The Word - December/January 2016

Transcription

1 Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Romans 10:17 the word Sts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church Andover, MA December/January 2016 God entered into the time zone of history and got personal with the human race. He ceased simply being God out there somewhere in the sky and took on the form of Person, Jesus Christ. He became real; He became tangible. We saw Him; He talked and lived with us. Sunday School Christmas Pagent December 13 Women s Faith & Fellowship December 11: 9 am January 8: 9 am Morning Meditations December 9: 10 am January 13: 10 am Bread for Life December 16: 7 pm Vasilopita Sunday - January 10 Some Christians agree with all of this, yet they still feel that it all happened so long ago. They feel it s nice to think about, and there are some good teachings to live by, yet they stop short of believing that Jesus Christ can be experienced in a very real and personal way in their lives now, in Beloved, God wants to get personal with us. He wants to enter into our time zone right now. Do we believe it? Do we want that experience for our lives? God wants to make it personal with us. The question is, will we get personal with Him? One of the basic ways people get to know each other is simply by saying the other s name. How many times have we called a company and spoken to a customer service person and half way through the conversation you ask their name? It just makes things more personal that way. It s the same way with Jesus. That s His Name; that makes it personal. And when we simply pray and say His Name over and over again things get very personal. That s the Jesus Prayer. Just saying, whispering, thinking the Name of Jesus, over and over again. Saying and repeating and meditating, Jesus, or, Lord, Jesus; or, Lord Jesus have mercy upon me a sinner. Whatever form we use, we are getting personal and connecting with God. And then, when we read the Bible for five minutes a day, or ten or twenty minutes, we are connecting; making it personal, getting to know Christ in a fresh new way every day. And we worship in Liturgy, praising, singing and adoring Him; then receiving and touching Him in a very tangible way through receiving the Eucharist. Prayer, Bible, Church and Eucharist makes our relationship with Christ very personal and real. It changes us, and gives us joy, kindness, patience and brings inner peace and fulfillment. Get news of additional events and announcements via . Go to the church web site and sign up to be on our LISTSERV This Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of Christ let s make it personal! Amen. Fr. Christopher 1

2 Fr. Christopher Makiej, Parish Priest Dn. Sal Fazio Dn. Gary Kent Parish Deacons Buzz Stapczynski, President John Terzakis, Vice President Jim Panagas, Secretary Robert Trant, Treasurer Chris Alexandrou Dylan Archambault Sam Diamantis Jean Koulouris Nicholas Miminos David Murphy Valerie Murphy Tom Pantely Peter Souhleris Anthony Warren George Xifaras Church Office Karen Davies Office Assistant Anita Stratigakis Philoptochos Martha Coravos, President Chanter Telly Papanikolaou Choir Pres. Katerina Makiej, Director Organist David Harvey Altar Boy Captain Costas Vergados Sunday School Patty Trant, Director Voula Nikitas Christian Lending Library Patti George, Director GOYA Advisors Connie Vergados GOYA President Costas Vergados JOY Advisor Patty Trant YouthChoir/Women sfellowship Pres. Katerina Makiej Book Store Manager Elaine Demetroulakos Internet Ministry Christopher Primes AHEPA Steven Pithis Daughters of Penelope Nancy Pantazopoulos College Fellowship Telly Papanikolaou Young Professionals Ministry Nicholas Miminos Facilities George Perakis Archons Arthur C. Anton James Lolos Telly Papanikolaou The Word Elizabeth Xaros Bigelow, Editor The Word - December/January 2016 Parish Council Notes Dear Parishioners, The Parish Council and I pray you and your family will have a holy, happy and safe holiday season. This Word covers both December and January so we want to offer our best wishes for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. During this season our parish is participating in a food and clothing drive for the needy in the Merrimack Valley. Please contribute if you can. We had our Annual General Assembly on the third Sunday of November and again this year it was a successful business meeting for our Parish. We heard reports from our Parish Ministries and they all have had a successful year. Our finances (revenues and expenditures) are tracking to the budget that was approved for Thank you for your participation. The Mortgage Elimination Program is making good progress; however, we still need your support. As of the beginning of November we have 100 of our 400 families pledging a little over $400,000. Our goal is to eliminate our million dollar mortgage by 2017 and have 100% participation by our Parish families. We want to eliminate the $8,000+ monthly mortgage payment and free up those resources to better serve our Parish community and ministries. Most immediately we see the need for a Youth Director and more outreach to the needy and elders of our Parish. Nick Miminos and his committee have done a fantastic job with rolling out the pledge drive. We are now asking Parish Council members to assist with contacting families that have not yet pledged. If you haven t pledged as of yet, please consider pledging so we can expand our ministries and have a greater impact to our community. Those of us who have witnessed and experienced the Kardiotissa Myrrh-Streaming Icon of the Mother of God are still enjoying the thoughts and memories of the wonderful pilgrimage we took last month. In addition, in late October some parishioners visited the Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Allston to venerate the holy icon when it was brought there. We are truly blessed to have this holy gift from God for all to witness and experience. We have two valuable members of the Parish Council who will be stepping off the Council at the end of this year. Bob Trant, Treasurer, and Jean Koulouris, Council Member, will be retiring after many years of faithful service to our Parish community. Congratulations and thank you for all you did to make Sts. Constantine and Helen Church a better place. This Christmas and New Year s season take the opportunity that these holidays present to slow down and enjoy the quality family time that we all need at this time of year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Buzz Stapczynski Parish Council President Kindergarten students made thank you cards for the Veterans 2

