Saint Luke Greek Orthodox Church Volume II, Issue 10 October 2017 Beloved in Christ, Leaving from Reykjavik, Iceland at two in the morning to my next destination, I caught an amazing sight off the port side (i.e, left) of the airplane. It was as if it was the only star in the clear night sky, at least it seemed that way. Bright, clear, and almost so very close -- Polaris, the North Star. Growing up and living in the eastern part of the United States, I had seen the North Star, in various ways and seasons. But never had I seen it so close and so clear. Of course, this made sense, since Reykjavik is the most northern capital city in the world, well within the Arctic circle. But the experience, as cool as it was, was instructive, like a metaphor. We learn from the prophets and Gospels that God uses the imagery of the creation to teach us -- look at the birds of the air, says the Lord. Isaiah brings up the mighty cedars of Lebanon, and so on. The verse from the Psalms comes to mind: Lord, how manifold are Your works. In wisdom You have made them all (Psalms 104.24). 1
Along the way of this trip, I had considered the reality, so central to Orthodox teaching, of our union with God. This, after all, is the goal of our lives -- union with Him, through participation of the Church s sacraments. Jesus Christ says, in His Priestly Prayer at the last Supper, The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one (John 17. 22). Yet, like the plane that ascends to the heights above, we need the Divine Grace to bring us closer. What does union with God look like? On Mount Athos, I experienced a reality that I, nor many others, had not lived before, a perfect society, if one can speak of this, with the experience of Divine Love. At a small village in Cyprus, the gift of great humility at the generosity of God. In the writings of the Church Fathers, they speak of the union with God as the end goal of everyone who has been created. God wills everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the Truth, though not everyone accepts this offering. Union with God transforms the human being, from an individual into a firstborn of the Kingdom of God, with rights of spiritual inheritance. I saw this at Simonopetra, and elsewhere on Mount Athos -- a dignified, majestic presence in all the monks. This is a foretaste of Paradise, and of the dignity of God. Yes, Paradise does not lie far from us. Like Polaris, it is there, bright, and almost within reach. No one finds union with God through their own efforts exclusively. Paradise is a Gift, that is its essential aspect. In his commentary on prayer, Elder Aimilanos, the former Abbot of Simonopetra, reminds us that our prayer must always be a remembrance of God. Familiarity creates the desire for God, and thus our capacity to remember. But we have to want this, and when we do, we accept His invitation to enter our heart. God bless! Enjoy the weather! We look forward to seeing you in church! + Fr. Panteleimon 2
The Messenger is a publication of the Saint Luke Greek Orthodox Church of East Longmeadow, MA located at 400 Prospect Street East Longmeadow, MA 01028. For mailing use PO Box 381. To contact the Church Office: 413-525-4551; 413-525-4552 (fax) and stlukego@aol.com. To contact the Pastor call 978-587-6488 or email at frpklostri@gmail.com. All rights reserved. Saint Luke Greek Orthodox Church 400 Prospect Street East Longmeadow, MA 01028 (413) 525-4551 (413) 525-4552 (fax) www.stlukego.org Fr. Panteleimon Klostri - Proistamenos frpklostri@gmail.com Church Office saintlukego@gmail.com Pastor- Fr. Panteleimon Klostri 2017 Parish Council President - Nick Vamvilis Vice President - Judy Lelas-George Treasurer - Joe Dasco Secretary - Christos Nikolis Corresponding Secretary - Dorsey Cokkinias Assaad Hallak Bea Syner Bill Sakel Harry Georgiades Bill Giokas George Katsoulis Philoptochos President - Maria Londo Vice President - Melissa Kaitis Treasurer - Vaceleci Zaharis Secretary - Rosanne Desautels Corresponding Secretary - Evangelia Tsikrikis Past President/Advisor - Dorsey Cokkinias Ministries Chanters -Elias Zovas and Aristidis Zaharis Choir Director - Toni Rizas Organist- Eun Jin Lee Endowment Fund Chair - John Piponidis GOYA Advisor - Kathy Kalaitzidis JOY Advisor - Sarah Kirchner Memorials - Maria Laware O Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, intercede with our Merciful God, that He may grant our souls remission of sins Apolytikion of Saint Luke Messenger - Editor - Maria Londo Stewardship Chairs - Joe and Meghan Dasco Sunday School Director - Priscilla Johnson Assistant Director - Leia Georgeopolus Outreach Committee - Harry Georgiades Facilities Committee - Jim Danalis Administrative Assistant - Helen Adamo 3
NEWS FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL September was a busy month, with a wonderful Welcome Back Celebration. We would like to thank all those who helped with donations and their time to make it a great day together. The church community is active and everyone has their sleeves up as we head into our biggest fundraiser of the year- our TASTE OF GREECE. This is another event that showcases how much we all love our church and our community. Community is our church family and that is what supports us in good and bad times. Looking forward together. Yours in Christ, Nick Vamvilis Parish Council President PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS We hope everyone had a wonderful September! Philoptochos would like to let everyone know that we will be holding our yearly General Assembly meeting on Sunday, October 22 after church. We will be having a special Philoptochos Soup Cook Off which includes a nice luncheon. So we are calling all St. Luke parishioners to sample and vote on your favorite soup. Tickets in advance are $5 and $8 at the door. As always if anyone has any suggestions of different activities that they may want to see in the future, please let one of the board members know. We wish everyone a Happy October! Sincerely, Maria Londo Philoptochos President 4
