S T. G E O R G E G R E E K O R T H O D O X C H U R C H. Glad Tidings

Transcription

1 St. Paul, MN October 2011 Volume 17, Issue 9 A Word from Father Rick S T. G E O R G E G R E E K O R T H O D O X C H U R C H Glad Tidings Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: G reetings as we plunge deeper into the Minnesota Fall weather. The month of October brings many feasts and activities including Metropolis Clergy Laity in Champaign, Illinois (Oct.5-7), Family Camp (14-16), MEA (20-21), St. Iakovos (23), St. Demetrios (26) and OXI Day (28). October is also the month we begin our stewardship campaign for the subsequent year (2012). You should be seeing and hearing from the stewardship committee and the parish council about the biggest fundraiser of the year. Typically, over two thirds of the revenue to fund the ministries of our parish comes from your stewardship contributions. The past two years we have used all of our Greek Festival, Festival of Nations and Art Auction net revenue for operating income. In addition to this we spent an additional $50,000 from our savings and reserves to balance the budget. Needless to say, this is not a good trend. It is not right for us, the current members, to use the money given and saved by previous members to pay for the ministries that we should be supporting out of our own pockets. In last November s Glad Tidings, I shared a reflection on tithing (giving a tenth of one s annual gross income) to God within the life of the Church. I attempted to demonstrate not only the necessity of tithing as every parishioner s personal ascetical goal, but also the possibility of actually doing it through careful planning and forethought. In this past January s Glad Tidings, through a very basic statistical analysis, I asserted that our parish s financial deficits would be erased and we would have a surplus to devote to benevolent outreach and/or capital projects if each parishioner gave only 2.0% of gross income as a stewardship offering to the church. Think of it: God gives us everything; He only asks for us to give back one tenth of it to Him. It would only take two tenths of that one tenth (that we owe God) to satisfy our current parish financial needs. I encourage everyone to reflect more deeply on this by reading the following sermon which was delivered on September 4, Have a blessed October! Why Do You Sorrow? We, unfortunately, have lost several beloved members of our parish so far this year. Every year, while bringing us many joys, also brings sorrows for we have lost many in the history of St. George. Georgia Haidos funeral was the 480 th funeral of our community since What is the basis for our sadness and our sorrow? It is simply is found in the loss. When we grow close to someone, like a mother and father, a son, a daughter, a husband, a wife, a brother, a sister, or a friend; we share many things with them including memorable moments and intimate feelings. They become a part of us and we a part of them. So, when we lose them to death, it causes pain. In some ways it is similar to the physical pain of losing a limb and the subsequent psychic pain of learning how to live life with one arm or one leg. Many of our returning war veterans know well both the pain of losing a friend and a limb. (Continued on page 2) Inside: Registry, pg. 3; Parish Announcements, pgs 4-5; Letter from Youth Minister, pg. 6; Youth, pg. 7

2 Glad Tidings Page 2 (Continued from page 1) Let us turn delicately to the topic of sorrow in today s Gospel reading from the Twelfth Sunday of Matthew (19:16-26) about the rich young man who comes to Jesus asking how he may inherit eternal life (v.16). Jesus tells the young man, simply, Keep the commandments (v.17). The young man asks, Which ones? and Jesus responds with the most basic commandments that govern human relationships: don t murder, don t commit adultery, don t steal, don t lie, honor your parents, and lover your neighbor (vv.18-19). The young man says he has done all these things and asks, What do I still lack? (v.20) Jesus tells him to sell his possessions, give to the poor and follow Me (v.21). It is here where we encounter the sadness. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful (v.22). Wait a minute. Did someone just die? Did the young man just lose a loved one? The passage certainly does not mention any death. Neither is it implied in the text. So, why is the young man sorrowful (Greek = lypoumenos)? The latter verses give us the answer. It says that young man had great possessions (ktimata polla, v.22). In addition, right after the man leaves, Jesus says to His disciples, Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven (v.23). The young man was sorrowful because he was too close to his wealth. He became part of it and it became part of him. So the idea of parting from it was painful for him. Do Jesus words, Sell what you have, give to the poor and follow Me, speak to us, here, today? Some may say, No, because I m not rich. Others, may say, I don t feel sad or sorrowful, so, no, not really. However, let us consider a few things. First of all, here in America, we are all rich in a relative sense. Generally speaking, our lifestyle is way beyond most of the people throughout the world. Secondly, even if are relatively poor, we can still be too attached to what little we have. If Christ asked you right now, would you sell what little you have, give to the poor and follow Him? Third, while most of us may not feel sad or sorrowful about losing or giving away our possessions, it may be because we have not seriously considered it. Either that or we have not yet reached that stage of grieving in parting with our wealth. Grief is defined as the emotional experience of loss. In the classic stages of grief, we encounter denial first and then anger and then sadness. Many of us get caught in the stage of anger, both when we lose a loved one and when we consider the loss of our wealth. We only need to think of paying large bills or taxes and the resulting feelings of irritation, annoyance and disgust. These feelings can be experience within the realm of the church community when we receive a solicitation in the mail or hear someone speaking about giving money to the parish. Some how, word is spreading in our community that if you want to lose a friend quickly, just ask them to give money to the church. How ironic and sad is it that a person could mix up their priorities to the point that he/she would choose to keep their wealth and lose a friendship. In fact, the exact opposite should be our attitude. We should expect that the members of the stewardship committee and parish council to ask us to give to the church. And not only give but give generously. We should be a little angry or annoyed when we don t get that letter or phone call or personal approach. Why? Because, those who do are fulfilling a ministerial obligation to remind us of the blessed opportunity of giving, and how it benefits those we serve and how benefits accrue on our behalf or come back to us. Jesus even said to the rich young man today, You will have treasure in heaven (v.21). Why would Christ devote over half of His preaching and teaching ministry to the subject of giving away material wealth? The reason Christ did it then and the (Continued on page 6)

