The True Vine. Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Dayton, Ohio. Myths and Facts Concerning Bodily Death and the Life of the Soul.

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1 The True Vine Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Dayton, Ohio June 2018 Vol. 2 Issue 6 In this issue: Myths and Facts 1-2 Parish Registry 1 Liturgical Schedule 3 President s Corner 3 News and Notes 3 Faith in Action 4 Ministries and Organizations 5 Stewardship 5-6 Graduates 7 Park Days Schedule 8 Vacation Church School 9 Greek Night Dinner and Dance 10 Calendar 11 Parish Registry Baptism Adam Gunston Sponsor: Christopher Heisey May 16 Funeral +Nicholas A. Kirbabas April 27, 2018 June Memorials June 3 +Nick A. Kirbabas June 10 +Georgia Pappas Myths and Facts Concerning Bodily Death and the Life of the Soul O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (1 Corinthians 15:55). As Christians, it is good to ponder on the future of our soul leaving its body. It is the great moment of truth that we are all preparing for. As such, this month s article will focus on what happens when the soul leaves the body and why we as Orthodox Christians are to take this matter seriously. In addition, myths surrounding death will be dispelled with theological facts. Myth 1: Humans get angel s wings when the soul leaves the body. While it sounds cute that humans could become angels, it just isn t possible. Human souls will be human souls forever. Further, at the Last Great Judgment of Jesus Christ and the General Resurrection of the Dead, all the bodies and souls ever created from the beginning of time will reunite for all of eternity. Soul and body will come back together as one entity forever. Some souls and bodies will have a life with God and others will have a life away from God after Christ s Last Great Judgment. As a side note, cremation or the destruction of the body is forbidden because our souls will indeed reunite with our bodies for all of eternity in a deathless state. Just as Christ Resurrected and Ascended body and soul back into the Kingdom of the Heavens we will have bodies one day like His eternal body. And because our bodies are made in the image and likeness of God and eternalized at the end of time by God s loving grace we are to show great reverence for the human body from womb to tomb. The body is holy and venerable as the image of God and it is integral to the natural dignity and spiritual beauty of every human person, from the moment of conception until natural death. This is a common feature of all people that reflects their equal and infinite value. Cremation shows no reverence for the body as it burns off the flesh and the remaining bones are ground to dust. Many saint s relics and incorrupt bodies continue to stream heavenly myrrh and work miracles to this day because their souls spiritualized their earthly remains. Myth 2: Everybody goes to Heaven. If this were true there would be no reason for the supplicatory prayers at the Orthodox funeral where we plead for God s mercy to forgive the sins that rest on the soul of a loved one or friend. If everybody went to Heaven there would be no need for the 40 day and yearly memorials begging God s mercy on the souls of the departed. We must know there is no guarantee of salvation, but there is assured hope of salvation. The proper Orthodox Christian view of salvation is we were saved by Lord Jesus Christ s sacrifice on Calvary in 33 AD. We are being saved by Lord Jesus Christ s sacrifice today. And like St. Paul said, we should be working out our salvation in fear and trembling (Phil 2:12), with hopeful confidence in the promises of Christ (Rom. 5:2, 2 Tim. 2:11-13). In essence, we were saved, we are being saved, and we hope to be saved. Due to freewill, some souls will choose not to be in Heaven because they hate God. Other souls won t be in Heaven because they refused to repent of a sin or sins. The only unforgivable sin is the one we don t confess and ask forgiveness for. If we want the assured hope of salvation all we have to do is come to the Sacrament of Confession and make amends. This Sacrament is so merciful but often fear from the devil and/or pride prevent Christians from coming to it. To be sure Jesus wants us to be in Heaven with Him and His love is like an all-consuming fire. To the repentant soul, God s perfect love is a fire that warms and perfects it in the afterlife. To the unrepentant soul, God s love scourges and tortures it in the afterlife. All God can do is love us but how we experience His Divine Love will depend on how we use the appetites of our mind and body to feed our soul.

