Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church

8210 Cypress Lake Drive Fort Myers, Florida 33919 Metropolis

of Atlanta

TO:

Current Resident or

VOICE THE

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church

August 2014

Falling Asleep of the Virgin Mary

August 15th

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church 8210 Cypress Lake Drive ~ Fort Myers, Florida 33919-5116

Ch. Phone: (239) 481-2099 Fax: (239)-481-0504 email: officeagoc@gmail.com Fr. Dean’s cell: (239) 322-7553 email: revfrdean@gmail.com

www.annunciation.fl.goarch.org Office Hours: Monday-Friday ~ 9:30 am-3 pm

Administrative Assistant: Kelsie Gregware

MINISTRIES

GOYA Heidi Kubiak George Kucera

Sunday School Jen-Hope Belis

Circle of Friends Joan Simon

Ladies Philoptochos Ginny Amend, President

Bookstore Virginia Headley Dr. Theodor Bonstedt _____________

Organizations: Hellenic American Social Club of S.W. FL Barbara Dionysopoulos, President

VISIT US ON

FACEBOOK

Annunciation GOC Fort Myers

August VOICE 2014

PARISH COUNCIL

Rev. Fr. Dean Nastos, Proistamenos

Fr. Deacon John Howard _________________________

Executive Officers:

Nick Karras President

Maria Mourgis Vice-President

Virginia Headley Treasurer

Michael Peceri Assistant Treasurer

Heidi Kubiak Secretary

Board Members:

Tom Haley Les Haynes Marilyn Necak John Shannon John Simon Doug Stilian Peter Wouralis

Council Committees:

Stewardship Michael Peceri

Construction/Maintenance John Simon

Welcome/Ushering Effie Kapetan All Council Members

Festival Jen-Hope Belis

Car Raffle Nick Karras Stella Karras _____________________________

VOICE Editor Fr. Dean Nastos

Altar Don Headley

Choir Adam Krotov, Director Heidi Kubiak, Organist

Cantor Theo Palis

Prosphoro Polly Margaritis:(239) 634-6460

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From the Desk of Our Proistamenos...

AUGUST 2014 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise;

Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.” Psalm 100:4

Now that summer is in full force, it is also time that each of us ponder what the Lord has blessed us with. How many of us take God’s blessing for granted? It would be safe to say that many do. In order to continue to receive God’s blessings we must all remember that our Lord has given everything to us. As we read what has been stated above we then must in return give thanksgiving, praise and bless His name. The best place to do exactly what is mentioned above, is in our Parish, our home, the place where God’s people come to worship Him and receive His Pure Body and Blood – Holy Communion. So you see summer is just as good a time as any to come closer to God. He gives to us, as always, many opportunities to come closer to Him, not only during the summer months but every day of our lives. Attend Church as often as possible, for if you do, Spiritual strength will help you come closer to God. During the month of August we celebrate the Falling Asleep of the Theotokos. Our Holy Orthodox Church has taught us that we must honor the Theotokos with prayer, worship and fasting. From August 1st until the eve of the Dormition we should increase our prayer, attend the special Paraklesis services and fast. This is the best way we can honor the Theotokos as She intercedes for us to our Lord Jesus Christ. By giving thanksgiving, praise and blessing the Lord’s name, we are all showing our Lord and His people that He is truly the One who shall lead us to salvation. This takes action, not reaction. Do not forget what our Lord has given to you. Return to Him your blessings by doing what is right always. Then and only then, will true faith dwell within each and every one of us. May our Lord bless you and may you have a joyous summer. In Christ’s Service,

Fr. Dean

A Message from the President , Nick Karras

AUGUST 2014

Dear Friends and Fellow Parishioners,

As summer begins to come to a close, we approach one of our Holiest Holidays of the year, the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. Please make every effort to attend the scheduled services.

Our parish has made a lot of progress and changes. We have lost and gained many friends and parishioners. I feel very proud to say that our classroom project is progressing with leaps and bounds thanks to John Simon and of course all of Michael Peceri’s hard work with all of the fund raising.

I must apologize for not being around for a few weeks due to my major surgery, but I’m well on the road to recovery. This is all due to my faith in Jesus Christ and all your steadfast thoughts, prayers, sincere cards and gorgeous flowers. The Lord has told me that we have much work ahead and with the leadership of Father Dean and Deacon John, we shall complete these tasks.

A special thanks to each and everyone of you in your Ministries and hard working endeavors. Father Dean and I will be calling on you to aid in various projects. United together as one family, we shall build a strong and glorious Annunciation church.

Please feel free to offer any ideas and suggestions to Father Dean or myself. I ask you not to feel offended if they are not implemented. We are all one team and working together under God.

In Christ’s Service,

Nick Karras Parish Council President

33

14131 Metropolis Ave.,

Ste. 104 Near Gulf Coast

Phone (239) 332-

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT 15271-27 McGREGOR BLVD.

