Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral God s people, serving God s people 17th of November, 2013 9th Sunday of St. Luke 1324 South Normandie Avenue, Los Angeles, 90006 Office: 323.737.2424 Fax: 323.737.7029 www.stsophia.org www.stsophia.org/bulletin Very Reverend Father John S. Bakas, Dean Reverend Father Allan Boyd, Assistant Priest Office Hours 8:30am - 4:30pm Monday - Friday 1
FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES Executive Officers George E. Preonas, President; Andrew Evangelatos, Executive Vice President; James A. Demetriou, PhD, Vice President & C.F.O.; Constantine M. Boukidis, Secretary; Tina Callas, Treasurer Members V. Rev. Fr. John S. Bakas; Nicholas Bissias; Timi Loomos Freshman; Alek Haidos; Steven C. Hanna; Michael Huffington; Gig Kyriacou; Brent A. Noyes; John T. Pappas; Jim Zaferis Presidential Appointments Anthony A. Demetriou, Presidential Assistant; John G. Marakas III, Sr. V.P. of Wells Fargo, Advisor to the Board; Andrew J. Demetriou, Foundation General Counsel PARISH COUNCIL BOARD OF DIRECTORS Executive Officers Brent A. Noyes, President; John Kopatsis, Vice- President; Irene Andreadis, Recording Secretary; Karen Sarames, Corresponding Secretary/Legal; Michael Kraios, Treasurer & C.F.O. Members Bertha Angels; Jeanine Hanna; Glenn Lianos; Eleni Constantine Manolelis; Loula Moschonas; Kouji Nakata; Alex Oxyzolou; Peter Pallas; Dean Peratsakis; Dorothy Spirus Board of Auditors: Jim Ananias; Tony Demetriou; Tom Moore 2
MINISTRY NEWS GENERAL ASSEMBLY NEXT SUNDAY NOV 24 The assembly convenes after Liturgy in the assembly room upstairs in the Huffington Center. HUFFINGTON PICTURES PRESENTS THIS WEEKEND Huffington Pictures presents a film produced by our beloved parishioner Michael Huffington called Geography Club. It opens on this weekend of Nov 22-24 at the Laemmle Music Hall Theater located at 9036 Wilshire Blvd in Beverly Hills. Let s support Michael with our presence at this grand opening. This is a thought provoking movie about the issue of the day. See you at the Laemmle Music Hall Theater. -Father John S. Bakas PHILOPTOHOS V.I.P. DECEMBER 12 - OUR ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY in the Maniatakos Fellowship Hall. This will be a very exciting event, with Christmas Carols and great fellowship, as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, so save the date! Chairperson is Pitsa Schwartz and co-chair Mersy Loukaris. The price for the luncheon is $25.00. Paid reservations are required and must be received by December 8th. Mail your check payable to Philoptohos VIP to Vivi Demopoulos, 7485 McConnell Ave., Los Angeles CA 90045, tel.(310)215-3130. In His Service, Mary Morrison VIP President 3
PHILOPTOHOS NEWS The Thanksgiving Luncheon is SOLD OUT today! If you did not make a reservation ahead of time, we re sorry to say there is no room for walk-ins at the door. Thank you for your understanding. AN EVENING WITH FRIENDS DINNER honoring James (Jim) Demetriou, Anthony (Tony) Demetriou and Andrew (Andy) Evangelatos will be held on Saturday, February 1, 2014 in the Maniatakos Hall. Chairman Marianna Politis and her committee are already making plans for this spectacular evening. Solicitation packages for the Program Book are out in the mail. Invitations will follow soon. Please save the date and plan to join us! HO HO HO - THE ANGEL TREE: Our Angel Tree will be up in the Narthex today! We have a number of families we are helping this year so there are plenty of gift tags for you to choose from, children and adults, if you d like to donate a gift and help make Christmas brighter for those who need help. Tags will be labeled stating the gift needed and with an alphabetical letter that identifies which family the gift is for. Wrap the newly purchased gift in Christmas paper and then tape or tie - the tag back onto the package for us before you return it to church so we know how to distribute it. Gifts should be returned no later than Sunday, December 15th at noon. Thank you. POINSETTIAS FOR THE SHUT-INS: Our list of members who should receive a plant for Christmas is starting to shrink. Please let us know of someone who should be on our list to receive a plant at the holidays. Contact Helene Ballas at 818-642-8011. Plants will be available for pick up in the coffee hour on December 22 after church. 4