2 2 Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church 500 Belmonte Park North Dayton OH Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Dayton OH Office Hours: Mon. Fri. 9 am 5 pm Clergy: Fr. Joseph Gingrich frjosephgingrich@gmail.com Secretary: Carol McDougle Bookkeeper: Brandee Moran Building Operations Manager: David Casey Parish Council: President: Maria Abboud Vice President: Nikki Burns Secretary: Deb Pulos Treasurer: Demetri Inempolidis Members: Sandy Angelopoulos Harriet Argue Evan Bambakidis Andrea Casey Louis Castleman Larry Couchot Dan Douglass Bernie Gearon Toni Moraites Nick Regopoulos Parish Organizations and Ministry heads: AHEPHA: Nick Tolias Catechism School: Christina Harsch Katina Tsatalis Choir: Ernie Stathes Dance Coordinators: Isidora Margioris Maria McFarland Daughters of Penelope: Alexis Brun GAPA: Linda Kididis GOYA: Dori Daskalakis Missy Fote Greek School: Katina Tsatalis Michelle Zois Maids of Athena: Thomai Bessler Maria McFarland Philoptochos: Cynthia Barron Young at Heart: Becky Heddings Mary McDonald Toni Moraites Myth 3: Pain and suffering end at death. Pain and suffering end for some at death but not for all. In death, the souls of many are only just beginning to suffer in full force. The reason for this is that the appetites of the mind and body feed the soul. This is why the Church teaches both the goodness and simultaneous moderation of bodily pleasure. Pleasure is good because it is created by God and everything God created is good. Too much pleasure is undesirable for the health of the soul though. There must be a balance. The reason the Church advises us to abstain from hard drink, flesh foods, conjugal relations, and I would add social media and entertainment during the four seasonal Lents isn t because these things are bad but in order for us to practice self-denial. During these times we are to place the needs of the soul before the wants of the body. If people only live for enjoyment and satiate their appetitive desires to the fullest they will lack selfcontrol. When there is a lack of self-control behavior becomes impulsive. When behavior is impulsive it almost always ends in sin. When a soul leaves a body at death and that soul drank and drugged whenever and whatever it wanted, ate as much of and whatever it wanted, yelled at whom it wanted, hated whom it wanted, was condescending to whom it wanted, abused whom it wanted, had sex whenever and with whomever it wanted, had whatever immoral pleasure it wanted, etc. this soul will gravely suffer when it no longer has a body to alleviate its desires with. The appetites of the mind and body either feed the soul into order and harmony with God or disorder or discord with God. If the soul has been filled with nothing but unbridled and unregulated pleasures it will sorely suffer when the body can no longer feed it. It s sort of akin to having a scratch on your back that you just will never be able to reach. We must realize that God did not create the body to die in Orthodox theology. Only an unjust God would do this. Death was the result of mankind s disobedience to God s Law in Paradise. Since mankind created death his freewill the Church has always seen bodily death as an unnatural state. Thus when the soul is torn from the body it can be a terrifying experience for the person who isn t prepared to live in separation from his or her flesh. This is why acts of self-denial are so important because they prepare the soul to live without the body. The process of salvations itself takes place in three stages. 1) Purification 2) Illumination 3) Sanctification. Acts of self-denial coupled with prayer purify the body. Once the body becomes purified of its passions and is no longer ruled by its appetites the mind can then start to contemplate God in prayer and become illumined by the Holy Spirit. The Sacraments have a more profound effect on the soul of a purified body and mind as well. Once the body and mind are purified and they only use their appetites in goodness, and once the mind is illumined by God s grace and the Sacraments, the total person can then live in a state of blessed sanctification and perfect communion with God. A person thus becomes a living saint. Anything short of not dying in a sanctified state means that the soul of a saved person will go through some type of purification in the afterlife until it reaches sanctification. This