Saint Sophia Axiologa worth mentioning DECEMBER 9, 2018 10 th Sunday of St. Luke
FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES EXECUTIVE OFFICERS George E. Preonas, President; Gig Kyriacou, 2 nd Vice-President; Constantine M. Boukidis, Secretary; Tina Callas, Treasurer MEMBERS V. Rev. Fr. John S. Bakas, Maria Baltazzi, Timi Loomos Freshman, Steve Hanna, Diane Sakellaris Lapa, Tony Natsis, John Peterson, Jean Paul Wardy, Jim Zaferis PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTMENTS Andrew J. Demetriou, Foundation General Counsel; Nicholas Manolelis, Associate TRUSTEES EMERITUS Andrew Evangelatos, Nicholas Bissias, John T. Pappas, Alek Haidos, Dr. James A. Demetriou PARISH COUNCIL BOARD OF DIRECTORS EXECUTIVE OFFICERS Maria Baltazzi, President; Glenn Lianos, 1 st Vice President; Peter Cosfol, 2 nd Vice President; Angela Ananias, Treasurer; Dinah Wellington, Recording Secretary; Bertha Angeles, Corresponding Secretary MEMBERS Bill Striglos; Costa Bargeliotes; Daniel Settelmayer; Dean Peratsakis, Jeanine Hanna; Paris Yatskar; Tonifaye Palomares; Anna Yallourakis, Associate Member BOARD OF AUDITORS: James Boltinghouse, Anthony Demetriou, Phillip Ruhl, Pete J. Cazacus Saint Sophia Cathedral 1324 S. Normandie Ave Los Angeles, CA 90006 Office: 323.737.2424 www.stsophia.org/bulletin When you write your will or update it, won t you please remember Saint Sophia Cathedral? Such a gift will live forever as our church ministers to our spiritual needs. It s an investment in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
MINISTRY NEWS 1. Today: Parish Council Elections 2. Today: Daughters of Penelope Christmas Luncheon 3. Thursday, December 13: VIP Christmas Luncheon 4. Sunday, December 16: Christmas Bake Sale 5. Monday, December 31: New Year Eve Glendi LIFE IN THE FAITH STUDY w/ Fr. John Bakas Increase your knowledge about our faith at our weekly Bible study class. You'll have a chance to ask Fr. John questions and engage in interesting discussions with your fellow parishioners in a casual setting. Everyone is welcome to attend every Tuesday at 11 am at the Huffington Center. YOUNG ADULT BIBLE STUDY w/ Fr. Christopher Kolentsas Young Adult Bible Study open to the ages of thirty and under every Wednesday evenings in the Huffington Center from 7:30 pm 8:30 pm. Please see schedule on calendar. Required Text: The Orthodox Study Bible (For sale in the St. Sophia Bookstore) CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS We thank our dear Terry and Mary Harmon from Chapman Funeral Home for donating the Christmas Poinsettias. God Bless You Both! 2019 PARISH COUNCIL ELECTIONS Dear Saint Sophia Parishoners, Elections will take place today, December 9th after services. You must be a member in good standing to vote. 2
3
4
5
PHILOPTOCHOS VIP NEWS Christmas season is here and I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas. Kala Xristougena. We are inviting you all to join us for the last and festive event of the year. Thursday, December 13, 2018 is the Christmas Luncheon at 11:30 am. Donation is $25.00. Chair person is Irene Mitropetros and cochair is Anne Dres. To make your reservations, please call Mary Morrison at 818-500-0904 and mail your reservations to her at 1325 Valley View Rd, #201 Glendale, CA 91202. Please make your reservations as soon as possible. There will be a delicious luncheon, favors, singing and a visit from a special person from the North. In His service, Angela Ananias President CHRISTMAS CHAMPAGNE CELEBRATION Please join us after Divine Liturgy on December 25 for a Champagne Celebration. Hosted by Jim Demetriou and Mary -Kay Demetriou. Hope to see you there. 6
PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS The Annual Christmas Concert Under the Byzantine Dome was very uplifting and enjoyed by all the many guests who attended. Thank you to Jim Kollias, Chris Yokas, the Saint Sophia Choir for honoring the Birth of Christ with music. Many thanks to Jeanine Hanna, Olga Jordan and those who helped decorate the Christmas Tree and the Maniatakos Hall. To Virginia Noyes and the many guests who generously donated Christmas cookies for the lovely reception following the concert our sincerest gratitude! Without your kindness and help, we could not present such wonderful gatherings. Philoptochos also presented a lovely Debutante Tea last Sunday. Kudos to Georgia Kezios, Debutante Ball Chair, Anna Aronis, Tea Chair and the committee for making it a most memorable day for the nineteen beautiful debutantes and their mothers. The young ladies, their families and friends are excited and looking forward to the final event the Presentation Ball in January! An evening not to be missed! As we near the deadline for printing the Debutante Album, please note that donations and messages must be received by December 15th. Contact: boukidiskatherine@gmail.com 7
PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS ANGEL TREE This year we will be collecting gifts for children ages 1 year - 15 years old. Tags will be put on our tree with each child s Christmas gift wish. Last week we got an overwhelming response and all the tags were taken! The Angel tree will be located at the Philoptochos Table during Coffee Hour. You may choose to make a donation instead to: Philoptochos (for a Target Card). Please put: Angel Tree (on the memo line). For more information, please contact: cperatsakis@yahoo.com UPCOMING EVENTS Thursday, December 13 VIP Christmas Party (Maniatakos Ballroom) Everyone is welcomed to attend! Sunday, January 6, 2019 Holy Theophany and Vasilopita Celebration Sunday, January 20, 2019 Debutante Presentation Ball, Beverly Wilshire Hotel (If you would like an invitation or album solicitation, please contact gnkezios@yahoo.com 8
PARISH COUNCIL CANDIDATES DINAH WELLINGTON I was born in Belize, and then migrated to the United States with my family at the age of four, where we settled in Los Angeles. I attended schools in Los Angeles, Chatsworth and Northridge receiving my Degree in Business Administration. As an Office Administrator for a Pasadena based investment firm for 18 years, I oversee operations, trading and client services for the West Coast region. My son Kenyatta was born in 1992, and although I was raised in the Catholic faith I can say with every ounce of belief I have within me, that the Lord lead my family and I to the Orthodox faith and Saint Sophia Cathedral in December 2000. The spiritual guidance, love, kindness and acceptance that has been bestowed upon us from the Saint Sophia Community has made it my honor to serve as an usher during communion, collect trays for offering and assist in the Narthex as well as serving as co-captain in various booths annually at the Greek Fest. With continued strength from our Lord, as a Parish Council member I hope to humbly serve in any capacity that will grow this community in faith through ministries. 9
YVONNE ARVANITIS I am very interested in serving as a member of the Parish Council at St. Sophia. I have been a steward of St. Sophia for approximately 20 years. I was married at the Church in 2001 and both my daughters were baptized there. My family members have been active participants in the Sunday School program. My children have attended Sunday School at the Church since they were toddlers. I have also served as a Sunday School teacher for approximately 8 years, which has been an absolute joy. I am currently a substitute teacher for the Sunday School. At this point in my life, I believe I am ready to serve at a higher level and feel a strong calling to do so. I am the granddaughter of two Greek Orthodox priests, on my maternal and paternal side. My active involvement in the Greek Orthodox Church is a part of who I am. I take the responsibilities of being on the Parish Council seriously and have discussed the responsibilities at length with Gig Kyriacou. He encouraged me to submit my name for consideration, as we have known each other both personally and professionally since 2011. I am the Litigation Manager of the Los Angeles office of Jackson Lewis, an 800 lawyer, national law firm. Based upon my legal expertise, I believe I will be a valuable asset to the Parish Council, especially in light of my long history of service in other areas. Most importantly, I feel blessed to be a part of the St. Sophia Community and appreciate being considered for the honor of serving on the Parish Council. 10
JEANINE C. HANNA It has been a great honor, privilege, and blessing serving our dear Lord and Savior through our Saint Sophia Cathedral Parish Council for the past 9 years. It has allowed me to grow tremendously both personally and spiritually. One of my greatest blessings has been serving as our Narthex greeter on Sundays, meeting and greeting our parishioners new and old; priceless!! My services on Sundays also include serving as an Usher for communion, the passing of our donation trays, and handing out our bulletin at dismissal. Additionally, for over 9 1/2 years I have continued my service by volunteering my time and talent 3 days a week in our church office. I couldn't feel closer to my church community and I so look forward to the opportunity to continue to serve in any way I can! PETER KOUVELIS He has been attending services at Saint Sophia since 1984. His participation within our Church Community has been punctuated by his education at USC, many years of service in the United States Marine Corps - where he achieved the rank of Major ( Tagmatarchis ), and duties with the Los Angeles Police Department, where he currently serves in a supervisory role as Sergeant. Peter formerly held an Executive position on the Parish Council from 1998 through 2001, and after returning from a temporary, 4-year relocation to Illinois to participate in family matters, he returned to the Community in 2013. He is now asking for your support and confidence in him to re-assume duties as a Parish Council member. With your approval, his pledge is to advance the interests of the Cathedral and the Community he dearly loves. 11
