November 2016 newsletter - Sts. Constantine & Helen …€¦ · 3 The Word - November 2016...
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1 the word Sts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church A Season of Appreciation A s we are in this beautiful season of giving thanks, our parish would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation to so many of our wonderful parishioners who serve the many ministries our Church with so much love and devotion. We are deeply honored and grateful. And we know that it is the love of Christ and His holy Church in their hearts that inspires them to give of themselves. And we deeply and truly appreciate all they do! In this spirit of appreciation we are also called as Christians to thank and appreciate our Lord for all His blessings. Yet it can be easy to forget to be grateful to God. We are reminded of this through a powerful Gospel message in which Jesus was passing through a village in Galilee, where ten men who were afflicted with the disease of leprosy and called out to Him, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” And Jesus cleansed and healed them, and went on His way. (Luke 17:11-19) Yet only one of the ten who were healed returned to Jesus to give Him thanks. And Jesus responded to the one leper with words that echo throughout all the ages, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?” You see, only one out of nine had an attitude of appreciation. And we are called to be like that one. This is what Thanksgiving is all about. It is about recognizing all the blessings God has given us, and then showing our appreciation and bowing to Him; worshipping Him; thanking Him. Through this Gospel passage, may our Lord bless us with the mindset of appreciation. And it is in this spirit that we invite everyone to come and enjoy the Parish Night Out (see back cover of The Word) on November 19, as we will celebrate all of God’s blessings upon our parish with special appreciation for the love and devotion of all our parishioners. Happy Thanksgiving! Fr. Christopher hearing by the Word of God. Romans 10:17 Faith comes by hearing and Andover, MA November 2016 Get news of additional events and announcements via email. Go to the church web site www.andoverorthodox.org and sign up to be on our LISTSERV Women’s Faith & Fellowship November 1 - 9 -10:30 am Morning Meditations November 9 - 10-11:30 am Bread for Life Bible Study November 16 - 7 - 8:30 pm General Assembly will take place on Sunday, November 13. Stewardship Sunday, November 20 November 6 The Miraculous :Myrrh-Streaming” Kardiotissa (Tender-Hearted) Icon of The Virgin Mary From St. George Orthodox Church, Taylor, PA Will Visit Our Sts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church 71 Chandler Road, Andover, MA Friday, November 4 5pm. Miraculous stories of the Icon by Fr. Mark Leasure 6pm. Supplication Service to the Virgin Mary & Anointing w/Myrrh 9pm. Teen/Young Adult talk on faith and believing 10pm to 1am. All-Night Vigil BIBLE STUDIES THIS MONTH “Pursuing our spiritual life”
Transcript of November 2016 newsletter - Sts. Constantine & Helen …€¦ · 3 The Word - November 2016...
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The Word - November 2016
the wordSts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church
A Season of Appreciation
As we are in this beautiful season of giving thanks, our parish would like to take thisopportunity to express our sincere appreciation to so many of our wonderfulparishioners who serve the many ministries our Church with so much love and
devotion. We are deeply honored and grateful. And we know that it is the love of Christand His holy Church in their hearts that inspires them to give of themselves. And wedeeply and truly appreciate all they do!
In this spirit of appreciation we are also called as Christians to thank and appreciate ourLord for all His blessings. Yet it can be easy to forget to be grateful to God. We arereminded of this through a powerful Gospel message in which Jesus was passing through avillage in Galilee, where ten men who were afflicted with the disease of leprosy and calledout to Him, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” And Jesus cleansed and healed them, andwent on His way. (Luke 17:11-19)
Yet only one of the ten who were healed returned to Jesus to give Him thanks. And Jesusresponded to the one leper with words that echo throughout all the ages, “Were there notten cleansed? But where are the nine?” You see, only one out of nine had an attitude ofappreciation. And we are called to be like that one. This is what Thanksgiving is all about.It is about recognizing all the blessings God has given us, and then showing ourappreciation and bowing to Him; worshipping Him; thanking Him.
Through this Gospel passage, may our Lord bless us with the mindset of appreciation. Andit is in this spirit that we invite everyone to come and enjoy the Parish Night Out (seeback cover of The Word) on November 19, as we will celebrate all of God’s blessings uponour parish with special appreciation for the love and devotion of all our parishioners.
Happy Thanksgiving!Fr. Christopher
hearingby the
Word ofGod.
