Newsletter September October 2012

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Meagan Barnett
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and recreational communication and interaction centered around the Church of St Andrew.

The ongoing task of the community is to maintain and promote our Greek Orthodox religion, our Hellenic customs and traditions to all parishioners through the education of our youth and all its

1 Newsletter September October 2012 chairman s comment I would like to remind our members that we should all not lose sight of the function and the vision of our community which I believe is as follows. The parish of the West Rand Hellenic Community consists of all Greek Orthodox citizens in the Krugersdorp, Roodepoort, Randfontein, Westonaria, Carltonville and Fochville areas and provides religious and recreational communication and interaction centered around the Church of St Andrew. We should all be aware that the doors are open to one and all for participation and cooperation in all communal events. The ongoing task of the community is to maintain and promote our Greek Orthodox religion, our Hellenic customs and traditions to all parishioners through the education of our youth and all its members in general. The function of the governing committee of the community is to help provide all this by puplicising informing, advising, educating, and by providing a link with other Hellenic communities, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Johannesburg and Pretoria and others. While we are not actually a charity organization, we wish to project a positive caring image of the community through our Greek school, our newsletter, our presence on the internet (our web site and Facebook page), through our fundraising functions and events and theological and cultural discussions. We wish to advise that circumstances permitting, your committee intends to set in motion a major investment project by acquiring a property (residential or commercial) for development to generate income making the community self-sufficient to eventually establish its own community old age home. As envisaged this home will cater for up to 15 elderly parishioners. It is planned that community transport will be provided to our elderly citizens for trips for their shopping and recreational activities etc. Further information about this project will be provided in due course. The ongoing involvement and support from all of our members always plays a vital part in the success of our fund raising functions as can be seen in the recent Greek Evening in June and the upcoming Bingo Evening and of course the highlight of the year, The Panigiri of St Andrew. We again look forward to your usual cooperation and involvement please. The new committee Back row: Peter Mammous,Ioannis Kaffouris, Tony Antoniades (Chairman), Demos Stephanou Sotiris Sotiropoulos, Nikos Arvanitis Front row: Dimitris Psaros, Andreas Pavlou, Anthoulla Sotiropoulos (Vice Chairlady), Ioannis Georghiou, Frank Teichert, Evie Peristeris Absent: Panayiotis Bellas, Costas Ioannou 1

Father Evangelos Message /Sermonette THE VENERATION OF THE CROSS In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Beloved brothers and sisters!

2 Father Evangelos Message /Sermonette THE VENERATION OF THE CROSS In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Beloved brothers and sisters! Many a time we have heard the Scriptural passage that says, Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one s life for his friends. We can view this passage in a new light: Greater love has no one more than God who became man, Who laid down His life for His creation, and Who left behind a symbol of hope as a result of this sacrifice (the Holy Cross). Today we commemorate the middle of the season of Lent with the celebration known as the veneration of the Cross'. It is on this day that we have reached a mountain of hope after travelling along the long hard road of Lent. It is this mountain of hope that offers us strength to carry on until the feast of feasts finally arrives. It is this mountain of hope upon which we can climb up and see the coming of Pascha in the distance. This mountain of hope is the Cross. In September and indeed every day, we venerate the Cross of Christ to not only remind ourselves of the coming of His crucifixion and Resurrection, but to gather strength from it and to thank Jesus Christ for what He did for us on the wood of the Cross. Let s ponder on the symbol of the Cross for a moment. What a profound paradox this symbol is. An instrument that was used to kill people on becomes the instrument of salvation. It was through this instrument that Christ died, but it was also because of this instrument that Christ was able to defeat death, to rise on that first Pascha, and to open for us the gates of paradise. On the topic of crucifixion it is a well-known fact amongst historical and medical circles that Roman crucifixion was the most cruel and painful form of execution. If you were caught on charges ranging from theft to insurrection and were crucified for it, you would be fortunate if you were dead within a few hours. This was the case with Jesus, and the two thieves who likely died by asphyxiation considering the type of crucifixion that they underwent. Sometimes the unfortunate ones hung on a cross for up to a week before death finally came. Not only would these victims starve and become exhausted but they would also attract a variety of animals and insects from the area that would slowly pick at the victims. Yet, our God was willing to undergo this cruel and humiliating form of execution for our sakes. Holy tradition relates to us that many of our Saints died by crucifixion. For example, St. Andrew the First Called was crucified on a cross that resembled the letter X, and St. Peter was crucified upside down because he did not consider himself worthy to be crucified in the same manner as his master. The instrument of death that becomes the symbol of life is everywhere. It is around our necks, on top of the church, behind the altar, on top of the iconostasis, on the priest's vestments, in our homes, in our cars, on flags and coats of arms. Its even on the koliva and above grave sites as a reminder to us that because of the death on the Cross, the dearly departed can now enjoy everlasting life. Jesus tells us that if we wish to go after Him we too must take up our cross and follow. 2

This means that we must suffer with Him in truth and love, that we ve got to live through the trials and tribulations that this world brings to us, and that we must endure the rejection of this world.

