MAY/JUNE 2015 - The Greek Orthodox Church Of …...We just finished our 2015 Greek Festival wrap-up...
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MAY/JUNE 2015 HOLY PENTECOST: DISCOVERING THE HOLY SPIRIT Ours is a society that constantly seeks comfort. Increasingly, machines do much of the hard work so we can make life more comfortable. Our homes are furnished, heated and cooled to create a comfortable atmosphere. We seek out friends and social groupings with whom we en- joy a certain comfort. Often, we even search for churches with which we are comfortable because of the people, the worship, or the atmosphere. Even with this common drive for comfort, still we are a fundamentally restless society. From the per- spective of the Holy Fathers, this is because we have failed to find the one thing that can bring us true comfort and inner peace: the Holy Spirit, the Com- forter. It is this Spirit-Comforter that we celebrate at Holy Pentecost. In his Spiritual Homilies 26, Abba Macarius the Great wrote: “As the Lord put on the body, leaving behind all principality and power, so the Christian puts on the Holy Spirit, and is at rest.” Our Holy Father St. Basil the Great stressed the power of the Holy Spirit to change us, make us new, and restore our sense of redemption: “Through the Holy Spirit comes our restoration to paradise, our ascension into the Kingdom of Heaven, our return to the adoption of sons, our being called children of light, our sharing in eternal glory, and, in a word, our being brought into a state of all fullness of bless- ing.” (On the Holy Spirit) The Holy Spirit is the least understood of the three persons of the Holy Trinity. God the Father we can understand because we each have a father and can appreciate the care and love a father gives. Likewise, we understand Christ Jesus because he shares our human flesh, walked in our history, and preached the good news of the Gospel. The Holy Spirit is difficult to understand and ex- plain, but can be best described as the Comforter. In the Trisagion Prayers, we proclaim: “O Heav- enly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, who are in all places and fillest all things…” Why is the Holy Spirit known as the Comforter? Where did that term originate and what are we to make of a God who comforts His creatures? In his book My Life in Christ, St. John of Kron- stadt offers a concise description of the Holy Spi- rit: “The Savior and the Comforter, two persons of the Holy Trinity: the One ever saves from sins, and the Other comforts him who is saved. Their very names are taken from what they do. He com- forts! The Holy Spirit comforts the believing soul, as a mother comforts her child.” In the Gospel of St. John, Chapter 14, Jesus states: “If you love me you will keep my commandments. And I will pray to the Father, and he will send you another Advocate to be with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells in you and will be in you.”
Transcript of MAY/JUNE 2015 - The Greek Orthodox Church Of …...We just finished our 2015 Greek Festival wrap-up...
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MAY/JUNE 2015
HOLY PENTECOST:
DISCOVERING THE HOLY
SPIRIT
Ours is a society that constantly seeks
comfort. Increasingly, machines do
much of the hard work so we can make life more
comfortable. Our homes are furnished, heated and
cooled to create a comfortable atmosphere. We seek
out friends and social groupings with whom we en-
joy a certain comfort. Often, we even search for
churches with which we are comfortable because of
the people, the worship, or the atmosphere.
Even with this common drive for comfort, still we
are a fundamentally restless society. From the per-
spective of the Holy Fathers, this is because we have
failed to find the one thing that can bring us true
comfort and inner peace: the Holy Spirit, the Com-
forter. It is this Spirit-Comforter that we celebrate at
Holy Pentecost.
In his Spiritual Homilies 26, Abba Macarius the
Great wrote: “As the Lord put on the body, leaving
behind all principality and power, so the Christian
puts on the Holy Spirit, and is at rest.”
Our Holy Father St. Basil the Great stressed the
power of the Holy Spirit to change us, make us new,
and restore our sense of redemption: “Through the
Holy Spirit comes our restoration to paradise, our
ascension into the Kingdom of Heaven, our return to
the adoption of sons, our being called children of
light, our sharing in eternal glory, and, in a word,
our being brought into a state of all fullness of bless-
ing.” (On the Holy Spirit)
The Holy Spirit is the least understood of the three
persons of the Holy Trinity. God the Father we
can understand because we each have a father and
can appreciate the care and love a father gives.