purification could be painful or blissful depending on the state of the soul at death. We also know that repentance is impossible after bodily death. This is why we must use our life of body and soul right now for the glory of God alone being cognizant that every choice we make can either bring us closer to heaven or hell in the afterlife. We must all die to self in order to live for Christ if we want to have the assured hope in our salvation. In this way, we can die before we die. Then when bodily death occurs like St. Paul we can say, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (1 Corinthians 15:55). For the soul that has been purified, illumined, and sanctified death becomes a homecoming into the glory of God s Kingdom where we behold our Savior face to face in divine intimacy. We must all remember that we will one day die unless our Lord Jesus Christ comes back very soon to perform His Last Great Judgment. Therefore we should do all that we can in this life to prepare our soul for its journey into eternity. If we don t want death to sting and the grave to be the devil s victory all we have to do is come to Divine Liturgy weekly, repent of and confess our sins, fast from worldly pleasures, flesh foods, and hard drink when appropriate, and always pray and worship God in our homes every day. This is such a simple process of prayer and appropriate self-denial to follow in order to have the assured hope of salvation. May we all do it with joy in our hearts for the glory of God and the betterment of our fellow men! With Love in Christ, Priest Joseph

3 Liturgical Schedule for June All non-sunday Divine Liturgies begin at 9:30 am unless otherwise noted. If Matins/Orthros is not listed before Divine Liturgy it isn t being served that day. Sun., June 3 Matins/Divine Liturgy All Saints Sun., June 10 Matins/Divine Liturgy Sun., June 17 Matins/Divine Liturgy Sun., June 24 Matins/Divine Liturgy Thurs., June 28 Festal Vespers at St. Peter and Paul OCA parish 6:00pm Fri., June 29 Divine Liturgy of St s. Peter and Paul at OCA parish 9:30 am 3 Our sympathies to the Protos family on the passing of their loved one +Dora Protos on April 16, 2018 Our sympathies to the Panson family on the passing of their loved one +Evangelia S. Panson on April 17, 2018 Our sympathies to the Maria McFarland and family on the passing of their loved one +Georgia Pappas on May 5, 2018 In Appreciation The Tsatalis family wishes to thank our Annunciation brothers and sisters in Christ for their expressions of sympathy for the loss of Dr. James father, Peter Tsatalis. President s Corner Spring is finally here! The garden is getting finishing touches to prepare for its dedication on June 3. You can still purchase pavers, forms are in the church lobby or on the church website under the forms tab. There are also some trellis still available to purchase. The chandeliers in the church have been cleaned and bulbs changed. Thank you to an anonymous donor! They are beautiful! Again, thank you to the donor who has paid for a new boiler for the Community Center. The new boiler is being installed and will be ready to keep us warm when winter approaches. The first round of CPR classes have been completed. Staff, council members and teacher all participated. A new dishwasher has been installed in the Community Center kitchen. Our church is hosting the Annual MEFGOX choir convention in July. We are very excited to host choir members from both the Detroit and Pittsburgh diocese. News and Notes Expressions of Sympathy Our sympathies to Nick Demetre and family on the passing of his beloved brother +George Demetre, on April 17, Joy Courtyard Dedication The blessing and dedication of the Joy Courtyard and Memorial Garden will be June 3 following the Divine Liturgy. Orders for Phase 4 of the bricks and pavers are currently being taken with a June 8 deadline. If you would like to be a part of this exciting campus renovation, please fill out a form and turn it into the church office with payment. Forms can be found in the community center. The order form can also be found on our website. There are still a limited amount of the larger naming opportunities available. Questions: Deb Pulos debrapulos@mac.com, Recognition Sunday On Sunday, June 17, we will recognize our parish s high school and college graduates at the annual Recognition Luncheon following the Divine Liturgy. Additionally, we will announce the 2017 AIF Scholarship recipients, the AHEPA District #11 Buckeye Scholarship Foundation recipients and acknowledge our parish St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival participants. This wonderful event honors the accomplishments and achievements of our parish youth. If you would like to attend this no cost luncheon, please contact Carol at the church office2.annunciation@donet.com, , no later than June 8. Our sympathies to Helen Kirbabas and family on the passing of their loved one +Nicholas A. Kirbabas on April 22, 2018