Romans 10:17
Faithcomes
byhearing
and
Andover, MA November 2016
Get news of additional events andannouncements via email. Go tothe church web sitewww.andoverorthodox.organd sign up to be on ourLISTSERV
Women’s Faith & Fellowship November 1 - 9 -10:30 am
Morning MeditationsNovember 9 - 10-11:30 am
Bread for Life Bible StudyNovember 16 - 7 - 8:30 pm
General Assembly will take placeon Sunday, November 13.Stewardship Sunday, November 20
November 6
The Miraculous :Myrrh-Streaming”Kardiotissa (Tender-Hearted) Icon of The Virgin Mary
From St. George Orthodox Church, Taylor, PA
Will Visit OurSts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church
71 Chandler Road, Andover, MA
Friday, November 45pm. Miraculous stories of the Icon by Fr. Mark Leasure6pm. Supplication Service to theVirgin Mary & Anointing w/Myrrh9pm. Teen/Young Adult talk on faith and believing10pm to 1am. All-Night Vigil
BIBLE STUDIES THIS MONTH “Pursuing our spiritual life”
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Fr. Christopher Makiej,Parish Priest
Dn. Sal FazioDn. Gary KentParish Deacons
Buzz Stapczynski, PresidentJohn Terzakis, Vice President
Jim Panagas, SecretaryCarol DiPietro, Treasurer
Chris AlexandrouDylan Archambault
Sam DiamantisBess Gorman
Nicholas MiminosDavid MurphyValerie Murphy
Tom PantelyPeter Souhleris
Anthony WarrenGeorge Xifaras
Church OfficeKaren Davies
Office AssistantsDorothy Mastromonico & Ann Paris
PhiloptochosOlga Pithis, President
ChanterTelly Papanikolaou
ChoirPres. Katerina Makiej, Director
OrganistDavid Harvey
Altar Boy Co-CaptainsKyros Vergados & Nicholas Makiej
Sunday SchoolPatty Trant, DirectorGreek SchoolVoula Nikitas
Christian Lending LibraryPatti George, Director
GOYA AdvisorConnie Vergados
GOYA PresidentKyros VergadosJOY Advisor
Patty TrantYouthChoir/Women’sFellowship
Pres. Katerina MakiejBook Store ManagerElaine Demetroulakos
Internet MinistryChristopher Primes
AHEPASteven Pithis
Daughters of PenelopeNancy PantazopoulosCollege FellowshipTelly Papanikolaou
Young Professionals MinistryNicholas Miminos
FacilitiesGeorge Perakis
ArchonsArthur C. AntonJames Lolos
Telly Papanikolaou
The WordElizabeth Xaros Bigelow, Editor
Parish Council NotesDear Parishioners,
I hope you and your family are settling into the rhythm of the new school year, the newChurch liturgical year and the beautiful early autumn weather. Starting in November we willbe celebrating the 100th anniversary year of our Parish. The first event is the visit to ourChurch by the miraculous “Myrrh-Streaming” Kardiotissa, the Tender Heart Icon from St.George Orthodox Church, Taylor, PA. Many from our Parish made a pilgrimage to St.George Orthodox Church last October to witness the miracle; we are excited to have thisblessed icon in our Church for all to witness and venerate.
The 100th Anniversary Committee is working on a yearlong celebration of a century of faith.An email was sent out recently with the names of the founders of our Church. There wereeight men (families) who signed the incorporation documents to establish the St.Constantine’s Greek Orthodox Society of Lawrence in 1917. If you know anything aboutthese eight families, the Committee would like that information so we can properly recognizeour founding mothers and fathers.
Our Annual General Assembly will be held on Sunday, November 13th after Divine Liturgy.This is where we hear from the Parish Council, Father Chris and the various ministries aboutthe activities of the current year and what is planned for next year. We also approve thebudget for 2017. Please plan to attend, as we need your participation in the daily life of ourParish. Information about the General Assemble will be sent to each family in earlyNovember.
The Mortgage Elimination Committee will be sending letters to the families who have not yetparticipated in the mortgage elimination program. So far 115 of our nearly 500 families havemade pledges. Our goal is 100% participation by all in our Parish. The Committee knows thattogether we can contribute to the future of our youth and families, our Parish ministries andoutreach, and the sustainability of our Parish for generations to come. If you haven’t pledged,please consider joining your fellow parishioners in support of the mission of our Church.
Thank you for all that you and family do to make our Parish such a warm and welcomingcommunity of believers.
May God be with you,Buzz StapczynskiParish Council President
Our General Assembly will beheld on Sunday, November 13after Divine Liturgy. Please planto attend this importantbusiness meeting of our Parish.
