Fr. Jarrod s Message. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity. Psalm 133:1

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1 THE WONDERWORKER July / August 2017 Fr. Jarrod s Message Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity. Psalm 133:1 Our St. Nicholas Church family recently demonstrated the joy of unity through our annual Yassou Festival. The Lord blessed us with beautiful weather as our beloved parishioners served our larger Jamestown area community through faith, culture, food, and fellowship. Whether it was taking a Church tour, watching the extremely talented Yassou Greek Dancers, eating a homemade pastry, or enjoying the company of our larger community, a blessed time was had by all. Witnessing our St. Nicholas Church family coming together in unity to support this festival was truly amazing. Well done St. Nicholas Church! The Yassou Festival is one of our best opportunities each year to educate others about our Orthodox Christian Faith and to invite those without Church homes to explore Orthodox Christianity. We increased our outreach efforts this year by adding a Great Vespers service on Saturday evening. The service was promoted during the Church tours as an opportunity for our festival guests to witness the Orthodox Church in its fullness as a worshiping community. Approximately forty people joined us for the service and experienced Orthodox Christian worship, many for the very first time! The service was a huge success beyond our expectations, and we plan to celebrate a Great Vespers service at the 2018 Yassou Festival. We will soon be entering the period of the Dormition Fast. Starting August 1, Orthodox Christians throughout the world increase our prayer (both private and corporate), our fasting, and our almsgiving for fourteen days to prepare for the major Feast of the Dormition (Falling Asleep) of the Theotokos. This is another opportunity for our Church family to dwell in unity as we gather during the week celebrating Paraklesis (Supplication) services to the Virgin Mary. All parishioners are encouraged to attend these services (which are on the Church calendar) and to bring the names of the living to be commemorated during the service. May God continue to bless all of you and our entire St. Nicholas Church family. ST. NICHOLAS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 15 FRANCIS ST. PO BOX 264 JAMESTOWN, NY (716) FAX: (716) JAMESTOWN.ORG PARISH PRIEST Rev. Fr. Jarrod Russell Cell: (501) frjarrod@gmail.com Sunday Services 10:00 am Divine Liturgy 11:30 am Sunday School Fellowship Hour Following Divine Liturgy For dates and times of weekday services, please refer to the calendar in this edition or on the church website. LIVE YOUR ORTHODOX FAITH With love in Christ, Rev. Fr. Jarrod Russell

2 YASSOU 2017 Fr. Jarrod with all the Yassou Greek Dancers in their beautiful new costumes. Thank you to all the donors that made these new authentic costumes possible. THANK YOU ONE AND ALL WHO HELPED BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER TO MAKE THIS A SUCCESSFUL YASSOU!

3 PHOTO CREDITS: PHILIP ZIMMER ANGIE TURNER CHRISTINE CHERONIS

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5 On the Sunday after the Yassou Festival, we were blessed with the presence of Rev. Fr. George Zervos, our former parish priest, who led the Divine Liturgy with Fr. Jarrod and offered the homily. Fr. George currently serves as the parish priest of St. George Greek Orthodox Church in DeKalb, Il. It was a great joy to welcome Fr. George, Presv. Anne, and Sofia back to Jamestown! YASSOU Thanks to the efforts of many parishioners and friends of St. Nicholas over several months, Yassou was a success. Many thanks also to those individuals and families who generously donated baking supplies and food items that assists in offsetting some of our expenses. Yassou raffle drawing was held on Saturday June16th. Winners were: Laura Spiridon, David Vermilyea, Greg Petera. Congratulations to our winners. Thank you everyone for your support.

