The Word. December Receive the Gift of All Gifts! And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth John 1:14. Fr.

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1 The Word And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth John 1:14 Receive the Gift of All Gifts! December 2011 A multitude of angels assembled in Bethlehem to behold the unapproachable nativity; and seeing their creator lying in the manger as a babe, they were filled with awe. ~ from the Akathist Hymn to the Nativity of Christ The presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, even in infancy, instigated an assembly of angels to behold the nativity, which the above hymn presents as unapproachable. Simply to be in the presence of our Savior was enough to motivate the gathering of heavenly beings and fill them with awe! The Nativity of our Lord continues to motivate faithful individuals to gather in various capacities: liturgically, with family, in social environments, etc. In the scope of each of these gatherings we are given the opportunity to experience God through loving fellowship, yet it is through the liturgical experience of receiving the most Holy Eucharist that we are holistically edified through the experience of the authentic relationship with our Savior. Through the responsible reception of Holy Communion, we experience an even greater sense of awe than the angels did as they assembled at His manger as through the Holy Sacrament we are extended an invitation to not only approach He who is unapproachable, but also experience the Nativity through an intimate union with Christ Himself. The angels yearn for the experience that we are offered continually through the Church to come into intimate union with God! This eternal and epic gift has been presented to God s children for no reason other that the reality that He loves us. At the Feast of the Nativity, and at every, we have the opportunity to receive God s love, and allow it to heal every brokenness that we expose to Him as the Physician of our souls and bodies. Responsibly approaching the Nativity of our Lord is an awesome experience that graciously propels us toward an acquisition of virtues. The recognition that we need the gift offered to us by God develops authentic humility through cognizant understanding of our relationship with Him. This experience in turn fuels a consistently renewed commitment to our Christian journey. Your celebration of the Lord s birth will be filled with peace, love, and joy when you approach as a child of God who eagerly anticipates the one true gift that is needed by your soul the experience of Jesus Christ! The Nativity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the blessed feast day of our beautiful community. Please make it a chosen priority to initiate the celebration of the birth of our Lord at the with your parish family. May we approach the Nativity feast with the same anticipation and awe as the angels, who will be present in the when we celebrate on December 25th! Christ is Born! Glorify Him! Fr. Luke Feastday of St. Nicholas December 6 Plan to attend Vigil at 7:00 p.m. on Monday evening, December 5 at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in San Anselmo at 102 Ross Avenue.

2 December Services & Readings Date Dec 4 Dec 6 Dec 11 Dec 12 Dec 15 Dec 18 Dec 24 Dec 25 Dec 26 Dec 27 Service 10th Sunday of Luke St. Barbara the Great Martyr St. Nicholas of Myra 11th Sunday of Luke St. Spyridon St. Eleftherios Sunday Before the Nativity Eve of the Nativity Nativity of Our Lord Synaxis of the Theotokos St. Stephen, the First Martyr Epistle Galatians 5:22-6:2 Hebrews 13:17-21 Colossians 3:4-11 Ephesians 5:8-19 II Timothy 1:8-18 Hebrews 11:9-10, Hebrews 1:1-12 Galatians 4:4-7 Galatians 1:11-19 Acts 6:8-7:5; December Acolyte Schedule Gospel Luke 13:10-17 Luke 6:17-23 Luke 14:16-24; Matthew 22:14 John 10:9-16 Mark 2:23-3:5 Matthew 1:1-25 Luke 2:1-20 Matthew 2:1-12 Matthew 2:13-23 Matthew 21:33-42 The Word Monthly Newsletter published by Nativity of Christ Greek Orthodox Church 1110 Highland Drive Novato, CA Phone: (415) Fax: (415) ncchurch@pacbell. net Fr. Luke Palumbis, Pastor frluke@nativityofchrist.org December 2011 All Acolytes in attendance are asked to serve. December Candle Duty Schedule Dec 4 Dec 11 Dec 18 Dec 25 Chris Siefkas, Nick Livanos and Steve Rigisich Bruce Corcoran, Pete Gikkas and George Kokalis Peter Eliades, George Georgeson and Scott Walters Alex Slenkin, George Sotiras and Tony Kosmas Volunteers Needed The Facilities Committee is seeking volunteers to help with some electrical work and some painting at the church. Please call George Kokalis at to offer your talents. In this Issue: Message from Father...1 Services & Readings...2 Acolyte and Candle Duty Schedules...2 Parish Feast Day...3 Parish Activities & Ministries SS Pageant Flyer...7 HOPE/JOY Flyer...8 December Calendar...9 Holiday Opportunities...10 Visitation Flyer...11 Parish News...12 Angel Tree/ Food Drive Flyer...13 Vasilopita Order Form...14 Penance...15 Sacraments & Rites