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Philoptochos
Dear Church Family,
Thanks to everyone for your support in making our Trivia Nighta great success. With your help, we are able to offer donations tomany causes, as well as to our own Church mortgageelimination.
Please be sure to join us on Thursday, November 17th at 7:15 pmin the Church hall. We will be hosting a Greek ZUMBA OPA-cise event. The class will be led by the Dancing Zorbas dancestudio. There will be a drop in fee of $5. All ladies are welcome.We will be able to go at our own pace and no previous Zumbaexperience is necessary. We hope to see many of you there!
With Love in Christ,Olga Pithis, PresidentGeorgiana (Gina) LaFortune, Secretary
The WordVolume 18, Issue 10
Published monthly except August and January bySts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church,71 Chandler Road Andover, MA 01810Phone 978-470-0919vFax 978-470-0239
Periodicals postage paid at Andover, MA.Permit No. 022-997. POSTMASTER: Send address changesto Sts. Constantine & Helen Church.
Elizabeth Xaros Bigelow, Editor. [email protected]
Sunday School
Sunday School Updates:We had a great first few months of Sunday school! It is so won-derful to see all the students learning about our Orthodox faith.If you have not registered your child for Sunday school yet,please fill out the registration form and drop it off or mail it backto the church office at any time. Registration forms can be foundon the Sunday school bulletin board.
Our theme for this year is “Put God first”. The goal is to teachthe students how to live an Orthodox life in this secular world.We will focus on how to put God first in our very busy lives.This year the students are asked to apply what they learned inSunday school to their daily lives. They are asked to make Godthe focus of their week, not just on Sundays.
The children will also continue participating in service projectsduring Sunday school throughout the year. Any parents whowould like to help with the service projects this year pleaseemail me at [email protected]
Our charitable contributions for November are:· November 6th through November 13th—Lazarus
House Thanksgiving Food drive. Please drop off non-perishable food donations in the food box located in theatrium. Boxes and cans only, please no glass.
· November 19th—Frozen Turkey drive. I will be col-lecting frozen turkeys of all sizes to help feed the pooron Thanksgiving. Please drop off your turkeys from12-2 pm at the church in the community center.
· November 20th through December 18th—Hats andMittens drive. We will be collecting brand new hatsand mittens for the Lazarus House. Please place all do-nations in the Hats and Mittens box placed in the atri-um.
Any parents who would like to volunteer in Sunday school as anassistant, would like to be a Sunday school substitute teacher, orhelp with the Oratorical Festival this year, please email me [email protected].
Sunday School Calendar:November 27th – No Sunday school, Thanksgiving weekend
Remember Jesus Loves You!Patty Trant
One of our best GreekFestival’s ever!
Net Income: 2 015 2016
$40,773 $55,196
Sunday school Magic ofChristmas Giving Tree
Sunday school invites the ENTIRE parish community toparticipate in the Magic of Giving in conjunction with The WishProject! The Wish Project services families throughout theMerrimack Valley who cannot afford even the basics. As part ofthe Magic of Giving Project, there will be a Christmas tree in theatrium leading to our grand hall with “mitten” ornaments placedon it. Each “mitten” will have a Christmas gift item written on itand we are asking members of our parish to donate a gift listedon a “mitten”. There will be a collection box where the gifts canbe placed UNWRAPPED with the “mitten” attached by Sunday,December 11, 2016. If you have any questions, please contactAngela Kulesza at (978) 821-9814 [email protected] or Steven Robinson at (781) 405-3699 or [email protected]. Thank you for yourparticipation!
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G O Y AHi all!
Thank you for joining us at our first GOYA meeting. It was agreat meeting filled with fellowship and fun! We jump startedour very exciting year with many new activities that we areexcited to share! Our next event will be at Krochnal Farm forour hayride/corn maze/bonfire. We are also excited to start ourfirst GOYA challenge; the GOYA officers challenge all GOYAns tobring as many new Orthodox youth to our events as possible!Our November meeting will be held on the 20th of the month.We will be having our first Bake Sale of the year that Sundayafter Liturgy. We are also planning on donating our first everGOYA Christmas tree to the Festival of Trees! Events such as CorUnum and Toys for Tots and many more will be discussed in theupcoming meetings.
We hope to see you all there!