3 Philoptochos The Word - December/January 2016 Sunday School Several Philoptochos sisters from our chapter attended the 2015 National Philoptochos Children s Medical Fund Luncheon in Boston on October 31st. The very first Children s Medical Fund Luncheon was held in 1997 and was chaired by our own Elaine Kevgas. Elaine has been serving as a National Philoptochos Board member for more than 30 years and was actively involved in running this year s luncheon, as were Diane Miminos and Stephanie Connor. The event was a sellout with over 650 people attending, including Archbishop Demetrios, emcee and national television personality Maria Stephanos, dignitaries from the National Philoptochos Board, and hundreds of ladies from Philoptochos chapters from all over the country. Due to the success of the luncheon, grants totaling $167,000 were given out to area hospitals or organizations that assist children, particularly those who have survived abuse or have special needs including Mount Auburn Hospital, UMASS Medical in Worcester, Bay State Medical, and New England Disabled Sports. The Andover chapter of Philoptochos was proud to contribute to the Children s Medical Fund. We look forward to continuing our ongoing mission to help disadvantaged children as we approach the Christmas season. In that spirit, we ask you to consider purchasing the Holiday Hope Candle from the Sisters of All Saints Greek Orthodox Monastery in Long Island, New York. Their website is This beautiful candle, hand made by the Sisters, is scented with the essential oils and fragrances of holly, fir, cedarwood, vetiver, citrus, and clove. Proceeds go to assist victims of human trafficking, a social tragedy that effects young people, many from countries that are predominately Orthodox Christian. Sunday School Updates: November was a busy month for Sunday School. The students have been busy learning about their Orthodox faith and how to not conform to the secular world, but be transformed and live their lives the way God wants them to. We also kicked off our first service project of the year. The students wrote thank you notes and letters to the servicemen and women stationed overseas. The letters and notes were beautiful! Many students told the soldiers that they will be praying for their safety. These letters will give hope and show gratitude to many of our soldiers. Thank you to all the classes that participated! The next service project for December and January will be assembling Emergency Health/Hygiene Kits to be sent to the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC). The IOCC offers emergency relief and development programs to those in need worldwide. They will distribute these kits to displaced families worldwide. Any parents that would like to volunteer to help in the classrooms with this service project or would like to donate supplies please me at pattytrant@earthlink.net In addition to teaching the regular curriculum, our Sunday school teachers that attended the pilgrimage in Pennsylvania held interactive discussions with the entire Sunday School about the miracle of the myrrh streaming icon, Tender Heart - Kardiotissa. Many thanks to all the teachers and students that shared their experience with the entire Sunday School. The students are also finalizing preparations for the annual Christmas Pageant. It is a wonderful time to enact the birth of baby Jesus. Any student that does not have a part in the pageant is invited to sing in the chorus. We hope you can all join us in this joyous celebration! Sunday School Calendar: December 6th Christmas Pageant Rehearsal December 13th - Christmas Pageant December 20th Christmas Pageant Snow Date December 27th No Sunday School January 3rd Sunday School Resumes Our charitable contributions for December are: Now through December 20th Hats and Mittens drive. We will be collecting brand new hats and mittens for the Lazarus House. Please place all donations in the Hats and Mittens box placed in the atrium. December 6th December 13 th - Lazarus House Christmas Food drive. Please drop off non-perishable food donations in the food box located in the atrium. Boxes and cans only, please no glass. Gina LaFortune, Olga Pithis, Sandra Johnson, Sue Terzakis, and Gail Constantine were pleased to attend the 2015 Children s Medical Fund Luncheon along with Olga s in-laws Nick and Mary Pithis (seated). Not pictured but also attending were Elaine Kevgas, Stephanie Connor, Rachel Pantely, and Diane Miminos. I wish everyone a most blessed Christmas and a very happy and healthy 2016! In Christ, Patty Trant 3