Likewise, we understand Christ Jesus because he
shares our human flesh, walked in our history, and
preached the good news of the Gospel.
The Holy Spirit is difficult to understand and ex-
plain, but can be best described as the Comforter.
In the Trisagion Prayers, we proclaim: “O Heav-
enly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, who
are in all places and fillest all things…”
Why is the Holy Spirit known as the Comforter?
Where did that term originate and what are we to
make of a God who comforts His creatures?
In his book My Life in Christ, St. John of Kron-
stadt offers a concise description of the Holy Spi-
rit: “The Savior and the Comforter, two persons of
the Holy Trinity: the One ever saves from sins,
and the Other comforts him who is saved. Their
very names are taken from what they do. He com-
forts! The Holy Spirit comforts the believing soul,
as a mother comforts her child.”
In the Gospel of St. John, Chapter 14, Jesus states:
“If you love me you will keep my commandments.
And I will pray to the Father, and he will send you
another Advocate to be with you forever, the Spirit
of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it
neither sees him nor knows him; you know him,
for he dwells in you and will be in you.”
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The word “Advocate” in Greek is Parakletos (one
who defends another, encourages the depressed, or
assists those in trouble, doubt, or disbelief). This is
the nature of the Holy Spirit – to be the comfort of
God to us, to be the presence of the strength and
encouragement one finds in love. He is the expres-
sion of God’s mercy and tenderness, often de-
scribed as “the eternal love of the Father for the
Son and the Son for the Father.”
St. Silouan of Mt. Athos describes it this way: “For
the Holy Spirit, sweet and gracious, draws the soul
to the love of God, and in the sweetness of the Ho-
ly Spirit the soul loses all her fears.” (Wisdom from
Mount Athos)
How, specifically, does the Holy Spirit comfort
us? The Holy Fathers teach that He comforts us
with Truth, with tranquility, and with touch.
Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of
Truth. It is he who comforts us by ensuring that
the Word of God, the Gospel of Christ, expresses a
truth that leads to our ultimate salvation. He assists
us by translating the Gospel-truth into lived experi-
ence. The Spirit also guarantees that the truth of the
Church is where you and I encounter the Living
God most fully. In the Truth of the Spirit, we learn
about who God is and who we are. He takes our
weak memory and enables us to recall what we
need to know. He speaks not of Himself but al-
ways points the way to Christ.
The Holy Spirit comforts us with tranquility. The
Comforter is the One who reassures us, gives us
the sense that we can make it through tough situa-
tions, times of doubt, times of personal conflict
and confusion. As the spiritual writer & theologian
Jurgen Moltmann expressed it: “For with the Holy Spirit it is not just one random spirit among many
others that is present. It is God Himself, the crea-
tive and life-giving, redeeming and saving God
who brings stillness of heart.”
It is rest, genuine and deep, that the Comforter
brings even when we are not “rested” physically
or mentally.
Lastly, the Holy Spirit comforts us with touch.
Jesus tells his disciples that He would leave them
and that if He didn’t they would never experi-
ence the coming of the Holy Spirit. (John 16:7,
20:22) The Spirit enhanced the touch of Jesus on
their lives and on all who would believe after
them. They would experience a new power in
their lives, a new force for good.
After Christ’s Ascension into Heaven, the Spirit
would come and remain in their humanity as a
living reminder of Jesus. St. Nikodemos of the
Holy Mountain put it this way: “The man who
loves God is energized in his heart by the Holy
Spirit and is actively, sensibly, and manifestly a
disciple and friend of Christ. If any person does
not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong
to Him.” (On the Holy Spirit)
Truth, tranquility and touch – these are the ways
that the Holy Spirit of God enters our hearts to
renew us and make us whole again. Come Holy
Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and kindle
in us the fire of Thy love!