3 St. Paul, MN Page 3 Registry August 28, 2011 August 25, 2011 August 26, 2011 August 29, 2011 August 7, 2011 August day Churching Mary Maginas and baby Andrew Baptism Haralabos; parents, Panagiotis & Ashley Panagiotakis; Godparent, Alexandros Panagiotakis Funerals Agnea Antoniades Georgia Haidos Memorials Mary Weiser 3 Years Charles Constandinos Zubulake 1 year; Charles Leaskas 59 years and Eftehia Leaskas 19 years; Father Constantine & Presbytera Condello Capoyianes and their sons--pericles, James, George, Socrates, Nicholas and Peter. Address Changes Church Staff and Office Hours Church Office Hours (Monday-Friday) 8:00 AM--2:15 PM Rev. Fr. Richard Demetrius Andrews, Presbyter (651) FatherRick@usa.com Lori Kurtyka, Administrative Assistant (651) office@stgeorgegoc.org Frank Mortari, Parish Council President (651) frank.mortari@rndsystems.com Reva Adkins, Philoptochos President (651) rradkins@comcast.net Anastasia Mastrogiorgis 30 Mississippi River Blvd. N St. Paul, MN George Kaniamos 4010 Rector Ave. NE Rockford, MI George Andreadakis Gillette Way Lakeville, MN Haidi Fotopoulos 4912 Sea Pines Dr. Dallas TX Anthony & Toni Selliris 1910 Stone Creek Hudson, WI Festal Icons Needed Please donate a Festal Icon (11" x 14") in memory of a loved one. The cost is $75.00 per icon. The icons are displayed in the church nave and are put out for veneration on the Feast Day of the Saint or event they represent. To donate an icon, fill out a form (found on the bulletin board by the kitchen) and return it to the office. Prophet Abraham October 9 7th Ecumenical Synod October St. Glykeria the Martyr October 22 Rebekah Moll, Youth Minister (763) Andrea Faches, Sunday School Director (507) afaches@msn.com Stella Hofrenning, Greek School Director Jennifer Argeros, Glad Tidings Editor Sue Gnetz & Sandra Thole, Loaves and Fishes Coordinators suegnetz@yahoo.com, quadmom196@yahoo.com Submissions for upcoming issues are due by the 11th of the preceding month.