FORT MYERS, FL 33908 (IN THE K-MART PLAZA) 239-689-1211

WWW.PLAKA2.ORG

AUTHENTIC GREEK FOOD!!!!!

DINE –IN **GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE**

CARRY-OUT **PARTY RESERVATIONS**

ONLINE ORDERING

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5

Construction Update by John Simon

"Ola Kala."

The construction is going well. The storage building should be done by September 1st. This will allow us to relocate our festival equipment to the new storage building then we will be able to remove the 2 storage trailers form our property.

The Fellowship Hall, however is slightly behind schedule due to the heavy rains. It is after all summer in Fort Myers, Florida (rainy season). We still expect to be finished on schedule. We're looking at a December/January time frame for completion, well in advance of Greek Fest 2015.

Thank you all for your support.

Greek Dinner Information

The Parish Council has approved a parish fundraiser, “A Little Taste of Greece” which will occur on October 10th—11th of this year in our church hall. See Maria Mourgis for more information and please see the flyer on the back page of this publication.

ANNUNCIATION GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

2014 STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM PLEDGES

This listing contains the names of those Stewards of the Church who have signed the, blue, pledge cards for 2014. Pledge cards are available in the Church Narthex or Church office. If you feel your name has been omitted please contact: Kelsie Gregware, Administrative Assistant in the Church Office (481-2099) or Michael Peceri, Stewardship Committee Chairman.

Jimmy & Jennifer Achkar

Nicholas & Varvara Alexiou

Eve & Alex Alves

Michael & Popi Ambazis

Rev. Albert & Ginny Amend Dr. Paula Apostolou

James & Katie Avtges

Dr. Andrew & Jen-Hope Belis

Athena Belis

Vassiliki & Joel Berends

Angelo Bitsis

Golfo Bitsis

Joseph Boisvert

Dr. Theodor & Dorothy Bonstedt

Robert & Helene Boucher

Victor Brust

George & Elaine Chakonas

Donald & Irene Cheek

Jodi Chupak & James Anderson

Penny Churchman

Lois Colagrossi

Elwood & Lea Collier

Angelo & Anastasia Constan

Kristin Cooper

George & Georgia Copulos

Katerina Coumbos

Katherine Del Monico

Johanna DiMartino

Constantinos & Barbara

Dionysopoulos

John & Caken Dopoulos

Dr. Thomas & Frances Drakos

Jurijus & Rita Dukinas

Charles Eliopoulos

Niki Fagerline

Robert & Aileen Fenton

Anastasia Frangakis

Helen & Tom Gallian

Joyce Gladis

Mary Sue Gladis

Maria Gorrell

John & Elaine Green

Paul & Roda Guenther

Thomas & Marlene Haley

Danny & Ann Halvatzis

Ed & Mimi Hardgrove

Richard & Matia Hawks

Les & Emily Haynes

Donald & Virginia Headley

Peter Hernandez & Poly Mavridou

James & Bess Hord

Deacon John & Lanette Howard

Demetria Hughes

Alexander & Hope Hunter

Charles Johnson

Richard & Cheryl Johnson

Eleni Kaklis

James & Theresa Kalogridis

William & Helen Kaltsas

George & Dorothy Kantarze

Effie Kapetan

Elizabeth (Bess) Karabetsos

Jimmy & Despina Karras

Nick & Stella Karras

Apostolos Karydas

William & Sophia Katsaris

Marianthi Kazakos

Dale & Helen Keating

Richard & Barbara Keene

Patricia Kemp

Panos Klentzeris

Richard & Georgia Kline

Nikos & Anna Kontakos

Presb. Aspasia Kontinos

John & Bella Kontinos

Nicholas & Penelope Kontinos

Thomas & Chandra Kontinos

Konstantinos & Marie Kostouros

Ann Kotsalis

Nicholas & Mary Koukos

Theo & Nancy Koupelis

Michael & Christine Kouvelis

Ann Kratsios

Adam & Sandra Krotov

Joseph & Heidi Kubiak

Doug & Tina Kucera

Cynthia Kyriacou

Continued on Next Page

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Total Stewardship Pledged: $131,602 (as of July 6th, 2014)

How many possible Stewards: 290

Total # of Stewards Pledged: 201

2014 Stewardship Goal: $200,000

Total amount given (recorded): $71,948 through July 6th, 2014.

Some of this charged to Stewardship but given by Parishioners who have not signed Pledge Cards.