4 Philoptochos: Faith in Action Spring Charity Luncheon Thank You! What an amazing day it was on Saturday, May 12, for our 12th annual event! Everyone enjoyed themselves and had fun bidding on the beautiful auction items. As we said at the meeting, it s much like putting on a wedding and we thank all our hard working committee members. While we can t name everyone, a special thanks for those members who made donations, either in their lovely auction items or monetary. Our heartfelt thanks to Nikki Burns and Cindy Keilholz who took care of reservations. Michelle Zois and Sandy Alex 4 SAVE THE DATE JULY 24 It s Skyline Time!! The Community Care Ministry for July is Soldiers Surgeon, Inc. Bring your friend and family to Skyline Chili on July 24, from 5 9 pm, at 8906 Kingsridge Drive behind the Dayton Mall. A percentage of the evening s sales will be donated to Soldiers Surgeon, Inc which helps veterans who have been injured during or outside of their service to this country with non-emergent orthopedic services. Some of these surgeons attend our own Annunciation church. Our thanks to Cindy and Mark Keilholz for graciously allowing their business to be used for this fundraising event. Chairpersons for this event are Cindy Keilholz and Nikki Burns. June CCM Project Believe is a 501(c)(3) organization supporting youth who have been orphaned by mental, emotional, and behavioral challenges. Most are foster children who are living in group homes, hospitals, and residential treatment centers with little or no outside support and very few personal belongings. They range in age from 7-18 years old, but are mostly teens. Project Believe reminds them they are not alone by providing some of the comforts of home throughout the year. Specifically at this time of the year, they collect school supplies to provide each child with backpacks and necessary school supplies for the upcoming year. or on Items needed: Backpacks Pens (no pencils/erasers) Glue sticks Colored pencils 24-count Crayons Markers Folders (no metal facinators) Composition books (no spirals) Pencil pouches/boxes Calculators Rulers (no metal edges) Highlighters NO MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS IN JUNE AND JULY Please read your s to keep up to date on our CCM events and other Philoptochos information! Information will also be in our Faith in Action section of the True Vine. Donations to Homefull Thinking about getting new pots and pans? You can donate gently used pots and pans to the Donation Station at Homefull. Homefull is always in need of large bath towels, utensils, paper towels and toilet paper. What a great way to clean out your cabinets and linen closets! Many thanks to our Donation Station committee members who refill our household products monthly at Homefull. Volunteers are always welcome to join. Contact Sandy Alex at salex142@aol.com, (937) Baubles and Bags Our first Baubles and Bags sale was so popular; we are planning another one on October 21. Now is the time to look over all your gently used purses and jewelry and set them aside for our sale. When you set your items aside, please bag each piece of jewelry in small baggies to be priced and sorted later. Please keep them until we have a set time and place to bring all your donations to our chairpersons to be priced! Did you know that Philoptochos: Supports the Philoptochos National Ministry Commitments every month? May/June the 75th Anniversary Founders Fund provides assistance to Greek Orthodox older adults and their families, continuing care facilities and special projects. May/June Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) provides Orthodox Christian support to college students on campuses in the US. Our local Philoptochos sent $6,700 to the National Philoptochos Vasilopita Fund, which was the second highest donation in our Metropolis. WOW!