3 Parish Feast Day The celebration of our community feast day is an event that must fill our hearts with joy, pride, and fulfillment. Multiple liturgical services will be celebrated and serve as the perfect and pure catalyst of our other holiday gatherings during this time of fellowship and joy. Please choose to be present at as many of the church services as you are able most important at the on Christmas morning! Although many families have beautiful traditions on Christmas morning, please choose as a family to initiate them all with the experience and gift of Jesus Christ! When you individually or as a family receive Holy Communion together on Christmas morning, your continued celebrations at home and with loved ones will be filled with the greatest joy! Pray as a family and choose to gather at the before gathering around the tree or the dining room table. In addition to the traditional services surrounding the feast of the Nativity, we will celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Unction as we approach our parish feast day. We are all in continual need of healing, whether spiritually or bodily, as individual Christians, as families, and as a parish family. As we approach our parish feast, the Birth of our Lord, let us gather to seek this sacramental healing in the Lord s House. Please note: Holy Unction will not be given out to be taken home by individuals. If a community member is unable to attend the service due to health complications, please communicate with the church office so that arrangements may be made for a home visit where they can be anointed with the Holy Sacrament. Service Schedule Wednesday, December 21, 6:00 PM: Friday, December 23, 10:00 AM: Saturday, December 24, 9:30 AM: Saturday, December 24, 5:00 PM: Sunday, December 25, 8:30 AM: Sunday, December 25, 9:30 AM: Holy Unction Service Royal Hours of Christmas of St. John Chrysostom Great Vespers Orthros of St. Basil the Great We look forward to celebrating this most precious time with you as a member or friend of the Nativity family. 3