STEWARDSHIP DATA

John Lampiris

Michael & Evangeline Lemonakis

Emanuel & Rana Levenderis

Dino & Jennifer Magas

Jimmy & Valerie Magas

Mikes & Minna Mailakakis

Steven & Jennifer Maillakakis

Stravos & Francine Maillakakis

Maria Makrynakis

Theodore & Mary Makrynakis

Helen Mamukari

Anthony & Marie Mankus

Pauline Margaritis

Maria Mason

Ellen Matic

Victoria Matic

Helen Mavrelis

Helen Messerotes

Marilena Midgley

Fotini Mirones

George & Maria Mourgis

Rev. Fr. Dean & Pres. Carolyn Nastos

Marilyn Necak

Emmanuel & Nomiki Neskes

Thomas & Celeste Niarchos

Frieda Nicholas

George & Helen Nicolaidis

Donald & Dorothea Nicholson

John Noufrios

Rich & Carol Palatine

Theodosios & Margaret Palis

Basil & Linda Pappas

Presvytera Evangeline Pappas

John & Amelia Pappas

Phillip & Petronia Pappas

Patricia Pavis

Michael B. Peceri

William & Phyllis Photinos

Hrisovalantis & Kaliopi Pilatos

John & Ottilie Pistolis

Kleopas & Irene Polyviou

Pauline Poulos

Peggy Poulsen

Patricia Reardon

Michael & Nikoletta Reynolds

Lyudmyla Robinson

Albert & Darlene Romanosky

Tony & Cathy Rubinski

John & Olympia Ruppe

Mitchell & Christina Samuels

Jamie & Anastasia Scime

Jon & Roman Shannon

Roger & Maria Shields

John & Joanie Simon

Helen Sotiropoulos

Bessie Spiridakis

Mary Spiropoulos

Spero & Ruth Stergiotis

Dr. Douglas & Bridget Stilian

Thomas & Pamela Strikis

Cornelia Talabac

George & Lourdes Taliforos

Michael Thomas, Jr.

William & Katherine Thomas

John & Corgette Troutman

Thomas & Nina Verios

Effie Vlahos

James & Vanthea Vouros

Tyler & Ageliki Wainright

Angie & Jack Weaver

Artemis Welsh

William & Andrea Wolfe

Peter & Sia Wouralis

Grammati Xiromeritis

Marion Zachariades

Sue Zatezalo

Presbytera Carolyn and I, plus Ginny Amend, our Philoptochos President, husband Al, Michael Peceri as Lay Representatives from our Church, attended the 42nd Biennial Clergy Laity Congress in Philadelphia. Upon arriving at the registration desk early Monday morning from our 6am flight, we were greeted by many ladies asking – are you the priest from Ft. Myers? I replied yes. Their response was – your Philoptochos President Ginny Amend is waiting to see you.

There we found Ginny – without Al, near her Philoptochos Sisters, and finding out that Al went to the hospital in Philadelphia. After some tests and medicine, he was released and able to join us for the end of the week’s activities.

I attended finance workshops and youth ministries. Presvytera Carolyn attended the Presvyteres meetings where they elected their National Officers. She also had a group meeting with the Presvyteres from the Atlanta Metropolis. Tuesday afternoon we attended the different classes on stress, finance and health for the Clergy and the Clergy Family dinner held at St. George Church. Monday night, Ginny, Pres. Carolyn and I took the bus ride to the Waterworks restaurant and enjoyed dinner outside, a band, comedians and dance troupe entertainment and 1,500 delegates, clergy families, Hierarch and laity in attendance -- and the buses kept coming.

Tuesday, Ginny and Presvytera attended the Philoptochos meetings and heard from Military Chaplains, St. Nicholas Church at Ground Zero

p r e s e n t a t i o n s , AGAPE Awards, Chapter Challenge, lots of ideas from across the country. Wednesday we were treated to the premier showing of “Christmas with the Karountzeses”, by Director Robert Krantz --we hope to show in the Fall here in Ft. Myers and at night we joined Ginny and Al and dined with Clergy from New Jersey, Boston & Virginia at the Grand Banquet.

We were indeed blessed to have attended!

Philly and Friends by Fr. Dean

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Philadelphia, July 6-10, 2014

“The Orthodox Christian Family: A dwelling of Christ and a Witness of His Gospel”

“From God every family in Heaven and on earth is named.”

--Ephesians 3:15

His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America officiated at the prayer service at the Opening Ceremony Program on Monday, July 7, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. He outlined the underlying theme of the Congress as a focus on families, the home, and how to strengthen and nurture Orthodox Christian families. He added that the role of the family in the history of God’s revelation to humankind is joined in Holy Scripture by many passages that present the identity and ideals of what God intended the family to be. His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios outlined his reflections on the Congress theme which should be published shortly. He clearly pointed out in his closing that the clergy as leaders of their parishes to provide support, resources and coordination so that families can be what God created them to be.

