the word Beloved, Jesus Christ is a life altering experience! And the only way to truly Instrument of Spiritual Healing Benefits of reading the Bible

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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 June 2015 BIBLE STUDIES THIS MONTH Pursuing our spiritual life June 10: 10-11:30 am - Morning Meditations June 24-7 PM Bread for Life SAVE THE DATE June 7- Senior Recognition (high school and college graduates) June 14 - Sunday School Graduation & Parish Picnic August 3-5 Vacation Church School Begins June 21 Metropolis Summer Camp See schedule on page 9 Get news of additional events and announcements via . Go to the church web site and sign up to be on our LISTSERV Instrument of Spiritual Healing Benefits of reading the Bible From Fr. Christopher Beloved, Jesus Christ is a life altering experience! And the only way to truly know Him is through the Bible. Please read the powerful words below from Bread for Life, and try to read the Bible everyday. You will truly be blessed! Why read the Bible? The key word is CONTACT. Two persons cannot develop a deep friendship without frequent contact. The central aim of studying the Bible is to bring the Christian to frequent, if possible daily, contact with God. The Church Fathers say that even the presence of a Bible in a room, when the Christian is aware of it, influences his life. Much more so is this true when the Christian takes the Bible in hand and prayerfully reads it. A spiritual force seems to surround the reader and begins to work in his life. As the reader honestly responds to God s grace and to the truths of the Bible, the dialogue becomes much more clear and profound. The Christian sees that the Bible speaks about his life like no other book. It penetrates the nature of man. It reveals both the goodness as well as the capacity for evil in each human being. The Bible exposes the secret wiles of the heart and points to the way of repentance. Like a sensitive surgical instrument, God s Word cuts deeply, cauterizes the wounds of sin and thoroughly heals through the seeking of forgiveness. The Christian gradually experiences complete renewal by attentive reading of the Bible and consistent personal contact with God. The central purpose of studying the Bible is knowledge of Christ. The dialogue between the reader and God converges on the person of Christ. To know more and more of the truth of the Bible is to know more and more of Christ. This is the goal of Christian life. As St. Paul put it: I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Excerpts from Bread for Life Reading the Bible (Fr. T. Stylianopoulos) 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 Sandra Spanos Johnson, President Chanter Telly Papanikolaou Choir Pres. Katerina Makiej, Director Organist David Harvey Altar Boy Captain Basil Vergados Sunday School Dorothy Hatzikonstantis, Director Greek School Voula Nikitas Christian Lending Library Patti George, Director GOYA Advisors Connie Vergados GOYA President Basil 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 - June 2015 Parish Council Notes Dear Fellow Parishioners, At long last the dome over the Atrium was installed in late April. The contractor needed a few good weather days to open the roof and do the necessary work to attach the structure. The weather improved and the construction work was done quickly. Many, many thanks go out to the Saragas family for their very generous contribution that allowed us to have this beautiful dome. Also, Council member Anthony Warren deserves a thank you as well for being the project manager for this job. Many parishioners, young and old alike, marched in the annual Greek Independence Day Parade in Boston at the end of April. We had a grand time walking down Boylston Street and waving to all the spectators. When we went by the reviewing stand and the announcer said, Next comes Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church from Andover we picked up the pace and marched with pride! It was an exciting afternoon. Next year we will encourage more of our parish to join in the fun. The committees of our Church are active this time of year improving the facility, planning for the future, raising funds to eliminate the mortgage and organizing for our annual Greek Festival on September 12th and 13th. June will be a busy month as we wrap up the school year. Scholarship Sunday is June 7th. This is when we recognize our high school and college graduates for their many accomplishments. Scholarships will be awarded to a number of deserving young people for their contributions to the parish and their academic excellence. Sunday school graduation will be on Sunday, June 14th. This is a terrific event where all the Sunday school students are recognized and we find out what lessons they learned over the year. In addition, we get the opportunity to thank our very dedicated Sunday school teachers for all they do to make our Sunday school so very successful. Also, Sunday, June 14th is our annual Parish Picnic sponsored and hosted by the Parish Council. Stop by after Liturgy and enjoy a hot dog or hamburger or both! Looking ahead to July, Steve Pithis is again organizing the annual Golf Outing at Indian Ridge Country Club for Monday, July 6th. Have a wonderful summer with your family and friends, Buzz Stapczynski, Parish Council President Philoptochos Congratulations to the new Board members who were elected in May for a two-year term. The Board members are Martha Coravos, Gina La Fortune, Stephanie Connor, Paula Goodwin, Joanne McArdle, and Olga Pithis. I will be staying on the Board as advisor. Good luck, ladies! This year, we will recognize our high school and college graduates on June 7th. I hope you are all able to join us for this annual tradition. Congratulations to all the graduates! This is my last article for The Word as my term as Philoptochos president has come to an end. I would like to thank all the members of Philoptochos for their support and help these past four years. I would also like to thank all of you for supporting Philoptochos. We would not be successful without you! I hope you all have a wonderful summer! With sisterly love, Sandra Spanos Johnson 2

