Prisoners Among Us. July St. Christopher Hellenic Orthodox Church

Transcription

1 St. Christopher Hellenic Orthodox Church 313 Dividend Drive, Suite 210 Peachtree City, Georgia Phone: (770) Website: Very Rev. Fr. George J. Tsahakis, Pastor Julie Skouteris, President, Parish Council July 2015 Prisoners Among Us Imagine walking in the forest and seeing four men chained to trees in the darkened woods. These prisoners appear to be hungry, heartsick, and discouraged. Now, visualize yourself springing to their rescue. Indeed, you possess the means to free them. You realize you know the combination to their locks which bind together their chains, and you now call upon your talents to set the prisoners free. You unlock the chains of the first man, and then he goes to the second man and frees him. In turn, the second man cares for the third man, but to his dismay, the third man fails to be able to loosen the bonds of the fourth captive. Sadly, the fourth prisoner is left in chains with the combination to his lock unknown. Page 1

2 Pastoral Remarks From Fr. George: Prisoners Among Us Upon your return home, everyone rejoices at your heroic rescue, but deep inside, you remain unsatisfied that the fourth man continued to be a prisoner. Now let s ask several questions: Why were these men prisoners? Who had chained them? What had brought them freedom from bondage? The first man s chains were caused by terror of God, and up until his release, he had sought to deny any religion or any relationship to God. The sins of fear and doubt kept him chained in the forest of hate and ignorance. The second man s chains were made up of prejudice, and he thought himself superior to those of another color or race. He was imprisoned in the forest of hate and ignorance. The third man was chained with a self-righteous attitude, thinking he could do no wrong, that he was superior to others, and he didn t need to offer mercy. He was lost through his self-imposed loneliness and chained in the forest of hate and ignorance. As the rescuer of these three men, let me recap how positively you offered to them God s Word as the means to set these prisoners free. In speaking with the first prisoner, you offered him the encouragement found in John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes Page 2

3 Pastoral Remarks From Fr. George: Prisoners Among Us in Him may not perish but may have eternal life. With the second captive, you witnessed to him the testimony found in Acts 17:24-26: The God who made the world and everything in it, He who is Lord of heaven and earth, From one ancestor He made all nations to inhabit the whole earth... And your choice of Holy Scripture to free the third prisoner was St. Paul s counsel in 1 Corinthians 8:8: Food will not bring us close to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. You, and for that matter others, cannot liberate the fourth prisoner from his chains and home in darkness, for he has no faith, and he continues to not believe you, me, or God. For those reading this parable, let me ask, Have you any chains? Are you in a forest? Would you like to hear the Good News to free you from your bondage and live life as God intended for all of us? If the answer is yes, after you finish reading these words, open your Bible and read God s plan for your life. It s yours for the taking. For this purpose He called you through our proclamation of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 2:14) Very Rev. Fr. George J. Tsahakis Chancellor, Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Atlanta Pastor, St. Christopher Hellenic Orthodox Church Visit the St. Christopher s Online Parish Calendar at for up-to-the-minute details about upcoming events and services! Page 3

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5 Hands of Love: July 2015 For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore, I command you to do this word which says, You shall surely open your hands to your brother, to your poor and needy in your land. Deut. 15:11 When you give to Soldiers' Angels, you help make life just a little easier for our military families, service members, and veterans. Unlike many other military organizations, Soldiers' Angels serves not only military families and service members, but also veterans of all eras. It is one of the few charities approved to work in the VA hospitals and provides direct support to our veterans. Your monetary donations can help in the following ways: $35 Average amount needed for a care package to be purchased, packed and sent $50 Average amount provided for gas assistance to/from VA hospitals $100 Average amount provided for food assistance for a veteran to help put food on the table $800 Average amount needed to purchase a laptop for a wounded warrior with hand or arm injuries, including those suffering from burns, paralysis, loss of sight or voice, and amputation to help maintain some independence and to stay connected with family, friends, and battle buddies Thank you for your support of this worthy Philoptochos ministry. Kim Haldopoulos (coordinator) Don t want to cook? Let s EAT Tired of doing the dishes? Let s EAT Been meaning to eat out with your Family? Let s EAT Have you been putting off catching up with old friends? Let s EAT Wishing you had the opportunity to meet new friends? Let s EAT Join Us at Broadway Diner, 535 S Glynn St., Ste. 1009, Fayetteville Sunday, July 26 th, 11:00 am Page 5