Fr. Dimitrios
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The Saint George Community
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2015 PARISH COUNCIL
Officers President: Victoria Kantsios Alex
1st Vice-President: Mike Emanuel
2nd Vice-President: Stephen Vlahos
Secretary: Andrea Liacouras Kapsilis
Treasurer: Nick Margas
Members Tony Djinis: [email protected]
Kosta Drakakis: [email protected]
Sean Frazier: [email protected]
George Garbis : [email protected]
Jack Kalavritinos: [email protected]
Gina Collis Pappas: [email protected]
Diane Patronas: [email protected]
Pete Plotas : [email protected]
Barbara Pope:
Gus Scilaris: [email protected]
John Sitilides: [email protected]
Alex Spiliotopoulos: [email protected]
WORSHIP
Adult Choir Paul Mavromihalis
Junior Choir Joanne Johnson
Acolytes/Altar Services Gregory Glaros
Head Chanter John Koroulakis
OUTREACH
Feed the Hungry Margaret Oge
Kollecas House Philoptochos
Rev. Fr. Dimitrios Antokas - [email protected]
Rev. Fr. George Khitiri - [email protected]
Rev. Fr. Nicholas Despotides, Emeritus
Telephone (301) 469-7990 ● Fax (301) 469-5945 ● www.stgeorge.org
OFFICE STAFF
Chrysostomos Gunning - [email protected]
Audrey Barbazette - [email protected]
Levan Mamatsashvili, Sexton - [email protected]
Office Hours 7:00am-3:00pm
MINISTRIES
Stewardship Barbara Spyridon Pope
Philoptochos Kay Emmanuelides
Greek Pre-School Marilena Michahals, Director
Rhea Karavangelos
Greek School Eirini Iatrou, Director
Evy Vlahos
Christina Stayeas
Fifty Plus Maria Kopsidas
GOYA Aleka Kaloudelis
Evelyn Xeron
JOY/HOPE Maria Campbell
Frances and David Solovief
Dance Troupe Evelyn Xeron
Challenge Fellowship Fr. Dimitrios Antokas
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Bible Study Classes Fr. George Khitiri
Sunday School Athena Kranias
Book Store Marina Afentakis
Vacation Bible School Eleni Alexiou
Stella Kostolampros
Adult Education Michael Haldas
For Kolyva, please call the church office. If you are inter-
ested in participating in any of these ministries, or parish
programs, please contact the Church Office.
The Herald is published monthly. All submissions are to
be received on the 20th of each month.
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PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT-
Victoria Kantsios-Alex
Several months ago I asked each of you to
consider participating in life of the
Church...and you did it. I cannot begin to
describe the awe inspiring scene during An-
astasi seeing so many of you fill the parking
lot and spilling back towards the Sanctuary
and Grand Hall singing Christos Anesti.
This participation continued for our Greek
Festival, supporting both the preparatory
activities and the actual event, filling all crit-
ical volunteer spots. And it holds true for
education as well.
This time last year we began planning our
adult education program, which finished the
year with a resounding success. We had
more than twenty attendees most weeks as
we learned to incorporate orthodoxy into our
daily (and hectic) lives.
But the “business” doesn’t stop because
summer is around the corner. The PC will be
continuing to refine print and electronic
communications, our website, and undertake
several beautification projects.
We just finished our 2015 Greek Festival
wrap-up meeting and Father Dimitrios and I
will be meeting with the ministry leads to
begin 2015 – 2016 calendar planning. If you
have ideas or want to volunteer your time,
please let us know.
And while many of us head out of town to
recharge, our Church is here, with her doors
open, waiting to embrace each of us. I wish
you a blessed summer and hope to see you
in Church when you’re in town.
STEWARDSHIP
Dear Fellow St. George Parishioners,
Congratulations! We have already reached
pledges of $500,000 of our 2015 pledge
goal of $700,000!
As Orthodox Christians, we place a very
special emphasis on stewardship as our
personal and significant gift to the Church
and to God. Indeed, stewardship is our
beautifully spiritual way to express our
gratitude for our many blessings.
Your commitment and support enable St.
George to continue to expand our many
ministries and parish outreach activities
and programs.
Thank you for your strong and ongoing
support for St. George. To date, we have
received $300,000 in actual payments, so
we still have a busy summer ahead. If only
each of us were to enhance our stewardship
pledge of last year by just 15%, St. George
will meet the $700,000 goal. Let’s all get to
work together and fulfill our commitment!
This year, we’ve made it easier than ever to
sustain the critical spiritual work of St.
