewardship efforts are so vital. And there is good news on this front: We have received a record number of pledge cards and our giving per Steward is up. Together, we can continue on this marathon pace through December. If you have not pledged yet, please open your heart and do so. It is not too late, and we would love to see another 100 Commitment Cards. Let s Finish Strong together in 2014! Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 1 Cor. 9:24 Every Member Capital Campaign Doug Philipon We all know by now that we are in the early stages of our capital drive to raise funds to help maintain our Church. It is a little surprising that more of us have not pledged or donated to this important initiative early on! Projects that have been deemed critical include a new heating system, sidewalk repairs and roof maintenance. Likewise, the need to turn our hall into a viable facility for more rental income is at the top of the list. Please feel free to reach out to me, so I can help answer any questions on how your contribution might be specifically used. Perhaps coffee or lunch would make it easy (on me of course!). Even better, join our Every Member Committee or attend our next Steering Committee meeting. It is urgent that we get some of these projects funded soon. (I am a huge proponent of repairing our sidewalks as a safety concern, especially for our seasoned citizen members!) Please consider taking a leadership role with your offering today. We thank you in advance for your support! I look forward to hearing from you: doug@icentrix.com. Come and See 3

4 o YOUTH Don t let anyone look down on you because you are young Sunday School News Heather Cloutier I hope you all are enjoying the summer and the end of the ecclesiastical year. The New Year is around the corner (the Church s ecclesiastical year begins on Sep. 1). So the Sunday School will be celebrating with a New Year's get-together on Saturday, Sep. 6. Please join us in the hall at 2 pm for some fun and learning. Sep. 7 is our parish s Welcome Back Sunday Ministry Fair and BBQ. Please stop by the Sunday School table in the hall to make sure all the information on your child is correct, or to register him/her if your family is new to our program. Please make sure we have the correct , as we will be ing a monthly calendar letting you know what is happening every month in Sunday School. This September we will have a new Preschool Program for ages 3 and 4. There will be no teacher assigned to the class; it will be run by the parents of the Preschool. Each week the classroom will be set up with a simple message to teach and an activity. Kindergarten will have a different classroom and a new curriculum. This new curriculum is excellent, and we are very excited to do something different for them in the fall. We were so excited by the enthusiastic participation of the High Schoolers last year! To follow up on this momentum, Fr. Alex, Dan, Tippy and I will also be working on a re-commitment program for the High School students; more information on that will be in our next newsletter. Finally, I hope and pray all of our families will come worship with us this summer. God doesn t vacation from us, so let s stay close to Him! Enjoy your summer and see you soon! Greek School Graduation GOYA Marisa Donati Hello everyone! I want to thank all of our GOYAns, and their parents, for another wonderful year of coming together in friendship, faith and outreach. When we reflect on our program, we can t help but be a little proud. We helped our parish reach out to local families in need through our annual Thanksgiving Outreach Project, and then had great accomplishments with our Gingerbread Event, which raised over a thousand dollars for under-privileged children in our area. Many thanks to Mrs. Philipon for her tireless work and leadership on this heartwarming project. In addition, we had tons of fun on our fall hiking trip, movie night and Bruins game and don t forget the awesome year -end BBQ at the Zacharakis home! I also want to thank our entire GOYA Leadership Team, who did a wonderful job this year: President: Maggie Panteli Vice Presidents: Athena LaJeunesse & Alexia Philipon Secretary: Paige Zacharakis Treasurer: George Powell Outreach Chairs: Phoebe Chetsas & Adelle Pitsas Looking ahead, we re working to form our leadership team for We ll have a wonderful schedule to share with our parish family in the September Come & See. Throughout the summer, please consider joining us in GOYA. This ministry is open to 7-12 grade Orthodox Christian parishioners of St. Philip, and we are ALWAYS welcoming new members. Feel free to contact me for more information anytime and enjoy the summer! Also, please note my new address: marisapdonati@gmail.com. Next dates TBA. All play-dates begin at 9:30am in the nursery. Moms (and Dads!) are welcome to come with their children age 5 and under. Feel free to come by even if it is for a half hour or hour. Refreshments and snacks are provided. Contact Tina Alexopoulos: ; tina_alexopoulos@hotmail.com. Come and See 4