4 Parish Activities & Ministries Philoptochos Coffee Hour Last month when thanking the ladies for baking emergency cookies for coffee hour, it was said that Stassie Sideris donated the ingredients. It was actually Sophia Stathis. Thank you, Sophia! We are in need of hosts for coffee hour on December 25, January 8, 22 and 29. Please sign up in the hall. If you are unable to host a coffee hour, please consider dropping something off in the kitchen. In the past few weeks we have received a few donations of baked goods, which we appreciate very much. Harvest Luncheon Our annual Harvest Luncheon fundraiser was held on November 6th. This was the first year we had the turkeys brought to the church uncooked. Amalia Haginicols and Sophia Stathis were gracious enough to cook ALL the turkeys and, as usual, they did a fantastic job. The luncheon was delicious, and we were able to raise $1700 to be used for our chapter s philanthropic endeavors. The leftovers were taken to the Hamilton shelter, and they were extremely grateful for the donation. They had just learned that there would be 40 extra people for dinner that day and were frantic to figure out where the food would come from. They said it was truly a miracle! BAPSAEF Luncheon The annual Holiday Luncheon will be held on Saturday, December 10th at the Cathedral of the Ascension Church in Oakland. This year we have set up a carpool system to assist anyone needing a ride. If you are coming from the Petaluma area, please contact Rose Hunter. In Novato, Floretta Burrows and Cathy Selmi will be your contacts. From Southern Marin, please contact Debbie Kokalis. purchased, and the tree is decorated and ready to go. Since this expense is not in our budget, we are asking Philoptochos members to consider making a $10- $15 donation to help with the cost of the completed tree. Please make your check out to Susan Stockton, or drop it by the Philoptochos box in the church office. Your help is greatly appreciated. This is always a lovely luncheon and we hope to see you there. When you send in your reservation, please make a notation that you are from the Nativity of Christ Church so we can all be seated together. Adopt-A-Student During the Metropolis fall conference at St. Nicholas Ranch, one of the items on the agenda was the Metropolis Adopt- A-Student program. This program is for men and women from our San Francisco Metropolis attending Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and Hellenic College. All chapters were asked to adopt a student for the school year. Our chapter has adopted Kevin (Nektarios) Edgecomb. He is a returning student who gave up a profession in Information Technology in order to follow a calling from God to the priesthood. Most recently he had been working at the Space Sciences Laboratory at UC Berkeley. For the last two years he has been affiliated with Ascension Cathedral in Oakland and also the OCF in Berkeley at the Patriarch Athenagoras Institute. The second student we adopted is Reader Andreas MacLean. He is a senior at Holy Cross studying for the Master of Divinity degree. For fifteen years prior to going to Holy Cross, he worked in the field of corporate finance. He has served the Metropolis of San Francisco as joint-chairman of the Stewardship & Finance Committee since He is married and has two small children, Alexandra, 5, and Yannis, 3. His home parish is Saint Katherine in Redondo Beach. Throughout the year we will be sending cards, sharing s and sending goodies. An will be sent out to our community prior to the mailing of packages so anyone interested can also participate. If you would like more information about these seminarians or for their addresses, please contact Debbie Kokalis. Visitation Susan Stockton, George Tacticos and Diane Kavantjas are making tremendous progress developing our new visitation program. (see page 11). They are very excited to get started so they can continue the connection these seniors have had with our community. They are reaching out beyond Philoptochos and into our community. If you would like to become involved, please contact Susan, George or Diane. Vasilopita This year the feast day of St. Basil falls on Sunday, January 1, Therefore, we will be having Vasilopita Sunday on that day. We suggest you pre-order your Vasilopita by using the order form on page 14. Proceeds from Vasilopita sales benefit Saint Basil Academy. Dates to Remember Dec 1 Board Meeting - 6:30 pm Dec 10 Annual Bishop Anthony Philoptochos Student Aid Endowment Luncheon Ascension Cathedral, Oakland Jan 1 Vasilopita Sunday Jan TBA Dinner Out Orthodox Christian Contacts & Resources OCF: Orthodox Christian Fellowship (Young Adults) OCF (1623), The luncheon will be slightly different OCN: Orthodox Christian Network (Radio), RECEIVE ( ), this year. The large decorated trees will be replaced with much AFR: Ancient Faith Radio (Internet-based Orthodox radio 24 hours per day), smaller ones, making it easier to take home should you be a lucky winner. Our chapter has committed to GOARCH: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, , providing one of these smaller trees. The tree and ornaments have been Continued on Pg. 5 4

5 Parish Activities & Ministries Continued from Pg. 4 Sunday School News Fall Classic Games, crafts and delicious food made for an enjoyable afternoon at the Fall Classic. Thank you to everyone who helped make this event fun for the kids and the adults, too. Special thanks to: Vickie Gikkas, Debbie Kokalis and Stacey Weeks for the delicious meal they prepared. Kristen Efstathiu for chairing the event and Kim Bondarenko for helping, as well as all the parents for planning and setting up all the fun games and activities we enjoyed. Christmas Pageant This year the Sunday School Christmas Pageant will take place in church following the on Sunday, December 18. Rehearsals for the pageant will take place at church on Sunday, December 4 and Sunday, December 11 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Be sure to bring a sack lunch to rehearsals. We encourage as many children as possible to participate in this event for our Church s Feast Day. All-Parish Christmas Caroling Sunday, Dec. 18 Following the Pancake Breakfast Everyone in the Parish is invited for Christmas Caroling to share the joy of the season with patients at Marin General Hospital. Youth Ministries Angel Tree Program During Advent, the Angel Tree will be in the Narthex so you can select the angels for whom you would like to purchase gifts. If you would like to buy a present for a child or senior who otherwise might not receive one, you may choose an angel from the angel tree in the Narthex. Return your gift unwrapped to the Narthex by Sunday, December 11. Monetary contributions to buy Christmas presents are also gratefully accepted. Thank you to Elaine Chyrklund and Christina Foster who have graciously agreed to coordinate the Angel Tree this year. Parish Breakfast On Sunday, Dec. 18, following the Christmas Pageant, the Sunday School Dads will prepare breakfast for the entire parish in the fellowship hall. There will be a surprise guest who should make everyone smile! Please plan to attend. If you can help out, please Steve Rigisich at srigisich@comcast.net. Our Nativity Youth ministries have shown forth in glorious fashion! Many families have committed to bringing their children to multiple gatherings where our kids are offered, they experience, and they grow in the love of our Lord! GOYA Teens are meeting weekly at 7:00 pm Wednesdays. Monthly activities are also being experienced, and we look forward to future activities! JOY/HOPE Our youth gathered in the love of God at Studio4Art, where they created beautiful Nativity Christmas Tree Ornaments! Thank you to Studio4Art, to Christine Thomatos who led the event, and the many parents who stayed in support of this beautiful ministry. DECEMBER 10th GOYA & JOY/HOPE Activities Activities will take place on Saturday, December 10th during the day, in anticipation of our Sunday School-sponsored Community Social that evening! 5 Continued on Pg. 6

