1 SAINTS CONSTANTINE & HELEN GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 501 West 27th Street Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001 (307) 635-5929 office@cheyennegoc.org Inside this issue: The Upbringing of Children 1 Parish Life 2-3 Community Snapshots 5 Updates 6 Become Saints and you will have no problem with your children. + St Porphyrios Fall Edition THE UPBRINGING OF CHILDREN by. Fr. Hector Firoglanis Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it -Proverbs 22:6 If someone told you that you would have no problems with your children if you raised them a certain way, would you be interested in learning more? For parents, the upbringing of children is the most important and sacred duty in life. And if we carry out that duty according to the teachings of the Church Fathers, God will help us to raise up Christian children who will be a joy to behold. Raising Them Close to God larly. Many of us might think that is the extent of our parental responsibility for raising up a child close to God, but is it? While it s a good start, the Fathers of the Church say that it s not enough. They say that the spiritual well-being of our children should take priority over their material needs, their secular education and their preparation for worldly success, as St. John Chrysostom explains: We are so concerned with our children s schooling [and worldly success]; if only we were equally zealous in bringing them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord This, then, is our task: to educate both ourselves and our children in godliness; otherwise what answer will we have before Christ s judgment seat? A recurring theme in the writings of the Fa- Of course, we all want to raise children who will grow to become good, responsible and faithful Orthodox Christians. That is why most of us have our children baptized, bring them to church on Sundays, take them to Sunday School, and have them receive holy communion reguthers is that the upbringing of our children in godliness is the most important task of parents, a 24/7 job. It is a responsibility with eternal implications which requires our utmost personal discipline, vigilance, effort, and dependence on God s grace. Our example During a pilgrimage to the Monastery of Saint Arsenios my wife and I sat down to speak with Father Theoklytos, an elder of the monastery. The Elder s simple response reinforced a foundational teaching of the Church regarding child rearing: If husband and wife truly love each other, as the Fathers of the Church teach, then the children will have an ideal model of how to love God and their fellow man. Cont on pg. 6
Pastoral Visits If you or or a loved one is in need of pastoral care, please call the Church office. In the event of an emergency, Father Jason can be reached on his emergency cell phone number: (219) 895-0626 Also, if you have a scheduled surgery or doctor's appointment, please ask Fr. Jason for the sacrament of Holy Unction following Divine Liturgy. ΠΡΟΣΧΩMΕΝ: Please Never text your priest in the event of a pastoral emergency. Call his emergency cell phone number. Home Blessings Are you new to the neighborhood? Did you forget to have your house blessed this year? You don t have to wait until the Epiphany Season! Father Jason would love to come by for a visit at any time of the year! Here are some helpful guidelines for having your home blessed: A candle with an icon should be placed somewhere suitable, such as the kitchen or dining room table, or a home altar (i.e. a prayer corner). Other helpful items should include a bowl and a towel. A list of first names for whom prayers can be offered, including members of the family and all those living in the house. The list should have a clear distinction between the living and the dead. Office Hours Father Jason s Office Hours are: Monday Thursday (9:00 am 4:00 pm) If you would like to speak with Father Jason during the week, please stop in or call and set up an appointment. Our secretary Gerrie is in the office on Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 9-12. Memorials If you would like to arrange for a memorial service, please contact Father Jason. Please also let him know whether or not you would like a graveside Trisagion in addition to the memorial that will be taking place at the Church following the Divine Liturgy. The Sacrament of Confession Confession is necessary for our healing, and for the repentance and forgiveness of sins. It is also a part of our Lord s Commission to us for the life and growth of the Church. Please speak to Father Jason to make the necessary arrangements. Prayers Cards Please take a moment to fill out one of our prayer cards in the narthex or front office so that Father Jason can commemorate your loved ones so that we can pray for those "whom each of us has in mind, and all people everywhere." If you require assistance, a parish council member will be happy to assist you. 2
