St. Paul, MN ST. GEORGE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH Volume … · 2014. 9. 27. · of fasting, prayer and almsgiving. Easy to say, but not easy to do, I know. To be sure, it takes courage

A Word From Father Rick

S T . G E O R G E G R E E K O R T H O D O X C H U R C H

October 2009 Volume 15, Issue 9

St. Paul, MN

Glad Tidings

Inside: A Word from the President p. 2, Parish News p. 3, Youth News pgs 4-5, Saint Paraskeva p. 7

Kids Stuff As our kids return to school, the Fall programs of our parish become active again. Each year, in preparation for these programs and activities we review our youth roster and make any necessary updates. It’s always interesting to see how many kids are a part of our community. According to my estimates, we have approximately 150 children that are high school seniors or younger. Of these, about 86 participate regularly in our parish worship and youth events. We also have approximately 32 college-age youth and an additional 32 single young adults ages 25 and older. This is good news because it shows the potential for our various youth groups and the numbers of kids that can develop faith-based friendships as they grow and mature. The key, of course, is for parents to make youth activities a priority for their children.

Youth Ministry Staff To help organize and coordinate youth and parent involvement, we have a committed staff of volunteers. Our Sunday School teachers, under the leadership of director Andrea Faches, are Lisa Jordan, Stacy Katsiyiannis, Sofia

Pitsavas, Jason Barbes, Milam Paraschou, Diane Anastos, Eric Chadwick, Nick Kanavati and Vicky Paraschou. We also have volunteers to lead the various age-group ministries: Kelly Barbes, Pres. Jane Andrews & Jean Pliakas. Stella Hofrenning is the Greek School Director. Please support and assist our volunteers through planning and participation.

Budget 2010

The budget committee has already begun meeting to work on our budget for the coming year in preparation for the November parish assembly meeting. It is important to remember that a non-profit organization, such as a church, determines its budget differently than a for-profit company or corporation. Unlike a for-profit company that sells goods and/or services and looks at sales trends and economic forecasts to determine its budget, a non-profit church understands well its mission to preach the gospel, to sanctify the faithful and to minister to those with needs and illnesses. Then, the church will determine the personnel, programs and ministries it must have to accomplish its mission and ascertain the associate

expenses. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the parish will then begin an effort to raise the funds and recruit the volunteers to cover the expenses. This of course, is what a stewardship program is for.

Stewardship 2010

Our parish, like many Greek Orthodox churches throughout the country, is relying on outside fundraisers like the Greek Festival, the Festival of Nations and the Pie Sale to help fund our parish mission. This is contrary to the biblical model of giving in support of God’s work in the world which requires generous and sacrificial giving of our own material possessions. In other words, instead of funding our total parish program through stewardship giving, we are asking people outside of our community to buy things (food and cultural items) to pay for ministries to our own people. The ideal would be that all of us give a tithe (10%) each year to support our total parish program and that any fundraisers be used for charitable giving and if necessary, capital projects. We are ready to begin our Stewardship Campaign for 2010.

(Continued on page 6)

A Word from the President Page 2 Glad Tidings

“A people unused to restraint must be led,

they will not be drove.” Our President made this observation after months of misery and great difficulty. He knew that the future would hold still more suffering and troubles. But in his brief yet powerful message he conveyed that if led with courage, self-discipline and perseverance, we as a nation could attain our goals. You might say, “So what? I didn’t vote for him.” “Besides, what does this have to do with me or St. George?” Just this. These words reflect a fundamental understanding of human nature that (even if unintended) provides insight into our efforts to live out our Orthodox Christian faith. As human beings, we are “unused to restraint” in that we are inclined to put material wealth and possessions before the kingdom of God. We “will not be drove” as God has given us the gift of free will and we are therefore free to do as we please. And we “must be led,” usually and most effectively by the example of another. No one among us prefers to be constantly harped on by someone who tells us what we should do, while not even doing it him or herself. How then can we apply these insights to our efforts to spread our faith through the ministries of our parish? First, we need to understand

whether we really are “unused to restraint.” The answer would appear to be “yes.” The average American home now has more television sets than people. And the notion of deferred gratification seems to be nothing more than a quaint, remnant of yesteryear. Whereas in the past, folks may have done without or saved until they could purchase something outright, today we hear of record debts including the fact that the average American household has credit card debt in excess of $10,000. For some, this debt may be borne out of necessity. However, the same cannot be said of the televisions and for many of us, it is not borne of necessity but, rather, a conscious choice to engage in unbridled consumption. The belief of an entitlement to the “good life” is pervasive in America. And yet, studies show that despite having more than past generations, today’s American is less happy. Being an Orthodox Christian, of course, does not shield us from these temptations. So how do we get beyond them and focus on more spiritual endeavors? It would be easy to say that what we need is unbridled consumption of the Orthodox Christian disciplines of fasting, prayer and almsgiving. Easy to say, but not easy to do, I know. To be sure, it takes courage to fast for almost half of the days of every year. It takes self-discipline to adopt a daily