6 Dear Fellow Parishioners, COUNCIL CORNER By Tim Anderson, Parish Council President 7/11/17 Thank you to everyone who has continued to support the needs of our church. Our Parish community grows stronger with the efforts of each individual member, and it s wonderful to see the many ways we can come together and make significant contributions! The effort at the Yassou festival by everyone involved was wonderful to see. So many people donated their time and talents to another year of fellowship and outreach for our church. Thank you as always to John Silo for coordinating everyone s efforts! The Baklava Sundae fundraiser was also a success thanks to Lexie Turner, Angie Turner and Chris Cheronis. The Council continues to look for ways to improve the upkeep and maintenance of the church. We are also always looking for more volunteers to help with the Greeter Ministry. Thank you to all of those people who have given their time to maintain the lawn throughout the summer as well! We have been blessed to have Father Jarrod with us for almost a year now, and appreciate his constant guidance and willingness to jump into any and all issues of the church. Please contact any Council member or Father Jarrod to find ways in which you can also contribute in the life of our church! Lord! As always, the Council looks forward to serving the needs of our church with the guidance of our With love in Christ, Tim Anderson, Council President. PARISHIONERS NEWS DEATH: Catherine Sophie Petro, mother of Cherie Hansen and Dr. George Petro, and sister of Violet Kianos, fell asleep in the Lord on July 5th, Our deepest sympathies to her extended family and friends. May Her Memory Be Eternal Faith & Family Night with the Jammers Friday, July 21: The Jamestown Jammers are hosting local Churches for an evening of faith, fellowship, and baseball. In addition to the exciting baseball game and fan experiences between innings, there will be a pre-game discussion with Jammers players and coaches about the role of faith in their lives. Tickets are only $4.00, when purchased as a group. Make plans to meet at the ballpark at 6:45pm on Friday, July 21 so we can purchase our tickets as a group and sit together cheering on the hometown Jammers against the Elmira Pioneers! St. Timothy s Camp St. Timothy s Camp is scheduled for the week of Sunday August 6th. The Metropolis is providing a bus that will depart from the Annunciation Parish in Buffalo, NY. The camp is open to ages 8 through 18., along with college students. For more information, please contact Fr. Jarrod.

7 Stewardship Report: June 2017 Total Amount Pledged: $77,898 Pledges Received as of 6/30/2017: $56,640 Number of Families Pledged as of 6/30/2017: 89 Anderson, Greg & Christina Anderson, Jason Anderson, Tim & Rachel Bechakas, John & Toula Bechakas, Michael & Heather Bechakas, Terry & Soultana Benchley, Andrew & Sonja Bertrand, John & Victoria Bruner, Kenneth & Helen Cheronis, James & Christine Christ, James, W. Sr. & Children Christ, Terry & Joanne Constantine, Athena Cottillion, Ted Coustenis, Ted Coustenis, Virginia Crandall, Chad, Brittany & James Cretekos, Kathryn Cretekos, Stephanie Cummings, Bryan, Victoria Cummings, William & Katrina & Family Decker, Jim & Kathy Deppas, John Deppas, Lou, Melissa Dimas, Dorothy Dimas, Thomaidha Dimitri, Adam, Kelly & Adrianne Dimitri, Athena Dimitri, John & Julie & Alex Dimitri, Michael & Jo Ann Duro, Christian Duro, Teresa Elia, Mark & Vanessa Fanaritis, Magdaline Focianos, John Frederick, Elizabeth & Mark Gedz, Basil Getska, Thomas Gianas, Sophia Greico, Eleanor & Donato Hennas, Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Hill, Louise Joanethis, Dennis Juvelis, Nicholas & Martha Kianos, Violet Kieva, Katherine Lampropolos, Stephanie Louis, Terry Lundmark, Jason Matjoulis, John Sr. McCandless, Nicolette Michos, Alexandra Michos, Crist & Robin Michos, Elizabeth Mignoli, Constance Mihal, Paul & Marguerite Morrison, Heath & Kathleen Myers, David & Mary Newburg, Jerry & Elizabeth Pannes, Nicholas Panteli, Pantelis & Linda Pappas, Elizabeth Piaschyk, Damian, Sabrina Psychos, Constance Rafael, Presv. Claire Rafael, Timothy Raptis, Jim & Demetra Rigas, Gust & Rheba Rigas, John Rigas, Michael Ross, Anna Russell, Fr. Jarrod Searls, Loretta Silo, John & Barbara Singleton, Todd, Alexis Snell, William, Afroula Spanos, George, Mary Ann Spiridon, Dean & Linda Stanton, Dean, Maria Tatoian, Kimberly Theofilactidis, Dimtrios, Tiffany Theofilactidis, Lazaros, Courtney Tsitso, Louis Tsitso, Nicholas Tsitso, Spiro Turner, Bill, Angie Verleni, Nicholas & Helen Voulgaris, Tony & Helen Zorich, Ron, Voula Thanks to all those who continue to support our cherished St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church through your financial gifts!

