Eulogy Reader Elie George Layoun +July 22, 2013

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1 July/august 2013 A Publication of St. Andrew Orthodox Church 4700 Canyon Crest Drive, Riverside, California Dear Parishioners, Blessings. The Scriptures say that the memory of the righteous is celebrated with songs of praise. It has been God's will for us to send on toward God's kingdom quite a number of the founders and elders of St. Andrew Church this year. This is a special time of transition for our parish that will never be repeated here. These pillars in the house of God were the ones who worked with the Lord Jesus Christ to establish Holy Orthodoxy in Riverside and give us our parish church. We are a parish with many young people, and so to lose our elders is especially sad for us, and it comes with a message: Become a pillar yourself! Become, with the grace of God, a stable and fruit-bearing Orthodox Christian and live in such a way that the church is built up through you and the younger ones will miss you terribly when you are gone. I include my eulogy for our beloved Reader Elie Layoun here for your reflection. In Christ, His Life Our beloved Reader Elie George Layoun fell asleep in the Lord on the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, Monday July 22, 2013 at Community Care and Rehabilitation Center in Riverside, California with his wife and children at and brother in law at his bedside. He was born on March 11, 1933 in Zahle, Lebanon to Dr. George and Nazira Layoun. He married his loving wife, Alice Ghossain, on Jan 26, 1958, and they shared 55 years of Christian marriage together. Elie is survived by his wife Alice, and three sons: Michel and daughter-in-law Toni Layoun of West Linn Oregon; Roger Layoun of Riverside, California; and Pierre and daughter-in-law Diala Layoun of Glendora, California. Elie is also survived by grand children Renee, Kevin, Cynthia and Leah Layoun. He is also survived by a brother, Andrew Layoun of Beirut, Lebanon. Eulogy Reader Elie George Layoun +July 22, 2013 Elie enjoyed an illustrious career in accounting. He worked for Esso Petroleum distributorship in Zahle, Lebanon for over 30 years, and Hakeem Poultry for over 6 years. He immigrated with his family to Portland, Oregon in He was employed at United Way until his retirement. Elie and Alice moved to Riverside, California in Elie has been a reader and chanter for over six decades in the Church. He served at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Zahle, Lebanon, St. George Orthodox Church in Portland, OR, and St Andrew Orthodox Church in Riverside, Ca. The true measure of his dedication to his faith and church cannot be measured by us, but are only truly known to God. A Christian Husband and Father Elie and Alice lived 55 years of marriage together, raised three sons, and enjoyed many grandchildren. The lives V. Rev. Josiah Trenham, Pastor Church Phone (951) Fax (951) For information and schedule of services, go to To submit articles contact Lucy Hanna, editor, at lucy.hanna@sbcglobal.net or Martha Metroka, field reporter, at mmetroka@att.net