3 This means that we must suffer with Him in truth and love, that we ve got to live through the trials and tribulations that this world brings to us, and that we must endure the rejection of this world. We are rejected for being Christians, for living a Christian life, for standing before the world and saying "I believe in Jesus and follow his teachings". This means that we must put into practice the life that Christ Himself lived, the life that Christ Himself is, the life which is given to us in Christ s name in the Church. Then will we gain the life that awaits us. This is why we venerate the Cross of Christ, which tells us of God s coming to us and of our return to Him, both accomplished by the way of the Cross. This is what we venerate and contemplate in the middle of great lent, the wisdom and the power of God as Christ crucified on the Cross. This symbol tells us the truth about life. It tells us of the truth and love of God for the world, and it tells us what we must do to be alive for eternal life in God s kingdom. Furthermore, Jesus chose this symbol so that he could outstretch his arms and embrace the whole of humanity with his love even in pain and death. If you can see the image of Christ crucified standing behind the altar you will notice that Christ is not withering in pain with a look of despair on His face as you see so often in Western religious art. However, He has a look of peace and serenity on His face exactly because he is embracing us with His love. He is triumphing over death through His death. He is saying to us 'I did this because I love you and I want you to be with me for eternity'. There is no greater love than this. As we witness the procession with the Cross on this day and we go forth to venerate it let s think to ourselves thank you Jesus for dying on this symbol for our sakes. Thank you Jesus for leaving us this symbol of hope. Thank you Jesus for opening the gates of paradise for us with the Holy Cross'. Amen. Cultural Evenings - August s topic 3

National Women s Day Muldersdrift On the morning of Thursday August 9 the ladies of the WRHC celebrated National Women s Day at a function held in

A most interesting presentation on emotional wellness by Anastasia Sotiropoulos was followed by Greek dancing by the students of the Sophia Roditis

On Monday 26 June 2012 the WRHC was honoured to provide the venue of the baptism into the Greek Orthodox religion of England rugby player Bradley

Bradley and his fiancé Giorgia Pierides arrived at St Andrews on the occasion of Bradley s baptism which was carried out by Pater Evangelos who

4 National Women s Day Muldersdrift On the morning of Thursday August 9 the ladies of the WRHC celebrated National Women s Day at a function held in the Lappa at the residence of Mr Tony Antoniades where tea and cakes where enjoyed by all. A most interesting presentation on emotional wellness by Anastasia Sotiropoulos was followed by Greek dancing by the students of the Sophia Roditis School of Dancing. A most enjoyable time was had by all. International Rugby and Glamour comes to St Andrews! On Monday 26 June 2012 the WRHC was honoured to provide the venue of the baptism into the Greek Orthodox religion of England rugby player Bradley Barritt. Bradley and his fiancé Giorgia Pierides arrived at St Andrews on the occasion of Bradley s baptism which was carried out by Pater Evangelos who also conducted the wedding ceremony a few days later. Bradley and Giorgia (daughter of George Pierides), were married at a ceremony at Pantanassa church presided over by H E Damaskinos on Saturday 30 June. At a lavish reception held at Summer Place, Hyde Park, the happy couple celebrated their marriage after their long romance dating back to their high school days in Kwa Zulu Natal. 4

Report by our Greek school teacher Mr Fotis Asimakopoulos Φίλοι συμπατριωτες My compatriot friends, Είναι η πρώτη φορά που επικοινωνούμε μέσα από το φύλλο της Κοινότητας και με την ευκαιρία αυτή

Ιδιαιτέρως θέλω να ευχαριστήσω τα μέλη του συμβουλίου για τη συμπαράστασή τους σε οτιδήποτε απασχόλησε το σχολείο κι εμένα προσωπικά.

