Saint Demetrios Outreach Ministries: A Year in Review Reflecting on yesterday to inspire tomorrow January 2016 Welcome Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Demetrios, As we approach a New Year, we often think about New Year s resolutions. During this time of making resolutions, the Coordinators of the Outreach Ministries of our Saint Demetrios Parish have instead reflected on their ministries and all that was accomplished in 2015 and have put together this newsletter to say THANK YOU! Thank you for feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, supporting a mission priest, promoting fellowship, spreading Orthodoxy, and much more! We thank you for all you have done, are doing, and will continue to do. Perhaps this review will inspire you to reflect on how you can give of your time, talents, and treasures in the New Year as faithful stewards of our Saint Demetrios Parish as you make your New Year s resolutions! had them wrapped ensuring that the recipients would truly be surprised! In 2015, we gathered in Fellowship at a variety of events: Macaronada Luncheon, hosted by GOYA Palm Sunday Luncheon, hosted by Philoptochos Two Senior Citizens Dinners, sponsored by the Daughters of Penelope in March and by the Parish Life Ministry in October Saint Demetrios Luncheon, sponsored by the Pan-Arcadians With wishes for a blessed 2016, The Outreach Ministries Team Parish Life Ministries Contact: Carole Yarovsky - caroleyarovsky@sbcglobal.net Each Sunday, our Greeters welcomed parishioners and guests following the Divine Liturgy, our Hostesses assisted in serving coffee during our Fellowship Hour, and our Bookstore offered Orthodox Christian books, icons, and gifts for purchase. A holiday shopping experience was enjoyed by all, especially the little ones, who participated in Santa s Workshop, organized by our Bookstore Staff. The children shopped on their own, selected gifts, and Family Christmas Social, hosted by the Parish Life Ministry as well as joining in Fellowship with the greater community by hosting Mardi Gras Greek Fest Holiday Bake Sale & Boutiques Our Seniors gathered the first Thursday of each month for Coffee & Conversation, and the Alexander the Great gentlemen met at Church and enjoyed camaraderie and coffee on a regular basis! 1 P age A Year in Review
We were always joyful to honor individuals on their 85 th birthdays and couples on their 50 th wedding anniversaries by presenting them with an icon in celebration of these milestones. Please inform Carole Yarovsky at caroleyarovsky@sbcglobal.net if a loved one is approaching a milestone celebration! We communicated with our Church family via Newsletters and our newly developed web page (www.stdemetrioshammond.org)...check it out! healthy breakfast before going off to school and helping students who did not have access to reduced-cost school lunches during the summer. Toiletries from our Toiletry Drive were donated to Haven House, which provides emergency shelter and support services for victims of domestic violence, assisting women striving to start anew. *These programs and activities are primarily designed to bring parishioners together in fellowship by developing events for the liturgical, social, and educational needs of our parishioners. Community Outreach Ministries Contact: Susan Ramsey-Smith susanram45@gmail.com In November, we delivered 75 turkeys to various agencies and individuals and provided seven families with groceries and gift cards to add to their Thanksgiving meal, thanks to the generosity of our parishioners during our Great Gobbler Giveaway and Harvest Food Drive. Once a month, members of our GOYA or our Philoptochos prepared and served nourishing meals to the homeless at the Hammond Shelter. Some of the turkeys were part of a Thanksgiving Dinner thank you organized by the Hammond Mohawks for 35 sailors and trainees from the Great Lakes Naval Training Center. Our drives to reach out to the greater community included: Food items including Souper Bowl of Caring, Pasta Drive, Peanut Butter and Jelly Drive, and Breakfast Drive were donated to the St. Joseph s Soup Kitchen and to the St. Joseph s St. Vincent DePaul Society Food Pantry in Hammond and to the St. Stanislaus Food Pantry in East Chicago. These pantries served food at their locations or distributed food to homes, including assisting children with a Three Fridays a month, volunteers from Saint Demetrios assisted with the Manna over Hammond program by serving lunch to those in need at the St. Joseph Soup Kitchen in Hammond. Our Seniors brought vitamins to the October Senior Citizens Dinner, which were donated to Hearts in Motion and distributed to underprivileged people in Guatemala. Our GOYAns made lap blankets, which they distributed to parishioners in nursing homes. 2 P age A Year in Review