5 Technology Addiction and Cyber-bullying We know you have heard a lot about it in the news, Philoptochos and AIF will be sponsoring a speaker on this very important and timely topic. Mark your calendars for Sunday, October 7 immediately following church for a presentation by Rick Mann. He will speak to high school freshmen and older. Parents and grandparents should also attend. A light lunch will be served and child care provided. Remember What happens on the Internet stays on the Internet. More details to follow. Any questions, please contact Cindy Keilholz cinlamkeil@gmail.com Ministries and Organizations Mid-Eastern Federation of Greek Orthodox (MEFGOX) Choir Convention MEFGOX Choir Convention, July 19-22, our parish has the honor of hosting the 71st Convention of the Mid- Eastern Federation of Greek Orthodox Christian Church Musicians. Parishioners and non-parishioners are invited to help support this event by posting ads in the Convention Album. The deadline for submissions is May 30. Ad forms will be available in the Community Center. A table will be setup. Mary Haritos, Convention liaison, mary.haritos@gmail.com 5 Daughters of Penelope News Thank you to the community for supporting our Annual Scholarship Luncheon fundraiser! We reached our goal! Your generous support will go a long way in helping our students reach their future success! We held elections at our May 10 meeting. We are excited to announce our officers for the year: Alexis Brun, President; Maria McFarland, Vice President; Nicole Bacas, Corresponding Secretary; Mary Haritos, Recording Secretary; Tracy Gearon, Treasurer. Also, thank you to all those that are serving on committees! To our out-going Officers, Diane Briggs, VP, Mary Mc- Donald, Treasurer, and Dessine Fricioni, Corresponding Secretary, we offer our sincere gratitude for their many years of dedication!!! New members are always welcome! Please feel free to contact, Alexis Brun, President, , agrkblsng22@gmail.com Young at Heart We will meet on June 21 at 11:30. The lunch will be sponsored by Parish Council. Hope to see all our Young at Heart people there Stewardship Program Providing for the future, serving the present: Stewardship Report midway through 2018 The 2018 Stewardship goal: $400,000 Pledged Paid 2018 Stewardship to date $302,468 $187,786 Comparison to 2017 $304,790 $151,237 If you have not yet done so, please make your 2018 stewardship pledge to your parish. If you have pledged, please consider signing up for the automatic withdrawal payment program. Click on the Donate Online link on the church website. This is your commitment to our parish, and it is through stewardship that we are able to not only fund our parish needs, but continue to enable our ministries to do all of the things they do for our parish and our community. Stewardship Paid as of June 10 $750,000 $650,000 $550,000 $450,000 $350,000 $250,000 $150,000 $50,000 $0

6 6 ~ 2018 ~ The list of Stewards reflects those who have made their 2018 Stewardship Commitment or contributed to their 2018 Stewardship Commitment as of May 10, We thank them for their generosity and loving support. We invite you to join with them and support, joyously, the ministries of the Church. You may obtain information and Stewardship Commitment Cards from the Church Office, or you can speak to a Parish Council Member or Fr. Joseph. Christina Abboud Dr. Fayez & Maria Abboud Fr. Christopher Abell Kally Adams Drs. Abdulla & Malak Adib Maxine Alex Sandy Alex Bill Alimonos Nick & Adrianne Alimonos Amanuel & Abeba-Mesfun Andebrhan Lawrence & Susan Andrews Andrew Andrianos Paul & Sandra Angelopoulos Elayne Anton Ted & Helen Anton Semere & Hiwot Araia Anthony & Jennifer Argue George & Harriet Argue Evan & Stacy Bambakidis John & Cynthia Barron Juanita Bartlett Michael & Thomai Bessler Eric & Christa Bishop Mark & Kristin Bliss Evelyn Boosalis Matt & Penny Boosalis Gloria Borod Wendy Boucuvalas Harry & Linda Bouris Lou & Tina Bouris Helen Bourne James & Cynthia Brandenburg Michael & Nina Breed Nancy Breen Robert & Diane Briggs James & Bessie Brooks Kay Brown Alexis & Bob Brun Stamatis & Karyl Bulugaris Doyle & Nicole Burke Annika Burns & Bob Feldmann Bob Cade Stephan Calondis Maria Caras David & Andrea Casey Louis Castleman Mary Castleman Mrs. P. Stanley Castleman Mary Caudell Dimitri & Kay Chagares Andreas & Panayiota Charalambos Kayleigh Choma Terry & Marthea Christ William & Nicki Cochran Nicholas & Stephanie Coleman George & Salwa Constandinidis Larry & Christine Couchot Angelo & Helen County Gary & Sharon Cunagin Tom G & Dori Daskalakis Deno & Phyllis Davell Chris & Christina Day Nick Demetre George & Vanessa Demetriades Dr. James & Leah Derksen Marika Dimitriou Georgia Douros Gene & Irene Dow James & Harriett Ellis Mari Farmakis Thomas & Lisa Federle Steven & Nicole Fischer Alex & Photini Fote Thomas & Patricia Fote Dessine Fricioni Anastasis Gabbard Dr. Arthur Gardikes Bernard & Tracy Gearon Jr. Alexandra Ghazal George Gianopulos Fr. Jospeh Gingrich Alex & Joan Gounaris Harriet Gounaris Julie Grubbs Eileen Gustin Awad & Barbara Halabi Donald Hanel Dr. Mary Haritos Mark & Dena Hartman Carole Haubrock James & Matina Ann Haubrock Michael Haubrock Rebecca Heddings Jeff & Chrisanne Heisey Dr. C.H. Houpis John Houvouras Evonna Hurst William Hutchison Jerry & Carolyn Hypes Demetri & Dena Inempolidis Mike & Anna Jackson Alan & Rebecca James Mary Jannides Michael Jannides Stephanie Jannides Sarah Jones Betty Jonson Johnny & Jamileh Kaissieh Christine Kambas Pia Kanistros Rosalee Kanistros Kevin & Christine Karaba Tina Karambelas Meredith Karavolis Helen Alex Karkadoulias Constantina Karras Elea Karras Katerina Karras Lula Karras Tia Karras Richard & Cleo Keighley Mark & Cindy Keilholz Andrew & Linda Kididis Angelo & Judy Kiminas Nick & Helen Kirbabas Constantine Kontonickas & Diane Margioras George N Kordalis Pete & Susan Kordalis Thomas & Nicky Korpi Peter & Shirley Kossoudji Despina Kourt Tina & Harry Krukenberg Dirk & Ashley Lackovich-Van Gorp Harry & Marcia Joan Lake James & Maria Langendorf Jim & Diane Leakas Mary Leakas Vigi Liakakos Gus & Sharon Liapis Elizabeth Limber & Robert Golden Nicholaos Limberopoulos & Nada Shaheen Mitchell Limbert Paul & Cheryl Logus Col & Mrs. John Lusa Pete & Chris Makaritis Peter Manavis Constantine & Susan Manos Gary Manos Dean & Isidora Margioras George Marinakes Audrey Makris Maria Mavrouleas Ike & Christine Maxis Chris & Beth McAlpine Jay & Kathy McAlpine Matt & Laura McAlpine Dr. Nicholas & Allison McDonald John & Mary McDonald Keith & Maria McFarland Connie Mellas Christopher & Arianna Milanese Gregory & Nancy Milstead Mike & Joan Mokas William & Dina Mokas John & Barbara Moraites Mary Moraites Theodore C. & Angela Moraites Calvin & Christina Moran Chrisoula K. Morris Andrew & Stella Moulas Renee Nicholas John Nickolas Dennis & Vickie Pacilio Maria & Vasiliki Panagouleas Nicolette Panagouleas William & Irene Pangos David & Lisa Panson George & Sherry Panson Costa & Maria Pantelatos Panagiotis & Julie Papadis Caterina Papadopoulos Kosta & Irene Papadopoulos Chris & Christina Papakirk Georgia Pappas Peter & Kathleen Pappas Jim Parker & Linda Anagnoston Taki & Christina Parker Paul & Irene Parsons Netsa Patrianakos Connie Pavlakos Dr. Chris Pavlakos David & Anne Pepiot John Pickrel Jared & Kate Poeppelman John & Margie Polites Maria Polychronis Todd & Maria Powers Demetri & Ann Preonas Alan & Vasso Price Hippocrates & Judith Psihountas Becky Pulos Chris & Debra Pulos Nicholas & Charrie