PHILOPTOHOS NEWS BLANKETS FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: This winter we are asking for donations of new blankets for women and children in the Domestic Violence Agency safe houses. Women ages 18 to 25 are the largest group targeted for abuse. If you knit - sew - or shop - this is for you! As we approach the holidays we should remember these women and their children who are hiding from abusive husbands, fathers and boyfriends. If you wish to bring a donation to church or to a Philoptohos meeting, the blankets will be delivered before Christmas to the agency. SALVIN SCHOOL FOOD BOXES: Philoptohos is once again helping to donate the cost of 76 holiday food boxes for the poorest of families at the Salvin School which services students with extreme special needs. The food boxes will contain basic staple food items such as canned fruits and vegetables, rice, canned milk, coffee, sugar and more. If you wish to donate to this most worthy cause, please send your donation to Philoptohos at the Saint Sophia office. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me John 12:8 With love in Christ s service, Virginia Noyes and The Philoptohos Board of Directors 5
MINISTRY NEWS 16TH ANNUAL CHRISTMAS MUSICFEST Saint Sophia Cathedral 16th Annual Christmas Musicfest under the Byzantine Dome - "The Great Choruses of Christmas" Sunday, December 8, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. The program will include Orthodox Christmas hymns and chants, traditional carols of the holiday season and several choruses from works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Camille Saint-Saens, Cesar Franck and George Frederick Handel. The concert will feature three chanters: Carole Choucair Oueijan, Dimitri Liogris and Michael Kontaxis along with lyric soprano soloist, Michele Patzakis Prappas, the Saint Sophia Cathedral Choir and Chamber Ensemble under the direction of Jim H. Kollias, and the Harmonies of Saint Thomas all Girls Choir, under the direction of Antonio Espinal. Freewill offering. Reception immediately following the concert in the Maniatakos Fellowship Hall and the Maria Maniatakos Pavilion. JOY OF PARENTING CLASSES IN THE HUFFINGTON CTR. Join your fellow parishioners in a lively discussion of parenting children of all ages: from toddlers to teens and beyond. Today, November 17, "Orthodoxy in the Home." Classes are held in the Work/Study Room in the Huffington Center, upstairs near the left-hand side staircase, immediately following Holy Communion and concluding at 12:15. Come with your concerns and questions or just listen; there is no pressure to speak to the class. It's a wonderful way to get acquainted with other parents. There is no fee to attend. The Joy of Parenting Ministry is facilitated by Barbara Kappos, LCSW and Nikolaos Stefanidis, Ph.D. Mark your calendars for the upcoming class: Nov. 24, "Gratitude." MONDAY NIGHT BASKETBALL IN OUR GYM 7:30-10:00P Drop by for pick-up basketball games every Monday night in our gym. Boys and girls, men and women, ages 13 to 30. Shoot the hoops or shoot the breeze, either way, it's a good time. Hope to see you. 6
MINISTRY NEWS RESTORING MEMORIES As time passes, memories become more important in our lives. Many of us have old photos of parents, grandparents, and family members from the past. We d love to get them restored and larger prints made for others to enjoy without the old stains and blemishes that time puts on them. Our Cathedral photographer and photo restorer can do this work for very reasonable prices. Call him at (310)497-6078 or email him at allen@holdthatsmile.com Preserve photo memories from the past. SAVE THE DATES: Feb. 1: The Philoptochos presents, "An Evening with Friends," honoring parishioners Jim Demetriou, Tony Demetriou, & Andy Evangelatos. Feb. 2: Super Bowl Party! In the Jim Gianopoulos family theater. Sponsored by the Parish Council. Feb. 8: Greek Dance Group's Annual Glendi, in the Maniatakos Hall. Feb. 22: Apokreas (Greek Mardi Gras), fun for all ages, in the Maniatakos Hall. Sponsored by the Parish Council. ATTENTION MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS! Have you ever wondered what those people working in the Narthex do every Sunday? Probably not. But we want you to find out anyway! The first Sunday of each month has been officially named Youth Sunday. In addition to a Sunday School student reading the Epistle, the Parish Council invites middle and high school students to volunteer in the Narthex during Divine Liturgy. If you'd like to volunteer in the Narthex and/or pass the baskets, please sign up by contacting: L.A.GreekChurchLady@gmail.com. Send your name, phone number, age and what day you'd like to volunteer. Please arrive at church at 9:45 a.m. so you may be trained. Upcoming date: Dec. 1 and Jan. 5 7