5 YOUTH...but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in faith and in purity. Timothy 4:12 Congratulations Graduates! Reflections on June 1 Following Divine Liturgy on the 1st, our Sunday School children, graduates, and scholarship recipients were recognized and honored. It was a beautiful day, and we thank all of our Sunday School teachers and ministry/program leaders for making the event possible. We also must thank our crew of excellent dads for offering a splendid BBQ following the program. For our high school and college graduates, especially, this is a powerful time of life graduation often means not only accomplishment but transition and important decisions about the future. We know God will guide them well, and we offer them every prayer and blessing. OUR 2014 ST. PHILIP GRADUATES: George Dimitri Floras The MacDuffie School (Quinnipiac University Class of 2018) Alex Marken Groton-Dunstable High School (Bryant College Class of 2018) Margarite Anne Bechis Post Bacc. in Behavioral Medicine & Counseling University of Virginia (Accepted at University of Pittsburgh Medical School) Dennison Bechis Bachelor of Science in Mathematics University of Colorado Meghan Cloutier Bachelor of Arts in Psychology Rivier University Marisa Donati Master of Education in Counseling Rivier University Joanna Petren Gray Master of Library & Information Science University of South Carolina A Summer Plan? Summer has arrived! For most of our families, there is a sigh of relief in anticipation of getting away for some good, quality time with our children (and spouses, for that matter). But without timely, intentional planning, these precious few months have a way of slipping away from us. In other words, decisions about how we ll spend our summers need to be made, and the more inclusive we are with family decision making, the better. For a great article about planning the perfect summer plans, visit stickyfaith.org/articles/the-best-family-summer-ever. There you ll find suggestions for organizing fun family meetings, helping your children speak up about their summer dreams, prioritizing, and coming to a vacation consensus. Happy summer to all! Saintly Lives: St. Matthias (August 9) After Judas betrayed Christ and hanged himself out of despair, the remaining 11 Apostles gather after the Ascension to elect a new Apostle so that the family of those chosen to be Apostles could once again be made whole and ministry could continue. In the end, there was a need for healing and restoration among the friends of Christ. 120 holy people were discussed as possibilities, and then the field was narrowed to only two: Joseph, called Barsabas, and Matthias, who was always among the 70 known Disciples of Christ. Then the Apostles prayer to God and cast lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven Apostles (Acts 1:15-26). Tradition holds that Matthias then spent years preaching the Gospel in Ethiopia and completed his life there in martyrdom. Making it real: Did you notice how the Apostles did not make a hasty decision about Joseph and Matthias? Before they cast lots, they prayed to God. Discuss with your child the importance of beginning serious jobs or events with prayer, whether it s at the beginning of the new school year, before a trip, or in preparation for a difficult discussion with a friend or family member. Point out to them that throughout life, our decisions will simply be better and we ll be more at peace with them if we make them with prayerful effort. Lead by example, and show your children that you are practicing what you preach! Come and See 5

6 Holy Week Commencement & Graduation Festivities Come and See 6

7 50th Anniversary Celebration Come and See 7

8 July 2014 Overview Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sponsoring Fellowship Hour Sponsoring on any given Sunday is a meaningful way to remember a loved one or simply support our community. For details or to confirm available dates, contact Nick Kallan: looboy@comcast.net; Many thanks to our recent sponsors: May 11: AHEPA June 15: Alexopoulos Family, in Honor of Their Parents May 25: St. Philip Choir ***Several July and August dates are still free! Ministry, 9 am Happy 4th of July! (Office Closed) 4 5 4th Sunday of 6-4th of July Doxology Parish Council, 6:30 pm Holy Fathers Compassionate Friends, 6:30 pm Soup Kitchen, 4 pm 6th Sunday of , th Sunday of Tis moonlight, summer moonlight, All soft and still and fair; The solemn hour of midnight Breathes sweet thoughts everywhere. Emily Bronte Come and See 8

