TULSA, OKLAHOMA DECEMBER 2014 The Light is published monthly by the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church P.O. Box 1491 Tulsa, OK 74101 Let Us Celebrate Christmas It has always seemed that we can never truly celebrate Christmas on the day itself, but do so in the weeks and months that follow. After the tree is down, the wrappings are memories, and the feasting is over, we then begin to give meaning to that great of day. Even the Gospel makes this important point. We are told that after hearing the host of angels, and seeing the Christ child for themselves, "the shepherds went back" (Luke 2:20) to the everyday tasks of life. But the experience of Christ changed their lives forever, and they went back "singing praises to God for all they had heard and see; it had been just as the angel had told them." What made Christmas important for the shepherds, therefore, was not that they had experienced it, but rather that it had changed them and transformed their lives in the weeks and months that followed. In this way, we are reminded that Christmas is nothing if it is only a one day occasion for the exchange of gifts and hearty eating. For Christmas to be truly celebrated, it must also transform the days and weeks of our lives that follow. If they too are filled with all that we have come to regard as the spirit of Christmas, then we will truly celebrate the birth of Christ. Let then our homes be filled with the warmth, and the light, and the laughter and the love of Christmas, and may all of these gifts not be quickly forgotten the next day, but may they fill our lives in the weeks and months that are yet to come. 1
community Best Wishes Thoughts and continued prayers for: Dortha McCullen Chuck Kingsley Angie Petros Jim Economou Regina and Charles Samuels youth Sunday School Christmas Project The Sunday School will be sponsoring an Angel Tree to provide basic items to the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless. Please select Christmas Tree tags with items from their wish list and place the items purchased in the box provided next to the tree. Please support your Sunday School with this very worthwhile project. Thank you. goya news Arrangements for the Basketball Tournament are well under way! We are looking forward to a great weekend full of fun and fellowship with other cities in our diocese! We will be having a parent/goya meeting here soon to discuss travel and information for the weekend. Date TBD Goya Christmas Caroling and party will be coming up soon! Keep a look out for more information coming soon. Sunday School Christmas Cards There will be a sign up sheet in the Stavros Center the next couple Sunday's if you would like to be on the Christmas Card for $15 dollars. Kate Stevenson Vasilopita will be celebrated on Sunday, January 11, 2015 (weather permitting)
From Our Metropolitan This is the time of the year that you begin to prepare the annual parish budgets that will be considered at your forthcoming Autumn General Assembly. As you prepare the budget, and as you prepare for discussions at the Assembly, I ask that you consider and reflect on the following points. First and foremost, it is critical to understand that there is not a finite amount of money available in any parish. Quite the contrary, there is an infinite amount of money available. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself clearly teaches us this in the Parable of the Talents; I ask each pastor to clearly explain this parable to the faithful in every parish. In the Parable of the Talents Jesus assures us that if we do good with what He has given to us, He will give us more, thus we have an infinite source of riches available to us if we do good with it. Likewise, if we do not use our God-given resources well, whatever we have will be taken away from us. I firmly believe that this is the real reason why our parishes struggle with finances: we have not done as well as we could have done with what God has given to us. Second, but equally important, we must all learn generosity. There are parishes where the appeals for such obvious causes as IOCC, OCMC, etc. are ignored and the information is not even given to the faithful; the erroneous thinking is that money given to other causes is money "taken away" from the parish. Nothing could be more wrong; such behavior actually limits, often severely, the actual potential donations that could have come to a parish. Telling people not to give to this or that cause, hoping they will later give to the parish, only teaches them to be selfish and stingy; when the parish appeal comes they will behave as they were taught: selfishly and miserly. On the other hand, if people are taught to give generously to good causes, they both develop the habit of giving and they experience the joy of giving. When it comes time for these people to respond to the parish appeal they will behave as they were taught: generously and joyfully. Which way do you want it to be in your parish? Third, the parish budget is very distinct from a for-profit business budget or from the family budget. Let me briefly describe each for you: 1. In the business model of budget preparation, "expected revenue" (income) is considered first and then "production costs" (expenses) are examined. The goal is to maximize income and to minimize expenses because the difference between these two values (the "profit") is the very reason a business exists. This is "good business practice" but it is a very bad model for a parish (or non-profit business). Sadly, when this model is mistakenly followed in a parish, the general assembly discussion is about "cutting" this and "reducing" that expense. 