SS. Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church April 2016

Transcription

1 SS. Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church April 2016

2 Saints Peter Paul Greek Orthodox Church 1401 Wagner Road Glenview, Il Phone: (847) Fax: (847) Rev. Father Panagiotis Boznos, Proistamenos Rev. Father Kosmas Kallis, Youth Director Fr. Andrew Kearns Dn. Ted Saclarides Sunday &Weekly Services Matins 8:15 am Divine Liturgy 9:30 am Church Office Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 8:30am-4:30pm Fri. 8:30am - 3:00pm Office Administrator: Jeannine McIntyre Office Assistant: Toula Garbis Bookkeeper: Diane Bravos 2016 PARISH COUNCIL Rev. Father Panagiotis Boznos, Proistamenos President: George Nassos Frank Andreou Vice President: Demete Papson Chris Atsaves Rec. Secretary: Keith Anderson George Kirie Corr. Secretary: Christy Gouletas Mary Ann Langas Treasurer: Jim Santos Nicholas Mechales Asst. Treasurer: Louis Pappamichiel Fritz Freidinger Asst. Treasurer: Voula Colburn Michael Carrozza George Burbules Nicole Olds Jim Gottreich Therese Speropoulos Agape Preschool: Renee Tzakis (847) Altar Boys: Deacon Ted Saclarides, Elias Papadakis Athletics: Chris Atsaves Book & Icon Store: Pat Nassos Choir Director: Therese Speropoulos Church School Coordinators: Cynthia Olson Angela Schmidt Louis Pappamichiel Coffee Connection Dr. Helen Theodoropoulos Randa Anderson Doreen DeSent John Colis Coffee Fellowship: Lucy Economos (847) PARISH MINISTRIES Divorce Rebuilders: Maria Boyle Dynamis Group: Gail Kachoyeanos Georgia Photopulos Cancer Support Group: Bud Photopulos and Phyllis Perivolidis Greek School: Stella Theoharopoulos (847) Morning Bible Study: Dr. Helen Theodoropoulos OPA: Rev. Fr. Panagiotis Boznos Organist: Helen Mariano Outreach: Mary Ann Langas Philoptochos President: Georgia Ryerson PROSPHORA: Calliope Prekezes Stewardship: Frank Andreau Ushering: Bo LaMotte and George Kirie Youth Ministries: Rev. Fr. Kosmas Kallis Please telephone the Church office (847) during daytime hours for all spiritual emergencies. For evening emergencies contact Fr. Panagiotis at (630) God bless you always!

3 OChampion General, I your City now ascribe to you * triumphant anthems as the tokens of my gratitude, * being rescued from the terrors, O Theotokos. * Inasmuch as you have power unassailable, * from all kinds of perils free me so that unto you * I may cry aloud: * Rejoice, O unwedded Bride. (Kontakion of Lent) Each year as part of my personal Lenten observance, I read through the collected sayings of the desert fathers. This book is a compendium of the oral traditions handed down by monks of the Egyptian desert who lived in the second through fifth centuries. As one might expect these sayings give particular emphasis on the monastic way of life, and therein we find fertile soil for spiritual cultivation and growth. I would like to share with you some of these sayings that speak to me and renew my spiritual efforts each year during this Lenten Season. If you have a heart, you can be saved. Abba Pambo If you fast regularly, do not be inflated with pride, but if you think highly of yourself because of it, then you had better eat meat. It is better for a man to eat meat than to be inflated with pride and to glorify himself. Abba Isidore the Priest If a man wants God to hear his prayer quickly, then before he prayers for anything else, even his own soul, when he stands and stretches out his hands towards God, he must pray with all his heart for his enemies. Through this action god will hear everything that he asks. Abba Zeno Do not be always wanting everything to turn our as you think it should, but rather as God pleases, then you will be undisturbed and thankful in your prayer. Abba Nilus I pray that these brief few sayings inspire you to dive deeper into the wisdom and nourishment that the fathers of the desert provide, particularly during this time of increased prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Now allow me to turn away from a more spiritually focus message to offer a few words of congratulations to our newly ordained Fr. Kosmas Kallis. Fr. Kosmas has been with our parish for over a year now, and although he now bears his third title in that same amount of time he has been a constant source of light in all that he touches. Yes, his priestly ordination does carry with it the grace and blessing to preside over the sacraments of the Church, however, it is my hope that those added gifts and responsibilities do not interfere with his continued work as our parish Youth Director. Fr. Kosmas will continue to prioritize his ministry to the youth of Saints Peter and Paul over all other responsibilities. I feel great joy in once again officially congratulating Fr. Kosmas upon his ordination. AXIOS. Ἄξιος. + Fr. Panagiotis

