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St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, Wilmington NC, June/July 2015 Monthly Newsletter
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608 SOUTH COLLEGE ROAD WILMINGTON NC 28403 (910) 392-4444 FAX (910) 392-4905
www.stnicholaswilmington.org
June & July 2015
The Sunday of All Saints
June 7
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church June & July 2015
2
Fr. Jon Emanuelson
Parish Priest
Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 9AM – 2PM
Office Phone: 910-392-4444 Office Fax: 910-392-4905
Fr. Jon’s Mobile Number: 910-685-0080
Office Email: [email protected]
Fr. Jon’s Email: [email protected]
Church Website: www.stnicholaswilmington.org
Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/StNicholasWilmington
2015 PARISH COUNCIL
CHURCH STAFF
Angelique Skandalakis, Parish Office Administrator
PARISH MINISTRY TEAM
Officers Members
Barbara Reynolds, President John Burgee Debra Rallis
Evangelos Fragos, Vice President Peter Manolukas Nick Saffo
Irene Sotiriou Vogiatzis, Secretary Peter Malahias Maria Stasios
Tina Bostic, Treasurer Emanuel Miliotis
Religious Education…Richard Reynolds, Ministry Chair Communications - Technology Ministries…
Adult Education…Richard Reynolds Alexandros Theodoropolos, Ministry Group Leader
Youth Catechism…Courtney Malahias, Director Webmaster… Alexandros Theodoropolos
Bookstore/Library…Mary Ann Wall Publications…Angelique Skandalakis, Stella McTaggart
Oratorical Festival…Courtney Malahias Technology… Alexandros Theodoropolos
Media/Community Relations…Beth Burgee, Debra
Hellenic Culture…Kitsa Wiersteiner, Ministry Chair Rallis, Alexandros Theodoropolos
Hellenic School…Anestis Logothetis, Acting Director
Romiosini Dance Group… Zaharoula Katsikis Parish Family Life…**Volunteer Needed**
Zoyra Dance Group… Zaharoula Katsikis Parish Family Night…**Volunteer Needed**
Choral…Dr. Michael Rallis Men’s Group…Richard Reynolds
Special Activities… Kitsa Wiersteiner Women’s Group…**Volunteer Needed**
Forever Young…Stella Vallianos
Youth Diakonia…Koula Katsikis, Ministry Chair LOVE…Stella McTaggart, Angelique Skandalakis, and
Kay Skandalakis GOYA…Mary Beth Miliotis, Tina Bostic, Dr. David
Snow, Irene Vogiatzis Outreach & Evangelism…Diane McGowan
HOPE/JOY… Joyce Patsalos, Renée Psilos, Sophia OCF…Fr. Jon, Alexandros Theodoropolos
Brewer, Connie Ronner, Jaime Saffo Hospitality…Ed and Kathleen Mayorga
Community Service…Christina Mount
Liturgical Life… Dr. Michael Rallis, Ministry Chair Parish Care…Pat Poulos, Tina Stamatakis
Liturgical Music… Dr. Michael Rallis
Acolytes…Doug Brown Philoptochos…Thalia Kefalas, Chapter President
Neokoros/Sexton…**Volunteer Needed**
Stewardship…Debra Rallis
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church June & July 2015
3
From the Desk of Father Jon
On the Ministry of Parish Care
We have a beautiful ministry in our St. Nicholas parish. Well, in truth we have many beautiful ministries.
But in this article I wish to share with you one of the ministries under the guidance of Outreach & Evangelism
– Our Parish Care Ministry!
Many people do what is mentioned below by nature. At the heart of this ministry is the gospel mes-
sage from Matthew 25:31-40 which in part says, “Then the king will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come,
you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ‘for I was
hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I
was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then
the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give
You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see
You sick, or in prison, and come to You? And the king will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you,
inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’”
The people in our parish care ministry are Kay Skandalakis, Dr. Mary Frangos, Pat Poulos, Jimmy
Stasios, Konstantina Stamatakis, and myself. Together we strive to minister to all those who are sick, suffer-
ing and shut-in. The ministry meets every couple of months to check in with each other on what the needs of
our people are. There are many different things we do for God’s glory and the benefit of the faithful.
Sometimes we call and check on people. Sometimes we visit people at the hospitals, assisted living
homes, nursing homes and their homes. We are always praying for people. Sometimes we write cards.
Sometimes I anoint them with Holy Unction or give them Holy Communion. Many times, just spending time
and speaking with people is all that is needed.