George. As you prepare for the family
summer vacations and travels, please con-
sider fulfilling your pledge through our
simple online option at
http://www.stgeorge.org/about/
stewardship/
featuring automatic debits from your
checking account or credit card.
If you have any questions or would like to
enroll in an automatic payment, please con-
tact me at (301) 325-2093, or email:
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OUR SPIRITUAL TRADITION
SACRAMENTS AND RITES
Baptisms
Zoe Anagnostopoulos
Massimo Axaopoulos
Dimitrios Barlas
Sebastian Hall
Douglas Constantine Kissal
Eleni Kostolampros
Alyssa Podaras
Elianna Roussis
Ophelia Xenochristos
40-Day Blessing
Konstantinos, son of Maria and Nick
Papageorgiou
Weddings
Charlotte Behr and Phillip Pradier
Brendan Baatz and Alexandra Rekkas
Funerals
Eleftherios Panteris Le
Georgia Chaconas Lizas
Memorials
Frieda Coussoule (40 Days)
Viola Kapsidelis (40 Days)
George Seymour, III (40 Days)
George and Mary Seymour (15 Years)
Dionisia Sizios (1 Year)
JUNE 2015
June 7 (SUNDAY) Sunday of All Saints
Orthros 8:30am
Divine Liturgy 9:30am
June 8 (MONDAY) Apostles Fast Begins
June 11 (THURSDAY) Feast of Sts.
Bartholomew and Barnabas
Orthros 8:30am
Divine Liturgy 9:30am
June 14 (SUNDAY) 2nd Sunday of St.
Matthew / All Saints of North
America
Orthros 8:30am
Divine Liturgy 9:30am
June 20 (SATURDAY) Challenge
Liturgy 9:30am
June 21 (SUNDAY) 3rd Sunday of St.
Matthew
Orthros 8:30am
Divine Liturgy 9:30am
June 24 (WEDNESDAY) Feats of the
Nativity of St. John the Forerunner
Orthros 8:30am
Divine Liturgy 9:30am
June 29 (MONDAY) Feast of Sts.
Peter and Paul (sister church)
Orthros 8:30am
Divine Liturgy 9:30am
June 30 (TUESDAY) The Synaxis of
the Holy Apostles
Orthros 8:30am
Divine Liturgy 9:30am
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SUNDAY SCHOOL
Athena Kranias, Director
First day of Sunday School is September 13.
All Sunday School students must be regis-
tered by June 30.
All parishioners can help us enrich our chil-
dren in the teachings of Christ.
Please mail in your registration or register
online at https://stgeorge.ccbchurch.com/
form_response.php?id=31
SUNDAY SCHOOL END OF THE
YEAR AWARDS
Altar Boys
Second Grade 10 Commandments
Honoring Seniors Lending a Helping Hand
Our Second Grade Page Turner
The Awards Ceremony honors and recog-
nizes students for their efforts in Outreach,
Perfect Attendance, Best Class Attendance,
and Oratorical Festival Participation.
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Perfect Attendance
Best Class Attendance
Best Class Attendance was awarded to the
Sixth Graders, who celebrated with their
teachers Mrs. Kay Emmanuelidis and Mr.
George Karayianis at a Pizza and Ice Cream
social which included games and prizes.
IN CHRIST'S SERVICE
Dearest Athena, Sunday School Choir An-
gels, and Parents;
I cannot even begin to express my gratitude
for the outpouring of love and support you
have shown me. My heart is overflowing.
The icon is exquisite. Thank you, Athena. I
shall treasure it always. Angels, your little
notes in my book make me cry. What lovely
young ladies – and gentleman – you are!
You will honor me by continuing to Love
and Serve our Holy Church with your voices
all the days of your life. In my travels around
the world, I was always able to "feel at
home" in any church by hearing the choir.
Whether I joined in, or simply sang quietly to
myself, I knew I was "home." I wish that for
each of you, here at St George, at college
someday, and beyond.
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Live the Liturgy always. Sing Praises to His
Holy Name. Find peace in the Word.
To the Parents: Thank you for your children.
Thank you for your dedication in bringing
them to church. Thank you for honoring
them then they said, “We have to go to
church now!” Thank you for teaching and
setting the example that Sunday is dedicated
to Our Lord. Bless you.