4 Q&A with Fr. Panagiotis I'm wondering why God made us. I understand how (in his image and likeness), and what we have to do (basically just what he says, obey 10 commandments, stay faithful to him, and follow the teachings of his Son and the Church), but I don't really understand what the whole point of it all is. Did he just create us for amusement? Seems unlikely from such a loving, care-intensive God. Was he lonely in heaven and wanted some friends? But he had the Angels all around him (and his Son and Spirit of course), and even if that really was the case why would he make planets and stars and dark matter and plants and animals and everything else, instead of just us? Fungus isn't going to keep him company, right? M.A. Above are provided two possibilities for why God created, and both are unsatisfying to the questioner: Amusement and Loneliness. If we turn to film, we can see allegories for each one of these possible solutions: Amusement in the 1981 Clash of the Titans, and Loneliness in Pinocchio. In Clash of the Titans, the ancient Greek gods occupy their time on Mount Olympos by playing games with mortals. Gods take sides in conflicts, or create conflicts. Some help their favored mortals, others set up obstacles to thwart the favorites of their foes. The filmmakers display this amusement and entertainment factor by depicting the gods gathered around a sand table watching and controlling the events below. It is not unlike playing a video game. In this scenario God is the sole beneficiary of creation, because humanity s whole purpose is to provide Him with entertainment. As the questioner mentions, this does not describe a loving and caring God. Compared with Clash of the Titans, Pinocchio might seem like a much better alternative. The elderly, poor, spouseless, and childless Geppetto whittles a block of wood into a puppet to act as his surrogate son. Yet, Geppetto s loneliness bears witness to the fact that he is not whole, that he is somehow lacking in himself, that he is not fulfilled. If this were the case with God, it would mean that He was somehow imperfect, requiring the creation of His children to complete that which is lacking. These traits are no more traits that we can observe in God than the boredom found in the Clash of the Titans model. So clearly we are left to find another explanation for the creation of humanity (and by extension all of creation). If God is not lacking or imperfect in any way, be it from loneliness or boredom, we must understand that He does not NEED to create us. He is perfect and exists as such even without our creation. This means that His act of creation is a gift given in pure, uncoerced, and unsolicited love. In other words, He created something that is the object of His love, not because He needed to, but because He wanted to. He created us then to be loved by Him, and to respond to that love in kind. God also gives us the rest of creation to further support that mutual love that exists between God and Man. Each and every thing created by God was created out of His love, and so it is not enough for us simply to love Him. To love truly you must not only love the one you love, but also love the things that are loved by the one you love. This is why the Orthodox Church has such a strong environmental consciousness. Our life is a gift from God, given to us in love, and to Love him back fully we must also love every aspect which makes up His creation.