Many times it is a ministry that does not need words, but a prayer filled presence and a hug.
All this ministry is rooted in love for God and for His people and it really knows no bounds. The only
boundary we encounter is the one when people do not let us know about their loved ones needs. I am so
thankful for everyone who does this ministry. I want to leave you with one story that shows the wisdom and
love of Christ bore by a child.
A four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his
wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed up onto his lap, and
just sat there.
When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, ‘Nothing, I just
helped him cry.’ God is love. May we all become the gospel that many have never read!
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church June & July 2015
4
From the Parish Council President
Barbara Reynolds
We weren’t sure it could be done, but this year’s festival was even more successful than last year’s festival
which was a record! We were blessed with beautiful weather and so many tireless volunteers that worked the
week before prepping the food and the pastry, and worked for weeks before selling a record number of sponsor-
ships. Then it all came together on the weekend with all our volunteers working to make our guests have an en-
joyable experience at the festival with delicious food, great dancing by our youth, interesting food demonstra-
tions with cultural explanations, and amazing church tours. Over 750 people attended the church tours. Several
hundred more walked through the church and talked to the tour leaders. The high attendance was thanks to the
encouragement and buttons worn by the other festival workers out front. It is wonderful to see how our church
family comes together to work so hard to make the festival a success sharing our culture and religion. On be-
half of the parish council and the festival committee I would like to thank all of you!
We have more exciting events coming up this summer:
May 31- Pentacost Sunday
June 7 - Sunday School and Greek School graduation
June 13 – Joy / Hope end of the year beach party
June 15 – 19 – Vacation Bible School. All children of Joy & Hope ages are invited to attend.
July 12 – 18 – St. Stephens Camp for GOYA age children.
August 1 – Dormition Fast Begins
August 15 – Dormition of the Theotokos
August 22 – Habitat for Humanity Faith Build
August 22 – CPR Certification Class
SAVE THE DATE - AUGUST 2015
8:00 AM Orthros
9:30 AM Liturgy
June 14 - August 23
SUMMER HOURS
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church June & July 2015
5
Outreach & Evangelism Diane McGowan
Christ has Ascended---In Glory
Indeed we have been blessed, as the opportunity rose
via OUR FESTIVAL for what has been described as
“AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE”. It all started with
Father Jon’s vision that we could bring in more peo-
ple to Orthodoxy, who are hungry for the truth. Pa-
rishioner and Ministry leader, Nick Dodge, who
worked inside the church, to assist with visitors, and
the tours, reports the following:
Because of the efforts of ALL festival workers
-- food and beverage servers, attendants, ven-
dors, dancers...everyone -- the church tours
were a tremendous success. By reminding
visitors about church tours, YOU created a
viral response that kept the tour guides very
busy each day.
Over the three days of the Festival, approxi-
mately 800-900 people -- and possibly more --
toured the church and experienced Orthodox
Christianity. More than 100 visitors (more
than 10% of all visitors) requested to be noti-
fied of upcoming Divine Liturgies, Vespers,
and other services and inquiry classes.
The work doesn't end with the festival. Now,
each of us must openly and warmly welcome
each newcomer into the St. Nicholas family as
they begin their "Journey to Orthodoxy."
A special thank you to Father Jon, and Presbytera
Barbara, Father Timothy Yates, Dr. Michael Rallis
(Liturgical Life Leader) and Rick Reynolds (Adult
Education Leader), Deacon Tom and Stacey, our
choir, and all others for their diligence and excellence
in engaging our community in what Orthodoxy truly
is.
SECONDLY, the blessings continue, O & E’s
Community/Charity OUTREACH work continues
and our participation in Habitat for Humanity.
GROUND BREAKING NEWS---HABITAT’S
“ECUMENICAL BUILD PROJECT” submitted by
Christina Mount, Community/Charity Outreach
Leader
“It has been a cool and damp winter, but it is
nice to have the warmth of spring now. We
have the honor of participating in Habitat for
Humanity's Ecumenical Building project.
There will be plenty of opportunity for those
who want to participate to do so. The first
task at hand is the ground breaking on May
30, 2015. Ecumenical Build Address: 1106
North 8th St We are all invited to participate
in the ceremony and a few lucky folks can stay
and participate in the digging of the footings.
For those who are interested in digging the
footings, you must be at least 14 years old.
We only need two or three people for this
event. If you are interested, please feel free to
talk with me on Sunday after church or con-
tact me ( Christina Mount) by phone at 910-
262-4429. This is a fun way to give back to
our community, and no skills are required,
just bring your positive attitude and maybe a
pair of work gloves.”