6 Parish Activities & Ministries Continued from Pg. 5 Monthly Socials DECEMBER SOCIAL Fun, Fellowship and Christmas Carols We think we speak for our entire Parish Family when we say that we are thrilled that the Parish Socials have been so much fun, so casual, and so very well attended! We danced at the last event and were again warmed by the laughter, and so happy to see the wide range of generations. It is also a joy to see so many of our ladies (who are usually hard at work in the kitchen) sitting down, chatting, and dancing! Christ s love is apparent in our fellowship with one another! Let s all mark our calendar for our December Social. Our THIRD Parish Social on Saturday, December 10th! Once again, bring a bottle of wine and come enjoy a casual dinner and wonderful company (like you!). After dinner we will sing some classic Christmas Carols together and celebrate the JOY of this blessed Christmas Season. (Please note that our JOY/ HOPE youth groups will be meeting beforehand to make Gingerbread Houses, so if you have children in PreK 5th grade, please plan to come for both!) PARISH SOCIAL Saturday, December 10 5:00 pm-9:00 pm Supper at 6:15pm Carols at 7:30 $20/family or $5 person Adult Religious Education Bible Studies continuing on Tuesdays at 7:00 am & 10:00 am at the church. Bring your Bible and a friend! Orthodoxy 101 continues to be a wonderful experience for all those who attended as we grow in our knowledge and experience of Christ s Church. Our gatherings will continue through Wednesday, December 21st, with our last gathering being the experience of the Holy Unction Service! Bring a friend! Looking Ahead - The next class that will be offered after the new year will focus on the. What the Future Holds in the near future we will have the technological capability to broadcast classes and Bible Study so that individuals may log-on and participate from their home or work computers! Christian Stewardship The 2012 Nativity Stewardship Packet has been sent out, and on December 4th we will gather as a family to explore this beautiful foundation of Christian life and pilgrimage. Please make it a priority to be responsible members of the Nativity family, and participate in this conversation of Christian growth. Simply put, Christian Stewardship is a manifestation of Christian lifestyle! The choices that we make in life provoke our commitments. The commitments that we make in life dictate our lifestyle. Our lifestyle is a manifestation of our stewardship. This conversation will be continued on December 4th at Stewardship Sunday! Gathering to take place immediately following the in the Nativity Gymnasium. 6 Turkey Bomb! Many thanks to all those who participated in our 1st Annual Nativity Turkey Bomb! Through your collective donations of turkeys, many of our local brothers and sisters were able to receive a bit of comfort, and a full belly during this Thanksgiving season Stewardship Final Update November 22, 2011 Number of Commitment Cards Received 256 Total Amount Committed $200,489 Budgeted Goal $225,000

7 For Unto Us A Child Is Born A Very Special Christmas Pageant Sunday, December 18, 2011 Following Since the pageant will take place in church following the, we urge all our children to participate. Also, plan to sing! We will pass out lyrics to all parishioners. REHEARSAL SCHEDULE Sunday, December 4 Sunday, December 11 12:30-1:30 pm in High School Classroom 12:30-1:30 pm in High School Classroom **NOTE: PLEASE BRING A BAG LUNCH.** Breakfast (prepared by the Sunday School Dads) and visit from St. Nicholas will follow. If you have questions, please call Gigi Medan at , or Lisa Rigisich at 415/