5 Parish Council News April, 2016 As we are well into our Great Lent, we wish you a very spiritual Lenten period and a Holy Pascha. We truly hope you have been attending the Presanctified Gifts services on Wednesday evenings and the Salutations on Friday evenings whenever your schedule permits. The Presenctified Gifts services are followed by a Lenten meal along with a lecture. There are only a few left so take advantage of this opportunity for a spiritual and educational evening. On April 13, rather than a lecture during the dinner, you will have the opportunity to listen to oratorical presentations by our youth. Our Outreach & Events committee, headed by Mary Ann Langas and Christy Gouletas, continues to plan events for new members as well as providing packages for college students. Through the efforts of Fr. Panagiotis and Fr. Kosmas, the Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) chapter at Northwestern University is strong again and has been officially recognized by the university as well as the National OCF organization. On April 10, 2016, the Northwestern OCF chapter will be hosting the coffee hour after the Sunday service so please attend and welcome the college youth to our church. As we have had the joy of many new members at our church, it seems that it is time for a new membership directory. Therese Speropoulos is heading a small committee to publish a new directory by the end of the year. So be on the lookout for announcements when you and your family can have pictures taken for the directory. As always, we wish you God s blessings during this Holy Paschal season. Yours in Christ, George P. Nassos Parish Council President

6 "Charitable giving should change your life in some way." - Silvio Nardoni A Message from the Stewardship Committee Who is Silvio Nardoni? Mr. Nardoni is an attorney from Glendale, California, who wrote a brief review of a book titled Creating Congregations of Generous People by Michael Durall. In his book, Michael Durall concludes that merely asking parishioners for money is very different from creating a congregation of generous people. At this time of year when many of us have committed our stewardship pledges, Mr. Nardoni s quote should compel us all to think about why our giving is significant and how it can change our lives. Clearly, the act of simply writing a check may not exactly be a life changing event; however, when we couple writing a check with participating in the Church s many other ministries, our lives are changed rather profoundly; further, we may also change the lives of others. For example, a father decided that this year, he would coach one of the parish s basketball teams. This father had very little ability of his own to play the game and at first was reluctant to coach. However, he was encouraged by his fellow parishioners to coach nonetheless. One of the children on the team, a girl short in stature but tall in spirit, joined the team and felt self -conscious about her ability to play. Both coaches on the team encouraged this little spitfire to shoot the ball and assured her that there would be no criticism if she missed. Just get out there, play, and have fun. As the season progressed, this little girl became more confident in her ability, played aggressively and earned the nickname Sparkplug by her coaches. Watching this shy child develop her confidence and love of the game was a rewarding experience to all who participated; both the child and coach s lives were changed by this experience. Similarly, during recent Coffee Connection sessions, parishioners shared extremely personal experiences with other members of the group; stories about coping with illness and the loss of loved ones. There was no fear of judgment or criticism by any of the participants and with each passing week, the group grows in size. Each member of the group seems more comfortable participating in discussions with each passing week. Each member is enriched by the experiences of others and by the comfort and support offered within the group. We begin our experience on Sunday with the Divine Liturgy where we pray with our fellow parishioners. Then throughout the week, we participate in other ministries in growing numbers volunteering our time and our talent as we accept the Church as the center of our Christian community. The overall message seems to be that a congregation of generous people can only be achieved when people first give of themselves. Whether that involves helping a young child build her confidence or helping a parishioner cope during a difficult time, spiritual generosity will necessarily translate into generosity of treasure. Charitable giving will change our lives when we give of ourselves.

7 SACRAMENTS +Baptisms Jonathan, son of Demetri and Kari Pavlatos Sponsor: Andrew Pavlatos GOD S BLESSINGS AND +Wedding Sacrament Zacharias and Noelle (Howell) Alukos Sponsor: Eleni Papakostas-Cintron GOD S LOVE AND JOY! PARISH NEWS +40 Day Churching of Mother and Infant Dean, son of Kevin and Melissa Vandewater GOD S BLESSINGS ALWAYS! +Funerals Our Condolences to the family of Barbara Koukios. MAY HER MEMORY BE ETERNAL! Welcome to our New Members! George Jordan Dimitris and Anastasia Lazarou The Outreach/Events committees have combined to one glorious group, and WE NEED YOUR HELP! Our committee loves to do lots of good things planned, but we can not do it without your help. Please contact Christy Gouletas, or MaryAnn Langas, malangas@aol.com if you are interested in getting involved. We serve at soup kitchens, host new member events, organize semi-annual blood drives, send semi-annual care packages to our own kids in college, and plan events for our parish and the community. Our upcoming events include, but aren't limited to: Prison Ministry speaker College Care Package assembly Sack Lunch preparation 4/29 Blood Drive May 10 Sunday Soup Kitchen 5/22 DYNAMIS MEMBERS - The April meeting will be held on April 1:00 p.m. in the youth room. We will see a DVD on the lives of Saint Peter and Saint Nicholas. Refreshments will be served. Remember to sign up for the May 6th trip to ST IAKOVOS RETREAT CENTER. Trip includes transportation and Divine Liturgy and luncheon that day. Reservations are required. Please call Fanny Pappas as soon as possible to make a reservation or see her at coffee hour.