Finally, we need YOU ALL to be part of the
amazing growth that we are blessed to be experi-
encing here at St. Nicholas. Call Father Jon, or
Diane McGowan, 910 256-8610 to find out how
you can participate.
Stewardship Debra Rallis
Consider…
Weekly Giving
In I Corinthinans 16:2 we read “On the first day of
every week, each one of you should set aside a sum
of money in keeping with his/her income.” Regular
stewardship contributions are easier to manage and
keep the Church and her ministries in our thoughts
and plans. One way to do this is through automatical-
ly scheduled payments sent directly from your bank.
In this way, we offer back to God the “first fruits” of
our labor, realizing that all we possess comes from
Him.
Cheerful Giving
In II Corinthians 9:7 we read “Each person should
give what he/she has decided in his/her heart, not re-
luctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheer-
ful giver.” Consider your weekly expenditures on en-
tertainment, coffee, etc. Keep in mind that the ex-
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church June & July 2015
6
penses of the Church increase every year. In order to
grow our ministries and meet our expenses, steward-
ship contributions must also increase each year.
Proportionate Giving
The more we are given, the more is expected of us.
Each steward should determine the percentage of their
income that will be committed to Christ and His
Church.
Stewardship is all around St. Nicholas! There is al-
ways something happening and it simply could not be
done without everyone pulling together and truly
wanting to be together under God’s home. The St.
Nicholas’ community exemplifies unity in many ways
and with it St. Nicholas will continue to be a strong
and vibrant community.
Stewardship giving helps ensure the church’s main
purpose of providing a spiritual environment for all.
As of May 30th, we have received $88,937.76 in stew-
ardship. This is approximately $10, 0627.27 short of
where we need to be by this time. Our annual goal is
$240,000.00 and therefore we need $20,000 a month
to operate. St. Nicholas we can do it! Of course your
time participating in the various ministries (Sunday
school, Love, Joy, GOYA, Forever Young, Choir,
etc.) and the activities they offer sustains the groups.
None of this can be accomplished without your talent
for teaching, singing, coordinating events, publishing,
communication, etc. Looking around St. Nicholas
and all it has to offer it is amazing to see what all we
accomplish as a family and community with your lov-
ing contributions. Thank you for your commitment as
“stewards” of St. Nicholas.
From your Stewardship Committee
Bookstore Mary Ann Wall
The bookstore/library has rescheduled the open house
to September. No firm date has been set but I hope all
parishioner will COME SEE. Thank you. In Christ’s
Service, Mary Ann Wall.
Philoptochos Thalia Kefalas
We want to thank all the ladies that helped, came and
supported our group this year. In whatever way you
gave your time, talent, and treasure, please know – it
made a difference!!
For those members that worked tirelessly at this year’s
festival – THANK YOU! We could not have been a
success without your working at all areas of the festi-
val, from baking, cupping, prep work, selling pastries,
merchandise, cleanup, the list goes on and on, all festi-
val workers who are ladies – thank you from all of
Philoptochos.
Philoptochos is a philanthropic organization open to
ALL ladies 18 years and older. This group spans the
generations and never stops working, even in the sum-
mer.
Please remember to save the date for the annual Au-
gust 15 Panagiri pig picking event with the gift bas-
kets raffle in the evening. For any gift basket ideas
please contact any Board Member of Philoptochos!!
Again, we can’t do this without everyone’s help
throughout the year.
Forever Young Stella Vallianos
Forever Young will meet on Tuesday, June 2nd, 11:00
a.m., at the church. This will be our last meeting be-
fore recessing for the months of July and August. We
will restart in September. Let's all make an effort to
attend. Please bring a covered dish to share with eve-
ryone.
Annual Philoptochos Social, Seapath Towers
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church June & July 2015
7
Greek School Anestis Logothetis, Interim Hellenic School Director
The last day of Greek School will be Friday, June 5.
Graduation exercises will be held on Sunday, June 7
after the Divine Liturgy. The Sunday School will also
have their celebration the same day after the Greek
School program. The students will present a short en-
tertaining play and sing some songs. Parishioners are
invited to attend and watch with pride as our young-
sters display what they have learned in their Greek
School classes. A light lunch and refreshments will
be provided.