After welcoming greetings by the notables present: the Mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter, Senator Patrick J. Toomey, the reading of the Patriarchal Message by His Eminence Metropolitan Stephanos of Kallioupolis plus many other distinguished guests, His Eminence Archbishop Demotrios then took to the podium to announce he had a surprise for the delegates attending the Congress. Immediately, and with an audible gasp from the delegates the TV image of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, broadcast live from Constantinople, appeared on two huge TV screens. At the conclusion of His All-Holiness’s remarks the delegates all stood in unison applauding the Patriarch for minutes. His All-Holiness allowed the ovation to go on until he raised his hands to stop the ovation but with a smile on his face showing both surprise and pleasure with the enthusiastic, respectful response of the delegates. Truly this was for me the highlight of the Congress.

One of the first sessions I attended was a Hierarch Session chaired by His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios. Seven other separate sessions were conducted by seven other Metropolitans. Metropolitan Alexios briefly touched on issues of concern in the Greek Orthodox Church, i.e. mixed marriages, declining participation of our young people in the Church and the family unit. He then opened the floor to questions by the delegates attending the session commenting on their remarks. Questions by the delegates in attendance covered the range of youth athletic programs in conflict with Sunday Liturgy, issues on digital communication of children, mixed marriages and a myriad of other issues facing our modern society today. Metropolitan Alexios skillfully responded with guidance provided in the scriptures and peppered with a good deal of his common philosophy in response. It was a lively and interesting session.

The 42nd Biennial Clergy/Laity Congress by Michael B. Peceri

Continued on Next Page

I next attended a session on Stewardship which really was superficial with a information handbook provided and an offer to address your local Parish on the merits of Stewardship. The rest of the program was dedicated to an exercise by the delegates, divided into groups, with the goal on how consensus is achieved. The exercise, while interesting, was time consuming and could not be completed before the session had to end. The delegates left without learning of the outcome of the exercise. Hopefully, it will be communicated to them.

I attended two forums. Forum 1: Stress & Resilience in the Family that was scheduled for two hours and went well into the third hour. Forum 2: Faith & Family: Building Generations of Faith. This forum also ran over the allotted two hours on the Congress schedule. The content of both Forums and the interaction between the presenters and delegates was so important and energizing that I hope the content of both Forums are published at some future date. It should be required reading for every family, including grandparents.

I attended a meeting of the Finance Committee where the finances of the Archdiocese were discussed and the proposed Archdiocese Budget for 2015-2016 was presented. I have a copy of the Archdiocese 2015-2016 budget that is available to any Parishioner on request. In summary based on the information presented to the delegates in attendance the overall financial condition of the Archdiocese is sound and improving. The only serious problem faced by the Archdiocese is the lack of funding to the pension plan now in effect. Delegates were informed that this problem is being focused on by changing the structure of the pension program. There was disagreement on the methodology the Archdiocese representative outlined to solve the problem expressed by delegates from the floor. There was no apparent resolution to the problem.

Then I attended a session on Parish Development . It covered methodology on rais-ing funds for a major project in a Parish. It outlined the steps to be followed in financing current buildings, paying down the debt toward a mortgage free-future, capital campaign development, and practical help that will benefit Parishes. The facilitator, Jerry Minetos, from the Archdiocesan Office of Parish Development gave an excellent presentation to a room over-crowded with delegates. The content of this session was very useful to me as the Capital Campaign Chairman for the new classroom/office building.

It was indeed unfortunate that so many other topics important to our Parish could not be covered because of the lack of delegates from our Parish. Topics such as Reaching the Distantly Connected; Young and Young Adult Ministries: Basic Training; Parish Outreach & Evangelism: What’s Working. I can understand the reluctance of Parishioners volunteering to attend both the Archdiocese and Metropolis Clergy/Laity Congresses. The basic reason is the costs. While the Parish pays the registration fees for delegates who volunteer it is the ancillary costs that prohibit appropriate attendance. Other delegate costs borne by the delegate include airfare, transportation to and from the airport, meals and hotel accommodations. A means needs to be found to send more delegates to these sessions.

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08/01/2015

SAVE THE DATE!!!

Don’t take a Vacation from God.

DIVINE LITURGY 10AM

FAMILY PICNIC

KICK-OFF FOR: Religious Education on Sunday, September 21, 2014 for the whole community!

At Lakes Park on Gladiolus Drive, Fort Myers.

Reminder From The Church Office

In our on-going efforts to better serve and inform you, we need your assistance. Please update our Church Office with any changes in your e-mails, phone numbers, addresses, or other pertinent

contact information. Also, please make us aware of any additions to your family such as new births, so we may reflect this good news in our data base for future schools, programs, and ministries within our Parish and most of all pray and rejoice with you.

By now everyone SHOULD HAVE received a phone call to confirm the phone number you would like us to use for ONE-CALL.

Thank you and God bless you. Your Annunciation family.

On Aug 27th, according to the Greek Synaxarion, we remember the Holy Martyr Phanourios. He appeared to people on the island of Rhodes in 1500. Several people had a vision of the saint and then his icon was discovered, The icon depicted a young soldier holding a sword in one hand and a lit candle in the other.