4 Glad Tidings Page 4 Parish Announcements Greek Festival 2011 Once again, we had The World s Finest Greek Festival. We were blessed with the best sunny weather. We had thousands of people enjoying all the great food and beverages. The church tours were full both Saturday and Sunday. The Greek Dancers of Minnesota danced until they could not dance anymore and Everybody Loves Dino. We would like to thank the parish community for supporting the Festival from buying advance sale tickets, inviting your friends and neighbors, posting lawn signs and flyers, volunteering for shifts, baking all the pastries, and all your wonderful prayers that gave us the GREAT weather. We would also like to thank our generous donors for providing the festival with food and donations to offset the expenses. Again the community should be very proud about how they pulled together to share with our friends and neighbors what the Greek culture and Greek Orthodox Church has to offer. If anyone has pictures to share of the Greek Festival, please forward them to Jean Pliakas at jwpliakas@aol.com Save the Date: Greek Festival August 18 th and 19 th, 2012 Greek Festival Signs Please return your festival lawn signs to the church. We reuse them each year which is both a cost savings and saves the environment Budget Committee Volunteers are needed to serve on this committee. The group will be meeting every Wednesday at 7:00 PM until the budget is ready to propose to the council. Anyone interested should call George Kanavati at Greek School Greek language classes for kids, ages six and up, begins Sunday, October 2. We meet after church in the lower level classrooms. If you speak Greek and are interested in teaching Greek, we need teachers! For more information or questions, please contact Stella Hofrenning at hofrenni@augsburg.edu. FOCUS on FOCUS Volunteers are needed on Fridays to help with the Closet and two schedules have been set to make it easier on volunteers: 10:30am- 12:30pm (set-up and help guests when the doors open. It is BUSY!) & 1:30pm-3:30pm (assist guests and help with closing up). All items must be removed from the tables and that can take some time but goes quicker with more hands helping. Volunteers are welcome to come early and stay the day if willing. School items are in demand -notebooks, folders, crayons, glue, pens, pencils, markers, etc. Please bring items to the church if you can`t deliver them yourselves to the FOCUS center and they will be delivered. This is a good time to share with those less fortunate and to teach our youth to share as well. Remember, this is a shared ministry of people seeking to do God`s will. Youth Minister to Resign After two years in ministry with our parish, Rebekah Moll will resign her position as part-time youth minister effective October 31st. We thank Rebekah for all her hard work and dedication to our community and our kids. We wish the very best for Rebekah as she moves on. Look for Rebekah s farewell letter in this issue of Glad Tidings. Orthodox Media The Orthodox Christian Network (OCN) produces the Come Receive the Light weekly radio broadcast. The program broadcasts every Saturday at 5:00pm on KKMS 980AM. You can also listen on the internet anytime on Ancient Faith Radio also has excellent programming:

5 St. Paul, MN Page 5 Parish Announcements Byzantine-Russian Iconography Workshop You are invited to this workshop at St. Mary s Orthodox Cathedral from October 17th - 22nd. For more detailed information see the flyer posted in the social hall or call Marilyn Johnson at Recent Building Improvements Several small but important projects were completed on the grounds in July and August. Chief among them was the installation of a security camera system which gives a clear view of both main doors and of the parking lot. The cost for this system was donated by several Parish Council members and was installed by Dan Simon and his children. Dan and his daughter Anna cleaned the skylights in the Sanctuary while the lift was rented to install the camera. Thank you very much to the camera system donors and to Dan, our Building and Grounds chair. Cemetery Monument Approved At the last Parish Assembly, the community approved the design and budget for the central monument for our section at Roselawn cemetery. Foundation and platform work will start soon with completion before winter. The granite altar table likely will be completed in the spring. Stay tuned for updates Summit Update The home next door to the church is still for sale. The price is now $999,900. We ask everyone to pray that the Lord enlighten and inspire any person (or group of persons) to consider purchasing the home and donating it to the parish. Many good possibilities exist for using the home to enhance or expand our ministries. Sunday School Has Begun Sunday School began in September. Thanks to all who have participated in making it such a success. You may still register your children online at SundaySchoolForm.html. Remember, we are encouraging strong student participation and recognizing all students who attend 75% of this year`s classes. Please help your student to meet this goal. If you have any questions, please contact Andrea Faches, or afaches@msn.com. We cannot hold a torch to light another`s path without brightening our own. - Ben Sweetland Dan and Anna Simon clean the overhead skylights in the sanctuary. Stewardship 2011 Update 111 pledge cards have been received for a total of $121,838. That is 53% of our stewardship budget and 39% of our total budget. Remember if every parishioner gives an average of 2% ($1.50/day) or more of gross income, we will be a selfsupporting parish. Please consider your commitment for year 2011.