In Christ,Kyros Vergados
SUNDAY SCHOOL WINTERCOAT DRIVE
It’s time to start cleaningout those closets!Sunday school is onceagain participating inAnton’s Coats for Kids.New or gently lovedwarm winter coats of allsizes (adults andchildrens) will becollected from Sunday,October 10, 2016through Sunday, January1, 2017. Coats must bein good condition,without rips or stains andhave a working zipper. A collection box has been placed in theentryway leading into our Great Hall for you to drop off anycoats that you may wish to donate. Please contact Angela Kuleszaat (978) 821-9814 or [email protected] if you have anyquestions. Start cleaning out those closets for a good cause!!!
JOY and Junior GOYAWe held our annual hayride and trek through the giant cornmaze at Crescent Farm in Haverhill, MA on Saturday, October15th. Thank you to all the families who came to the outing!
November will be a busy month for us. Our first charity out-reach this year will be collecting frozen turkeys for the LazarusHouse. I will be at the church in the community center on Sat-urday, November 19th from 1–2 pm collecting frozen turkeysof all sizes to help feed the less fortunate on Thanksgiving. Thisis a great way to teach our children about alms giving. It is alsoa nice reminder of how fortunate we are and to thank God forall of our blessings. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!
The next JOY and Junior GOYA meetings/events planned are:
· JOY Church Meeting—Sunday, November 13th from12:00 – 1:00 pm following Sunday school in the lowerlarge level room of the church.
· Junior GOYA Church Meeting—Sunday, November13th from 12:00 – 1:15 pm following Sunday school inthe conference room.
Lazarus House Turkey Drive—Saturday, November19th from 12 – 2 pm at the church.
I look forward to seeing your beautiful children at the next JOYand Junior GOYA meeting.
All children in grades 1–4 are welcome to attend all the JOYmeetings and events. All children in the 5th and 6th grades arewelcome to attend all the Junior GOYA meetings and events.
In Christ,Patty Trant
GOYA OFFICERS 2016-17
STEWARDSHIP UPDATE January to September 16, 2016: $198,682.27 Financial Stewardship offerings Received.
Total Parish Budget 2016: $519,900
Your Stewardship offerings needed to make our parish run. Thank you!
Pictured from the left are: Michael Makiej - CorrespondingSecretary, Alexandros Giannakopoulos - Vice _President,Nicholas Makiej - Vice President Kyros Vergados - President, ,Joanna Archambault - Recording Secretary, Mikayla Goodwin -Recording Secretary, Sam Xifaras - Treasurer, VasilikiPapadopoulos - Corresponding Secretary.
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GREEK OPA-SIZEBY DANCING ZORBAS
Have some fun, relieve some stress, and burn some calories while we work outto Greek music. Open to all, 12 years old and up.
Thursday, November 17th
7:15 p.m.
Family CenterSaints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church
71 Chandler Road, Andover
$5.00 drop-in fee. (No pre-registration required.)Dress comfortably and don’t forget to bring bottled water.
SPONSORED BY LADIES PHILOPTOCHOS
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Greetings from the 100th Anniversary Committee!Plans are moving right along with activities for our Anniversary Year, and wouldn’t you know it, we’ve already had tojuggle a few 2017 event dates that we previously shared with you.~ The History of the Church presentation is now scheduled for Saturday, January 21 at 2:00 pm.~ Our Family Retreat, Liturgy and Picnic at MBC Camp will be held during the weekend of June 24-25.~ The Clergy of our parish together with Presidents of the Parish Council and Philoptochos, past and present, will behonored in a reception following the Name Day Liturgy on May 21.
You will notice this edition of the WORD includes the first of several interviews that are being conducted among our parishfamily. Each issue will feature “a parishioner who has distinguished her/himself in the interests of Saints Constantine andHelen Church”, and what better way to start than with our very own ‘first lady’, Presvytera Katerina!
You may recognize this logo from the popular TV show of the same name. Well, we’reconducting our own ancestralinvestigation to learn more about the Founders of our much-loved Saints Constantine and Helen Church of Andover. We’rebeginning to uncover some fascinating pieces of history as well as collecting photos and artifacts that we can’t wait to share withyou.
Our story could use a little help, and we’re hoping to find a few missing links from among our parishioners. A copy of theChurch’s Certificate of Organization filed on July 16, 1917 reveals the names of the original officers of the “St.Constantine’s Greek Orthodox Society of Lawrence”:
Elias Chaltas, Angelos Papageorges, Harry Skoufis, Antonios Pappas, Photis Chironis, John Booras,Constantine Theodoropulos, Anastasios Thouas. Do you recognize any of these names from your own family tree? f so, wewould love to hear from you. Any information that you can provide will be most appreciated. Of course, photos of any ofour Founders would be the icing on the 100th Anniversary Cake!