GOYA NEWS We hope everyone is enjoying the final warm days of the year! GOYA had our first meeting September 24th where we confirmed new officers and planned our first fundraiser. Our first fundraiser of the year will be a carwash, happening at the First Congregational Church on Sunday, October 8th at 12 noon, after church. Our next GOYA meeting is October 15th, 12 noon (Taste of Greece Weekend). We thank all who support GOYA as we continue to pursue our ministry. I would like to welcome our new members and congratulate our new GOYA officers. With Maria Dimitroglou as the Vice President, Maria Kaitis as the Secretary, Sophia Kaitis as the Corresponding Secretary, Sophia Clay as the Treasurer, Irene Dimitroglou as Director of Philanthropy and Thomas Coulouras as Director of Event Coordination I know we can do greater things that we did last year. We have a busy year ahead so let's get right into it! The new officers and I look forward to a great year ahead! Philippos Dimitrolgou GOYA President We would like to extend our gratitude to the Celebration of Spirit Committee and supporters for the generous gift we recently received towards our ministry. Some of our GOYAn s at Welcome Back Sunday 5
Stewardship Message Dear Fellow Parishioners: October is the month that offers many opportunities to get involved at St. Luke. Our annual Taste of Greece is October 13, 14, &15. We need your help to make the event as successful as can be. Sign-up to help set-up, prepare, work a shift during the weekend, or help clean-up. Our parish has also always been involved with the Crop Walk, which falls on October 15 this year. If you re not working the Taste, please consider walking for hunger. For the ministry leaders, please be reminded that the list of names from the Time and Talent sheets is a resource available to you. The list is kept in the church office and ministry leaders may use it to contact folks that are willing to get involved in a chosen committee or ministry. In the next month, a new campaign will kick-off and our goal, as always, is to have 100% participation from our parish. You will be asked to make a pledge of time and talent, and treasure. This church is a blessing to us all and can only remain so with the dedication of the entire parish. Thank You and God Bless, Joe and Meghan Dasco Stewardship Committee 6
The Endowment Fund The following donations recently were made: ~ In Memory of John Vamvilis ~ John Bonatakis, Charles Bonatakis Sr., Charles Bonatakis Jr. The Endowment Committee extends sincere appreciation to all donors for continued support of this Ministry. David Arthur, Charles Bonatakis, Jr., Kathleen Kalaitzidis, Susan Metzidakis, Jordan Chatis, Emeritus, John Piponidis, Chair, The end of this calendar year is fast approaching. The Endowment Fund Committee would like to remind our Parish Ministries that we are anticipating having funds available for distribution next year. We encourage all our Parish Ministries to think about how they might use some of these funds to further their Ministries. We would also like to remind our parishioners that the Bylaws of the Endowment Fund state that the funds are to be used to help support our Parish Ministries, to provide programs of charity, and to ensure our heritage and religious beliefs in perpetuity. The Endowment Fund cannot be used to pay for salaries or operating expenses for our parish. We are anticipating having the Madeline S. Knava Scholarship ready for distribution early next year. The application itself has been completed. We are working on determining how many scholarships will be given out, and for what amounts. As of the writing of this article, the Endowment Fund has a balance of $1,519,195.12. Thank you and God Bless you, David Arthur Charles Bonatakis, Jr. Jordan Chatis, Emeritus Kathleen Kalaitzidis Susan Metzidakis John Piponidis, Chair 7
S t L u k e C o m m u n i t y N e w s We are starting a new section to the Messenger to add awareness to wonderful accomplishments happening for our church family and interesting things in the world. Note: email saintukego@gmail.com if you have anything of interest for future Messengers. Thank you! We extend our congratulations to Denise Nikolas and Kate Schermerhorn on their completion of a triathlon. We are proud of you both! #STLUKESTRONG First OCF Meeting was held this past month for the University of Hartford and organized by our own Damian Zaharis! Father Panteleimon and Father George are supporting them. Father Panteleimon is also attending the OCF meetings in Amherst, for our other local chapter. If you know a college student have them look into OCF as another great way to stay connected to their faith. Is your car needing a little GOYA love? Car Wash Fundraiser Sunday, October 8th @12noon First Congregational Church East Longmeadow (at the rotary) 8
W WEELLCCO OM MEE BBAACCK K SSUUN ND DAAYY We wish to thank all the volunteers and our wonderful Parish Council for such a great kickoff to our church year! 9