6 Glad Tidings Page 6 Father Rick, continued from pg. 2 reason we do it now is to help everyone guard against becoming too attached to our wealth and our possessions. Some may discount this passage as not applying to themselves because they read or understand Christ telling the young man to sell all his possessions and this truly only applies to those entering the monastic life. This is basically true. However, what is also true is that the standard practice of giving for everyone, from the time of Abraham to the time of Jesus, is still expected in our day. God only asks a few to sell everything but He asks and expects all of us to give a tithe (10%) back to Him to support the ministry of Christ s Body, the Church. In conclusion, the question for all of us is: Can we part with that ten percent? I would say it is somewhat normal to be sad when considering giving away our wealth. Yet, talk to anyone who has done it and they will tell you they have never felt such joy as when they finally let go of their love for money. The last stage of grieving when losing a love one is peace and acceptance. The same is true for giving away our possessions. It will bring each one of us peace and contentment and joy. And if more and more in our parish community experience this peace and joy, then our church will become a shining beacon, drawing more and more people in who want to find that same joy. Amen! A Letter from Youth Minister, Rebekah Moll Dear Parishioners of St. George, It is with sadness that I announce my resignation to you all. I have been truly blessed here with the opportunities you have provided and support you have offered with youth related ministries. While I will miss the people here at St. George, I am finding personal needs to focus more solely on my teaching career and spend more time with my family. Many of you offered help and volunteered time to contribute to the youth to make events successful. I am so very appreciative to you and your willingness to serve -- thank God for all the talents He gave you! There were numerous fun and memorable events including our JOY trip to the Apple Orchard, Family Nights with active participation and tubing in the rain/snow with no lines! Participating in larger events including the basketball tournament and summer camp were also a joy. We had fun with pan-orthodox events including Jr. GOYA lockins and a trip to see the Dead Sea Scrolls. I hope and pray that those Pan-Orthodox gatherings continue as they are very enriching to our youth and help to foster a growing Orthodox community in the Twin Cities, which only strengthens us in the Lord. I enjoyed teaching Kindergarten Sunday School while I was with you, allowing me to get to know some of you even better and working in the Children s area at the Greek Fest. You have a community to take pride in with such an amazing youth who continually express positive enthusiasm! I was also notably impressed by the efforts of the community to help engage youth in worship including youth sermons, helping out with youth processions and allowing youth to take active roles in special youth services by serving as ushers, collection gatherers, etc. Providing opportunities for youth to serve in different ways is a definite outreach to help them grow in the Lord. I thank you again for all you have given me. I have truly grown in many ways with you and will always treasure this experience. I wish you all well and I m sure we ll see each other in the future! Sincerely, Rebekah Moll

7 St. Paul, MN Page 7 YOUTH NEWS Family Camp 2011 When: October 14,15,16 Where: Camp Wapogasset, the beautiful site of St. Mary s Summer Camp in Amery, WI Who: Twin Cities Orthodox Families It s that time of year again when the leaves change colors and Orthodox families from all around the Twin Cities gather in Amery Wisconsin at Camp WAPO for the annual family camp. Join us for an opportunity of fun and spiritual growth with your family and other Twin Cities Orthodox friends at a beautiful retreat center only 1 ½ hours away. Families will eat, worship, learn and play together! Activities are planned for children while parents attend discussion groups. Each family has a private sleeping area with a bathroom. What a wonderful way to introduce a new camper to their summer camping destination! This year will feature Paul Karos as key speaker at the retreat. Space is Limited! Register ASAP and spread the word. Registration fees include two nights lodging, five meals, all programming and tones of fun! Questions? Contact Paul or Cindy Karos at More information and registration forms can be downloaded from: Youth at last year s Family Camp YOUTH GROUPS Below are the different age groups in our youth program: GOYA: 9th-12th Grade Jr. GOYA: 6th-8th Grade JOY: Kindergarten 5th Grade HOPE: Ages 3-5 Watch the weekly bulletin for updates and contact Rebekah with any questions at Rebekah@stgeorgegoc.org or (763) UPCOMING YOUTH EVENTS OCTOBER OCTOBER OCTOBER OCTOBER 10: LOAVES & FISHES 14-16: FAMILY CAMP 23: GOYA/JR. GOYA FOCUS NIGHT 29: FALL FAMILY NIGHT Below are pictures of youth enjoying Greek Fest 2011!