6 Philoptochos News: Philoptochos Women Instill Moral Values in Their Children In a recent editorial in the Op-Ed section of the New York Times called, Raising a Moral Child, the writer, Adam Grant, reported that for most parents, kindness and compassion are more important than success in their children. In his research in the field of psychology he found that, Children learn generosity not by listening to what their role models say, but by observing what they do. By being active in Philoptochos, women across the country are modeling charitable behavior that in and of itself instills moral values in their children. Actions speak louder than words and when children see their parents participating in philanthropic endeavors, helping others, and raising money for social causes, those actions are internalized as standards for good behavior. Church attendance sets the stage for demonstrating a moral and philanthropic life. Participating with family and continuing at home with Gospel readings and discussion exhibits an active faith of love and compassion. In addition to the events that are tailor made for families such as church festivals, bring your children along to watch or participate when visiting a nursing home, volunteering at a soup kitchen, running for a cause, or planting a vegetable garden to share with a pantry. In fact, you don t need to leave your home, if you work on Philoptochos reports, mailings, and writing at your own kitchen table where your children can see what you re doing. Ask them to help, even in a small way, and encourage them to come up with their own ideas on how to contribute to the community. Let your children see and hear what you are doing for Philoptochos. Your benevolence will expand to instill ethics in the next generation. Read the article by Adam Grant for details on the psychological experiment: (Thank you to the National Philoptochos website for this information from their blog) **Please join us Sunday, July 19 th, 11:00 am for an important Philoptochos meeting as we plan the remainder of our GreekFest baking schedule.** Page 6

7 July Prosfora Baking Schedule The following families are scheduled to prepare Prosfora in July: Sunday, July 5 (due Fri., July 3 by 4:00 pm) Sunday, July 12 (due Fri., July 10 by 4:00 pm) Sunday, July 19 (due Fri., July 17 by 4:00 pm) Monday, July 20 (due Sun., July 19 by 9:00 am) Sunday, July 26 (due Fri., July 24 by 4:00 pm) Monday, July 27 (due Sun., July 26 by 9:00 am) Pat MacDougall/Stella Christodoulopoulos Georgia Lungaro/Claudia Sliwinski Costas and Tammy Soulakos/Zenais Bassett Susan Kleto/Effie Sakkas Becky Butler/Presbytera Marinda Tsahakis Evangelos and Emilia Moriaitis/Anna Pelky PROSFORA BAKERS: PLEASE BE SURE TO MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Presbytera Marinda appreciates everyone s help and if needs arise, please contact her at mtsahakis@comcast.net or (770) Save the Date!! GreekFest 2015 Saturday, September 19 th (Complete details coming soon!) GOYA News July: GOYA Meeting (for those not at Summer Camp), July 19th, 10:30 am August: GOYA Community Fund Raiser (Tentative) September: GreekFest! Sheryl Vasiliadis and Anna Pelky, GOYA Advisors Page 7

8 A Tisket A Tasket, We Need Your Basket!!! Summertime, when our thoughts run to cookouts, iced tea, the beach, the pool, and to GREEKFEST! We will be having our very popular and very successful Silent Auction again at GreekFest and need your assistance in providing some stellar baskets. This year, think outside the box! What kind of basket would YOU like to bid on? If you create that, I guarantee others would want it as well. We need 15 baskets again this year (don t have room for any more on the front tables). PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE run your basket ideas past me or Danielle to ensure we are not creating duplicates! So far I have: - Tea Basket - BBQ Basket - Some items for the GA/GATech baskets. So you can see we re wide open for any kind of wonderful basket or tub you create. If you need ideas, see Faye or Danielle! Prayer Shawls as Covers of Love We will be partnering with the Cancer Treatment Center of America (CTCA) and their Covers of Love Program when Fr. George blesses our next gathering of shawls on August 16 th as part of the celebration of the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos. The CTCA also accepts lap blankets for those patients who prefer to have their knees and legs covered. Prayer shawls can be either triangular or rectangular but need to be long enough to wrap securely around the body. Rectangular shawls should be wide and long with fringe or some other decorative finish at each end. Triangular shawls should be across the longest side, to the point with fringe along the two short sides or some other decorative finish all around. Lap blankets should be on each side. Yarn color choice is also important as we are trying to uplift the spirits of the recipients of the shawls and blankets. Please contact Susan Kleto at (770) or sbkleto@gmail.com to either become a participant in this ministry, to receive yarn, to receive sew-in labels, to receive a Prayer Guide, or if you have any questions or suggestions. Page 8