2. In the family model of budget preparation, husband and wife first consider their net take-home pay (income), and then decide how to spend it (expenses). The goal is to afford the things they wish for themselves and their family (house, car, food, vacation, etc.). This is the normal way that most of us manage our home finances and it works well for a family but, again, it is a very bad model for a parish. 3. In the parish (or "non-profit") model, however, the considerations are reversed: the "needs" (expenses) are considered first, and then the parishioners address how to raise the "funds" (income) to meet these needs. Happily, when this model is correctly followed in a parish, the general assembly discussion is about stewardship and the willingness of the faithful to meet the needs of their beloved church. Most of you who serve on the parish councils are business people, and all of us have our own family finances. I am challenging you, however, to set aside your existing ideas about the business and family budget process (in which income is considered before expenses), and to adopt this approach which first considers needs (expenses) and from these determines the minimum needed level of stewardship (income). Please keep one very important truth in mind: our parish does not need us, but rather it is we who need the parish. Parallel to this is that God does not "need us" either, but rather He loves us and He wants us to be His people. In fact it is we who need God. Our parish belongs to God, not to us, and it exists to minister to us in love; again, it is we who need our parish, and we must do all we can to meet our need. All of this ultimately leads to our inheriting the eternal Kingdom. Accordingly, I suggest that you start your budget process with tabulating your needs which we in the past used to refer to as "expenses." Each of the parish "expenses" could be listed as a "need." For example, we need a church building (because it is cold worshipping on an open field in February!). We also need lights and water and heating in our building for our welfare. We of course need the priestly ministry of our assigned clergy. We additionally need Sunday School and other religious education materials. After you have listed your needs with an anticipated cost indicated next to each one, you can add these up and you will know how much minimum stewardship ("income") is needed in aggregate from the parishioners just to keep the parish alive in order to meet your immediate requirements. The "old way" of considering expenses first is a no growth approach, both physically and spiritually. The reality is that any parish which prepares its budget by first considering "income" (usually by putting down a little more than last year's budget) is condemning itself to mediocrity. Instead, if you adopt the approach of "needs first, then stewardship," you will be setting goals for your parish to meet the real spiritual needs of God's people. The way that we ran our parishes in the past, did not allow us to set positive goals, but instead limited our spiritual potential. With Paternal Blessings, Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver
DECEMBER 2014 Sunday & Weekday Orthros 9 am Sunday & Weekday Divine Liturgy 10 am Holytrinity.ok.goarch.org Sunday School 9:45 am Contact 918 583 2082 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY MONDAY Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 St Barbara Prof: P Kingsley 5 6 St. Nicholas Prosf: M Valkanas 7 10th Sunday of Luke Prosf: D Bereolos Altar: 4 Coffee: Philoptochos GENERAL ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS AHEPA 6 pm 8 Parish Council 6 pm 9 Conception of the Theotokos Prosf: B Miranda 10 Philoptochos Christmas Orthodoxy 101 7 pm 7pm 11 12 St. Spyridon Prosf: Athena Caplanis 13 14 Sunday of the Forefathers Prosf: P Mihos Altar: 1 Coffee: Megali Ellas 15 St. Eleutherius Prosf:Athena Michalopulos 16 17 Orthodoxy 101 7 pm 18 19 20 GOYA Christmas 7 pm 21 Sunday before the Nativity Prosf: P Mihos Altar: 2 22 23 24 St. Eugenia Prosf: Athena Michalopulos 25 26 Synaxis of the Theotokos Prosf: Athena Caplanis 27 St. Stephen Prosf: J Hughes Holy Nativity Orthros 10 pm Divine Liturgy 11 pm Prosf: M Valkanas 28 Sunday after the Nativity Prosf: J Hughes Altar: 3 Coffee: AHEPA 29 30 31 JAN 1 Circumcision of the Lord Prosf: A Boyaci
HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 1222 South Guthrie Ave. P.O. Box 1491 Tulsa, OK 74101-1491 Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Tulsa, Oklahoma Permit No. 2051 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED Label Here We appreciate your feedback to the monthly newsletter. For input, ideas, or to advertise within, please contact the parish office at 583-2082 or e-mail Father at wmchrist@cox.net, Deacon Michael at mns555528@yahoo.com or Susan Costakis-Boone at krspykrytr@aol.com. Submission for next month s issue is the 16th of the month. Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church 1222 South Guthrie Ave. Tulsa, OK 74119 Phone: (918) 583-2082 Website: www.holytrinity.ok.goarch.org Priest: Father William M. Christ Deacon Michael Stevenson PARISH COUNCIL President: Dean Roilos Vice-President: Dr. James Kufdakis Treasurer: Greg Sorenson Secretary: Paul Mihos Members Sarah Collier Dr. Michael Karathanos Peggy Mihos John Sakelaris Rachel Welch Demetrius Zaferes Ginger Zaferes COMMITTEE CHAIRS Greek Festival - Dean Roilos Maintenance - Greg Sorenson ORGANIZATIONS/ADMINISTRATIVE A.H.E.P.A. - Dean Roilos Daughters of Penelope - Martha Metevelis Megali Ellas - Pope Kingsley Parish Nurse - Sondra Claxton, RN MINISTRIES Prison Ministry -Tian Boyaci Sunday School -Deacon Michael and Sarah Collier G.O.Y.A.- Matt Akins, Jenny Stasinopoulos and Kate Stevenson Philoptochos - Ruth Chiconas Choir - Pope Kingsley Greek School -Renee Michalopolos NCD Spokesperson -Barbra Kingsley Miranda NCD Education -Brian Welch