4 Junior GOYA We held our November Junior GOYA meeting on Sunday, November 15th. The children had a wonderful discussion with Deacon Gary about being in the light vs. the darkness. They talked about the evils in the world and what that means and how to avoid being in the darkness. It was a powerful bible study that ended with a fun activity that showed how difficult simple tasks in life are when we live in darkness and how easy everything is living in the light. Our next church meeting will be held on January 10th. Our next meeting is: Church Meeting January 10th from 12:00-1:15 immediately following Sunday school dismissal in the conference room. NOTE be sure to look at the Youth Activities article to see what s happening with our younger members. All children in the 5th and 6th grades are welcome to attend all the Junior GOYA meetings and events. I look forward to seeing everyone at the North Shore Music Theater. I wish everyone a very blessed Christmas and a very happy, healthy and peaceful New Year! In Christ, Patty Trant The Word - December/January 2016 JOY We held our November JOY meeting on Sunday, November 8th. The children had a great time and learned about the Archangels. Deacon Gary and Deacon Sal talked about who the Archangels are, their purpose, and why they are so important to us. Our next church meeting will be held on January 17th. Thank you to all who donated a frozen turkey to the Lazarus House on November 21st. You helped feed many poor families this Thanksgiving! Without your donations these families would not have had a traditional turkey dinner. Your generosity was greatly appreciated by the people at the Lazarus House. May God bless you and your families! Our next meeting is: Church Meeting January 17th from 12:00-1:15 immediately following Sunday school dismissal. Note be sure to look at the Youth Activities article to see what s happening with our younger members. All children ages 7 9 in grades 1 4 are welcome to attend all the JOY meetings and events. I look forward to seeing everyone at the North Shore Music Theater. I wish everyone a very blessed Christmas and a very happy, healthy and peaceful New Year! In Christ, Patty Trant Youth Activities We invite all youth of the Church to join in the activities of the Sunday school, Junior GOYA and JOY. Christmas Outing Saturday, December 12th at the North Shore Music Theater at 2 pm to see a production of A Christmas Carol. Please RSVP to pattytrant@earthlink.net by December 1st with the number of people attending. Parents and siblings are welcome to attend. Snow Tubing Outing Saturday, February 13th at Amesbury Sports Park, Amesbury, MA. Join us for a fun afternoon of tubing and pizza afterwards. Please RSVP to pattytrant@earthlink.net by February 1st with the number of people attending. Parents and siblings are welcome to attend. The Word Volume 18, Issue 1 Published monthly except August and January by Sts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church, 71 Chandler Road Andover, MA Phone vfax Periodicals postage paid at Andover, MA. Permit No POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sts. Constantine & Helen Church. Elizabeth Xaros Bigelow, Editor. exbigelow@aol.com 4