2 Page 2 of these children was also Elie s life. Such family life is a radiant star in a dark time. I remember fondly the 50th wedding anniversary celebrations. A Father of the Parish St. Paul wrote to his spiritual son, St. Timothy a young bishop in Ephesus these words: 1 Tim. 5:1 Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father. This apostolic injunction was very easy for me to follow in Elie s case. He was 6 weeks younger than my mother, and 2 months older than my father, and he carried himself with the paternal spirit. He was a father to me, and to this parish, and we all loved him as such. Since his repose a few days ago many in the parish have contacted me to share experiences with Elie and memories of his kindness. This one telling me that Elie was the first ever to bring blessed bread to him, and this one telling me that Elie and Alice were the first to host them in their own home when they were visitors to our church. A Churchman It is impossible to love God and not love the Church, to love Jesus the head and not love His body. Those who love God are devoted to the Church- this is an axiom, and it was exceedingly clear in Elie s life. He lived his life under the branches of the church, in the shade of the church so to speak. Wherever he was he knew his bishop well- on a first name basis, and he loved his pastors. Elie and Alice joined St. Andrew in 2003, 10 years ago, after they moved from Portland. I have been a pastor for 20 years. Half of my pastorate I served with Elie. He chanted more liturgies and divine services for me than I could count, and many of these in the early mornings. His humble service transported the faithful to paradise, his devotion to the sacred art of church chant literally wrapped the parishioners in pious praise and pulled their hearts into worship of the Holy Trinity. He spoke to me on many occasions about his 6 decades of worship leadership, about which bishops and archbishops he served, and his experience in chanting the divine services was obvious to all. He carried a great humility in his heart towards the church. And now we carry a large hole at St. Andrew. Since last Thanksgiving we have sensed deeply the absence of Elie in our worship. God will provide, I trust, but Elie cannot be replaced. Dignity as a Man and as a Believer The Wisdom of Solomon says that a man is known by his speech, by his walk, and by his associates. I don t know anyone that this applies to more than Elie Layoun. Did anyone ever see him speak without care and discretion? Did anyone ever see him walk or move without dignity? He believed in the living God, the Maker of Heaven and Earth. He and Alice entrusted themselves to God s will constantly through the vicissitudes of their lives, through immigration and relocation and ultimately through suffering and now in repose. God s will was always on his lips. He did not fight God. He trusted Him, and for that we honor him. On behalf of Archbishop Joseph, who called me last night from Texas to make sure that I would convey his deepest sympathy and assurance of prayers for Elie s repose to you Alice and to Michel, Roger, Pierre and families. On behalf of His Eminence and the parish of St. Andrew I offer you our condolences and sincere love. May the memory of our beloved Reader Elie be eternal! And, by the grace of God, may we all see him again in a little while. Memory Eternal Reader Elie Layoun was not the only one from St. Andrew parish to depart this life recently. Our sister in Christ, Carol Dolenar fell asleep in the Lord on July 9, 2013 after a long illness. Together with her late husband, Richard, they were one of the four original founding families of St. Andrew Church. May her memory be eternal. Our Condolences to the family of our sister in Christ Maria Economus who fell asleep in the Lord on July 15, 2013 after a long trial with cancer. Maria was a long time member of our mother parish, St. Luke Church of Garden Grove before she moved a few years ago to Riverside and began attending St. Andrew whenever her health allowed. Condolences also to our Khouriya Catherine and her family for the repose of her sister Kathy Reese who fell asleep in the Lord on July 17 at the young age of 53 after a long battle with cancer. May their memory be eternal.

3 Page 3 Congratulations Basil... Our own Basil Trenham was the winner of this year s Junior division Oratorical Contest for the Diocese of Los Angeles and the West. He wowed the judges, the clergy, the attendees and our Archbishop JOSEPH with his beautiful oration at the Parish Life Conference on Saturday, July 6th. Then, for the benefit of those who were not able to attend the PLC, Basil delivered his oration at St. Andrew Church on Sunday, July 21 following the Divine Liturgy. The following is the text of his oration. The Great Judgment Your Eminence, Archbishop Joseph, holy Fathers, brothers and sisters in Christ, Christ is in our midst! As St. Paul says to the Thessalonians, God will recompense tribulation to them that trouble us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that do not know God and that do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:7b-8). At that very time, St. John says in the Apocalypse, The kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? (Revelation 6: 15-17). I have difficulty imagining how frightful and terrifying the Great Judgment will be. Flaming Fire; I see the flaming sun every day, but it is 92 million miles away. Mighty Angels filling the atmosphere; I know my own guardian angel is with me, but I don t even see him, let alone a sky full with innumerable angelic beings. The blasting trumpet of the Archangel; I ve heard sonic booms before, but nothing close to an earth-shaking, body and soul separating blast of the Archangel s trumpet. Such awful majesty--that the elements themselves melt with intense heat! No wonder sinners ask for rocks to fall on them and mountains to hide them. This is the coming Great Judgment. How can we live and endure through such winds, rain and frightful storm, that collapse the insecure houses of the faithless? How can we live through this and still be standing? The answer is in the Gospel of Mathew chapter 25. When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. He will then separate the sheep from the goats; the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. He will then say to those on His right, Come, ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. St. John Chrysostom insightfully points out how blest were the words chosen by Christ: not to take, but to inherit as our own; as yours and mine, as due to us from the first. The Kingdom was made and prepared for us, and we were made to be able to stand at its coming. After calling the righteous into His kingdom, Christ explains to them why He is giving it to them. He was hungry, thirsty, a stanger, naked, sick and in prison and they fed, gave drink, took Him in, clothed and visited Him. The humble reply of the righteous was to ask when they had done these good things. The Lord replied saying, Verily, I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me. But unto those on his left, the Judge will say, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels because they didn t feed, give drink, clothe take in and visit Him. Chrysostom again remarks how easy the Lord s commands are, by pointing out that He didn t say, I was in prison and ye set Me free or I was sick and ye raised Me up again, but rather, ye