3 Daughters of Penelope As President of the Daughters of Penelope, Local Chapter #330, I would like to thank all those who helped with preparations, donated gifts, money, lottery tickets and gift certificates, and to those of you who supported us by selling tickets and attending our 26th Annual Bid-n-Buy. It was a beautiful, fun and successful event because of all of your efforts. A big Thank you, goes to our chairperson Elaine Kevgas for her hard work and attention to the smallest details. In looking to next year we are enthusiastically anticipating a revived event. Our Daughters chapter, along with our local AHEPA chapter, will be hosting a New Year s Eve party in the Great Hall at our Sts. Constantine and Helen. It will be a family oriented event with a dinner and live music by Ta Pethia. Just like the old days in Lawrence. More information will follow in the fall. Our End of Year dinner meeting will be on June 4th at Chama Grill in North Andover. Interested members should call Olga Pithis at for more information. It has been an enlightening year and with the addition of our seven new members, I look forward to next year and working together to grow our contributions to various charitable endeavors supported by the Daughters of Penelope. In Sisterly Love, Nancy Pantazopoulos 3

4 G O Y A The Word - June 2015 Hello GOYAns! The GOYA year is quickly coming to an end! We have had a very busy month and we had a blast in Boston at the Greek Independence Day parade! We will soon be planning our end of year beach outing! Be sure to sign up so you can join in on beach volleyball, frisbee, fun in the sun, food, fire pit, s mores and more!! It is sure to be another success, filled with fun and fellowship! We are looking forward to meeting new and incoming GOYAns to our awesome ministry! While the end of our GOYA year is approaching, it s never too early to get pumped for the next year! See you all at the beach! In Christ, Basil Vergados The Word Volume 17, Issue 6 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 Junior G O Y A The Word - June 2015 We held our second church meeting on Sunday, May 3nd. We enjoyed a pizza lunch and held a wonderful discussion on the Bible with Deacon Sal. We talked about the different books in both the Old and New testaments. We then ended our discussion with a quick lesson on Byzantine chanting. The next Junior GOYA meetings/events planned are: Kimball s Farm Outing in Westford, MA Sunday, May 31st at 3:30 pm. Please join us for a fun game of mini-golf, a ride on the bumper boats, and homemade ice cream. Game Night with GOYA Saturday, June 13th at the church. This is a great way for our 6th graders to meet some of the GOYAns before next year; it s a nice transition to GOYA. More Details to follow. Please Note: Ropes Course Outing was Canceled. Due to the harsh winter, the ropes course was not up and running in May. We will reschedule for the fall. All children in the 5th and 6th grades are welcome to attend all the Junior GOYA meetings and events. If your child would like to attend, please feel free to come to the next outing. In Christ, Patty Trant Andover Boys Place 2nd in Teddy K Classic By John Bigelow After winning the consolation bracket last year, Andover was determined for a shot at the championship this year. Andover secured a spot in the winner's bracket this year by easily beating its first two opponents in Weston and Lowell. Now in the final four, next up was Boston. After accumulating a good lead against Boston, they shot lights out in the final minutes to steal a victory away from Andover. Andover now had to fight to stay alive in the tournament against the home favorites Roslindale. With two very defensive-minded teams it was a back and forth low scoring game, but it was Andover who made the last shot of the game to take the lead and the win to set up a rematch against Boston in the semi-finals. This time around against Boston, Andover didn't lift their foot off the gas and with strong defensive play made sure Boston did not mount another comeback sending Andover to the Championship game for the first time in the history of the Teddy K Classic tournament. It was now up to Andover to dethrone two-time defending champion Peabody. However, with Peabody's consistent shooting and solid defense they got off to a quick lead and Andover was unable to climb back in it, making Peabody winners of three straight championships, and winners of four of the last five tournaments. So Andover took home the 2nd place trophy, and their best showing yet at the Teddy K Classic! J O Y As the year winds down, we have planned two very fun events. The next JOY events planned are: Kimball s Farm Outing in Westford, MA Sunday, May 31st at 3:30 p.m. Please join us for a fun game of mini-golf, a ride on the bumper boats, and homemade ice cream. Ice Cream Social Sunday, June 7th immediately following Sunday school. We will meet in the church courtyard to enjoy ice cream sundaes. Parents and siblings are welcome to attend. All children ages 7-10 and in grades 1-4 are welcome to attend all the JOY meetings and events. If your child would like to attend, please feel free to come to the next outing. In Christ, Patty Trant Jason Smith, Chris Goodwin, Dan Furman, Vasili Kostakis, and John Bigelow, 5