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9 Philoptochos News by Milly Pappas COMING EVENTS APRIL 8 - FRIDAY - BLOOMINGDALE S FRIENDS AND FAMILY FUNDRAISER BREAKFAST - RAFFLE - SHOPPING Chairladies: Maria Leventis and Jane Tranas APRIL 9 - SATURDAY - METROPOLIS LENTEN QUILT-A-THON 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Fellowship Hall Chairladies: Petroula Bazianos, Lisa Lehocky, and Brenda Papson APRIL 14 - THURSDAY - GENERAL MEETING PROGRAM A speaker will tell us about a non-profit organization in Evanston that gives youth with minor offenses, a Second Chance. This organization will benefit from our May 7, A Night at the Club. APRIL 23 - SATURDAY - PALM SUNDAY BAKE SALE Ladies,we will appreciate And APRIL 24 - SUNDAY your homemade specialties, pastry in cups. Please bring to Fellowship Hall on Thursday 4/21, Friday 4/22, or Saturday 4/23, before ll:000 a.m. Thank You. Please see Pre-Order Pastry Form on following page. MAY 7, SATURDAY - PHILOPTOCHOS SPRING FUNDRAISER Chairladies: Julia Anastos and Pam Paradies (Please see flyer on following page) *********** ADDITIONAL STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP to be presented on Graduate Sunday, May 22, The Athie Koulogeorge Panarites Orthodox Religious Education Scholarship. May be used for: Religious Education, including: Hellenic College / Holy Cross School of Theology. Also, Religious Summer Camps. Application forms are available in the church office. Only for the Athie Koulogeorge Panarities scholarship, please return by: May 5, For the other scholarships offered, the application return date is March 31 st. All scholarships are offered to qualified high school seniors whose families are members of SS. Peter and Paul Church and will be attending college or university in the Fall.

10 SS. Peter & Paul Philoptochos Palm Sunday Bake Sale Saturday, April 23, 11:00 AM-3:00 PM Sunday, April 24 Following Divine Liturgy For your convenience, Philoptochos is offering Pre-Orders for the Palm Sunday Bake Sale. Please use the form below to place your order. You may drop your order off at the Philoptochos table in the Fellowship Hall during coffee hour on Sundays or mail your order to SS Peter & Paul Philoptochos, 1401 Wagner Road, Glenview, IL Make check payable to SS Peter & Paul Philoptochos. Orders and payment must be received by Wednesday, April 20th. All orders will be packaged and ready for pick up on Saturday, April 23, 11:00 AM-3:00 PM or Sunday, April 24, following Divine Liturgy. Additional pastry will be sold on the days of the Bake Sale. Please Print Name Phone Number ITEM Unit Price Quantity Total Easter Bread (Tsoureki) with seeds $10.00 Easter Bread (Tsoureki) without seeds $10.00 Frozen Tiropites $10.00/ doz. Baklava $12.00/6 pieces Frozen Galaktoboureko 9 pan (directions and syrup included Koulourakia Melomakarona Kourambethes $15.00 $6.00/doz. $7.00/9 pieces $7.00/9 pieces Grand Total $