4 Page 4 visited Me and simply, Ye came unto Me. Neither did Christ request something costly when he was hungry and thirsty, but just bread and water, leaving room for us to show our generosity. The ones the Lord condemned and that were unable to stand in His presence tried to justify themselves saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you? and the Judge will say, Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did not do it unto me. Chrysostom reflects on the passage saying, For even if it was your enemy, isn t his sufferings enough to have overcome and subdued even the merciless hunger, cold, bonds, nakedness, sickness, and wandering about houseless? My generation lives in Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and many other social media sites, and one thing that you will often see in the comments of a photo or post is the acronym Y-O-L-O. This stands for You Only Live Once. Now this could be a good message and sometimes it is, saying that we should treat every moment like it could be our last, but unfortunately that is not how we often use it. It usually is used and intended to say, You only have one life on earth, implying that you don t have an eternal soul, and therefore you should party, live it up drink and have fun because you only have one life to do it all. Additionally, relating to this sad message, in my home city on a main thoroughfare, there is a billboard that is really sad. It is a Pepsi billboard with Beyoncé scantily dressed on it and at the bottom in large print it reads, Live for Now! Think about that, Live for Now. This message, which thousands of people a day see, is the exact opposite message we hear in the passage of the Last Judgment. This should not be the motivation for a serious Christian, for it will not give us the strength and boldness to stand in Christ s presence on that Great Day! We don t live to please ourselves NOW. We live for THEN. Let us not forget the Great Judgment, but let the thought of it be in our minds every day! May we ask our sweet Savior to implant in our hearts fear of His commands, so that we may be counted with the righteous, be given boldness to stand, and to hear those most blest words on our Great Day from our Lord Christ, Come, ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Each week after Liturgy our congregation meets in the fellowship hall for coffee, refreshment and friendship. This month the Agape Meal Spotlight is on one of our St. Andrew Catechumens, Carrina Jiminez.. by Martha Metroka Carrina has been attending St. Andrew since Pascha, She comes from a Protestant background. She was searching for a church when her daughter who attends school back East told her about visiting the student union at her school and meeting an Orthodox group of students and their Priest. Carrina s discussion with her daughter about the Orthodox students planted a seed in her mind. She decided to Google Orthodoxy and see what she could find out. All she knew was Greek Orthodoxy, so that is what she Googled. St. Elias in San Bernardino came up, and so she went there. Her Son Ben Holden, his wife Melissa and their children began attending as well. Ben and Melissa have three children and are expecting a fourth. While attending at St. Elias they learned about St. Andrew and all of the children we have here. They decided to investigate. They did, and now all of them are catechumens at St. Andrew! Carrina lives in Redlands a few houses away from Ben and Melissa. This has made it easy for her to help out with the kids. Carrina shared that she found Orthodoxy at a time when she needed peace in her life. She takes comfort in the stability of the Church s teachings. The Church preserves the truth and doesn t change with every wind of doctrine. It is the same today as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow. It took Carrina a while to gather the courage to visit the Agape Meal after Liturgy. When she knew she wanted to be an inquirer and make St. Andrew her church home, she mustered the courage to join everyone in fellowship. When asked what she likes about the Agape meal, she said In church you know you are in the Presence of God, in His heavenly place. I love Agape hour because it is a place on earth where I can enjoy God s family.

5 Mark your calendars! Page 5 Help is needed: To find out what you can do to help make this festival a success, contact the Church office at or send to saintandrewdesk@aol.com Our lovely dancers practicing for the festival IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM OUR PARISH TREASURER. Dear Brothers and Sisters: Thank you to all who have gotten current on their pledges. Our efforts were a great success in the General Fund (GF). We have collected: $145, and pledged: $159, That puts our pledged vs. actual income at 92% for the period ending July 31 st. However, we did not do so well in the Building Fund (BF). We collected only $70, vs. the pledged amount of $97, Leaving a $26, gap between the two. And, we are only at 72% fulfillment for the Period. See chart to the right. As we all know, we pay our temple monthly mortgage from the BF account. The BF balance is dangerously low below $5K. To get it back to a healthy level of $30K, we need to, universally as a parish, ACT NOW and get current on our pledges to this account. We also ask anyone who is unable to keep their commitment to either fund, to communicate it to the Treasurer promptly so that the parish council can make provisions to offset any budget shortages. Thank you.