Let me validate you by saying that now, as a
"Yia Yia" watching my daughter take her
baby to church, I am thankful for all of the
Sunday struggles we had when my children
were little. In other words, be patient - it
really will “pay off” ;)
I pray for your well-being and service al-
ways. I am thankful to you and to Our Lord.
In His Service and with Love,
Joanne Stassinos Johnson
May 2015
ORATORICAL FESTIVAL AWARDS
Vasiliki Frantzis, Konstantdina Phipps,
Adamandia Frantzis and Elias Tsakiris
represented St. George at the District Com-
petition at St. Theodore in Lanham, MD.
Vasiliki and Elias advanced to the
Metropolis Level competition in Clifton, NJ
and received honorable mention.
Gregory Overton received the award for
Best Essay, Anastasia Frazier for Best Poem
and Alexia Chenevey for her icon writing of
St. Arsenios.
At the St. George Awards Ceremony, all 48
participants received the Oratorical Festival
book of the compiled pictures, speeches, es-
says, poems and icon writings.
We are very proud of all our students who
are messengers of God’s word.
TEACHER APPRECIATION
Truly our Sunday school teachers are a re-
flection of God’s special love. We thank
them and greatly appreciate their efforts for
all they have done and do for our children.
The Parish Council honored the Sunday
School Teachers, Choir and Psaltis of St.
George for their dedication and commitment
at a May 31 lunch. What a wonderful ending
to a beautiful day of celebrations!
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We thank Victoria Kantsios-Alex, Parish
Council President, and the entire Parish
Council for the love and support of all the
ministries of St. George.
SUNDAY SCHOOL OUTREACH
Sunday School students were recognized for
their yearlong charitable efforts, including:
Bediani Orphanage in the Republic of
Georgia: $6000 was donated to Bediani
Orphanage thanks to the Godparent/Godchild
luncheon proceeds and through generous
donations.
Project Mexico: Saint Innocent Orphanage
for Boys: As a School Buddy, we paid for
Jose’s tuition of $1300 with funds raised via
the Class pictures.
Food Drive: 1,539 pounds of food were
collected and donated to Manna Food Bank.
Kollecas House Roof Repairs: Sunday
School donated $1600 for the repairs.
Food Drive: 1,539 pounds of food were col-
lected and donated to Manna Food Bank.
OCMC Mission Coin Box: $467 was raised
for OCMC to send mission teams around the
world to build churches, schools, clinics, and
care for orphans.
IOCC: 46 School Kits: assembled and
delivered to International Orthodox
Christian Charities.
Christmas Card Contest winners’
donations: Alexia Cheneyey donated
$100 to St. Basil’s Academy.
Christmas in Taybeh: St George Church
received $1000 to assist students with
tuition.
ELEFTHERI PANTERIS:
LOVE FAITH AND FAMILY
We laugh together; we cry together; we sing
together; we pray together. As a family in
Christ, this is what gives us strength.
Eleftheri Pantelis, our Second Grade, Perfect
Attendance, Special-Needs Sunday School
student, passed away in May. He was a
sweet and special boy who brought out the
good in everyone. He touched us and will be
remembered in our prayers and in our hearts.
The Panteris family has established “The
Eleftheri Fund” in his memory to help sup-
port other autistic children in our St. George
family. Love knows no bounds!
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PHILOPTOCHOS
In recent months, we completed our challeng-
ing journey through Lent to Pascha, and we
all worked hard together to organize, prepare
and orchestrate for our Annual Festival. For
the second year in a row, we took on the re-
sponsibility of making all the pastries. This
was a huge endeavor, led by Litsa Marinos,
who did an outstanding job! We not only
made baklava, koulourakia and kourabiedes,
but this year we also included the preparation
of the galaktoboureko and melomakarona.
This is my last letter to you as President of
Philoptochos. My two-year term has gone by
in a flash! This has been an incredible person-
al journey, and such a joy for me to see not
only the growth in friendships and communi-
ty, but also the growth of our membership.