Good News at Saints Constantine & Helen Parish Council On behalf of the Parish Council I want to thank everyone who helped with the Greek Festival this year. The crowd on Friday night was one of the largest I have ever seen...and Saturday was no different. We have a great community event that we all need to be proud of. Now that fall is here and we are tying up loose ends from the summer, I would like to thank everyone who helped with the yard mowing this year. We have scheduled a church yard/lot clean up for October 27 starting at 8:00...I hope to see a lot of people there. Just a reminder, that all the Parish Council meetings are open to anyone that is a member of the church. You are always welcomed to sit in. -Jim Messer Parish Council President Saint Macrina's Academy Sunday School teachers and youth volunteers met on September 23rd to discuss the new Archdiocese Youth Protection plan that will be implemented over the coming year. We all look forward to anther busy and productive year for all youth ministries at Saints Constantine and Helen. Please remember that whether it be Sunday School, GOYA, Altar Boys, Greek Dance, etc., all youth activities need family participation. This means that while we have volunteers, we need help from parents at every activity. New registration forms will be sent in order to help us better plan our ministries and activities for the year. Please remember that all future youth activities that take place away from Saints Constantine and Helen will require that liability waivers be signed by a parent or legal guardian before the child can participate. Altar Boys As usual, our Altar Boys are doing a wonderful job serving in our Holy Altar! A special thanks goes out to our All Saints Foundation, the parents, and volunteers who support this incredible ministry! Serving as an Altar Boy requires the following: The permission of Father Jason to serve in the altar. Regular attendance of Church services. Love and Respect for all who serve in the altar (i.e. clergy and altar boys) Attendance of educational sessions throughout the year! We also need adults (i.e. Fathers & altar boy alumni ) who are interested in helping Father Jason and our altar boys during Church services. Don t worry if you re a little rusty! We re happy to have you help!!! Philoptochos Philoptochos wishes to sincerely thank all those who donated to the Fund to aid victims of the recent fire in Greece. The trays passed on two consecutive Sundays raised $250. Our local Philoptochos contributed $100, so we were able to send in $350 to aid those affected by this catastrophic fire. Thank you. Philoptochos would like to wish everyone a joyous Fall! Please remember that we can always be reached at philopwyo@gmail.com Philoptochos will meet on Tuesday, October 9th at 6:00 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend. Contact me at 307-421-0639 if you need more information on any of our projects. Nancy Tsandes 3
The Upbringing of Children Continued Saint John Chrysostom also speaks about the centrality of the parents example for molding multiple facets of the child s development: For generally the children acquire the character of their parents, are formed in the mold of their parents temperament, love the same things their parents love, talk in the same fashion, and work for the same ends In addition to the good example of parents, the Fathers speak about the active intervention of parents required to direct and mold the will of the child. Molding the Will of the Child What most of us will discover when we view our child-rearing methods through an Orthodox Patristic perspective is that we are faced with the risk of allowing the child to develop a powerful self-will. A strong self-will, which develops very early in life in the absence of proper parental direction, renders spiritual growth much more difficult. What does this mean? It means that later in life it will be very challenging in some instances impossible to get the self-willed child to voluntarily be attentive during church services, to fast, to respect parental authority, and to grow in the image and likeness of Christ as a kind, gentle and forgiving child of God. The words of St. Theophan the Recluse impress upon us the importance of molding the will of a child: The will of the parents should be imprinted upon each step of course in a general way. Without this, the behavior of the child can easily become corrupted. Without getting angry when the child tests his limits and without putting excessive pressure on the child, parents can do much good for the child s soul by setting clear and pronounced boundaries around the child s self-will. Of course, the parents need to consistently maintain and remind the child of those boundaries in a loving and gentle way. By molding and directing the will of a child, especially at the early stages of development, the parent is teaching the child that he is not the center of the world. Only as such will a child learn later in life to do the will of God (to obey His