9 August 2014 Overview Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednes- Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday The Dormition of the Theotokos, Aug. 15 In birth, you preserved your virginity; in death, you did not abandon the world, O Theotokos. As mother of life, you departed to the source of life, delivering our souls from death by your intercessions. Apolitikion Hymn of the Dormition Paraklesis, 6 pm 1 2 8th Sunday of 3 Paraklesis, 6 pm 4 Parish Council, 6:30 pm 5 Transfiguration Paraklesis, 6 pm 6 7 Paraklesis, 6 pm 8 9 9th Sunday of Dormition 16 Paraklesis, 6 pm Stewardship, 6:30 pm Paraklesis, 6 pm 10th Sunday of Soup Kitchen, 4 pm Compassionate Friends, 6:30 pm 11th Sunday of th Sunday of Ministry 31 Names for Paraklesis Services During each Paraklesis service, there is an opportunity to pray for the living our loved ones in need of prayer. Naming lists are available in the Narthex, or simply your names to Fr. Alex (fralex@stphilipnh.org). Names need only be submitted once. Come and See 9

10 COMMUNITY/OUTREACH SOCIAL ACTION & Outreach A Hearty Thank You to All We did it again! On May 16 and 17, thousands of neighbors and friends were welcomed to St. Philip, drawn by the aroma of beautiful foods, amazing music and, most importantly, the promise of a warm welcome from our parishioners. And this is exactly what they received! It was an excellent, successful weekend, and we thank our many dedicated volunteers! Festival Ad Book It is important, once again, to thank our 2014 Greek Fest Ad Book supporters our parishioners, advertisers and, of course, major sponsors. These organizations have been with us for a number of years and deserve special recognition and our support: Anagnost Companies, Crown Uniform & Linen Service, Dave's Quality Dry Cleaning, Giorgio's Ristorante, Martha's Exchange Restaurant & Brewery, Market Basket, Nashua Eye Associates, Stellos Electric, and Zis-Sweeney Funeral Home. Again, thanks to all! Outreach Snapshot: Orthodox Radio Program Tune in to WDER Saturdays at 3:30 pm for faith-inspired programming sponsored by St. Philip: 92.1 FM; 3120 AM. Or listen online: Reflection Be the Bee A Youth Resource Learn with us, grow with us. Let's keep our eyes on Christ. Together. Cleaning Supply Donations Recently, our Archdiocesan Dept. of Youth & Young Adult Ministries released a new You Tube series called Be the Bee. It s purpose is to help our youth explore what is good, beautiful and Christlike in everyday life, and it utilizes an approach that is fun and informal. New episodes are available every Thursday afternoon, and each is posted on our St. Philip and GOYA Face Book pages, as well as highlighted in our Weekly eblasts. The quote above is from the Bee You Tube page and is suggestive of the wonderful opportunity this resource represents. Don t let it slip away! Please check out this week s video with your son or daughter, or mention it to them in your own creative way: As mentioned in our Agape News section, our ladies are collecting cleaning supply donations for veterans and their families within the VA New England Healthcare System. Supplies needed: sponges, all purpose cleaners, paper towels, dish soap, etc. Offerings may be dropped off throughout the summer in the Giving Box in the hall. Thanks for your support! Stay Connected MINISTRIES/PROGRAMS ADULT/GENERAL Chanting Theodore Persakis Choir George Karakantas Every Member Doug Philipon Food Festival Jamie Pappas Katherine Richo Orthodox Life Frank Edelblut Parish Council Jorge Panteli Outreach Committee Stephanie Norris Welcome Committee Matsis Women s Prayer/Bible Iris Houdyshel YOUTH Altar Service Daniel Gioffre Basketball Thanassi Liakos Family Night Stephanie Liakos GOYA Marisa Donati Greek School George Kitsis Hellenic Dance Troupe Maria Donati JOY Stephanie Liakos Mommy & Me Tina Alexopoulos Sunday School Heather Cloutier GROUPS/ORGANIZATIONS Agape Ladies Society Sia Juris AHEPA Cosmos Marandos Elpis Ladies Society Maria Donati Pan-Macedonians Charles Paskaley Come and See 8 10