6 Page 6 ST. ANDREW COMMUNITY NEWS... Annual Pentecost Picnic... The St. Andrew annual Pentecost Picnic was held on Sunday, June 23, following Divine Liturgy. The picnic was located at Andulka Park near the church. Families brought lawn chairs as well as easy-ups and umbrellas for the sun. As is our tradition, the picnic was potluck. The food was plentiful and delicious. Everyone came prepared to have fun. Children played on the playground equipment, frisbees flew in the air, a football game was started in one area while a ferocious basketball battle was fought between the teens and the no-longerteens. While all of this was going on, many parishioners sat back under the shade leisurely visiting, eating great food and sipping on cool drinks. The weather was perfect. A gentle breeze played through the air. All in all it was a perfect picnic day at a wonderful park. Here s to next year s picnic! Annual Teen Camping Trip. The Teen SOYO Summer Campout 2013 was a great success!! The teens first stop was St. Barbara Monastery where they worked on the monastery property for the day and participated in vigil and Liturgy. They then traveled straight to Half Moon Bay where they camped out for the remainder of the week. During their stay at Half Moon Bay they were able to tour Alcatraz and were held captivated by what they saw during the self-guided tours. There were various hikes and trails that the teens discovered, leading to mountain tops and watering holes. The teens visited The Joy of All Who Sorrow Cathedral where they venerated the relics of St. John of San Francisco. Fr. Irenei from the Cathedral paid a visit to the campsite, speaking to group and answering various questions from the teens while sat around a blazing fire! Despite the cold weather, the teens had a very edifying time, building relationships with one another as well as developing a stronger relationship with Christ and the Church. Reported by Victoria Trenham

7 Page 7 Welcome New St. Andrew Babies. Fr. Josiah and Kh. Catherine welcomed their 10th child on July 14, Mary Catherine Trenham weighed in at 7lbs. 15 oz. and measured 20 long. Her godparents will be Tony and Mary Charles. Baby Mary shares her birthday with two aunts aunt Tracy Davis and aunt Kathy Reese, who passed away only 3 days after baby Mary s birth. Our apologies to the Diaz and Perrine families for missing to announce the birth of their two princesses after their birth in January and February of this year. Natalia Evangeline Diaz, daughter of Maximos and Rebecca Diaz, was born on January 18, She was 7lbs, 5 oz, and 20 long. Her God Mother is Anastasia Trenham. Lydia Hero Perrine, daughter of Leo and Suzanne Perrine, was born on February 3, She weighed 8 lbs., 3 ozs, and 20 inches long. She is their first child. Her patron is St. Lydia of Thyatira, the first recorded European convert to Christianity (Acts 16). Her middle name is after a character in William Shakespeare's play "Much Ado About Nothing." Her godmother is Katherine Phillips. On Sunday, July 21, we bid one of our beautiful and talented young women, Victoria Trenham, adieu and prayed for her safety as she traveled later that day to Africa on a service mission with OCMC. She has since returned safely and we will publish some pictures and details of her trip in the next Bugle. Please Remember in your prayers Also on Sunday, July 21, we bid Jim and Marlene Pryts goodbye as they move to Portland, Oregon to retire close to their daughter. Marlene was chrismated into the Orthodox Church on Holy Saturday in Their new address is: 2667 N.E. 205th Ave. #D141, Fairview, OR Her is marlenepryts@gmail.com. Presvytera Katherine Hartung whose cancer is back and she is at City of Hope Hospital for extended treatments. She is suffering terribly and is in massive pain. (Please see Sylvana Debessai if you can prepare a meal for the Hartungs) Ben Alcala who had quadruple bypass surgery on July 14 and after a bumpy recovery at Riverside Community Hospital, is now recuperating at Magnolia Rehab Center, 8133 Magnolia Ave, in Riverside. Leigh Trenham who had Gall bladder surgery on August 11 after being admitted to Riverside Community hospital for Pneumonia a few days earlier. She is now recovering at home. May God stretch forth His hand on Prez. Katherine, Ben and Leigh and grant them healing and long life. Through the intercessions of our Most Holy Mother the Theotokos and ever virgin Mary.

8 St. Andrew Orthodox Church 4700 Canyon Crest Drive Riverside, CA St. Andrew Orthodox Church of Riverside is a parish of the Self-ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, Diocese of Los Angeles and the West, the See of the Most Reverend Archbishop JOSEPH