In conjunction with the Marine Corps, we collected 120 Toys for Tots, and adorned a Christmas Tree with 143 winter items, including mittens, hats, and scarves, which were delivered to St. Joseph s Carmelite Home in East Chicago to provide winter warmth to children from birth to age 18. Once a month, our SOUL (Seeds of Our Love) Offering at the Divine Liturgy was given to a charitable organization or to an individual in need. We continued to follow the guidance of our Patriarch to think green by recycling newspapers in the bin located on the Church property. *This ministry s focus is directed to bringing the Gospel of Christ through our practical deeds to our greater community, reaching out with our philanthropy and giving, indicating our care and concern for the persons of the community beyond our parish. Youth & Young Adult Ministries Contact: Andrea Tsakopoulos - jan012163@aol.com Opportunities to Worship, Serve, Witness, and engage in Fellowship were plentiful for members of our GOYA this year. Our GOYAns were always willing to assist other ministries of the Church, thus exemplifying service to the Church. At their annual Lock-In in April, the GOYAns worshipped together and assisted with palm making. A car wash kicked off the Ecclesiastical year; and in the fall, they went on a Haunted Trail and had a bonfire. Other fellowship outings included bowling and trips to Winter Wonderland at Navy Pier and Greek Town with fellow Schererville GOYAns from Saint George, as well as an outing to Great America! Wherever they were and whatever they were doing, we know they witnessed their faith to those with whom they came in contact. If you are interested in participating in GOYA or helping, contact Mia Delis at miadelis@sbcglobal.net Toula Delis at tntdelis@sbcglobal.net, or Kiki Kioussis at akioussis@sbcglobal.net. The GOAL and Junior Olympics programs foster friendship among young persons from the greater Chicago metropolitan area. Boys from Saint Demetrios were joined by their peers from Saint George in Schererville to form our Grade School and High School Basketball teams. Home games were held at Trinity Lutheran Church (just down the street) where parents ran a concession stand during the games. 3 P age A Year in Review
Junior Olympics was held over Memorial Day weekend where thirty-three of our youth participated in track and field events, volleyball, softball, basketball, and tennis with several medals being earned. The weekend turned into a great bonding event, as several parents joined their children under the tent, sharing time and congratulating all of the participants on a job well done! For more information about our athletic programs, contact Bill Delis at delisbill@gmail.com. The youngest members of our Church enjoyed an Easter Egg Hunt on Holy Saturday. Past activities included an ice cream social, holiday parties, Nativity crafts at the Christmas Social, and outings to County Line Orchard and The Shrine of Christ s Passion. We are looking for individuals who are interested in reinstating the HOPE and JOY programs for the youngest members of our parish. Contact Andrea Tsakopoulos at jan012163@aol.com for more details. Our College Crew Ministry works to maintain bonds between the parish family and those young adults attending college. Our college students received care packages at Valentine s Day and at Halloween. If your son or daughter is attending college and is not part of our College Crew or if you are interested in coordinating this ministry, please contact Helen Andreatos at helen.andreatos@sbcglobal.net. *This ministry is not to prepare young people to be members of the Church in the future when they are adults, but for our Youth and Young Adults to experience their full membership in the Body of Christ today, by instructing them in the Orthodox way of life and guiding them to spiritual maturity. Religious Education Contact: Kathy Vrehas tkvrehas@gmail.com Children in pre-school through high school attended their respective Church School classes each Sunday, as their dedicated teachers instilled and nurtured them to express faith in Jesus Christ and to learn the sacred traditions of the Church. At our annual Godparents Day in November, our Church School students invited their Godparents to worship with them and to reaffirm the commitment made for them during baptism. Godparents then attended Church School classes with their Godchildren, followed by a continental breakfast in the Mediterranean Room. On Christmas Eve, several of our Church School students participated in the annual Christmas Story Presentation, narrating and portraying the story of Jesus birth, giving parishioners in attendance an opportunity to set aside the worldly cares of Christmas and be reminded of its true meaning. 4 P age A Year in Review