Regopoulos Anneta Reis Dr. Thomas & Angela Retzios Jim Richards Dr. Lori Vavul- Roediger Michael & Margarita Ronayne Nelson & Theona Russell George & Mary Saloom Joe & Heather Saloom Michael Samonas Col. Nicholas & Estelle Scambilis Charles & Kate Scott Gregory & Georgea Scoumis John & Mary Searles Dr. Nicholas & Nadine Shamma Nick & Sophie Shissias Robert & Penelope Sims Igors & Daira Skriblis Kenya & Melissa Smith Tessy Smith & William Fleming Paula Stamas-Snyder John & Patricia Sotiropoulos Gregory & Jane Speros Elias & Kathy Spyrou Jim & Libby Stamas Maria Stamas Nick C & Emily Stamas Steve & Debbie Stamas George Stamaty Evanthia Steffens Christina Stiakakis Roger & Fofy Sylvester Dr. Victor & Athena Thaler Gilbert Thurman Anastasia Tipler Magdalene Tisinger Nick & Theodora Tolias John & Irene Torges John & Maria Tsalas Dr. James & Catherine Tsatalis Michael & Gigi Tsocaris Pete & Trina Tsolometes Ioannis & Linsey Tzanidis Chris & Maria Tzouras John Urse III & Debbie Urse Dr. John & Evanthia Valassiades Carol Valen Gus & Kelly Valen Emilia Verdes Nick & Stavro Ververis Soula Vlahos Anthony & Karmen Lee Vradelis Theodore & Chrisoula Vradelis Stephanie Waszczak Timothy & Julia Weikert Evangelia Williams Adam Winters Dr. Antonia S. Winters Justin Winters Philip & Xiulian Winters James & Constance Xarhoulacos Nick & Theodora Xenos Katherine Xidas Lynne Zaharako Stella Zaharako Anthony & Irene Zalants Andrea Zavakos & Cor Groeneweg Connie Zavakos Jim & Ruthann Zavakos Louis & Maureen Zavakos Robert Zavakos Andrew & Dessine Ziehler Nick & Michelle Zois Demetrius C Zonars Nikki Zonars Suzanne Zonars-Hambrick

7 7 Yonaton Andebrhan Butler High School Yonaton will attend Wright State University majoring in business with a minor in sports management Kalliope Marie Bessler Kettering Fairmont High School National Honor Society Kalliope will attend Loyola University of Chicago in the fall. Zoe Bishop William Mason High School Magna Cum Laude Zoe will attend Miami University Farmer School of Business majoring in marketing. She will also play softball for the University. Joseph T. Hodson Cincinnati Country Day School Joseph will attend Emory University this fall Carrie Langendorf. Middletown High School. After a faith journey to Greece s Ionian Village in July, she will attend The Ohio State University to study Journalism and Digital Media Marketing. Nicholas Panson Bellbrook High School Nicholas will attend the University of Dayton, majoring in Political Science. Thomas Anthony Retzios Cincinnati Country Day School Thomas will attend Indiana University Business Michael Alexander Warden The Summit Country Day School, Cincinnati Michael will attend Vanderbilt University for a double major in biology and economics. He will also be playing football for the Vanderbilt Commodores. Congratulations to our Daniela Kaissieh The Ohio State University Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with Honors and a minor in Spanish Daniela will be spending the upcoming summer as a counselor at Ionian Village. Afterwards, she will continue her pursuit of a career in medicine. Stephanie Irene McFarland University of Pittsburgh Bachelor of Science in mathematics and economics with a minor in history Stephanie will begin Law school at Boston University John P. Tsatalis University of Miami Bachelor of Science Biology; Minors: Chemistry & History Summa Cum Laude Matriculating to The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine High School and College Graduates