5 Report by our Greek school teacher Mr Fotis Asimakopoulos Φίλοι συμπατριωτες My compatriot friends, Είναι η πρώτη φορά που επικοινωνούμε μέσα από το φύλλο της Κοινότητας και με την ευκαιρία αυτή επιτρέψτε μου να σας εκφράσω κάποιες σκέψεις και συναισθήματα. Αρχικά θα ήθελα να σας ευχαριστήσω όλους από καρδιάς για τη ζεστασιά και την αγάπη με την οποία με δεχτήκατε στη φιλόξενη Κοινότητά σας. Ιδιαιτέρως θέλω να ευχαριστήσω τα μέλη του συμβουλίου για τη συμπαράστασή τους σε οτιδήποτε απασχόλησε το σχολείο κι εμένα προσωπικά. Επίσης δεχτείτε τα θερμά μου συγχαρητήρια για την άριστη ανατροφή των παιδιών σας,των παιδιών ΜΑΣ. Το χαμόγελο και η εμπιστοσύνη τους μού δίνουν δύναμη,ώστε να κάνω το καλύτερο για την ελληνόγλωσση εκπαίδευσή τους. Ακόμα, αν και μετά από 8 μήνες στη Ν.Αφρική, πλέον γνωρίζω ότι το πρόγραμμα των παιδιών είναι ιδιαιτέρως βεβαρυμένο, θα σας προτρέψω να να θυσιάσετε μια άλλη δραστηριότητά τους ή και λίγο από τον ελάχιστο ελεύθερο χρόνο τους και να μη τους στερήσετε το ελληνικό σχολείο, καθώς η γλώσσα,αλλά και η επαφή με την ελληνική κοινότητα,είναι παράγοντες πολύ σημαντικοί προκειμένου τα παιδιά μας να διατηρήσουν ζωντανή τη συνείδηση της εθνικότητάς τους και τη μνήμη αυτής της μοναδικής πατρίδας που λέγεται ΕΛΛΑΔA. Ευχαριστώ για τη φιλοξενία. Φωτης Ασημακοπουλος This is the first time that we communicate through the newsletter of the community and, on this occasion, please allow me to express some thoughts and emotions. First I would like to thank all of you from my heart for the warmth and the love with which you accepted me in your hospitable community. In particular, I would like to thank the members of your committee for their support in all matters relating to the school and myself. Also please accept my warmest congratulations for the excellent upbringing of your children, OUR children. Their smile and their confidence in me gives me strength to do my best for their education in the Greek language. Even after only 8 months in South Africa, I have realised that the children s schedule is particularly busy, but I urge you to sacrifice any other activity or even the slightest part of their already cramped leisure time so as not to deprive them of their Greek education and their language. In addition, contact within the Greek community is an important factor in helping our children to keep alive the awareness of their nationality and the memory of this unique homeland called ΕLLADA. I thank you for your hospitality. Fotis Asimakopoulos 5

6 Profile Community Personality Fulll name: Place of birth: Andreas Argyrou Agioi Vavatsinias (Αγίοι Βαβατσινιάς), Cyprus Time in WRHC: Arrived in RSA on 20 September 1961 WRHC member since 1976 Longest serving committee chairman Favourite cuisine/meal: Greek / Cypriot cuisine; Olives and onions; Fassolada! Favourite hobby/pastime: Working hard, earning a living.. Graduate of the University of Enterprise with BCE Honours (Behind the Counter Experience) Favourite holiday destination: Mauritius Favourite music: Greek music, particularly Manos Loizos, who is my first cousin. Favourite book/author: All Greek news journals Favourite sport: Philosophy in life: Watching any football match I believe that the combination of friendships, diplomacy, leadership have played an important part in my affairs in the past. Biggest influence in life: Emigrating from Cyprus my own ambition was to achieve success to prove and improve myself for the benefit of my own family. Disappointment in life: Fortunately I do not recall any major disappointment. Source of happiness: My wonderful extended family, children and grand children. Dreams and achievement: Having succeeded the previous caretaker committee under Mrs Chloe Zapheriou I was grateful to the young people that got involved in my committees to play an important part in my dream to unite our community. Due to the efforts of all involved, we were able to establish the new building wing consisting of St Andrew s Hall, the Machos cultural centre and the Englezakis classrooms. Message to the community: My wish is for the unity of the community to work closely together to achieve the basic ideals of retaining and promoting our Greek traditions and ethics, and above all our Greek orthodox religion to be passed on to the future generations. 6

7 Announcements Arrangements are being made for another exciting Bingo Evening to be held on Friday 14 September. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible! 7

8 Contact us: Street Address: 26 Amajuba Street, Noordheuwel, Krugersdorp 1739 Postal Address: P O Box 1108, Krugersdorp 1740 Tel: Fax: Our Parish Priest, Father Evangelos The Chairman of the WRHC, Mr Antonis Antoniades tony@antoniades.co.za The Greek School teacher, (part time) Mr Fotis Asimakopoulos Editorial: Hon Secretary, Peter Mammous supremex@yebo.co.za We re on the Web! West Rand Hellenic Community Our newsletter is again generously sponsored by Demos Stephanou. 8

August 20th, St. George Ministry Resource Guide. Registration for the year

August 20th, St. George Ministry Resource Guide. Registration for the year 9426 Little Road New Port Richey, Florida 34654 St. George Ministry Resource Guide Registration for the year 2017-2018 Open House Registration, Blessing of the Waters and family afternoon gathering to