5 Daughters of Penelope Christian Lending Library Dear Sisters, We are looking forward to our annual Christmas Dinner Party on Thursday, December 3rd at Angelica s Restaurant in Middleton, MA, beginning at 5:30 pm. Members, friends and family are all welcomed to attend. Call me at , if you would like to join us. On November 15th Marion Colman, Angie Chingris, Kathy Kambourakis, and I joined Elaine Kevgas for the 85th Anniversary Celebration of the Founding of the Daughters of Penelope. Michael Theriault of Enterprises by Michael mesmerized the crowd by transforming wreaths and trees in to spectacular Christmas decorations. A great time was had by all who attended. We now turn our focus to New Year s Eve. I ask that all members of our chapter attend, invite family and friends, and lend a hand on New Year s Eve to help make this event a complete success. I thank you for all of your help and support this past year, and may God Bless you with, Health, Happiness, Peace and Love this Christmas and always! With Sisterly Love, Nancy Pantazopoulos Philoptochos is pleased to announce that TEAMWORK TRIVIA Will return to Saints Constantine & Helen on. Dear Parishioners, As Christmas quickly approaches, I want to remind and encourage everyone to stop by the Lending Library and browse through our Christmas selections. We have a number of inspirational movies and books centered around the magnificent birth of Christ. These heartwarming Christmas selections are perfect for the whole family. Please stop by during family hour this Sunday and see what the Library has to offer during this holiday season. RETURNS Movies are due back to the Library in one week and books are due in two weeks. The Sunday school children visit the Library every month so please remember to return any outstanding books and movies the next time you are in church. We have two convenient drop-off boxes, one is located at the top of the stairs leading to the Sunday school classrooms and the other is located outside the Library in the Family Life Center Hall. καλά Χριστούγεννα, Patti George The Bookstore Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, fellow parishioners. Here s looking forward to a meaningful Christmas season. With so much to do, shopping for gifts can be daunting. The Bookstore will try to help in some small way by offering many gifts items for all ages. Bibles, jewelry, wall crosses and icons, including the wondrous Kathiotissa, are available. Also Christmas storybooks and decorations are on display. Come in early and we will do our best to meet your requests in time for the big day. May you find joy this Christmas season and rejoice in the Birth of our Lord Jesus. With love and best wishes, The Bookstore Staff Elaine Demetroulakos Dotty Vlamis 5

6 JOY Outing Crescent Farms October 18 6

7 G O Y A The Word - December/January 2016 Greetings Goyans! The Christmas season is upon us and it truly is a wonderful time of year! Our GOYA meetings continue to be fun and exciting and we encourage everyone grades 7-12 to join us in the church hall on the third Sunday of every month! No prior attendance is necessary, making this a great opportunity for new GOYANs make friends through the fellowship and support of our faith! Our past Holy-ween meeting was a great success with everyone in costume! From a Market Basket Bag to a priest, the costumes were both creative and comical! Opening with our traditional blessing and dinner, GOYANS had the chance to socialize and catch up with each other over some delicious pizza. With full stomachs, we played a game requiring us to utilize our acting skills. We then moved to the church for an inspiring and meaningful discussion with Father Chris about the myrrhstreaming icon ( Kardiotissa ) in Taylor, PA. We closed the night with an energetic game of mummy wrap up where GOYANS worked in teams to wrap a volunteered member in toilet paper! As always, our meeting continues to foster the spiritual growth and sense of community that represents GOYA! We also enjoyed other events such as our Hayride to Krochmal Farms! It was an entertaining afternoon composed of a challenging corn maze, petting zoo, dinner and a traditional hayride pulled by two beautiful horses. The evening was topped off with a huge bonfire, s mores, and a chorus of campfire songs! We also held our traditional leaf raking for members of the parish. This is always a great chance to not only help the community but also share memorable experiences with friends while doing so! Pictures of the events are available on our GOYA facebook page, along with updates and reminders for upcoming GOYA events! We have a fun filled month coming up as well! Our annual trip to the Festival of Trees in Methuen, MA is coming up on December 5th. The Festival of Trees is an indoor event featuring over 240 trees, wreaths and displays that are absolutely amazing to see! This is a great time for GOYANS to get in the holiday spirit while checking out the countless creative and colorful trees! Also in December, we will be having a Christmas movie night! GOYANS will be able to come to the church hall, relax, watch a Christmas movie, and sip some warm hot chocolate. This is definitely an event to mark in the calendar and details will soon follow! As always, our December meeting is our annual potluck Yankee Swap meeting. GOYANS are asked to purchase a $15-$20 gift and bring it to the meeting wrapped along with their Christmas spirit! Lastly, during this time of year, we have our Toys for Tots drive! We kindly ask that anyone wishing to donate a new, unwrapped toy to please drop it off in the designated box in the church hall! We had a record number of toys last year and our goal is to exceed it and bring happy faces to as many children as possible! If anyone is interested in signing up/has any questions about the above information, feel free to me at cvbobo@comcast.net! I hope to see you all at our upcoming events and activities! In Christ, Costas Vergados, Goya President Strive with all your might to bring your interior activity into accord with God, and you will overcome exterior passions. - Abba Arsenius 7