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12 Athletic Update Our Church Basketball season ended on Sunday March 6 with great success this year. Through the Athletic program were able to build an amazing and close knit community. Congratulations to our 5/6 th grade coed team for finishing first in the division and winning the year end tournament championship. Also congratulations to our High School girls for also finishing first in the division and winning the year end tournament championship. Here are some highlights to our great season. 1 st and 2 nd grade team finished second I n the season ending tournament 3/4 th grade team finished with an amazing 14-0 record and won the Christmas tourney. 5/6 th grade won the Thanksgiving tourney, GOAL division and season end tournament 7/8 th grade finished 3 rd in the division High Sch. girls won the Thanksgiving tourny, GOAL division and season end tournament. High Sch. Boys finished 2 nd in the thanksgiving tourney and 2 nd in the GOAL division. Men's Team came 4 th in the division and 5 th in the season end tourney. There were a total of 118 kids and young adults who participated in basketball this year. I could not have coordinated this program without the great help and support I received from the Parish and Fr Panagiotis and Deacon Kosmas. I also need to thank out 12 coaches: Toli Siakavelis, John Tranas, Frank Andreou, Jim Kanellos, Angelo Costas, Robert Mastros, Dan Garbis, Jim Limperis, Peter Maris, Peter Petrakis, John Hatzigiannis and Frank Bolos. Also thanks to the many parents who were ready to step in at a moment's notice to lend a hand with practices, games and rides. We finished the season with our annual Challenge games and fundraiser. This is where the kids challenge their Mom's and Dad's to games. It was great fun to see the Mom's and Dad's strap on their gym shoes and run around the court chasing the kids. We ended a fun day of games with a pizza party in the atrium. Next up for Athletics is the Junior Olympic's. The games are held over Memorial weekend in May. There and many different sports for kids ages 7-18 to participate. Track and Fiels, Soccer, Basketball Volleyball Softball, Swimming Wrestling, Tennis, Table Tennis, Chess, Checkers and Tavli. There is even a 10K for the adults who wish to compete. Please stop at the outreach table to sign up. Please go to our website to or join our Facebook page: SS. Peter and Paul to see our many pictures. Chris Atsaves-Athletic Director

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14 Habitat for Humanity Upcoming Work dates A decent home is where everything begins for a family. Habitat Lake County has helped over 125 families reach this dream. Saints Perter and Paul has been helping since Thanks to everyone who has participated and contributed over years. Our next work dates are: Saturday April 16, 2016 Saturday May 14, 2016 A work crew consists of 12 volunteers (male and female) over the age of 16. A work day starts at 8:00 AM in Waukegan and ends at 3:00 PM. Please contact Brad DeSent by at bdesent@apexcg.com or by phone at (847) if you can make one of these dates. AGAPE PRESCHOOL & KINDERGARTEN On March 3rd, Agape Preschool and Kindergarten celebrated Daddy and Me Night at school! We all had a blast!

15 AGAPE Preschool & Kindergarten Saints Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church Kindergarten and Preschool registration for the year is in progress! AGAPE Preschool & Kindergarten is committed to providing an educational experience emphasizing the Orthodox Christian faith in a nurturing environment with a centers or play-based approach to learning. Provided below are the program options: Saints Class (Kindergarten) 9:00am to 2:00pm Age 5 by 9/1/16 1 to 12 teacher/child ratio Monday through Friday Kindergarten State Standards for reading, writing, math, social studies and science Come and See with clergy Catered hot lunch program Specials include Greek School, Art, Music, Religion, Cooking and Gym Apostles Class (Pre-K) 9:00am to 1:00pm Age 4 by 9/1/16 1 to 7 teacher/child ratio Monday through Thursday Friday enrichment program (available) (9:10am to noon) Come and See with clergy Catered hot lunch program Specials include Greek School, Art, Music, Religion and Cooking Disciples Class 9:00am to 1:00pm Age 3 by 9/1/16 1 to 7 teacher/child ratio Monday through Thursday (9:15am to 1:00pm) Friday enrichment program (available) (9:10am to noon) Come and See with clergy Catered hot lunch program Specials include Greek School, Art, Music, Religion and Cooking Fishermen 9:00am to 11:15am Age 2 by 9/1/16 1 to 5 teacher/child ratio Three Day Program (T,W,TH) Specials include Art, Music, Religion, Cooking and Greek Language Introduction If you would like a registration form, they are available in the church office or by have contacting Renée Tzakis by phone at or by agape60025@gmail.com Please remember that all registration forms must be turned in by May 1 st!

