St. George Orthodox Christian Church 5311 Mercer Street Houston, TX (713)

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1 SEPTEMBER 2016 T he dreams of many has become a reality as The Saint Constantine School opened her doors Monday, August 22, As the school year commenced, 106 students were enrolled in this first year of the school s existence. The grades range from Pre-Kindergarten to 12th grade. The school has Lower, Middle and Upper Levels. The school also partners with The King s College in New York City to offer general education college credits that can be transferred and applied to a bachelor degree. In Lower School, exploration and discovery to help cultivate the curiosity and wonder that every child is born with is emphasized. Students are encouraged to explore the natural world through science experiments, stories, and numbers, and build the skills of a life-long learner through penmanship, phonics, reading, and grammar. Middle School is an essential training ground for success in high school and college. In 6th grade students transition to a schedule similar to what they will follow St. George Orthodox Christian Church 5311 Mercer Street Houston, TX (713)

2 The Saint Constantine School (cont.) throughout high school, with a stronger emphasis on independent work and original thought. Students will build off of the grammar and composition skills learned in Lower School to build good arguments written with style and accuracy. They will study algebra, and build strong scientific foundations in physical science, biology, and earth science. Students will also begin to read primary source great texts across a variety of genres and styles and participate in Socratic discussions. Upper School is committed to equipping our students for the very best college education through the reading of great texts, humanities courses and science and mathematics classes. More importantly, the high school is focused on what schools were always meant to do: prepare a student to live a virtuous and meaningful adult life. Each day begins with morning prayers led by the Campus Spiritual Director Fr. Symeon Kees. Please keep the school in your holy prayers as it to begins the wonderful journey of ministering to our greatest assets - our children. Page 2

3 Prayer Garden Marble Icon/Altar Server Retreat/Church School PRAYER GARDEN ICON Through the donations of annoymous individuals and the Memorial Fund, St. George has commissioned a marble relief icon of Christ Blessing The Children (shown to the right). The icon theme was selected by the priests and designed and etched in marble by Iconographer Johnathan Pageau of Canada. The marble icon is complete and is in the shipping process. It should be installed in the outdoor prayer garden in October. The Altar Server Retreat was held Saturday, August 27. If your son (age 7 & up) is interested in serving, please contact the Church Office. Page 3

4 I.O.C.C. Syrian Relief Benefit Dinner O n Sunday, August 28, St. George opened her hall doors to those wishing to support the suffering of the Syrian people. A faithful committee of volunteers and vendors donated much time, talent and food for this beneficial cause. International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) worked with St. George to plan this event. The evening opened with Fr. James offering some spiritual words emphasizing our need to help those in such great pain, hardship and distress. He stressed that it is our duty to be the hands of Christ to our brothers and sisters who are in dire need of our prayers and support. IOCC Gift Director Nick Kasemeotes then spoke and displayed a power point presentation with pictures showing the on-the-ground tragedies and the positive work that was being done to relieve those suffering. The beauty of partnering with IOCC is that this world-renown organization can take our offerings and multiply them eight times with their partnering expertise and experience in the field. Nick graciously thanked St. George and the Houston community for always coming through in times of struggle. He presented Nada Farah a beautiful medal for all her continuous organizing efforts. At the close of the evening, over $86,500 was raised for the cause. We thank all who labored for this beautiful evening and for those who supported the event through offerings and prayer. Page 4

5 I.O.C.C. Syrian Relief Benefit Dinner Page 5

6 OYPC (Orthodox Young Professionals Conference) In New Orleans L ast month, I attended the second Orthodox Young Professionals Conference in New Orleans. For those of you who might not have heard of it or just weren't sure, the conference is all about helping young professionals from all jurisdictions of the Church better handle the demands of the workplace while staying grounded in God. W e were blessed with three wonderful speakers this year, including His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph who stressed to us the importance of keeping Christ and the Church in all aspects of our lives. Keynote speaker Archdeacon Saed Rihani of St. Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church in Palos Heights, Illinois shared with us his own struggles with a co-worker at his job as an advisor at City Colleges of Chicago and how he worked through it with prayer. Workshop speaker Jacob Saylor, youth director at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Scottsdale, Arizona offered us wisdom from the fields of college football. He explained to us the importance of trusting the process and that there is no shortcut or loophole in the things that truly matter. I n the afternoons and evening, we got to explore and experience the rich culture of New Orleans - from walking in our own band led parade to throwing beads from the balcony of a bar on Bourbon Street (we kept it classy, don't worry :) ). I even got to hear the history of how Brennan s invented Bananas Foster! Two and a half days with everyone was not enough. I learned so much from the speakers but even more so, I met a whole group of people I would not have met at any other conference. The people I met from all over the country, from jurisdictions other than the Antiochian Archdiocese, and the discussions we had both during the workshops and outside of them, about life and the Church is what really made the conference special. I was sad to leave but absolutely can not wait until the next one in 2018! Page 6

7 Generations/Family Nights/FOCUS In Houston Baptisms August 6 Nikolai Vitali Nicholas Chernyshev son of Dmitri & Celine Chernyshev August 7 Isabella Anamaria Ramirez daughter of Anthony & Sandra Rivera August 13 Madelyn Renee Helal daughter of Ramzey & Stephanie Helal August 23 Camilla Marie Elhage daughter of Hadi & Sophia Elhage August 23 Nicolas Hadi Elhage son of Hadi & Sophia Elhage weddings August 20 Mohanned Iwais & Manal Kawaja funerals August 2 Thomas Joseph Barrow On Friday, August 19, members of St. George participated with FOCUS at Bethel s Place to place shoes on the feet of those in need. In addition, St. George parishioners offered 200 backpacks filled with school supplies to be distibuted. Page 7

8 St. George Orthodox Christian Church 5311 Mercer Street Houston, TX (713) CHURCH STAFF Pastor V. Rev. Fr. James Shadid Associate Pastor Rev. Fr. Symeon Kees Pastor Emeritus V. Rev. Fr. Joseph Shahda Youth Director George Katrib Secretary Octavia Odom