8 Stewardship 2015 Here are those who have contributed all or part of their commitment for Thank you very much. If you have not done so, please consider doing so now. Abdennour, Mario & Dana Alexandris, Greg & Maria Alexandrou, Chris & Jeanette Anderson, Raymond Andreadis, Sophie Andros, William Anton, Arthur & Madeline Apostolopoulos, Costas & Maria Archambault, Dylan & Concetta Bajor, John & Mary Banos, Leonard & Janis Bassi III, Armand & Nicole-Elena Bedrosian, Margaret Bennett, David & Alexia Berry, Robert & Elaina Bigelow, John & Elizabeth Boutselis, Antonia Brachos, Vasilios & Ekaterina Brandon, Fred & Katie Budd, William & Jayne Camargo, Jorge & Susan Campolini, Susan Capozzi, Joseph & Elaine Carafotes, Sophia Caron, Wes & Nicole Carras, George & Betsy Caselle, Paul & Adrienne Chamberas, George & Cynthia Chavez, David & Lyena Cholidis, Stavros & Luz Christakos, Chris Chunias, Theodore & Paula Coconis, Charles & Anne Colello, Gary & Christina Colman, Marion Connor, Jack & Stephanie Connor, Stephen Constantine, Peter & Gail Contos, Michael & Ethel Cook, Kate Coravos, Martha Coufas, Nick & Jean Coufos,Stephan & Kathy Coulouras, Catherine Danas, Peter & Voula Degnan, Kevin & Stephanie Delegas, George & Evelyn Demetroulakos, Elaine Demetroulakos, James & Pam Demopoulos, Gary & Georgiann Diamantis, Sotirios & Lauri Diamantopoulos, Kosta & Diana DiPietro, John & Carol Dragonas, Denis Duci, Christine Duci, Simora Dukas, George & Priscilla Dukas, James & Carla Evangelinos, Constantinos & Asimina Exarchos, Georgia & Sirois, Chad Faulkner, Chip & Sharon Fazio, Salvatore & Angela Filippakis, Harry & Alexandra Flaherty, George & Mourmoutis, Sofia Furman, Paul & Zoi Gabriello, Max & Shelly Gavriel, Michael & Cathy Georgacopoulos, Nicholas & Anna The Word - December/January 2016 George, Chris & Patti George, Edward & Patricia George, Ken & Stephanie Georgelis, William & Stasia Georges, Tom & Eugenia Georgian, Andrea Georgian, Ted & Colleen Georgoudis, Paul & Alexandra Gianakouras, John & Margarita Gianes, Paul & Marie-Denise Karko, Eugenia & Antoine Katsaros, Katherine Katsikis, Stanley & Maria Kelekis, Dimitra Kelly, Matthew & Evangelea Kenney, William & Bessie Kent, Gary & Amalia (Lia) Kettenbach, Michael & Kelly Kiladis, Glenn & Diane Kiladis, James & Georgia Kokkotos, Fotios & Barbara Kolofoles, Charles & Joan Kolofoles, George Kolofoles, Michael Kolofoles, Nicholas Kombouras, Christos & Effie Koskores, Christopher & Molly Koskores, Nick & Mary Koskores, Peter Kostakis, Mihail & Helen Kostas, Chris & Joanne Koster, Marcellus & Diana Kotsopoulos, Ernest & Suzanne Koulopoulos, Michael Koulouris, David & Jean Koutouvides, Daki & Kim Koutsogiannopoulos, Eleni Koutsogiannopoulos, Constantine & Christina Kouvaris, Demos Kritzas, Athena Krueger, Martin & Shelley Kulesza, David & Joanna Kyriages, John & Kay LaFlamme, Adam & Sarah LaFortune, Steven & Georgiana Lakos, Yole Lallos, Frank & Lisa Lambropoulos, Costas & Thuy Trang T. Tran Lampropoulos, Demetrious & Pauline Lancione, Stephanie & Ryan Walfield Lapinskas, Aras & Vasiliki Lawler, James & Katherine Lellos-Wilson, Chris & Christine Liatsos, Nick & Laurie Likousas, George & Eleni Liponis, Bessie Loisou, James & Natalie Loisou, Stefanos & Gayle Lolos, James & Emily Macrokanis, Chris & Victoria Mahoney, John & Anastasia Mahoney, John & Ashley Mak, Derek & Olga Makiej, Christopher & Katerina Makiej, John & Lynn Makiej, Jr., Walter & Maura Makiej, Sr., Walter & Vaia Mancini, Al & Dina Manikas, Christina Maravelis, Arthur & Lombardo, Lois Maravelis, Electra Marino, John & Heidi Mariolis, Anastasia Mastromonaco, Dorothy Matses, Vasilike Matzouranis, James & Caroline Matzouranis, Nikole Matzouranis, Paul & Ellen Maynard, J. Kenyon & Nestervich, Ellen McArdle, Joanne McGarry, Penelope McKenna, Sean & Christine Medor, Kenneth & Georgianne Melahouris, Dennis & Elaine Meletis, George & Anastasia Melucci, Athena Miara, Maria Milligan, Jeremy & Alyssa Miminos, Nicholas Miminos, Nick & Diane Moccia, Gary & Theodora Mothon, Louis & Rose Moularas, Eleni Mouyos, William & Zaimes, Kerry Munroe, Barry & Helen Munroe, Marie Murphy, David & Christine Murphy, James & Diana Murphy, Terrance & Valerie Murray, Thomas & Pauline Mylonas, Agamemnon & Irene Nikitas, Dimitrios & Stavroula Nikolopoulos, Jim & Angela Nikopoulos, Charles & Kimberly O'Rourke, Paul & Cindy Orphanos, Catrina Orphanos, Peter Packard, Anastasia Panagas, Ethel Panagas, James Panagas, Steven Panos, Marie Pantazi, Edward & Ana Pantazopoulos, John & Nancy Pantely, Thomas & Rachel Papadopoulos, John & Corcoran, Lindsay Papadopoulos, John & Diane Papadopulos, Stergios Papageorgiou, Panos & Georgia Papanikolaou, Telly & Constantia Papantonakis, John & Andrea Papapetros, Athena Pappey, Theodore & Lisa Paris, Anastasia Parker, Michael & Marina Pasanen, Wayne & Susan Patrakis, Stephanie Patsios, James & Nancy Perakis, George & Suzanne Pescatore, John & Elaine Pescatore, Michael & Deanna Petrakis, Nikolas & Sussanne Petrakos, Nicholas & Krista Pithis, Steven & Olga Plentzas, Joseph & Constantina Popken, William Porter, David & Evangeline Powers, Edwin & Kathleen Primes, Stephen & Elizabeth Primes, Theodore & Rhonda Proctor, Christopher & Keira Prutsalis, Andrew Rassias, Anthony & Karen Raymond, Michael & Kara Redard, Russell & Alysia Reuther, Dieter & Karen Revelotis, Dennis & Sophia Robinson, Steven & Kulesza, Angela Rooks, Gerald & Irene Saideh Sr., George Sanborn, Mark & Andrea 8