When I think back two years ago, when Ma-
donna Calender and Maria Mathios nominated
me, I would never have anticipated the won-
derful fulfillment I have experienced serving
as your President. Through this experience, I learned that by
serving in Philoptochos, we can find within
ourselves many hidden talents. This has been
very enriching for me, as I have also gained
new insights, knowledge and a deeper under-
standing of our church and faith. I have met so
many incredible people that I never would
have met if I had I not been involved in
Philoptochos on the local, regional and na-
tional levels.
I leave you with these thoughts and memories.
Know that Philoptochos will continue to grow
and flourish with our next President and
Board. Thank you for giving me this oppor-
tunity and having the faith in me to lead.
With love from my heart,
Kay Emmanuelidis
Membership
Ladies of our St. George Church! Please
consider joining the Philoptochos Society
and becoming part of its active ministry to
those in need. Membership begins with any
contribution of $25 or more. Please send
your check to the Church Office, care of
“The Philoptochos Society.”
YOUNG ADULT LEAGUE (YAL)
All members of St. George, ages 18-35, are
encouraged to join this vibrant ministry.
Through the activities of worship, service,
fellowship and witness, YAL integrates us
deeper into the life of the Church and ena-
bles us to become active members of the
Body of Christ. Please contact Fr. George
at [email protected] for additional
information
FEED THE HUNGRY
Every third Sunday of the month, St.
George volunteers prepare and deliver food
to four Rockville area shelters that serve
over 100 adults and children:
Chase Shelter for men;
Dorothy Day Shelter for women;
Helping Hands Shelter for mothers and
children; and
Rainbow Shelter for women
We meet after Sunday Service at the St.
George church kitchen the third Sunday of
each month for about two hours, to manage
food preparation and clean-up. Teenagers
and young people are especially encour-
aged to assist and support.
For more information, please contact:
Margo (Margarita) Oge
[email protected] 703-501-1765
Taso Vassilas:[email protected]
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50 PLUS CLUB
We would like to thank everyone for coming
to our Spring Pot Luck Party on May 13.
Over 85 Members and guests attended and
everyone had a wonderful time with the three
musicians whose songs inspired group partici-
pation, as well as beautiful solos.
The $1,200 that was raised at the Yia-Yia’s
Attic Raffle and the $325 that was raised at
the Pot Luck Party went to the St. George
Kitchen Improvements Fund.
At the Pot Luck Party, Eric DeVaris, Treasur-
er, presented a combined Financial Report and
a proposed Distribution of Funds for the 50
Plus Club. Income from membership dues,
Bake Sales, Yia-Yia’s Attic Raffle, less costs
for the Valentines Luncheon, Meetings, and
donations already made to the Bediani
Orphanage, St. Georges Charities, and kitchen
improvements, left a net balance of $15,693.
The membership approved by vote the distri-
bution of these funds as follows:
Fifty Plus Club Contingency Fund: $2,000
Church of St. George - General Accounting:
$5,000
Kitchen Improvements: $5,000
Charitable Donations:
Orthodox Christian Mission Center
(O.C.M.C): $1,500
St Basil Academy: $500
Hellenic College: $500
The Smile of the Child: $500
Int’l Orthodox Christian Charities (I.O.C.C) :
$500
Sub Total: $3,500
Total 2015 Church of St. George
Contributions : $11,430
Total Charity Contributions: $4,000
The Kitchen Improvements Fund has been es-
tablished by the Church to address, in the near
future, the inefficiencies of the Kitchen equip-
ment and layout, and the badly needed upgrad-
ing and repair of utilities.
The names and titles of the Advisory Board
Members for the following year were read, and
approved by membership Vote.
We wish everyone a healthy and happy sum-
mer. We would like to thank everyone for sup-
porting our Ministry during this past year. See
you back September 9, 2015 at our next 50
Plus Club Meeting.
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GREEK SCHOOL
On April 20 the teachers of the Greek school
had the opportunity to participate in the edu-
cational seminar that was presented by Dr.
Polyvia Parara, Assistant Professor of the De-
partment of Classical studies at University of
Maryland –College Park. The topic of the
seminar was “Differentiated classroom: re-
sponding to the need of “all students”. The
seminar/workshop was followed by teacher
participation and discussion and was a very
positive experience for everybody, students
and teachers.