6 Mon Wed AUGUST 3, 4 & 5 5:00-8:00 pm Ages 4-12 Invite a Friend! Teens and adult helpers needed too! Th is year, VCS explores the four Great Feasts of the Church dedicated to the Theotokos, focusing on the theme of Traveling on the Ark of Salvation. PLEASE...register by July 24th. The cost is $25 per child or $50 per family. Food, prizes and a theme T-shirt are included. (T-shirts are not guaranteed with late registration.) Questions or Want to Volunteer? Contact Diana Koster, (781) , dvlamis@yahoo.com Cut and send Form to: Sts Constantine & Helen Church - VCS, 71 Chandler Rd., Andover, MA, Make check payable to Saints Constantine & Helen Church VCS VCS 2015 REGISTRATION FORM Name: Age: Name: Age: Name: Age: Name: Age: Address: Phone: T-shirt Sizes & Quantities: Youth XS Youth S Youth M Youth L Youth XL Adult S Adult M Adult L Parent's Name: 6

7 STS. CONSTANTINE & HELEN VACATION CHURCH SCHOOL 2015 EMERGENCY CONTACT/ALLERGY INFORMATION (Please print and return with registration) Name: DOB Age Medications your child is allergic to: Does your child have any food allergies? If yes, please list them and give details. Name: DOB Age Medications your child is allergic to: Does your child have any food allergies? If yes, please list them and give details. Name: DOB Age Medications your child is allergic to: Does your child have any food allergies? If yes, please list them and give details. Name: DOB Age Medications your child is allergic to: Does your child have any food allergies? If yes, please list them and give details. Address: Parent/Guardian(s): Phone Number(s) where you can be reached during VCS: Please list an adult familiar with your child that we may call in an emergency if you cannot be reached. Name: Phone #: 7

8 The 21st annual Boston Greek Independence Day Parade was held Sunday, April 26, 2015 commemorating Greece s march to freedom which began on March 25th,