There is a tradition concerning him and his mother, who was a harlot and great sinner. His love for his mother caused him to pray for her incessantly. At the time of his martyric death by stoning, he could not even then forget his mother, and with the boldness that is peculiar to athletes of Christ, prayed :

“For the sake of these my sufferings, Lord, help all those who will pray to Thee for the salvation of Phanourios’ sinful mother”.

On the day of the Saint, there is a tradition that the faithful bake a special bread, and according to some accounts, give it to the poor as alms in the name of his mother, and others, share it with at least seven other people.

St. Phanourios’ name gives a hint about another tradition concerning the Saint. “Phanourios” comes from the Greek word, “phanerono”, meaning “I reveal”. He is known to help people find lost things. Some have therefore also referred to him as “Saint lost and found”!

This is not just an idle story repeated without basis, as the editor of this piece has experienced incidents himself, and know many people who have also been helped by St. Phanourios to find lost items. After the lost item is found, one should bake a Phanouropita, (basically a loaf of sweet bread) in memory of St. Phanourios’ mother, and give to the poor, as above.

Saint Phanourios

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The Transfiguration

The Transfiguration refers to the fact of Christ’s appearing in the glory while still on earth. It is related in the first three Gospels (Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9:28-36) and is also alluded to the II Epistle of Peter 1:16-18. The vision of Christ transfigured was witnessed by Sts. Peter, James and John and is described by the evangelists with striking agreement as to its main outline. The event was interpreted as the attestation of the Jewish Law and Prophets to the Messiahship of Christ since both Moses and Elijah appeared at the time of the Transfiguration right and left of Christ. The event was also a Divine proclamation of Christ’s Sonship and a foreshadowing of His future glory.

Let us all attend the Divine Liturgy on Wednesday, August 6th prepare ourselves for Holy Communion, so that we too may behold the glory of our Lord.

What is the Service of Paraklesis? The Paraklesis is a beautiful service that sings the praises of the Theotokos. Its composition is attributed to the monk Theophilos. In its essence, this service seeks the protection, guidance and comfort (Paraklesis) of the Mother of God. We call upon the Panayia for intercession because she is the greatest of all the Saints. Having dedicated her entire life to the pursuit of holiness and by being the Mother of Jesus Christ, she has acquired the favor of God. She now continually stands in vigilant prayer asking her son and our God to grant us Salvation.

Her constant prayer is quite effective for our Salvation because Christ is quick to listen to His mother’s appeal (see the Wedding in Cana, John 2:1-12.) The Panayia seeks to help those who have found misfortune by directing them towards Christ. “Do whatever He tells you,” she told the servants at the wedding. Having run out of wine, a symbol of joy, the Theotokos brought the

servants to Christ—the One Who gives joy. The Lord said to His mother, “my time has not yet come,” teaching us that the fullness of God’s revelation would not come until after His Resurrection. The Theotokos, however, was eager for the attendants of this wedding banquet– who represent all people– to share in that the joy that God had brought to her. By interceding to her son, thirty stone jars of water were turned into wine. Her plea was the catalyst that set into motion Christ’s first miracle. Her supplication, thus, inaugurated all of Christ’s subsequent miracles, which He per-formed in order to bring us to Salvation. This scene from the life of the Theotokos as recorded in Holy Scripture teaches us to approach the Panayia as a great intercessor before our Lord. We thus abide by Holy Scripture when we approach the Theotokos seeking her favor. The Paraklesis Service as found in the Orthodox Church continues this profound and ancient tradition of asking the Theotokos for health, peace and salvation which s found in Jesus Christ.

Hellenic-American Social Club of S.W. Florida, Inc. By Ann Constan

As the summer is nearing its end, we are eagerly looking forward to welcoming our “snow bird” friends and members back from their summer travels so they can, once again, join us in our planned events. Our first meeting will be held on October 14th in the Fr. Arthur Kontinos Community Center at 7:00 p.m. A review of the events scheduled will be presented and reservations will be taken for the various outings. First on the Club’s agenda for the season is a picnic to kick-off the festivities. This will be held at the Jay-Cee Park in Cape Coral on October 28th – “OXI” Day Picnic – and will be chaired by Kleopas and Irene Polyviou. BBQ Chicken and all the good fixin’s will be served. More details will follow in the Annunciation Sunday Bulletins and is open to all members and friends in our Parish. If you are unable to attend our October meeting but wish to attend the OXI Day Picnic, please contact Irene or Kleopas at 242-2070. Also planned is a bus trip to the “Singing Christmas Trees” in Orlando for some time in late November. Inasmuch as this trip will be open to all members and friends, seating will be on a “first-come” basis, and it will be extremely important that those interested in

joining us make reservations as soon as they are being taken. Details will be announced once finalized and if you have questions, please contact Phyllis Mino at (631) 838-1492. Other up-coming events include a trip to Broadway Palm Dinner Theater for the annual Christmas Show, which this year will be “A Christmas Carol”, as well as other Broadway presentations of interest to the group; also a trip to the “Holy Land” in Orlando in anticipation of the celebration of our Pascha. We are a social club and enjoy day trips to new and exciting places. We also invite guest speakers to our monthly meetings to keep us current on many topics of interest to us all. Our annual dues are $20 per year to defray various expenses, but you can join us

now for only $10 which will enroll you until the end of 2014. We are also anxiously looking forward to the privilege of holding our meetings in the new Classroom & Meeting Room Building now under construction. Plan on attending our meetings to stay on top of all activities so that you don’t miss out. Please contact our President Barbara Dionysopoulos at 267-2014 or 826-1655 for further information.