MINISTRY NEWS YOUNG ADULT FELLOWSHIP: TUESDAYS 7:00PM Dine together, learn together, grow together in Christ. Join the Forum this Tuesday November 5th in the Maniatakos Pavilion at 7:00pm. Like us on Facebook! facebook.com/cwla.forum ORTHODOX BIBLE BLAST 2013-2014 The Bible blast is still going strong, thanks to all those who have participated already and to those who will join in this ministry shortly. The Saint Sophia Bookstore has stocked up on Orthodox Study Bibles and for only a little longer is offering them below cost for your benefit. Benefactors who want to help students in need may sponsor 10 Bibles for $275. Benefactors will be recognized in the weekly bulletin for their generosity. Just send a check to the church and write Bible Blast in the memo or call the office to make a gift over the phone. ADULT GREEK DANCE Want to do something fun? Meet new friends and renew acquaintances, feel good and look good? Look no further than the Adult Greek Dance For Fun here at Saint Sophia. Put your iphone and your ipad away for 2 hours of fun, dance and fellowship. Learn how to be foot loose without cutting loose. Come join the people who invented the o r i g i n a l s o c i a l m e d i a : T h e a t e r, M u s i c, Poetry...AND...Dancing! Oli Mazi! Where: Saint Sophia Huffington Center When: Saturday January 5 through March 9 From 11 AM to 1 PM Registration Fee: $140.00 new student (That s just $14 /session) $120.00 repeating student Instructor: Ramsay Seikaly 8
MINISTRY NEWS PHILANTHROPIA MINISTRY NEWS: THANK YOU: To all of you for supporting Philanthropia s projects year-round and for your prayers and well wishes for our family. CITY OF HOPE PEDIATRIC Booklet & Service: For children who have died of cancer Is scheduled for Thursday, November 14th at the City of Hope Medical Center. We are currently accepting donations for sponsoring this event. STREET OUTREACH: Children s Hospital of Los Angeles has for many decades reached out to help abandoned children. Dr. Nikos Stefanidis, Ph.D. a Staff Psychologist at Children s Hospital, L.A., is the Clinical Director of this High Risk Program. You could help Dr. Nikos by purchasing new items such as the following: T-Shirts (M-L); Boxers (M-L); White Socks; Blankets; Sleeping Bags; Sweatshirts; Snacks; Water/Juices; Bus Tokens; Sneakers; Hygiene Items (Travel Size); Tooth Brushes & Toothpaste; Shampoo; Deodorant; Sun Screen -- be sure to label them for DR. NIKOS STEFANIDIS and leave them by the clothing bins. We will make sure that he comes to pick them up. Thank you. USED CLOTHING and CANNED GOODS : Please identify all clothing donations on the outside of the bags by indicating whether they are for men, women or children. The receptacles for "used clothing" and "canned goods" are located side by side, in the general area of the nursery. Thank you! PHILANTHROPIA WEBSITE: www.philanthropiaministry.org God bless you! With love, Father Peter 9
LIGHT THE CATHEDRAL WITH LOVE The Cathedral will be surrounded with a beautiful arrangement of candlelit luminaries during the upcoming Christmas concert. To sponsor a $10 luminary in honor or memory of your loved ones see Presvytera Danita in the Maniatokos Fellowship Hall during Coffee Hour and get your sign-up pamphlet. 10
COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS CARD RESERVATION FORM Once again, the Cathedral will be sending Christmas greeting cards to the parish, listing the names of those who wish to contribute $35.00 or more towards this effort. This Christmas greeting card will be sent to the entire congregation, saving you valuable time and the expense of cards and postage during the Christmas holidays. Please return this form to the church office quickly, to insure you are included. Print your name(s) below as you would like it to appear on this year s Christmas card: Please pay by cash, credit card or check, made out to Saint Sophia Cathedral. You can also pay online at the church website: www.stsophia.org/donate Credit Card #: Exp. Check #: Cash payment? Total Amount Paid: 11
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