9 ΑΓΙΟΣ ΟΝΟΥΦΡΙΟΣ 12 ΙΟΥΝΙΟΥ Ο όσιος Ονούφριος είναι ένας από τους μεγαλύτερους ασκητές της Ορθοδόξου Εκκλησίας. Καταγόταν από την Περσία και έζησε ασκητικά σε μια από τις αιγυπτιακές ερήμους. Σε νεαρή ηλικία εγκαταβίωσε σε Κοινόβιο Μοναστήρι, όπου παρέμεινε για αρκετά χρόνια στην άσκηση και την υπακοή. Αργότερα με την ευλογία του Γέροντός του αποσύρθηκε στην έρημο. Εκεί συνάντησε τον ερημίτη Ερμία, ο οποίος, μετά από θεία αποκάλυψη, τον περίμενε και τον οδήγησε σε μια καλύβη κάτω από έναν πελώριο φοίνικα κοντά στον οποίο υπήρχε πηγή καθαρού νερού. Εκεί στην ησυχία επεδόθη σε μεγαλύτερα πνευματικά γυμνάσματα και προσευχόταν αδιαλείπτως για όλη την οικουμένη. Με την εν χάριτι άσκηση καθάρισε την ψυχή του από τα πάθη και έφθασε στον φωτισμό και την θέωση. Η άκτιστη Χάρη του Θεού πλημμύρισε όλη του την ύπαρξη, την ψυχή και το σώμα του, και γι αυτό το σκήνωμά του μετά την οσιακή του κοίμηση ευωδίαζε. «Όποιος έχει την Χάρη του Αγίου Πνεύματος και στην ψυχή και στο σώμα, έχει την τέλεια αγάπη. Και αν κανείς διαφυλάξει αυτήν την χάρη, θα αγιάσουν τα λείψανά του, όπως των αγίων μαρτύρων, των προφητών η των άλλων μεγάλων αγίων» (άγιος Σιλουανός ο Αθωνίτης). Κάποτε, επισκέφθηκε τον όσιο Ονούφριο ο Αββάς Παφνούτιος. Οι δύο ασκητές «συναγάλλεται εν ουρανοίς μετά πάντων των αγίων». The Word - June 2015 Ο βίος και η πολιτεία του οσίου Ονουφρίου μας διδάσκουν οτι ο ασκητικός αγώνας είναι ουσιαστικά το πέρασμα από την «στενήν και τεθλιμμένην οδόν», που όμως γλυκαίνει και νοηματοδοτεί την ύπαρξη. Αλλά και τροφοδοτεί τον πνευματικό οργανισμό με ισχυρά αντισώματα, για να είναι σε θέση να αντέχη στα Youth Summer Camp is for persons ages 8-18 and offers a week of fun and fellowship connecting youth from throughout the Metropolis to each other and their faith. Registration has begun. For more information, go to Family Summer Camp is an opportunity for families and people of all ages to share in the camp experience together, strengthening their relationships with God and with each other. All ages are welcome. Campers under 18 years of age must by accompanied by an adult. Session 1: June 29 - July 5*Youth Session Ages 8-18 Session 2: July 6-12, *Youth Session: Ages 8-18 Session 3: July 13 - July 19,*Youth Session: Ages 8-18 Session 4: Family Camp: July (All ages, campers under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult) Session 5: July 27- August 2*Youth Session: Ages 8-18 Session 6: August 3 - August 9 *Youth Session: Ages

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11 June 2015 Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Greek School Graduation 6:00 pm 7 Orthros 8:30 Liturgy 9:30 Senior Day JOY Ice Cream Social Baptism 1pm (Petrakis) 14 Orthros 8:30 Liturgy 9: Morning Meditations 10 am-11:30 am Baptism 12:00 (Caron) Baptism 2:00 pm (Kettenbach) Baptism 2:00 pm (Cholides) Couples Night Out 7:00 pm 20 Goya Beach Outing Sunday school graduation Family Cook-Out Wedding 4:00 pm (Saraidaridis) Laity Banquet 6 pm 21 Orthros 8:30 Liturgy 9:30 Father s Day Baptism 2:00 pm (Mahoney) Bread for Life Parish Bible Study 7:00 pm Wedding 3:00 pm (Sintros) Orthros 8:30 Liturgy 9: Baptism 12:00 (Groomes) Boston Metropolis Summer Camp 11

12 Please join us for Couples Night Out Pot-Luck Dinner Saturday, June 7pm. At the home of John and Dora Karafilidis 1 Endicott Rd. Andover, MA Everyone Welcome New parish members encouraged to attend Come enjoy a fun night out with your parish friends and meet new ones Please RSVP by June 8 dorakarafilidis@hotmail.com. Periodical 12