8 HOPE/JOY Gingerbread House Workshop!!! Calling all HOPE members (Pre-K through 2 nd graders) and all JOY Members (3 rd through 5 th graders) Come join us on Saturday December 10 th, 2011 at 4 PM at church for refreshments and some holiday fun. Then, plan to stay for the parish Family Social immediately following the workshop for dinner and more fellowship with our church community. Bring a clean, dry, half-gallon milk carton and your creativity for this festive holiday tradition. Visit with friends and make new ones. Siblings welcome. Cost for workshop is $5.00 to cover the gingerbread house making materials. Please also bring a canned food item to support our parish food drive. Parent volunteers needed to help with the project and bring cheese, crackers, and fruit for snacks. Please RSVP to Christina Thomatos by December 5 th to say if your child(ren) will attend and how you can help out. Christina at hopeadvisor@yahoo.com or call to RSVP. 8

9 DECEMBER NATIVITY OF CHRIST C H U R C H C A L E N D A R SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 3 2 Dec. 1 Andrew, the First- Called Apostle Nov. 27 Bishop Anthony Student Aid Endowment Fund Brunch December 10--Ascension Cathedral Oakland 11 a.m. Bible Study 7:00 am Parish Council Retreat 9:00 am - 12:00 noon 13th Sunday of Luke Bible Study 10:00 am Folk Dance Practice Orthros 8:30 am Orthodoxy 101 6:00 pm GOYA Meeting 7:00-7:30 pm Sunday School follows Bible Study 7:00 am HOPE/JOY Activity 4:00 pm High School Classroom GOYA Activity TBA Pan Orthodox Clergy Retreat St. Nicholas Ranch December 7-9, 2011 St. Nicholas of Myra 10th Sunday of Luke Orthros 8:30 am Stewardship Sunday Parish Council Elections Monthly Family Social 5:00-9:00 pm Fellowship Hall Folk Dance Practice GOYA Meeting 7:00-7:30 pm Philoptochos Board 6:30 pm Vigil at St. Nicholas, San Anselmo 7:00 p.m. Sunday School follows Pageant Rehearsal 12:30-1:30 pm Bible Study 7:00 am th Sunday of Luke 11 Bible Study 10:00 am St. Spyridon Orthros 8:30 am 9 Sunday School follows Folk Dance Practice Orthodoxy 101 6:00 pm GOYA Meeting 7:00-7:30 pm Parish Council Meeting 7:30 pm Eve of the Nativity of Christ 24 Royal Hours of Christmas Pageant Rehearsal 12:30-1:30 pm Sunday Before Christmas V 10:00 Bible Study 7:00 am 18 am St. Ignatius, the God-Bearer Orthros 8:30 am Great Vespers 5:00 pm Sunday School Christmas Pageant followed by Parish Breakfast and Christmas Caroling Apodosis of the Nativity of Christ Orthros 9:00 am 10:00 am St. Stephen, the First Martyr The Nativity of Christ 25 Orthros 8:30 am Parish Feast Day

10 Holiday Opportunities During this Christmas Season, you may wish to remember the young men and women of our parish and community who are presently serving in the Armed Forces of our country with a card or a note: George & Teresa Roland Lt. George P. Roland Lt. Teresa Roland 6117 Streamview Drive San Diego, CA Remember our homebound parishoners, as well as those in convalescent hospitals and assisted living facilities listed below with a visit, a letter or card, your prayers or a gesture to show they are loved and their presence is missed. Please let us know if there is someone you know who would like to be added to the list below. Also, Holy Communion is brought to our homebound parishioners by Father Luke. If you know someone who wishes to receive Holy Communion and cannot come to church, give his/her name to Father Luke at Frank Andronico Elpida House 7 Marion Court Novato, CA Mary Grecousis 1534 Buchanan St. Novato, CA John Ivantcho The Rafael 234 N. San Pedro Road San Rafael, CA Bessie Koniaris Young at Heart Home 37 Mendocino Lane Novato, CA Catherine Latta 25 Privateer Drive Corte Madera, CA Catherine Leones Drake s Terrace 275 Los Ranchitos Road #239 San Rafael, CA Lucy Manetas The Rafael 234 N. San Pedro Road San Rafael, CA Panagiota Morf Alma Via Assisted Living 515 Northgate #119 San Rafael, CA Nickie Orologas Drake s Terrace 275 Los Ranchitos Road #234 San Rafael, CA Sophia Prodromou Drake s Terrace 275 Los Ranchitos Road #338 San Rafael, CA Gloria Stath Creekwood Convalescent 1075 Las Pavadas San Rafael, CA Nina Shestakoff 646 Canyon Rd #115 Novato, CA This Christmas night, peace was bestowed upon the whole world; so let no one threaten. This is the night of the Most Gentle One; let no one be cruel. This is the night of the Most Humble One; let no one be proud. Now is the day of joy; let us not revenge. Now is the day of goodwill; let us not be mean. In this day of peace let us not be conquered by anger. Today the Beautiful One impoverished Himself for our sake; so you rich ones, invite the poor to your table. Today we received a gift for which we did not ask; so let us give alms to those who implore us and beg. This present day s fast opens the heavenly door to our prayers. Let us open our door to those who ask our forgiveness. Now the Divine Being took upon Himself the seal of humanity, in order for humanity to be decorated by the seal of Divinity. St. Isaac the Syrian