Sunday Presentation

Presentation by Dr. Cheryl Johnson on her mission trip to Tanzania, which is a country in East Africa. The presentation was on Sunday, July 20th, 2014.

13

AUGUST

As of

1st

223 DAYS

Save the Dates for February 20, 21 & 22!

Even though it is 223 days away, Greek Fest planning has already begun!

VENDORS

I have contacted all of our vendors from last year to inform them that the cost to reserve a space has increased by $100 so the new cost to reserve a space for the weekend is $800. Luck-ily, all of the vendors I have spoken to so far LOVE our festival and have no problem with the increase! If we have any openings, I expect it to be minimal. If you know of a vendor who might be interested in participating, please contact Jen-Hope Belis at jhbelis@yahoo.com

GREEK BAND

I have quotes & availability from The Greek Company, Appollonia, The Greek Tycoons and DJ Astasos. I will share this information with the Greek Fest Committee and Parish Council before the Committee makes a final decision.

DO YOU WANT TO GET MORE INVOLVED??? We would love to have you! There are positions that we need to fill and would love to see new faces get more involved with the planning. Please let Jen-Hope Belis know at jhbelis@yahoo.com

We are looking for people to fill these roles….

Paper Product Lead: They would make sure outlets have what they need and that they don’t use products they are not supposed to. For example, saganaki should not use silverwear packages but simply knife & fork. They would also start combining boxes for return on SUNDAY so that Tom & Marlene are not doing this on Monday morning by themselves ☹

Carnival Lead: Would love to find someone to help with the presales. Doing it all online via Paypal made it simple but there is still some emails that have to be sent and vouchers to mail too.

Greek Coffee Lead: People asked for this again. Maybe next year with a slightly different set up, it will work.

TILL Greek Fest

Greek Fest by Jen-Hope Belis

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Flowers for Samaritan Woman Icon – May 18th Donated by Phillip & Petronia Pappas

Flowers for SS. Constantine & Helen Icon – May 21st Donated by Barbara & Constantinos Dionysopoulos

Flowers for Holy Apostles Icon- June 30th Donated by Deacon John & Lanette Howard

Flowers for St. Kyriaki Icon – July 6th Donated by George Baker in celebration of John Bakers 99th Birthday! Flowers for St. Euphemia Icon – July 13th Donated by George & Debbie Baker in memory of Bill Moore

Flowers for Prophet Elias Icon – Apr. 18th Donated by Pamela Strikis Flowers for Apokathelosis Icon – July 20th Donated by Spero Stergiotis

Flowers for St. Panteleimon Icon – July 27th Donated by Effie Kapetan in memory of her husband Peter Kapetan and by Helen Messerotes in memory of her father, Peter Messerotes.

Flowers always add beauty to whatever they adorn. It has always been a tradition among our Orthodox Churches to decorate Holy Icons with flowers when the Feast Day is being celebrated. Please contact the Church Office and donate towards the flowers you would like as soon as possible. As always, this will be done on a first come, first serve basis. The names of those who donate the flowers will be listed in the “VOICE” Newsletter the month after the Feast Day is celebrated. Thank you for your support in this project and may our Lord continue to bless you. Please make your check payable to: ANNUNCIATION CHURCH Flowers for Paraklesis Service Icon - Aug. 1st $45.00 Flowers for Transfiguration Icon - Aug 6th $45.00 Flowers for Paraklesis Service Icon - Aug. 6th $45.00 Flowers for Paraklesis Service Icon - Aug. 8th $45.00 Flowers for Paraklesis Service Icon - Aug. 13th $45.00 Flowers for Falling Asleep of Theotokos Icon - Aug. 15th $45.00 Flowers for Nativity of Theotokos Icon - Sept. 8th $45.00 Flowers for Exaltation of Holy Cross Icon - Sept. 14th $45.00

2014 Flowers for Feast Day Icons

Donated Flowers for Feast Day Icons

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Sunday School News by Jen-Hope Belis WE NEED TEACHERS! Please contact Fr. Dean @ 489-2099 or Jen-Hope Belis @ 699-1489 if you are interested in helping out in one of our classrooms.