8 St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Ladies Erene Society Submitted by: Christine Cheronis, President With the summer now in full swing, the Yassou festival over and the time for relaxing and enjoying God s blessings now upon us, the Erene Society has ended its calendar year. The Ladies Erene Society had its final meeting for the year in June at the Lutheran Social Services campus where several of our parish ladies reside. Our organization has strived this year to reconnect those members who have been unable to attend meetings due to limited physical abilities and time restraints. We hope to continue this same style of planning meetings in the Erene Society calendar year as well. We are sympathetic to the time restraints that many of our busy women experience trying to balance Church, home and work, so plans to continue to accommodate everyone s schedules and abilities to participate in the Ladies Erene Society meetings and activities are a priority. The ladies will be enjoying their annual summer picnic on July 17th which will be an evening of fellowship, games and just a little bit of business! The picnic will be at the Lakewood Rod and Gun club and begin at 4:30pm. All our ladies are invited to attend! As my first year of president has come to a close, I would like to express my deepest thanks to all the ladies who have participated in making the Erene Society grow and continue its mission of helping other less fortunate. With the support of all the ladies, I am very humbled by the generosity and the strength that this group of women has. I am proud to be a part of this. I have learned a lot about myself and my Church and hope to continue to encourage others to feel what I have felt being part of this society of Orthodox women. I also would like to thank Father Jarrod for providing guidance and education to us during each meeting as well. We look forward to learning more about the women of the Orthodox Faith in September! May you have a safe and blessed summer! For more information on the St. Nicholas Ladies Erene Society and its mission, activities and committees, please contact Christine Cheronis at ccheronis@gmail.com or call (814) Summer Book Drive Many thanks to all who donated to the Summer Book Drive for the benefit of local youth. We continue to collect books at the Church in July & and August, to be distributed to children at the Jamestown Summer Playground Program sites around the city. Pictured here are program participants enjoying the books at the Playgrounds. All parishioners are welcome to participate! During the summer months, please contribute any children's books you can offer by placing them in the box in Narthex. Monetary donations will be collected by Alexis Singleton, and used to purchase $1 books through a program offered by Scholastic Books. Members of the church will be visiting the Jamestown Summer Playground sites to read aloud and hand out books from our book drive. Please participate by volunteering to read, or donate some books. We will visit the playgrounds on Wednesdays at 1:30 pm from July 12 - Aug 9. Please contact Alexis via e- mail at alexis.singleton@gmail.com or by phone to volunteer to read or have your donations picked up. 7/19 Fletcher Elementary (pavilion/playground area behind the school) 7/26 Lillian Dickson Park (Falconer Street between Sturges & Bowen Sts) 8/2 Lincoln Elementary (Playground area) 8/9 Ring Elementary (Playground area at the back of the school)

9 Baklava Sundae Fundraiser St. Nicholas parish was invited to participate in the festival celebrating the newly renovated McCray point boat launch, Jamestown, on Saturday, July 8. There were many different food vendors there, as well as musical entertainment, kayak and canoe rentals, and rides on the beautiful Chautauqua Belle ferry. Many thanks to all the parishioners and friends who came out to support this event. The church was able to raise $391! The organizers of this event are planning to make this an annual festival. We hope that St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church will again be able to participate. ST. NICHOLAS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH SCHOLARSHIP was awarded to Tristen Kum as a graduate of Jamestown High School. Starting in August he will be taking a three month course, required by the Fire Department, called Firefighter 1. In the spring of next year he will enroll in the EMT program at JCC. After all that is done, he will continue with the Busti Volunteer Fire Dept and apply for a job with All Star. Congratulations Tristen. L to R: Fr. Jarrod Russell, Tristen Kum, Wendy Johnson, proud Mother, and Tim Anderson, Parish Council President. CONGTRATULATIONS TO THE CRUMP FAMILY on the Baptism of their daughter and sister, Tiffany Eftihia Jamie Crump. She was baptized on May 28, 2017 at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church with Fr. Jarrod Russell, Celebrant. Proud Godparents are Afroula and Bill Snell. May she have a long and healthy life with her beautiful family.