8 Park Days Schedule Dear Parents, Our OPA group had our first meeting with a few parents from St. Paul s Orthodox Church. A great time was had by all and we want to do more things together. Please see the attached Park Days schedule. It is a time when Orthodox parents can meet up and allow their children time to play together. Fellowship with other brother and sister Orthodox Christians is always a good thing to have in our lives. Father Ted and I hope that our communities can grow closer. God Bless, Fr. Joseph Date Park Address Amenities May 31 St. Paul s Play Ground 4451 Wagner Rd., Dayton, Playground, walking trails 8 June 7 Indian Riffle Park 2801 E Stroop Rd., Kettering, Playground, pond, walking trails, shelter area June 14 Shoup Park 1341 Meadowbridge Dr., Beavercreek, Basketball, picnic, Picnic shelters, playgrounds June 21 Helke Park 888 Randler Ave., Vandalia, Playgrounds, tennis courts, volleyball, grass area, woods June 28 July 5 Community Park [VCS Camp Week] Wegerzyn Children s Discovery Garden 691 E. Dayton-Yellow Springs Rd., Fairborn, Playgrounds, tennis courts, basketball 1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave., Dayton, Water play, sand area, pond, walking paths July 12 Kennedy Park 5073 Bigger Rd., Kettering, (Next to Polen Farm) Water play, playground, shelter area July 19 Owen s Place 2260 Dayton Xenia Rd., Dayton, Accessible playground, recreational area, tree house village July 26 Orchardly Park 2599 Delaine Ave., Oakwood, Water play, tennis, basketball, sand box, shelter area August 2 Activity Center Park 221 N. Main St., Centerville, Water play, tennis, shelter area August 9 Hills and Dales MetroPark 2606 Hilton Ave., Kettering, Playground, nature play, walking paths August 16 Shafor Park Patterson Rd. and Shafor Blvd., Oakwood, Please join us for park dates every Thursday this summer. Early birds will arrive around 9 am and many will bring a packed lunch. In case of rain, cancellations will be posted by 8:15 am in the St. Paul Facebook page: facebook.com/st.paul.orthodox.dayton.ohio/ Water play, sand area, shelter area

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10 10 ALEA Society invites you to Greek Night Dinner and Dance June 9, :30 Cocktails 7:00 Dinner 8:30 Dance Hilton Garden Inn 3520 Pentagon Blvd., Beavercreek, Please join us to kick off the summer with a fantastic evening featuring great food, music, Greek dancing, and fun! With special featured musical guests Kostas Grias vocals George Karras bouzouki George Armatas clarinet Themis Kakias bouzouki $50 Dinner and Dance $20 Dance Only RSVP to George P. Karras by June 3. Sponsored by the Dayton Annunciation Members of the Alea Society,celebrating their 75th Anniversary.

11 June 11 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday :15 am Matins 9:30 am Divine Liturgy All Saints Blessing & Dedication of the Joy Courtyard & Memorial Garden following the Divine Liturgy 4 6:30 pm Community Sandwich Making 5 6 3:00 pm Marian Prayer 6:30 pm Choir 7:00 pm Ellas Dance 7 OPA - Indian Riffle Park 8 Phase 4 Brick and Paver Deadline RSVP Deadline for Recognition Sunday Luncheon 9 6:30 pm ALEA Greek Night 10 8:15 am Matins 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Deadline for VCS registration :00 pm Marian Prayer 6:30 pm Choir 7:00 pm Ellas Dance 14 OPA - Shoup Park 15 Buckeye AHEPA Family District Convention in Toledo 16 Buckeye AHEPA Family District Convention in Toledo 17 8:15 am Matins 9:30 am Divine Liturgy Recognition Sunday Father s Day :00 pm Marian Prayer 6:30 pm Choir 6:30 pm Festival Meeting 7:00 pm Ellas Dance 21 OPA - Helke Park 11:30 am Young at Heart 6:30 pm Parish Council :15 am Matins 9:30 am Divine Liturgy 25 VCS at St. Paul Apostle Church 26 VCS at St. Paul Apostle Church 27 VCS at St. Paul Apostle Church 3:00 pm Marian Prayer 6:30 pm Choir 28 VCS/Community Park at St. Paul Apostle Church 6:00 pm Vespers at OCS 29 VCS at St. Paul Apostle Church 9:30 am Divine Liturgy of St s. Peter and Paul 30 7:00 pm Ellas Dance