11 EDUCATION/events EDUCATION, NEWS & EVENTS Agape News A wonderful summer to all! We also offer a warm thank you to all of the wonderful parishioners who have supported so many of our projects throughout the last year. From our philanthropic efforts to our support of parish improvement projects, nothing would be possible without your loving generosity and ongoing belief in our ministry program. Our calendar will be full of important events that will enrich our Church, as well as the lives of our members. Join us! Looking ahead, please note the following: Soup kitchen workers are needed for July and August. In partnership with our Metropolis Philoptochos, we are collecting cleaning supplies (sponges, all purpose cleaners, paper towels, etc.) for homeless veterans within the VA New England Healthcare system. Drop off your donations in the Giving Box in the hall. A yard sale is planned for the fall: please save your used furniture, toys, books, tools, costume jewelry, etc. Items will be collected in September. To donate Prosfora, contact Vickey Batzoyianis at AHEPA Trip, Oct. 4 Join us for an amazing New York City trip, including excursions to the Statue of Liberty and the 9/11 Memorial. Adults, $89 per person; Children 16 and under, $79 per person. Space is limited. For reservations and details, contact Costa Bozicas: Welcome Back Sunday, Sept. 7 Annual Ministry Fair & BBQ We look forward to welcoming all our parishioners back to the regular ministries and programs of St. Philip with a delicious BBQ luncheon and Ministry Fair. The luncheon is open to all parishioners, and the fair will highlight our ministry and programs, also offering parishioners a chance to interact with the respective leaders. Please save the date and plan to attend! Summer Patristic Studies Program This program at Hellenic College represents an opportunity to study classic texts of the early Church through small group-study and brief lectures from leading patristic scholars. What a great complement to our own Orthodox Life Series! July Register: hchc.edu/patristics/programs. Ministry: To Your Health! Our bodies are truly a remarkable gift from God. Consider u that each of us has our own personal bacterial ecosystem a microbiome fingerprint that is as unique to us as our DNA. Although most bacteria are harmful, trillions more are benign and beneficial, our very own probiotics, and help regulate countless physiologic processes. Scientists working on the Human Microbiome Project discovered that all individuals have 1 of 3 bacterial profiles that are as distinct as blood types; that people who live, work or play together tend to have similar microbiomes; and that healthier people have more diverse microbiomes. To date, researchers continue to look at what factors influence the behavior of bacteria. Scientists are now asking if healthy bacteria can be used to treat other illnesses. Probiotics (literally, for life ) may well be the future of medicine. In the meantime, let us marvel and give thanks to God for the miracle of life. Scholarships Awarded Our parish family is grateful to the ministry and program leaders and individuals that make our parish scholarships available to our youth on a yearly basis. The Pan-Macedonian Association, Agape Society, Elpis Society and AHEPA recently presented the 2014 MBC 1st Timer Award to three worthy recipients: Elaine Danas, Katerina Juris and Jimmy Koutroubas. The 2014 Lazaros Dikos Memorial Scholarship, made possible by the Dikos Family, was presented to Alex Marken at the June 1 Commencement & Graduation Sunday Event. We congratulate our recipients and thank these leaders for supporting our youth! Come and See 9 11

12 We thank our sponsors for their support! Stellos Family Investment Properties of Nashua, New Hampshire Proud Stewards of St. Philip Greek Orthodox Church Come and See 12 10

13 Come and See 11 13

14 Save the Date Aug. 6: Holy Transfiguration Aug. 15: The Dormition Sep. 1: Ecclesiastical Year Begins Sep. 7: Welcome Back Sunday Ministry Fair & BBQ Sep. 14: Sunday School Begins Oct. 4: AHEPA NY Trip Altar Flowers May 4: Stella Bloom Month of June: Nick Salis Sponsoring Sunday Altar flowers is a wonderful way to remember a loved one or mark a special occasion. Donation is $45. Please contact the office for details. Wedding On June 7, the servants of God Angelo Perrina & Christine Panopoulos were united in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. We congratulate them and wish them many years of joy! Funeral Anastine Caros April 4 Memorials 5.4: Anthony Girginis, 4 yrs. 5.25: Helen Poulias, 1 yr. 6.15: Vasiliki Economopoulos, 1 yr. Ephemia Andrews, 10 yrs. Dale Cooney, 2 yrs.