9 PARISH PRIEST: Fr. George Tsahakis, Protopresbyter (770) PARISH COUNCIL MEMBERS: Fr. George Tsahakis, Protopresbyter (770) Julie Skouteris, President (770) Danielle Dawkins, Vice President (770) George Psihountas, Treasurer (770) Dina Tagalos Kearns, Assistant Treasurer (770) Tony Vlachakis, Secretary (678) Maria Cahill (770) Tom Farmakis (404) Kirk Panayis (347) Stephen Sarantis (770) MINISTRY LEADERS: Altar Boys and Myrrh Bearers: Fr. George Tsahakis (770) Building Fundraising Committee: Stephen Butler (770) Chantors: George Skouteris (770) Choir: Jeanie Ellinas (770) Church Clean-up: Steven Wilson (678) Church Maintenance/Repair: Stephen Butler (770) Church Supplies Ordering: Pat MacDougall (770) Education, Culture, & Youth Diakonia Committee: Tammy Soulakos (770) Facebook: Katie Wilson (678) Finance Committee: Stephen Sarantis (770) Greek Orthodox Youth of America (GOYA): Anna Pelky (770) and Sheryl Vasiliadis (770) GreekFest 2015: Dina Tagalos Kearns (770) and Stephen Butler (770) Hellenic Dance: Katie Wilson (678) Hellenic Language: George Skouteris (770) H.O.P.E./J.O.Y.: Alexandra Vlachakis (678) Newsletter: Susan Kleto (678) Outreach Committee: Jeanie McGee (770) Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF): Helen Psihountas (770) Personnel: Tammy Soulakos (770) Philoptochos: Katie Wilson (678) Prosfora/Kolyva/Artoklasia: Presbytera Marinda Tsahakis (770) Publicity and Real Estate Committee: Cynthia Cromartie (770) Religious Education Program: Becky Butler (770) St. Christopher Bookstore: Becky Butler (770) and Emilia Moraitis (678) St. Christopher Library: Presbytera Marinda Tsahakis (770) Stewardship Committee: Tom Farmakis (404) Page 9

10 Community Calendar July 2015 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat :30 pm Choir Practice Independence Day God Bless America 5 5 th Sunday of St. Matthew 7:45 am Orthros 9:00 am Divine Liturgy 6 Fr. George Away 7 Fr. George Away 8 Fr. George Away 9 6:30 pm Choir Practice Fr. George Away 10 Fr. George Away 11 Fr. George Away 12 6 th Sunday of St. Matthew 7:45 am Orthros 9:00 am Divine Liturgy 11:00 am Parish Council Meeting :30 pm Choir Practice Sunday of the Holy Fathers 7:45 am Orthros 9:00 am Divine Liturgy 10:30 am GOYA Meeting 11:00 am Philoptochos General Meeting 20 Feast of Prophet Elias 5:00 pm Great Vespers 5:45 pm Divine Liturgy 7:00 pm Community Family Dinner (Nonfasting)/Book Discussion (Being Bread) :00 pm ECYDC Meeting followed by Religious Educators Meeting 23 6:30 pm Choir Practice :00 pm (Noon) 100th Birthday Celebration for Helen Hayes, Dynasty Restaurant, Newnan. RSVP to gaileric1@gmail.com th Sunday of St. Matthew 7:45 am Orthros 9:00 am Divine Liturgy 11:00 am Let s Eat, Broadway Diner, Fayetteville 27 Feast of St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr & Healer 5:00 pm Great Vespers 5:45 pm Divine Liturgy 7:00 pm Community Family Dinner (Nonfasting)/Book Discussion (Being Bread) :30 pm Choir Practice 31 Page 10