MELANIE REVELS O REGAN I was born in Los Angeles, the eldest daughter of three, to Angelo and Billie Revels (both of blessed memory). I have been an active member of the St. Sophia community for many years. I have been serving as the Saint Sophia Camp Chair for over a decade and I am an active member of the choir. I am a graduate of the University of Southern California where I earned BS and MS degrees in Public Administration (Finance). I am employed by CalPortland Company as the Vice President/General Manager of the Southern California Materials Division. I have worked in the ready mix concrete industry providing millions of yards of concrete throughout the greater Los Angeles area for 34 years. My team set a world record on the Wilshire Grand Project where we delivered 21,200 cubic yards of concrete for a monolithic mat foundation in 19 hours. We are currently supplying the concrete for the new Rams Stadium and the Midfield Satellite Concourse at the LAX Airport. I am active in several professional associations, including the National Ready Mix Concrete Association where I currently sit on the Executive Committee. I am also active in the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute Women s Board South. I have two children who are married; Whitney (Gary) Hix and Ryan (Shannon) O Regan. 12
DR. ANNA YALLOURAKIS I have been a member of St. Sophia Cathedral for 9 years and have served on the Parish Council for the past 6 years. I have truly enjoyed serving in many aspects and roles from associate member to Vice President. During this time, I headed the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival for our Sunday School, spear headed the Orthodox Servant Leader Seminar for the Parish Council Retreat at St. Nicholas Ranch, and continue to teach Sunday School at the High School Level. Most importantly, I find the importance of educating our Youth in how to delve deeper into our Orthodox treasures and how to apply them to our daily life. My goal with Parish Council is simply one word: Orthodoxy. I love serving our Lord. KATHLEEN KYRIACOU I have been a member at Saint Sophia for over 30 years. I have been involved with Saint Sophia Camp for 20 years, including running the program for over 15 camping seasons. I have also been actively involved in PAOI, Greek Dance, GOYA and GOYA Basketball, working the festivals and Easter Picnic and a member of Philoptochos. I would like to run for Parish Counsel to be involved in actively growing our youth, youth activities and our young families. 13
GREG BEERS "Orthodox by Choice" I have been active at Saint Sophia Cathedral before I was baptized and married to Katrina (Anast) here in 1986. (GOYA Basketball; scorekeeping/photography). I was a contributing member of the Saint Sophia Camp committee from 1987 to 1996, at one point even being the offsite/ weekend caretaker for 6 months. In 1996 my wife and I moved to Hong Kong for three years and were active in the Saint Luke's parish and the founding period of the Saint Luke Orthodox Cathedral. In 1999 we returned to California and once again became active at Saint Sophia Cathedral, supporting the Cathedral and both the Dance and Camp Ministries. I currently support the Saint Sophia Camp Ministry with my wife, providing menu planning and provisioning of the food and supplies for the two week program; and also support the Greek Dance Ministry, being active on the Parent Council. I am running to build upon the dedicated efforts of those who have served before me that have allowed a spiritual place such as Saint Sophia Cathedral to thrive for my generation and those generations that will follow. PARIS YATSKAR Bio is forthcoming 14
The Mission of Saint Sophia Cathedral 1. Proclaim and teach the Gospel according to the Orthodox Christian Faith 2. Sanctify and enhance the spiritual life of the faithful through Orthodox Christian worship. 3. Receive persons into the Church through instruction, baptism and/or chrismation. 15