9 Sangermano, Thomas & Eleni Santos, Demetra Saragas, George & Elaine Saragas, Jimmy & Cori Saragas, Patroklos & Vasiliki Saraidaridis, Harry & Susan Saraidaridis, Jeanette Scarmoutzos, Doree Schuhwerk, Kurt & Kristin Sheehan, Brian & Anastasia Skigis, Harry & Valerie Skowronek, Chris & Joanna Smith, Mark & Patricia Soseos, Sandra Souhleris, Peter & Desi Spanos, George & Bethany Splagounias, Nikitas & LesleyAnn Stapczynski, Buzz & Sandy Stathos, William & Katherine Stellakis, Nicholas & Sefany Stern, Richard & Cynthia Stetson, Helen Stevens, Frank & Vasilike Stoupis, Constantine & Voula Strakosha, Leonidha & Klara Stratigakis, Peter & Margaret Stratigakis, Thomas & Anita Stylos, Louis & Lisa Stylos, Pota Sutherland, Maria Anastos Taliadouros, Marina Tasiopoulos, George & Tammy Telios, Chris & Debbie Terzakis, John & Susan Theodorou, George & Marlene Tierney, Gregory & Laura Tikellis, Christos & Katerina Touma, Dan & Georgia Trant, Robert & Patricia Treat, Michael & Alexis Trebach, Malcolm & Charlene Tsakonas, Demetrios & Patricia Tsaparlis, Nicholas & Kyriaki Tsekrekas, Sr., Anthony & Jeanne Ullman, Jonathan & Alison Valavanis, Pauline Varitimos, Chris & Mary Lou Varitimos, Nicholas Varitimos, Theodore & Madeline Vergados, Nicholas & Connie Vitale, John Vitas, Zachary & Katherine Vlamis, Dotty Vlamis, Paul & Michelle Vogis, Victor & Margo Wallingford, Stephen & Marina Warren, Anthony & Stephanie Webster, Thomas & Susan Wighardt, Carl & Popi Winnell, Alexis Winslow, Michael & Alexis Wouralis, Peter & Ethel Xifaras, George & Eleni Xintaropoulos, Demetre & Audrey Yates, Philip & Christine Yianopoulos, Peter & Joanna Zaimes, Soterios & Althea Zavalianos, Joanne Zohdi, Peter & Cara Zollo, Elaine MORTGAGE ELIMINATION UPDATE We have now reached over $400,000 pledged!! Be a part of history Be a part of the future Sow your financial seed for a harvest in 2017 Our parish family has always risen to the occasion to support the needs of our Church. When the parish moved from Lawrence to Andover there was a mortgage needed to complete the building of the Church. We eliminated that mortgage in Then as the parish continued to grow, we built a new Family Life Center at a cost of $3.5 million, with a new grand hall, kitchen, classrooms, conference room, and administrative wing. We raised $2.5 million. All of these moves and expansions were an absolute necessity in order for the parish to not only survive, but to thrive. And so now, another challenge is before us the elimination of our 30 year, $1 million mortgage. Currently, our church pays $7,000 per month toward that mortgage, which is a drain on our parish, wastes a big portion of our precious stewardship donations on bank interest, and keeps us from expanding staff, outreach and ministries. Beloved, we are being asked to open our hearts and minds to the future of our parish. We are very grateful for your generous support in the past, and through your continued love and generosity, we look forward to reaping a wonderful harvest together by eliminating the mortgage in THANK YOU! Over 100 families already pledged. (Please see mortgage pledge card in this edition of the Word). Our Goal $1,000,000 to be debt free in the year of our parish s 100th Anniversary, 2017! Pledged to Date $402,182 as of November 10, 2015 TESTIMONY: Twenty-Five years ago we joined Saints Constantine and Helen parish in Andover. It was one of the best decisions we ever made. We have raised two children through the many ministries of the church and we have all made many cherished friends here. We have become better people through our Christian faith and we continue to grow on a daily basis. We have always been involved in different aspects of our church ministries which has given us our richness in life. We look forward to burning the mortgage on the 100th anniversary of our parish so that all future funds can benefit the many ministries of the church, which benefit so many. Steve and Olga Pithis 9

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12 December 2015 Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Wedding 1:00 (Stern) Goya Outing 6 St. Nicholas am am Morning Meditations 10:00 am Women s Faith & Fellowship 9:00-10:30 am 12 Youth Sunday 13 Sunday School Christmas Pageant Parish Council Mtg 7:15 Christmas party Bread for Life Parish Bible Study 7:00 pm 20 Joy Outing GOYA 6 pm Vesperal Liturgy of Christmas 6:00 pm Holy Communion Christmas Carols 25 Christmas Liturgy 11:00 am

13 January 2016 Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 Feast Day of the Circumcision of our Lord Eve of Epiphany Vesperal Liturgy 6:30 pm 6 Epiphany 7 8 Women s Faith & Fellowship 9:00-10:30 am 9 10 Jr. Goya Mtg. Noon Morning Meditations 10:00 am Philoptochos Mtg. 7 pm Joy mtg. 12-1:15 Goya 6 pm Parish Council Mtg. 7:15 pm

14 Periodical 14