8 S T. G E O R G E G R E E K O R T H O D O X C H U R C H 1111 Summit Avenue St. Paul, Minnesota ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID St. Paul, MN Permit No. 177 Phone: Fax: Web Site: Weekday Worship Schedule REGULAR WEEKLY SERVICES St. Paraskeve Petka of Romania Divine Liturgy 9:00am Friday, October 14 St. Luke the Evangelist Divine Liturgy 9:00am Tuesday, October 18 St. Demetrios the Evangelist Divine Liturgy 9:00am Wednesday, October 26 Holy Confession: By Appointment Vespers: (Sept. May) Saturday 5 pm Orthros: Sunday 9:00 am Sunday School:(September - May) following Communion Divine Liturgy: Sunday 9:30 am

9 October 2011 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Coming in November... 1 Sts. Kosmas & Damianos 1-4 Archdiocese Clergy Retreat 6 Daylight Savings Time Begins 8 Archangels Philoptochos Bake Sale 23 Pan-Orthodox Divine Liturgy Thanksgiving Holiday +HOLY PROTECTION OF THEOTOKOS *5:00pm Radio Program KKMS 980am +5:00pm VESPERS ND SUN. LUKE +ST. THOMAS +8:15am ORTHROS APOSTLE +9:30am LITURGY *5:00pm Radio *7:00pm Catechism Program KKMS Church Music Class 980am Sunday +5:00pm VESPERS + Metropolis Clergy Laity in Champaign, IL RD SUN. LUKE +APOSTLE IAKOVOS/JAMES THE LESS/JUST COLUMBUS DAY +ST. PARASKEVE PETKA OF ROMANIA +8:15am ORTHROS +9:00am LITURGY *5:00pm Radio +9:30am LITURGY Program KKMS *11:30am Acolyte *7:00pm Bible 980am Training *5:00pm Loaves Study at Fr. Rick's +5:00pm VESPERS & Fishes House *4:00pm Feed the Hungry *7:00pm Catechism +Family Camp at Camp Wapo+ Class TH SUN.LUKE +ST. LUKE - HOLY FATHERS EVANGELIST +8:15am ORTHROS +9:30am LITURGY +9:00am LITURGY +ST. GERASIMOS *4:00pm Feed the Hungry at FOCUS + Family Camp at Camp Wapo+ *7:00pm Catechism Class *5:00pm Radio Program KKMS 980am +5:00pm VESPERS Metropolitan +9:30am Divine Iakovos of Chicago +ST. DEMETRIOS Liturgy in Eau Nameday *11:00am GT +HOLY Claire, WI +6TH SUN. LUKE Mailing +8:00am LITURGY PROTECTION - +ST. IAKOVOS OXI DAY *5:00pm Radio +8:15am ORTHROS Program KKMS +9:30am LITURGY *7:00pm Catechism 6:00pm Metropolitan 980am *4:00pm Feed Class Iakovos Nameday +5:00pm VESPERS the Hungry at FOCUS Celebration in with GOYA Chicago, Illinois '+5TH SUN. LUKE +8:15am ORTHROS +9:30am LITURGY St. George Greek Orthodox Church 1111 Summit Avenue St. Paul, MN Rev. Father Richard Demetrius Andrews Phone: (651)

10 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit. John 15:8 Stewardship

11 St. George Greek Orthodox Church Special Parish Council Meeting Minutes August 21, 2011 Attendees: Fr. Rick Andrews, President Frank Mortari, Vice President Tom Lampros, Secretary Sophronis Mantoles, Treasurer George Kanavati, Frank Nemeth, Joe Weiser, Alexis Bighley, Jim Theros, Christ Kontenakos, Steve Zeece, Dan Simon, Diane Anastos. Absent: none I. Call to Order, 12:30pm II. Roselawn cemetery monument: The Cemetery Monument Committee accepted the design and cost recommendation from Frank Nemeth for the Cemetery Altar Table and asked the Parish Council to vote on the recommendation. The most current design proposal for the cemetery monument at Roselawn Cemetery accepted by the Committee calls for a stamped concrete base with a paving texture from Bulach Custom Rock for a cost of $9,325 and an altar table made of imported granite with some inscriptions provide by Schoenrock & Sons at a cost of $9,490. Motion was made by Joe Weiser, seconded by Alexis Bighley to accept the design as presented at a total cost to not exceed $22,000 to cover any additional incidental expenses. The motion carried unanimously. III. Adjournment and Closing Prayer: 12:45 pm. All documents and reports submitted at the meeting are on file with the original copy of the minutes at the church., 2011 Frank Mortari, President, 2011 Sophronis Mantoles, Secretary, 2011 Rev. Fr. Demetrius Andrews, Presbyter Last Saved Date: Monday, August 22,