In 2015, we proudly honored seven Church School graduates, as we heard of their accomplishments and future plans, knowing they would carry with them the teachings of the Church. As part of our Church School program, we have been blessed with a wonderful Junior Choir. Their angelic voices filled our Church during the Divine Liturgy 12 times during the year. Our preschoolers, kindergarteners, and first graders began their preparation to join the Junior Choir through our Hymnology Program thanks to the loving tutelage of Miss Jennie. For further information regarding Junior Choir, contact Dolly Sell at adsell@sbcglobal.net or Yanna Sroge at jmanousdds@aol.com. Each year, our Church School students have an opportunity to express their faith through oratory, poetry, essay, and iconographer, as part of the Saint John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival. In 2015, Saint Demetrios was represented at the Chicago Metropolis by Sandra Tsakopoulos (poetry) and Theo Covello (essay). Please encourage your children to participate in this amazing program, which provides our children an opportunity to reflect on their Orthodox faith in a variety of ways during the Lenten Season. For more information, contact Audrey Covello at lencovello@sbcglobal.net. Vacation Bible School was held for one week during the summer. This year s theme was EVEREST Conquering Challenges with God s Mighty Power. Every day was filled with music, prayer, art, drama, and scripture. Next year is the 10 th anniversary of our VBS program. For a rewarding experience, contact Mia Delis at miadelis@sbcglobal.net or Toula Delis at tntdelis@sbcglobal.net to help plan this annual adventure for our children. 5 P age A Year in Review
In addition to learning the Greek language and culture, students of our Socrates Greek School also learned about our Orthodox faith and the traditions of the Church. Each Thursday evening (September through May) from 7:00-8:30 p.m., adults from our parish and guests from the greater community gathered at our Adult Religious Education program, Searching the Scriptures. If you are interested in continuing to learn about your faith, please join us! For further information, contact Father David at frdgb@sbcglobal.net. Brothers of Emmaus is a men s study group that met for Christian Fellowship, every Monday at 8:00 p.m. in the Mediterranean Room, listening to religious podcasts and discussing current events and their impact on our Orthodox Christian life. For more information, contact Steve Karnezis at spartansteve816@sbcglobal.net. *This ministry refers to those programs and activities of the parish that primarily seek to instill, nurture, and express faith in Jesus Christ and to teach the sacred traditions of the Church. Orthodox Missions Contact: Steve Karnezis spartansteve816@sbcglobal.net Our Church School students filled their coin boxes during the Lenten season in support of OCMC (Orthodox Christian Mission Center). The monies went directly to the work of sharing Christ with the world. The Bookstore assembled and sold 60 school kits which were sent to IOCC (International Orthodox Christian Charities). IOCC distributed the kits to children all over the world, giving them the tools needed to succeed in school. Members of the Missions Team and of GOYA distributed door knocker fliers to homes in several communities, spreading the word of Orthodoxy to our neighbors. At our Greek Fest, and other events, members of our Missions Team provided materials on Orthodoxy and conducted tours of our Church. A portion of each month s SOUL offering was sent to OCMC to support an Orthodox priest in Uganda through the SAMP program. *The fulfillment of the Great Commission is our first responsibility as a parish and should permeate all that we do. In June, our parish was blessed to host an evening with the Ruckers, who shared their experiences as missionaries, most recently serving in Guatemala and currently serving in Alaska. Those in attendance were inspired by Father David and Mat. Rozanne s dedication to spreading the Good News and Orthodoxy throughout the world. 6 P age A Year in Review