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21 April 2016 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 FAST DAY 2 FAST DAY 9:30am Greek School 7:00pm Salutations 5:00pm Vespers 3 FAST DAY Veneration of the Cross 8:15 am Matins 9:30 am Divine Liturgy 11:45am K-5 Lenten Retreat 4 FAST DAY 4:30pm Greek School 6:00pm Compline 7:00pm Sr. GOYA 5 FAST DAY 6:00pm Faith, Love & Joy 6:30pm Philoptochos Board Meeting 6 FAST DAY 10:00am Adult Bible Study 6:00pm 9th Hour and Presanctified Liturgy 7 FAST DAY 6:30am Men s Bible Study 1:00pm Dynamis 4:30pm Greek School 8 FAST DAY Bloomingdale s Family and Friends 7:00pm Salutations 9 FAST DAY 9:30am Philoptochos Quilt-a-thon 9:30am Greek School 10:00am Jr./ Sr. GOYA at Quilt-a-thon 5:00pm 10 FAST DAY 8:15 am Matins 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Coffee Connection 11 FAST DAY 4:30pm Greek School 6:00pm Compline 7:00pm Jr. GOYA 12 FAST DAY 7:00pm Couples Group 7:00pm Cancer Support Meeting 13 FAST DAY 10:00am Adult Bible Study 6:00pm 9th Hour and Presanctified Liturgy 6:30pm Oratorical Festival 14 FAST DAY 6:30am Men s Bible Study 4:30pm Greek School Philoptochos General Meeting 7:00pm Parish Council Executive Meeting 15 FAST DAY Jr./Sr. GOYA Spring Lenten Retreat 7:00pm 16 FAST DAY 9:30am Greek School Young Adult Retreat 5:00pm Vespers 17 FAST DAY 8:15 am Matins 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Coffee Connection 18 FAST DAY 4:30pm Greek School 6:00pm Compline 19 FAST DAY 20 FAST DAY 10:00am Adult Bible Study 6:00pm 9th Hour and Presanctified Liturgy 21 FAST DAY 6:30am Men s Bible Study 4:30pm Greek School 6:30pm Sr. GOYA Coffee Talk 22 FAST DAY 6:00pm SS. Peter and Paul Palm- Folding Event 23 FAST DAY 8:30am Matins 9:30am D. L. Saturday of Lazarus 5:00pm Vespers 24 FAST DAY 8:15 am Matins 9:30 am Palm Sunday Divine Liturgy/Blessing of the Palms Philoptochos Palm Sunday Bake Sale No Church School 7:00pm Service of the Bridegroom 25 FAST DAY Holy Monday 7:00pm Nymphios 26 FAST DAY Holy Tuesday 7:00pm Nymphios Service 27 FAST DAY Holy Wednesday 3:00pm Holy Unction 7:00pm Service of the Bridegroom and Holy Unction 28 FAST DAY Holy Thursday 7:00am Vesperal Divine Liturgy - The Mystic Supper 7:00pm The Holy Passion of our Lord 29 FAST DAY Holy Friday 9:00am Royal Hours 3:00pm The Unnailing and the Burial 7:00pm The Lamentations 30 FAST DAY Holy Saturday 9:00am Vesperal Divine Liturgy 10:00pm Opening of Church Doors 11:00pm The Canon 11:45pm New Light and the Resurrection of our Lord

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24 1401 Wagner Road Glenview, Illinois Address Service Requested