11 Nativity Outreach John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." Once a month, members of the Nativity of Christ Church Philoptochos chapter have visited homebound parishioners who cannot come to church on their own. Now, our chapter would like to invite anyone from our church community to join us in this wonderful ministry. If you would like to fulfill the Lord s call to visit those who are homebound and bring the message of We love you and care about you, please join us. Our first meeting will be held on Sunday November 20 immediately following the. We will meet in the downstairs library. Coffee and snacks will be provided. If you would like to learn more about the program, please contact Susan Stockton at 22pies@att.net George Tacticos at geotact@yahoo.com or Diane Kavantjas at dkavantjas@netzero.net If you cannot attend the first meeting, we are scheduled to meet again on Monday, December 5 at 10:00 in the high school classroom. Our visitations to homebound parishioners are very special to us and to those we visit. They bring joy to our seniors who are experiencing isolation from their community due to illness, loss or hardship. This is an excellent way for all of us (children, adults and families) to engage with one another and to share the message of God s love. Sometimes just seeing a familiar face can brighten a person s day. Please consider giving this joy to someone in need. I would like to have members of the Nativity of Christ Church come to my home for a visit: Name Phone number I have suggestions of people who might like a visit from members of Nativity of Christ Church: Name(s) Phone number(s) 11

12 Parish News Parish Council Elections Voting to elect members to serve on the 2011 Parish Council will be held on Sunday, December 4, 2011 from 12:00 until 2:00 p.m. Only those members in good standing sacramentally with the Church and who have fulfilled or are current with their pledge for 2011 may vote. Christmas Flower Donations If you would like to contribute toward the cost of the poinsettias and other items used to decorate our church during this Christmas season, please mail your donation in the envelope that is enclosed with this mailing, or bring it directly to the church office, or leave it in the offering tray in the Narthex. Please mark your check Flowers. All contributions, large and small, are appreciated. We are excited to announce that we re going to create a new pictorial directory of our church family. The directory will help us connect names with faces. It will be an ideal outreach tool and will capture the history of our church congregation. Please participate! All we ask is that you have your picture taken by the professional photographer and meet with a portrait consultant at the church. Beginning December 10 and for the next several weeks, we will be making appointments at the church. You can also schedule your appointment online at Please sign up as soon as possible to get the best appointment to fit your schedule. Every participating family/household that selects a pose for the directory will receive a free church directory and a $25 Portrait Gift Certificate, no purchase necessary. You will only need to come to the church once for photography and for portrait viewing. The program is available at no cost to the church budget. You will have the opportunity to purchase portraits and frames on the same day of photography. All portraits come with a 100% unconditional guarantee. Whether you decide to dress formally or casually, you will want to make the most of this opportunity. Please volunteer! We can always use help in running the sign-up tables, checking people in for appointments, or calling for appointment reminders. It will take a group effort to make this a reality, and we ask for your support by volunteering just a little of your time. The scheduled dates for photography and portrait viewing are January 26, 27, 28, and 31, February 1 and 2. More dates may be added as needed. If you have questions, please contact Bonnie Alexander, or ncchurch@pacbell.net. We look forward to seeing everyone in the directory. Our new pictorial directory just won t be complete without you! "The merciful person is he who gives to others what he has himself received from God, whether it be money, food, strength, a helpful word, prayer or anything else that he has through which he can express his compassion for those in need. At the same time he considers himself a debtor since he has received more than he is asked to give." St. Peter of Damascus 12