10 MEMORIALS April 25th thru June 30th 2017 We gratefully acknowledge these donations received by the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, the **Ladies Erene Society** and the *St. Nicholas Scholarship Fund* in loving memory of: Terry Constantine Dawn Henderson** Charlie and Valerie Heggarty** Douglas Noni Sr. and family** Virginia Cummings Dawn Henderson** Charlie and Valerie Heggarty** Douglas Noni Sr. and family** Crissi Verros Toula and John Bechakas Most Assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. John 5:24 MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE ETERNAL CHOIR CORNER Choir Director Jim Cheronis would like to thank all our choir members for their dedication throughout the summer months. Special thanks and recognition goes out to Dora Turner, Joanne Christ and Kathy Kieva, who all assisted Fr. Jarrod with services in Jamestown and Olean in Jim s absence. Also, thank you to Joanna Roberts for agreeing to lead the choir for the July 9 and July 16 services! The choir will be resuming regular practices in August, where we will be learning to sing various hymns and music of the Divine Liturgy in 4-part harmony. Respectfully submitted by, Jim Cheronis SUNDAY SCHOOL SUNDAY SCHOOL WILL BEGIN ON SEPTEMBER 10TH. OUR SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS WILL BE EAGERLY AWAITING YOUR CHILDREN / GRANDCHILDREN! Sabrina Piaschyk, Christine Cheronis and Christine Tsitso.

11 JULY /2 Christine 7/9 Christine 7/16 Madison 7/23 Tiffany 7/30 Sabrina Prosoforon Making Calendar AUGUST /6 Louise 8/13 Angie 8/20 Joanne C. 8/27 Angie SEPTEMBER /3 Tiffany 9/10 Christine 9/17 Angie 9/24 Tiffany BREADMAKERS Please make 2 loaves of bread for each Sunday. If you are unable to make the bread on the date you are scheduled, please contact Joanne Christ, at (716) SIX DAY PRAYER CANDLES located on the solea of the alter are available for you and your loved ones at $5.00 each. If you are unable to come to church to light your own candle, call the church for assistance. SUNDAY BULLETIN Angie Turner is coordinating the Sunday Bulletin with Fr. Jarrod. If you have events, special meetings, memorials, or information that you would like to have announced, please contact Angie Turner, (814) , or angturn@hotmail.com Parish Priest: President: Vice President: Treasurer: Secretary: Council Members: Chanter: Choir Director: PARISH COUNCIL 2017 Father Jarrod Russell Timothy Anderson Todd Singleton Damian Piaschyk Angie Turner Christine Cheronis Joanne Christ Basil Gedz Stephanie Lampropolos Ron Zorich James Cheronis James Cheronis Adult Acolytes: Chris Christodoulou, Christian Duro, Louis Tsitso Acolytes: Theonas Singleton, James Christ, Jr., Nicholas Brown, Benjamin Brown, Tristen Kum PHILOPTOCHOS ERENE SOCIETY President: Vice President: Treasurer: Recording Secretary: Corres. Secretary: Bookkeeper /Treasurer Assistant: Caretakers: Memorials: Olean Area: Bookstore: Newsletter: Coordinator: Christine Cheronis Helen Voulgaris Christina Anderson Kim Tatoian Joanne Christ PARISH LIASONS Alexis Singleton Spiro Tsitso Todd Singleton, Basil Getz Ethel Enserro Betty Pappas Rachael Anderson & Stephanie Lampropolos Fr. Jarrod Russell Angie Turner Elizabeth Frederick SUNDAY SCHOOL PROGRAM Sabrina Piaschyk Chris Cheronis Christine Tsitso

12 THE WONDERWORKER St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church PO Box 264 Jamestown, NY Address Service Requested Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Permit #336 Label SAVE THE DATE! Saturday Sept 9, 2017 Church Picnic from 4pm 7pm at the Allen Park Men s Club, 1309 Norby Road, (Kiantone) Jamestown, NY. Bubble Gum DJ will be performing from 4:30 5:30pm. Fun and Games for all and great fellowship. Please bring a dish to Pass. See Sabrina Piaschyk with questions. BOOK STORE / GIFT SHOP We have several new items available for you. Check us out for the special events to remember your family members, God children, and Grandchildren. We can also place special orders if you would like an icon or book that we do not have. The new, revised edition of YASSOU FAVORITES & MORE is also available. It can be shipped directly to your home or gift recipient for a small mailing fee. Contact Rachael Anderson, Stephanie Lampropolos, or Liz Frederick, for any questions or special requests. Thank you everyone for your ongoing support. July / August 2017