I would like to personally thank the teachers Evyenis
Karonis, Anastasia Katris, Panyiotis Malahias and
Kitsa Wiersteiner who are there every week. They are
volunteers and have put many long hours in prepara-
tions and in the classes. I also like to thank the par-
ents who always are there to help the school in the
various activities.
Youth Catechism Courtney Malahias
Psalm 113:3
“From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name
of the lord is to be praised.”
Summer is upon us! I love the warmth of the sun on
my face. Easy, breezy, lazy summer
days…………..but not too lazy! We still go to to
church, pray and worship and teach our children. So
many teachable moments in the summer. More time
spent in nature and paying attention to our surround-
ings and the beauty all around us. We are so lucky to
live in this beautiful city and to be a part of the warm
and loving church community we have at St. Nicho-
las.
I would like to give a special shout out to our Ro-
miosini, Zoyra and the Young dancers! I was so
proud as was our community of their tireless ener-
gy and commitment to the festival. Your dancing
was AMAZING!
We had our last catechism class on May 31. What a
fabulous year we all had! When you see a teacher -
give them a hug! It is such a calling to be a teacher
and prepare lessons each week. I am so proud of our
teachers!
Graduation Sunday is upon on us June 7th.
Congratulations to our 6 graduates! Lucas Bostic,
Alex Miliotis, Maria Poulos, Connor Snow, Peter
Vogiatzis and Avery Saffo. We wish them all the
very best in their future endeavors.
Have a fabulous summer!
GOYA
Koula Katsikis, Mary Beth Miliotis, Tina Bostic, David Snow,
Irene Vogiatzis
Our GOYANs wish the best of luck to our high
school graduates - Lucas Bostic, Maria Poulos, Avery
Saffo, Alexandra Miliotis, Connor Snow and Peter
Vogiatzis. May the Lord Jesus Christ guide you all
of your lives. Please stay active in your local OCF.
See Fr Jon for more information.
Additionally we thank our GOYA advisors - Tina
Bostic, Mary Beth Miliotis, David Snow and Irene
Vogiatzis. We also thank our youth advisor for all
her years of service - Koula Katsikis.
We wish a lot of fun to our GOYANs attending the
3rd week of St Stephens camp in July.
On August 22nd we will be offering a CPR certifica-
tion class which will last approximately 5 hours. The
cost for this is $30 per person. Two EMS representa-
tives from New Hanover Regional Medical Center
will be teaching the class in the Church Hall. The
first thirty people who sign up and pay will be guar-
anteed a spot (class size is limited.) You can sign up
or get more information in the office or contact Koula
Katsikis or Dr Pete Manalukas.
Best of luck to our new rising GOYANs! We hope
you and your families stay involved with the church
and youth activities.
LOVE Stella McTaggart, Angelique Skandalakis, and
Kay Skandalakis
I am pleased to announce Angelique Skandalakis and
her mother Kay Skandalakis will be joining me as
Leadership for LOVE. I am excited to welcome them
to the team and look forward to the transition to their
continued leadership when Fiona (and I) leave for
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church June & July 2015
10
Hope/Joy in the Fall. I know they are excited to con-
tinue the success of the group for all of our little
LOVE members and families.
For our June event please join all the kiddos at the
Children’s Museum at 10am on Saturday, June 27 for
MUD DAY!
Have all the kiddos dressed in their bathing suits to
enjoy a fun filled morning of playing in the mud. This
annual event at the Children's Museum is so much
fun! And of course, when your little one gets tired of
playing in the sunny courtyard, you have the rest of
the museum in which to explore & play. Bring a tow-
el & change of clothes with you to the event. A rinse
off station will be provided. Please keep in mind the
regular price of admission for the Museum is still in
effect for this special event. ($9.75 Per Person, infants
under 12 months free)
There is metered parking located on both Orange and
Second Streets, and a public parking deck is located a
short walking distance away. A free trolley runs every
20 minutes from the parking deck to the Museum.
For more information online please go to
https://www.facebook.com/events/420964781421229/
or https://www.facebook.com/events/785108201602337/
or http://www.playwilmington.org/index/page/mud-day-9-
am-12-pm/
Community News
DONATION REQUESTS
Anyone interested in helping donate towards the pur-
chase of an AED device (life saving device) for our
Church, this would be greatly appreciated. Another
$650 is needed. Thank you.
We are looking to add beautiful icons to our church.
Please speak to Fr. Jon, or contact the office about
how to select and donate an icon. Our goal is to have
a full set of icons for the entire liturgical year. The
icons are only $40!