Liturgy at Lakes Park is scheduled for Sunday, September 21st signaling the start of Sunday School year. Watch the weekly bulletin for further information! This will be a great opportunity to meet your teachers, fellow students, parishioners .

PARENTS: Look in your email box for this year’s registration form. It must be returned to the basket

in the Fellowship Hall by August 15th or fax it back to 239-481-0504.

Returning and new Sunday School teachers: Please mark your calendars for date TBD. There will be an important meeting to discuss next year’s curriculum. If you are unable to attend and are interested in teaching, please contact Fr. Dean @ 481-2099.

Visiting Holy Trinity Parish in Port Charlotte

The Faithful from our Annunciation Parish visited Holy Trinity Parish, Port Charlotte, in celebration of their Feastday, in June.

June 2014 Vacation Bible School took over our Annunciation Church Building for 4 half days and concluded with a Family Night Dinner. Faithful Builders arrived at 8:30am through the Church doors and began with prayer. From there they went from station to station. The purpose was to build on the faith they have and encourage others to share their Orthodox Faith. Our Construction Crew included Presvytera

Carolyn prepping 160 lunches and the Family Dinner. Fr. Dean and Dcn. John for Bible Time-- a time to talk with the children, practice their crosses, find out the parts of the church, and learn 4 Bible passages to repeat each day. We all signed a card for Nikolai Korte's father, who is serving in Afghanistan. Children 4 to 12 years old were encouraged to attend. Heidi Kubiak for Heavenly Music: In Psalm 100, David writes, make a joyful noise unto the LORD-- that’s how we began each day at VBS. We sang in the choir area, did some marching, clapping, stomping and laughing. They played tambourines and other instruments, learned how great and good our God is, about His amazing grace, and how He loves us. We sang Christ is Risen and learned the Hymn of our Church. What a joy it is to hear their young voices singing about our God! I hope to hear their young voices singing in Church on Sundays. Val and Jimmy Magas, Val's Victory Games - water and team-building games, included all children and they received a gold medal on Family Night. Highlight of the week was watched by all adults- 2 teams completed the creative Obstacle course, with lots of encouragement from friends. They handled the outside heat with joy and lots of water.

Minna Maillakis, Craftshop -The goal was to use art materials that are related to building supplies. We painted on butcher paper and used bolts, nuts, and washers. Instead of a canvas for painting , we used cut wood pieces and used painter's tape to create straight lines with large brushes. We went outside on a gorgeous, sunny day to tables with drop cloths on them. I had previously frozen bowls of water to create ice sculptures. We sprinkled the ice domes with salt to melt and crack the ice. We then squirted colored water into the ice sculptures. The colored water went inside the cracks and the ice melted creating a tie-dye effect on the drop cloths. The kids loved this art project!. We made rainbow dough --always fun to mold and design with and used hardware to create texture and designs, using our hands and uncommon art materials to create masterpieces. Thank you for letting me share the arts with your children! We welcomed some new Orthodox friends and we're sure memories will be "FROZEN" in time. Crew Leaders in Safety Vests were Tori Todd, Zack Magas, Chris Samuels, Gabby Kubiak and Lukas Kontinos, who moved with the children. Athena Fisk and Sue Zatezalo floated from Station to Station, sharing their talents with the children. We thank the Conidaris Builders for our construction props and signs and Plaka II Restaurant for a delicious meatless pastichio donated for our Family Night meal. Fr. Dean took everyone on a "field trip" as parents and children walked outside to see the first view of the new buildings under construction. We'll let the pictures tell the story. We thank God for a beautiful week. A reunion is planned for the Fall.

Vacation Bible School– “Building Our Faith”

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The Little Bookstore by Virginia Headley

Burial Shroud

A Burial Shroud is a cloth that covers or protects the body when it is buried. Traditionally a shroud is made of white natural fibers, such as cotton, linen or wool. The intermixture of two or more such fibers is forbidden.

Originally the early Christian Church strongly encouraged the use of shrouds except for monarchs or bishops and their use was common through the Renaissance period– clothes were very expensive and they had the advantage that a good set of clothes was not lost to the family. Orthodox Christians still use a burial shroud. It usually is decorated with a cross and the Trisagion prayer, an ancient prayer in Christianity.

Use of the burial shroud is a beautiful way to protect a loved one when they are finally put to rest.

The Little Bookstore has a limited supply for sale.

As Orthodox Christians we are always called upon to do the best we can for our Lord Jesus Christ, His Church and our Annunciation Parish. Our Parish has many religious items that are used throughout the year in order to enhance our worship experience. Whenever we celebrate a worship service specific religious items are used. We here within our parish have been blessed with generous members who have over the years donated these religious items for the Parish to use. As with all things, as they get older they need to be replaced. Many times we are in need of new items. Therefore, I ask that you please look over the list of needed religious items below and if you would like to donation one or more for our Parish, I ask that you do so. Please remember that donations will be on a first come first serve basis. When you have donated an item, your name will be included in the Monthly “Voice” Newsletter. You may donate an item either for yourself, your family, in memory of a family member or a special event within your life. Let us all do our best and donate an item for the benefit of our entire Parish. If you would like to donate, please contact me at the Church office or personally. Please make your check payable to: Annunciation Church. I thank you in advance for your generous donation.