13 ADVENT FOOD DRIVE AND ANGEL TREE Our 21st Year! It s a time of giving and here are our annual, wonderful opportunities to give. The Angel Tree and Advent Food Drive are upon us and we look forward to your contributions. The chldren and elderly to whom we give gifts must feel such joy when they receive not only our gifts, but our kindness! It is a privilege to once again sponsor our Angel Tree project. It is a joy to see all of you give so generously. How Can You Help? FOOD - Nonperishable food can be brought to church and put in the Marin Food Bank barrels in the Narthex and in the Fellowship Hall Entry. We have great quantities of food to collect in a short time. Please be generous! GIFT - An Angel Tree with the names of the children and senior citizens and their personal wishes will be in the Narthex. If you wish to contribute in this way, take an angel (or two or three!) of your choice home with you. Purchase your gift and tape the angel with the recipient s name on the gift. Place it under the Angel Tree in the Narthex by Sunday, December 11. Please leave gifts unwrapped. MONEY - Monetary contributions to purchase perishable food items and Christmas presents are gratefully accepted. THANK YOU for making this Christmas, the birth of our Savior, a happier time for many people in our community. 13

14 Annual Vasilopita Sale Sponsored by the Nativity of Christ Greek Orthodox Church Philoptochos Society All proceeds to benefit St. Basil s Academy Sunday, January 1, 2012 Immediately following A minimum donation of $15.00 per loaf is requested. Make checks payable to: Philoptochos Society Please send your order to the church by Sunday, December 18 th. There will be a limited amount of Vasilopitas for sale during the coffee hour Name Telephone Number Number of Vasilopitas Amount Enclosed $ 14

15 Sacraments and Rites 40-Day Blessing November 6 Eliana Castro, daughter of Jeff & Joanna Castro. Memorials October 18 Raymond (Romanos) Pezzuto, Stefanos & Angeliki Ivantcho, and Andrew & Panagiota Georgiades November 6 Betty (Vasiliki) Woodward November 13 Panagiotis & Fevronia Spentzos and Alexandra Fotinatos May their memory be eternal. Condolences Our sincerest condolences to Ted and Elaine Passaris on the recent repose of Ted's mother, Maria Passaris, in Greece; and to George & Paraskevi Catel on the recent repose of Pari's Godmother, Kaliope, in Detroit. May our gracious Lord grant rest to their souls and consolation to their families. May their memory be eternal. THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE - CONFESSION In preparation for the celebration of our Lord s Birth, please take advantage of the additional times and days set aside for Confession, or call for an appointment. A sincere and heartfelt confession can lead one to a deeper sense of peace in the knowledge of God s forgiveness and abiding presence, all of which remain always key ingredients and essential elements in our participation in Holy Communion. How can one prepare for Holy Confession? One must, of course, first acknowledge and accept the fact that, as human beings we sin, and that, in fact, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God... (Rom.3:23). Preparation for Holy Confession is a prayerful examination of feelings, thoughts, words, acts, attitudes, habits, values, priorities, goals, direction and way of life. The goal of this sincere search of conscience, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, is not to condemn ourselves, but to affirm our true self in Christ, Who has given us access to God s mercy and forgiveness, and Who has taught us to live for God s glory. Pray and think about your confession over several days. Ask God to help you perceive your sins and make a thorough confession of them. A pamphlet entitled The Sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion, A Guide for Preparation and Participation, is available in the Narthex. Confessions during the Advent Fast will be scheduled by appointment. Please call the office or Father Luke directly to schedule a time for Confession. KEEP THEM IN YOUR PRAYERS Please use this list to pray for members of our parish and others who are sick or in need of God s care. Alexandra Edrich John Gigounas Evelyn Lendaris Fr. Haralambos Fox James Kolyvas George Pantazes Paul Truebenbach, Sr. From time to time, we may remove names that have been on the list for awhile. If you feel a name should remain on the list, or if you would like a new name placed on the list, please contact the office. 15

16 St. Barbara, the Great Martyr December 4 Let us honor Saint Barbara, for she has broken the snares of the enemy; and like a sparrow, she, the all-modest maiden, was delivered out of them by the help and weapon of the Cross.