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TASTE of GREECE. We are in the last stretch leading up to our annual Taste of Greece. This is St. Luke s biggest fundraiser! Planning, preparing, and working at the Taste is a huge undertaking, and it requires a team effort. We thank all the ladies and gents who have attended the summer workshops preparing food items and baked goods, which are the focal point of our event. We also thank the gents who purchase and deliver the ingredients for the workshops, those who wash all the pots and pans after each workshop, and those who take the packed goods down to Simos & Co. for storage. The prep for this event is nearly complete.. Now we need THE TEAM, the parishioners of St. Luke, to pull together again. Many of you have already signed up, and some have signed for multiple shifts THANK YOU!!! However, with only two weeks to go, we have many shifts to fill on average, there are 30-40 slots each day that need to be filled at the time of this writing. As you see, WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!! The available shifts are posted on the tables in the Fellowship Hall. If you haven t signed up yet, please consider doing so. If you ve only signed up for one shift, consider adding another. The money that the TASTE generates provides financial help for St. Luke and us, its parishioners, throughout the year when needed. Now it s time for us, the parishioners, to help the TASTE during its three day run. If you can t make it to the church to sign up and would like to offer your help, don t hesitate to give me a call. Thank you in advance, Judy 525-4640 11
Taste of Greece Shuttle We are asking that all our parishioners visiting, as well as working, the Taste use our shuttle service on the Friday and Saturday of the Taste weekend. PLEASE park at the United Methodist Church on the corner of Somers Road and Chestnut Street. Volunteers David Arthur, George Katsoulis, and Bill Giokas will kindly drive you back and forth any time between 8:30 AM to closing. You may feel that this is a little inconvenient, but.. Think about it if the 75 or so parishioners that work on each shift park in our lot, it cuts down on almost half of the available parking spots. And that does not include those parishioners visiting during those times! Isn t the purpose of the Taste to share our great food, culture, and traditions with others? Let s allow this to happen by giving them the opportunity to join us Thank you in advance for your cooperation Judy 12
Thanks to all who have hosted coffee hour thus far. Following are the dates open (as of this point in time) during the next few months. Please sign up in the Fellowship Hall or call the office and speak to Helen to schedule a day to host. October 8 th November 5 th, 12 th, and 26 th December 3 rd, 10 th, 17 th, 24 th, and 31 st 13
Baptisms Raina Shirley, daughter of Christina Ha!ak and Cameron Doughtie was baptized on September 16, 2017 May the Lord always keep her close. Congratulations Na Zeesi! We d d i n g s Melissa Vamvilis & Kevin Bailey were married on September 23, 2017 The St Luke Church Family wishes them a lifetime of joy. 14
MEMORIALS In memory of Charles Rizas Lynne and Leia Georgeopolus Venetia Karamallis In memory of Harriet Babacas Venetia Karamallis William and Louise Leventis Joseph and Faith Perrault Ann Flynn Lorraine and Luke Ahladas In memory of Anastacia Sakellarios Lanie and Peter Alexopoulos In memory of Donald Collins Tom and Maria Laware In memory of Annette LaRoche Anita and John Themistos Funerals John Vamvilis, fell asleep in the Lord on September 15, 2017. His funeral was on September 20, 2017. May his memory be eternal! 15
October 13,14,15th TASTE OF GREECE H A P P Y N A M E D A Y - S T L U K E! O C T O B E R 1 8 t h 6:30 Great Vespers for Saint Luke on October 17 and Orthros/Divine Liturgy on October 18 (8:30/9:30 am) Friday Oct 27th 6PM JOY Costume Party with games and fun. SUNDAY SCHOOL The year has started but if you haven t yet - don t fret. All are welcome and we have some exciting things ahead. The children enter their classrooms after Communion and rejoin their families at coffee hour. See you then! 16
HAPPY NAME DAY- ST LUKE! OCTOBER 18th Happy 40th Name Day Saint Luke s Community, for those too young to remember and those more experienced and wanted to walk down memory lane - here are some of St Luke Firsts! Traditions have their start in the past, are enjoyed in the present and God Willing will continue into the future! St. Luke Trivia January 1977 - First Worship Unitarian Church Father George Paulson January 1977 - Senior choir was organized February 1977 - First Liturgy Wilbraham-Monson Academy Chapel Father Nicholas Marinos February 1977 First Sweetheart Dinner Dance June 1977 First Wedding at St. Luke Eleni Klotsas and Chris Bazos Father Marinos/Father Papadoulias/Father Karagas July 1977 First Family Outing Spec Pond Fall 1977 First Sunday School was organized by Alex Kassanos October 1977 First Feast Day Vesper October 1977 - First Feast Day Dance November 1977 - First Harvest Day Dinner December 1977 - First Christmas Concert and Nativity Pageant June 1978 First Grecian Festival 1978 First GOYA organized First 40 Day Blessing Stephen Taliadouros First Chrismation Shirley Vatousiou First Choir Director Artemis Romell - 1977 First Organist Cindy Rodolakis - 1977 First Chanter Elias Zovas - 1977 First Permanent Priest Father Elias Velonis - 1979 17
Thank you Here are a couple of letters of gratitude received for our Philoptochos drive and St Luke support of the backpack drive. 18
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