12 St. George Greek Orthodox Church Parish Council Meeting Minutes August 11, 2011 Attendees: Fr. Rick Andrews, President Frank Mortari, Vice President Tom Lampros, Secretary Sophronis Mantoles, Treasurer George Kanavati, Frank Nemeth, Joe Weiser, Alexis Bighley, Jim Theros, Christ Kontenakos, Steve Zeece, Dan Simon, Diane Anastos. Absent: None I. Call to Order, 7:05pm II. Sandra Thole: Mrs Sandra Thole presented an update on focus MN as well as on the Loaves and Fishes reach out ministry. FOCUS has been generally successful serving 3 meals per month on Sunday evenings for about 100 people. The overall concerns are the lack of volunteers for both FOCUS and Loaves and Fishes. Sandra Thole and Nanette Gnetz have been involved with these programs for many years and now wish to step down and train in a new leader. In order for this to happen and for the St. George involvement to remain we need more volunteers. Overall Sandra expressed disappointment in the lack of young volunteers. She asked the Parish Council for help in encouraging young people to get involved and to help find a lead person replacement for these 2 reach out ministries. Motion was made by Ms Alexis Bighley for the Council and family members to volunteer at the 10 th of October 2011 Loaves and Fishes dinner. Motion was seconded by Joe Wiser. The motion carried. III. IV. Submission of minutes: The minutes from the July 11 th meeting were accepted as submitted. Treasurer s report: Mr Kanavati presented the financial report. The July payment for Fr s pension is not showing on the report. Some errors on the report were pointed out by the president. Accurate projections, including the shortfall, need to be clearly illustrated. The Treasurer was asked to revise the report and have it presented to the council again in the next meeting. The investment committee did not have a meeting yet. Members of the committee are being appointed during this time. FOCUS donations in the amount of $555 were reported and Fr Rick said he d advise the anonymous matching donor. V. Efficiency committee report: Mr. Kanavati mentioned that the committee has not met yet. No input on the replacement printer/copier question. VI. VII. Father s Report: Father Rick reported on the following: a. Request for donations from other Parishes: Flyers describing upcoming celebrations from other parishes were around for Council s consideration. b. Metropolis of Chicago clergy laity assembly Champaign Illinois: Reminder of the invitation to the clergy laity meeting in Champaign IL on Oct. 5-8, Father encouraged PC members to attend. c. The top 10 list on how to be a good Orthodox Christian was presented by Father. Committee Reports: a) Stewardship committee: Reports were distributed describing the Committee s activities. There is a list of 17 candidates who will be approached to serve on this committee. 1

13 b) Buildings and Grounds report: Dan Simon reported on the following: a. Installation of a Security camera ongoing. One camera is already setup. b. Cleaning of interior ceiling windows with a scissor lift which will be rented. c. External stairs need to be repaired. c) Roselawn cemetery monument: Frank Nemeth reported on the progress. An was circulated with pricing information presented to the chair of the committee. The committee will meet shortly to review Mr. Nemeth s proposal. d) Welcome and Outreach committee: Items discussed: a. We have newcomer families Father encouraged everyone to welcome them and introduce themselves to the new parishioners. VIII. New Business a) 2012 Basketball Tournament Update: Mr. Lampros reported on progress. Meeting was held today. Save the date was send out this morning as well. The flyer for the Tournament was finalized. b) Church picnic: Set for September 18 th. The newcomers will all be invited. Anna Christoforides will provide food help. c) 2012 Greek Festival: Not enough volunteers at this point. Mrs Jean Pliakas needs help recruiting festival volunteers. d) New Church Cleaning Proposals: Council is reviewing proposals from 2 new janitorial services to clean the church. The aim is to get the same or better service we are currently receiving at a lower cost. e) Church Office Hours: As of August 29 th the office hours will be 8:00am to 2:15pm. Motion to approve change of hrs made by Joe Weiser, seconded by Frank Nemeth. The motion passed. f) Oratorical Festival Financial Support: Motion made by George Kanavati seconded by Tom Lampros to provide assistance in the amount of $ annually for the two representatives to attend the annual Metropolis Oratorical Festivals. The motion passed. The treasurer was instructed to make checks out for the two representatives who attended in IX. Adjournment and Closing Prayer: 9:53 pm. All documents and reports submitted at the meeting are on file with the original copy of the minutes at the church., 2011 Frank Mortari, President, 2011 Sophronis Mantoles, Secretary, 2011 Rev. Fr. Demetrius Andrews, Presbyter Last Saved Date: Sunday, October 09,