ITEMS THAT ARE NEEDED

Gold & Enamel Holy Chrism Container $450.00 White Chalice & Paten Coverings Set (3 Pieces) $250.00 Blue Chalice & Paten Coverings Set (3 Pieces) $250.00

Fr. Dean’s Wish List

Ladies Philoptochos Society by Pat Kemp

Our last Board meeting has held May 12, at which time we planned our fall Bake Sale, to be held about November 22. We will be asking members to assist in making various desserts and will also obtain other items for sale. The final General meeting, held May 27 at Carraba’s restaurant, was enjoyed by all who attended. LPS Board will have its first meeting of the new year in August, date to be determined. Also, our annual Antique Auction is set for mid March. All LPS and Church members are asked to donate items for sale at the Auction. Your participation in donations, and the actual auction is much appreciated. If you have items at this time to donate, please contact Ginny Amend, or any LPS member. LPS hosted our first annual Travel/Cash Raffle, where 200 tickets were sold with the proceeds split between LPS and the winner. Our first winner is PETE KAPAS, who lives on the east coast of Florida. Pete has supported all AGOC fundraisers in the past. I am pleased to report that he has donated $500 of his winnings back to LPS. We all thank him for his generosity. And a special Thank You to Stella Karras, who sold the winning ticket, as well as many of the others. This year, LPS offered two $500 scholarships, granted in Memory of Helen Doikos. Recipients are Robert L. Fenton III, and Vasilios Koupelis. Robert will be attending University of South Florida to pursue a career in Health Science, and Vasilios will attend the University of Central Florida majoring in Aerospace Engineering. Congratulations and good luck to you both in your journey to your future. The scholarships were awarded based on their response to the 2014 Scholarship question: What happened at the Annunciation and what is its significance or meaning? The submitted essays were given a blind read by the LPS Scholarship Committee, consisting of Joan Simon, Bridget Stilian and Helen Nicolaidis, reviewed the applications for completeness, and made the final selection. All graduating high school and college students are eligible, and they may contact the church office March of 2015 for next year’s application and essay question. As most of you are aware, LPS provides assistance in planning Trisagion and Memorial Services for those who wish to honor the memory of a departed member of the family. Planning a memorial service for your loved one requires the coordination of LPS and Father Dean. Guidelines are:

•Contact the church office, 239-481-2099 between 10 am and 3 pm Monday through Friday and speak to Father Dean, who will schedule the date for your service. The church secretary will place an announcement in the Sunday Church Bulletin the date of the service.

•Two types of services are offered, (1) Trisagion (only held after the end of the Divine Liturgy),

which requires nothing more than making arrangements with Father Dean; and (2) Memorial Service. If you choose a Memorial Service, once the date is confirmed with Fr. Dean, please contact Barbara Dionysopoulos, the LPS Chairperson, at 239-267-2014. The cost for making the Kolyva, prepared by LPS member Pat Kemp, is $75.00, payable to LPS. If you wish to make your own Kolyva, please let Barbara know. If you wish to sponsor the coffee hour in memory of your loved one, Barbara will assist in this. The cost in sponsoring the coffee hour varies by season and by what you wish to have offered at the coffee hour. Once confirmed, LPS will take care of all arrangements for your memorial event.

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VBS 2014 BUILDING OUR

FAITH

GOYA by Zack Magas

Like that great 60's song says....."See you in September!"

That's right, folks. There will be NO MOVIE shown on August 14th because it conflicts with religious services scheduled for that same evening. The Great Vespers for Feast of Falling Asleep of Theotokos will begin @ 6pm on August 14th. Pizza & Movie Night will resume the SECOND Thursday in September (9/11). Movie selection to be announced. The next Circle of Friends Meeting will be at noon on Thursday, September 18thin the church hall. A light lunch will be served. See you then! Enjoy the rest of your summer.

Greetings,

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! The GOYAN's are enjoying some time off, but it hasn't been all rest and relaxation. Two of us, Phillip Markoff and myself travelled with our parents to Tampa for the Annual GOYA Olympics on Father's Day weekend. Its always a lot of fun getting to hang out with fellow GOYAN's from other parishes and have some friendly competition. Between the two of us we brought home 5 medals, and represented the Fort Myers Annunciation with pride! We are already starting to make our plans for the rest of the summer and upcoming year. We are going to kick things off with a gyro sale in August, so make sure to keep your eye out for that!

As always thank you for your continued support of our GOYA!

Circle of Friends - Κύκλον τον ϕίλον by Joan Simon

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