End of the Year Program
Our Greek School End of the Year Program
will take place on Friday, June 6 in the Grand
Hall of St. George. The program will start
promptly at 10:30a.m. You are all invited to
come and enjoy our students as we celebrate
this year's last day of Greek School with tradi-
tional summer songs.
Raise Money While You Shop
The Greek School has opened an account
with Safeway’s “eScrip” fundraising program.
Anytime you pay with cash, the Greek School
could earn up to 4% of your purchase. To sign
up, please visit www.eScrip.com and enter
“Greek Orthodox Church of St. George” or
our group ID 500140081. Five minutes of
your time can help us raise needed funds for
our Greek school – and please ask friends and
family to register their cards also.
GREEK PRE-SCHOOL
The St. George Greek Preschool completed
another successful year! The St. George
Greek Preschool completed another success-
ful year! Congratulations to the class of 2015!
We had so much fun this year.
We learned the Greek alphabet, played with
our friends, visited the church and talked to
Father Dimitri, and learned Greek songs and
celebrated our heritage. We wish our gradu-
ates good luck in kindergarten next year. We
hope that they remember their first school and
that they will come back to visit, as we will
always have them in our hearts. Καλό
Καλοκαίρι σε όλους!
If you are interested in enrolling your child
for the upcoming school year, please visit our
website: www.stgeorgegreekpreschool.com,
or
Email: [email protected]
Classes for 2-5 year olds, Mon-Fri from
9:30am -12:30pm.
Marilena Tsirigotakis, Director :
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GOYA
On behalf of all of our GOYA members we
want to say a heartfelt thank you to Anastasia
Fafoutis for her wonderful leadership as Presi-
dent this past year.
Congratulations also to our seniors graduating
from the Board this year - Natalie Chiames,
Frank Most, Panayiotis Nicolaou and Stefanos
Nickoloff. Best Wishes for their future en-
deavors!!! We will miss them!
Congratulations to our new GOYA Board for
2015 -2016:
President: Demosthenes Dennis Kaloudelis
Vice President/Basketball: Demetri Garbis
Vice President/Social Events: Adamandia
Frantzis
Treasurer: Alexia Xeron
Recording Secretary: Katie Kaludis
Corresponding Secretary: Vasiliki Frantzis
Sergeant at Arms: Spyridon Kaloudelis
Historians: George Kaludis & Zoe Joy
Board Members at large:
Nicole Averinos, Eva Conley, Nick
Karayianis Theo Margas, Niko Papageorge,
Leo Tsirigiotis
Saturday June 6: Greek Preschool Party
4:00pm – 7:00pm The Greek Preschool is
looking for some volunteers to help with their
end of the year party at church. You can earn
your community service hours!!!
Sunday June 7: Graduation Sunday –
GOYANS are needed to assist with the Grad-
uation Ceremony.
Sunday June 14: Induction Ceremony for the
2015-2016 GOYA Board – all new Board
members should be present
Sunday June 21: Father’s Day - GOYANS are
needed to pass out Father's Day icons
Save the Date: Tuesday June 23, 2015
KINGS DOMINION!! $50 per person
includes lunch - more details to follow!!!
Please email me if you are planning on at-
tending any of these events!!
DANCE TROUPE
Congratulations to all of our wonderful danc-
ers for a weekend of amazing performances!
From our youngest to our graduating seniors
(120 in all!!), we are truly blessed to be sur-
rounded by so many wonderful kids who have
such love for our culture and traditions. Bra-
vo sas!!!
Thank you to all for your love and support of
the St. George Dance Troupe! Have a fantas-
tic summer and see you in September!
For any questions or concerns, please contact
Evelyn Xeron at [email protected]
15
17
WORSHIP SCHEDULE
Sunday Services
8:30 AM Orthros 9:30 AM Divine Liturgy
Saturdays, and Weekdays:
8:30 AM ORTHROS 9:30 AM Divine Liturgy
The Greek Orthodox Church
of St. George
7701 Bradley Blvd.
Bethesda, Maryland 20817
301-469-7990
www.stgeorge.org
COMMUNITY LIFE
Church Office Hours
Monday-Friday 7:00 AM—3:00 PM