Please feel free to share this information with family as well as with friends in neighboring Greek communities. If youdiscover a family tie to any of the Founders above, please contact me at [email protected].
As we enter into the holiday season, we know we have much for which to be thankful. We are thankful for the pioneers ofour Church who forged ahead with determination to establish a Greek Orthodox community. We are thankful for the Clergythat has led the flock, providing each of us with spiritual guidance and love. We are thankful for all those who havevolunteered their time, talent, and treasure and served the many ministries of our Church. We are thankful for each other,who gather together in worship, share one another’s happiness and support each other’s sorrow. We are thankful to beCelebrating a Century of Faith.
On behalf of the 100th Anniversary Committee, may you and your families enjoy a very Happy Thanksgiving.Happy Anniversary!
Nancy Patsios
The BookstoreDear Fellow Parishioners,
The autumn colors are slowly fading and there is a nip in the air.November means harvest to me and it offers us many reasons tothank God. Thanksgiving Day…one of my favorite holidayssimply because it is such a wonderful family day. Loved oneswho cannot be with us to celebrate our bounty are nonetheless inour minds and hearts on this day of reflection. Hopefully, menand women of goodwill are lifting their eyes to heaven andpraying for our country as well as for all nations to cometogether in His name and with His guidance.
We are so privileged to have the visitation of the Kardiotissa, the
Myrrh-Streaming Icon of The Virgin Mary. We look forward tohearing of the many miracles attributed to the Tender-HeartedVirgin and also having the opportunity to be anointed with thismiraculous myrrh. There will be much to think about and todiscuss after this wonderful happening.
We anticipate many parishioners participating in this anointingmay wish to purchase a beautiful icon of the Kardiotissa, TheBookstore will provide sign-up sheets on Sunday, November 6thand 13th for ordering from a variety of sizes and prices. Stop inand see us.
Thank you all,
Elaine DemetroulakosDotty Vlamis
Sts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church71 Chandler Road, Andover, MA 01810
Dear Friends,
Christmas 2016 is coming faster than we think! Our church is again offering our families and friends theopportunity of joining in our Annual Community Christmas Card.
This beautiful card will be sent to all our parishioners and friends on the Church’s mailing list. Your charitabledonation of $15.00 or more will add your family’s name to the Christmas wishes for a joyful and holy holidaywhich go out to our entire community.
Thank you for your past support. We trust you will be an active participant in this year’scard as well, and those in the years to come. Best wishes to you and your family for aBlessed Holy Season of Our Lord’s Nativity!
Please act immediately – Deadline – November 23.
Sincerely yours,Sts. Constantine & Helen Church
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Please list your name(s) as you want it to appear on the card. Thank you!
Donation: $_______________________________________________
Name(s)__________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
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November 2016Sts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox ChurchSunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1Women's Faith &
Fellowship9:00-10:30 am
Greek School4:30 pm
2 3 4Tender-Heart
Icon Visitation
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6Orthros 9:00Liturgy 10:00
7 8No Greek School
Election Day
9Morning
Meditations10:00-10:30
10 11 12
13Orthros 9:00Liturgy 10:00
Joy & Goya Mtg.10-12:15
GeneralAsssembly
14 15Greek School
4:30 pm
Parish CouncilMtg. 7:00 pm
Nativity FastBegins
16Bread for Life
7:00 pm
17Philoptochos/
Zumba 7:00 pm
18GOYA B'ball
7:00 pm
19Parish Night Out
6:30 pm
20Orthros 9:00Liturgy 10:00
Goya mtg. 6 pm
StewardshipSunday
21 22Greek School
4:30 pm
23 24 25 26
27Orthros 9:00Liturgy 10:00
28 29Greek School
4:30
30Men's Dinner
7:00 pm
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Periodical
**Couples Night Out**(and any and all adults of the Parish)
Fall Pot-Luck Dinner SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2016
Come enjoy a fun night with your Parish friends….and meet new ones
Everyone is WelcomeNew Parish members are encouraged to attend!
At the home of Dylan and Concetta Archambault4 Monette Circle Andover, MA
(for GPS use 6 Paulornette Circle)
Please RSVP by November 13th @[email protected]
This will also be a Parish Appreciation Celebration….thanking all our parishioners for their love and service to our parish and thanking our
Lord for all His blessings!