commandments) and to put the needs of others before his own. Our Ultimate Purpose The successful upbringing of children is in no way disconnected from our ultimate purpose as Orthodox Christians, which is the process of deification, or to become like God to become saints! It may sound lofty and unrealistic, but it is nevertheless our ultimate purpose, and if we at least orient ourselves towards that goal, we ll be on the right track towards becoming the parents God wants us to be. The Orthodox Way according to the Church Fathers is a difficult path which requires continuous effort, prayer, self-sacrifice and repentance. Christ Himself said that The gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few (Matt. 7:13). Being a good parent and raising virtuous, loving Christian children is also hard, especially in today s world. In order to make our job as parents a little easier, we can begin by repenting, orienting our lives towards Christ, and making ourselves a little more Christ-like. As a contemporary elder of the Church, Saint Porphyrios says, Become saints and you will have no problems with your children. 4
COMMUNITY SNAPSHOTS 5
6 BOSTON With the theme of all Things Are Possible to the One Who Believes in Christ, (Mark 9:23) our Biennial Archdiocese Clergy-Laity Congress took place from 1-5 July. The Congress focused largely on how the archdiocese has taken measures to improve the manner in which they conduct business in the aftermath of the financial crisis that has recently taken place. In addition to discussions and debates surrounding Church finances, other important topics that took place concerned: Mandatory compliance with Youth Safety Upcoming improvements to Hellenic College/Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology Additions to the UPR s such as whether or not immediate relatives to serve together on parish councils. The Metropolis of Denver s submission for reforming the parish assessment system was tabled for the following Archdiocese Clergy-Laity Congress in 2020. METROPOLIS NEWSLETTER Are you interested in receiving the latest news from the Metropolis of Denver? Visit https://denver.goarch.org where you can subscribe to their latest newsletter and read about the latest Metropolis and archdiocese news and events. When we need of Him we are reminded that all things are possible to the one who believes. (Mark 9:23) Thank God that we are drawn closer to Him when we fulfill our calling as stewards! As 2019 approaches, let us prayerfully consider how we can continue our good work as stewards at Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church.
CHURCH DIRECTORY UPDATE 7 Proofs for editing will soon be going out to those who have participated in our directory program. For more information, please contact Dawn at Dhatan@hotmail.com Ozcer Osban received the Chi Rho award from the Eastern Orthodox Scouting Committee on the day of our Church Picnic. In addition to his family, all of Troop 221 came that day to show him support! Ekaterina Klinker was born in July and was baptized on Saturday September 22nd. Dcn. Jeremy Troy who was ordained to the diaconate at Sts. Constantine Helen on the feast day of our Church (May 21st), He will be ordained to the priesthood on September 30th at the Annunciation Cathedral in Houston Texas.
Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church 501 West 27th Street Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001 (307) 635-5929 office@cheyennegoc.org NON-PROFIT ORG. 8 U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 148 CHEYENNE, WY Return Service Requested Address Label... His Eminence Metropolitan ISAIAH of Denver Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Denver www.denver.goarch.org Rev. Father Jason Dickey Proistamenos Our Parish Council President Jim Messer (307) 286-1727 Vice President Charlie Radich (307) 634-3478 Treasurer Bill Harrison (307) 256-8505 Secretary Stephanie Lindholm (307) 214-2832 Gust Hatanelas (307) 634-6985 Betty Morgando (307) 286-4804 Taylor Olson (307) 256-7454 Linda Panopoulos (307) 638-8494 Katerina Andrikopoulos (307) 287-1366 Saints Constantine and Helen is the spiritual home for Orthodox Christians in Cheyenne where we not only strive for our own salvation, but for the salvation of every person in Jesus Christ. This is how we share the Good News of Jesus Christ, and preserve the pure and undefiled faith as it has been handed down to the apostles by the Lord himself who commands us to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded. (Matthew 28:18) Whether you are looking for a spiritual home, or you are currently a parishioner of Saints Constantine and Helen, join us for worship. If you have any questions about the Orthodox Faith, our ministries, or upcoming events, please feel free to contact us. Sunday: WORSHIP SCHEDULE Orthros (Matins) 8:30 am Divine Liturgy 9:30 am Weekday Services: Divine Liturgy 9:30 am Please see our Monthly Calendar or visit us online at www.orthodoxcheyenne.org