As reported last month, we have started a Hellenic
Center Beautification Fund Drive to update our Hel-
lenic Center. You will notice that the Hellenic Center
and the hallways have been painted. Our other wish
list items are listed below. Donations of any amount
will be greatly appreciated. Please note “Hellenic
Center Building Fund” on your check. If you want
your donation to go to a specific item please note it on
your check. You will be hearing more about the fund
drive in future weeks.
WISH LIST:
Flooring (approx. cost $16,000)
New Banquet Chairs (approx. cost $6,000)
New Ceiling Tile
New Bar Cabinetry
Granite Countertop For Bar Area (have possible donor)
May God bless you!
GREEK FESTIVAL
The Festival Committee wants to send a heartfelt
THANK YOU to everyone for making this year’s
Greek Festival so successful. Thank God for the
beautiful weather and the Wilmington Community for
supporting our Church and our charitable partner,
Good Shepard House.
Thank you to our chairmen Nick Saffo and Lee King.
Thanks to Avery Saffo for his hard work coordinating
staff for the food line and to Kay Skandalakis for co-
ordinating staff for both the pastry tent and the food
line registers. Thank to our youth for all their dance
practices and performances and to their parents for
bringing them to the festival. Thank you to the youth
and adults for all their help at all the booths and drive
thru. Thank you to the Good Shepard Volunteers in
their willingness to help us as well! From planning,
selling ads in the sponsorship book, making food do-
nations, clean up, etc. all the volunteers did a fantastic
job!!
Thank you to all the festival sponsors and advertisers!
We ask all of our parishioners and the community to
use the Commemorative Program as a way to support
these businesses as a way to say THANK YOU for
their sponsorship of our Festival.
Thank you to EVERYONE who was a part of our
most successful festival to date!
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church June & July 2015
11
WORDS OF GRATITUDE
THANK YOU FROM
YANNA & TULIO HERNANDEZ:
To Saint Nicholas Greek School and to the entire com-
munity of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church:
Emilio and I would like to thank you for your prayers,
your love, and generous support during these difficult
times in our family.
Knowing we have the support of people like you made
a difference.
Please know we will never forget your kind gesture.
Thank you again from the bottom of our heart.
Sincerely,
Yanna & Emilio Hernandez
Sympathies and Memorials
We extend our deepest sympathy to the families of
Harry, Louis and William (Bill) Batuyios on the Fall-
ing Asleep in the Lord in the Hope of the Resurrection
of their mother, Frances Fronista Batuyios, on April
30th. Αιωνία της η μνήμη – Everlasting be her
memory!
We extend our deepest sympathy to Vickie Zangwill,
on the passing of her father, Peter Frangos, on May
7th. May his memory be eternal!
We extend our deepest sympathy to Ron Demas and
family on the passing of his father, Nicholas Demas,
who fell asleep in the Lord on May 12th. May his
memory be eternal!
We extend our deepest sympathy to Renee Theopilos
and family on the passing of her husband, Plato, on
May 13th. May his memory be eternal!
We extend our deepest sympathy to the family of John
Batis, who fell asleep in the Lord on May 13th. May
his memory be eternal!
On May 17 a 5-year memorial was held for John Fra-
gos, father of Evangelos Fragos, Sophia Tracy, and
Argie Moe. May his memory be eternal!
On May 10 a 40-day Trisagion was chanted for Stav-
ros Dandulakis, father of Gregory. May his memory
be eternal!
Congratulations
For all the people celebrating their birthday, anniver-
sary, and name day in the months of June and July,
may you have many happy years! Many Happy Years!
Congratulations to Brian Pittman, who was chrismated
in the church on April 11. His sponsor was Angelo
Katris. Na sas zisi!
Congratulations to Katina Lionikis-Perkins, daughter
of Manny & Athanasia Lionikis, who gave birth on
May 22 to Gus (Constantine) James Perkins. Baby
Gus is healthy and strong, and mother and baby are
both home and doing fine.
Congratulations to Stephanie & Graham Harrill on the
baptism of their son, Lukas, on Saturday May 30. Na
Sas Zisi!
We are proud of Peter Vogiatsis for his induction into
the “Eye of The Eagle Service Honor Society” which
is for students with high academics (National Honor
Society & Beta Club Member), athletics, leadership,
and service. Congratulations!
Peter Vogiatsis, 2nd from Right
Fo
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Fo
r a com
plete an
d u
p-to
-date v
ersion o
f our P
arish C
alendar, p
lease visit u
s on
line at:
http
://ww
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n.o
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