routine of prayer … and stick to it. And it takes perseverance to give (or try to give) 10% or more of our money to the poor and our Church. After all, how many (or few) of us even come close to doing even one of these three things? Truth be told, most of us would likely rather spend our time and money on ourselves. And when we do try, we often fail or are tempted to feel sorry for ourselves because we are “deprived.” As they say, that’s human nature. Christ knows this. That is why he showed us how to live and gave us the saints to lead us by way of example. And while Christ and the saints certainly told us how to act (“drove” us), more importantly they showed us how to act (“led” us) and did so themselves. These examples provide us constancy upon which to fall back. They also provide us a template to build on in our parish lives in the modern world. By imitating Christ and the saints in our parish lives, we will naturally lead one another by our good works. For example, when one among us is generous with his or her money (we’ve seen plenty of this recently), it will encourage others to do the same. Or, if we make an effort to get to church on time (or even just earlier than is our habit) or participate in a dormant committee, the effect will likely

(Continued on page 6)

Page 3 St. Paul, MN

Parish Announcements Philoptochos Update

The Philoptochos meeting is Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 1:30 pm. There will be a special tray col-lection to support the charities and programs of the Patriarchate on Sunday, November 1—the feast day of Saints Cosmas and Damianos, the unmercenary doc-tors. Shop and dine at the Bake sale and fancy Boutique November 21—22, 2009 The tentative date for the Philop-tochos and Daughters of Pene-lope Christmas Luncheon is Sat-urday, December 5, 2009. Check the Sunday Church bulletins for updates on this event. Daughters of Penelope News Sunday, October 11, 2009, is the date for the Autum Loukomades fundraiser to support the church, scholarships and other kind en-deavors.

The next meeting for the Daugh-ters of Penelope and AHEPA is scheduled Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 7 pm. OXI Day of October 28, 1940 will be remembered after Church on Sunday, October 25, 2009. This year marks the 69th anniversary of this historic event. Happy Birthday AHEPAns! The Pericles Chapter 270 is 79 years old. College Student Info Wanted Please forward us the names and contact info for our current col-lege students so we can keep in touch with our local students and also put students, who go away to school, in touch with their local Orthodox Christian church community. Please pray for our college students so that they may be guided and guarded in the Faith.

Family Camp 2009

How Do We Con-nect Our Kids to Christ and His Holy Church? To explore this question, join us October 9, 10, 11 at Camp Wapogasset in Amery, Wisconsin. Father Anthony Yazge, one of the prominent youth leaders in the Orthodox Church today, will lead our dis-cussion on this topic. As always, the weekend will offer God’s beautiful nature, wonderful fam-ily activities and a relaxed envi-ronment to spend time with your Orthodox friends! Don’t delay! Go to the family camp section of the St. Mary’s website, www.stmarysgoc.org and regis-ter today (first come, first served)! For more info contact Cindy Karos at 952.929.6371 or [email protected].

Registry August 2, 2009 August 9, 2009 August 16, 2009 August 16, 2009

Memorials Mary Weiser (1 Year) Diana Baca (1 Year) Trottie Zeece (40 Days) John Eckholdt (1 Year)

Festal Icons Needed

Please donate a Festal Icon (11" x 14") in memory of a loved one. The cost is $50.00 per icon. The icons are displayed in the church nave and are put out for veneration on the Feast Day of the Saint or event they represent. To donate an icon, fill out a form (found on the bulletin board by the kitchen) and return it to the office.

St. Theophan the Recluse St. Olympia the Deaconess St. Procopios July 8

Page 4 Glad Tidings

Church Staff and Office Hours

Church Office Hours Mondays-Friday 9:00 AM--3:00 PM Rev. Fr. Richard Demetrius Andrews, Presbyter (651) 222-6220 Email: [email protected] Lori Kurtyka, Administrative Assistant (651) 222-6220 Email: office @stgeorgegoc.org

Eric Chadwick, Parish Council President (507) 665-8053 Email: [email protected]

Reva Adkins, Philoptochos President (651) 738-1630 Email: [email protected]

Andrea Faches, Sunday School Director (507) 665-8053 Email: [email protected]

Stella Hofrenning, Greek School Director 651-917-2668

Jennifer Argeros, Glad Tidings—Editor Email: GladTidings @stgeorgegoc.org Sue Gnetz and Sandra Thole, Loaves and Fishes Coordina-tors Email: [email protected], [email protected] Submissions for upcoming issues are due by the 11th of the preceding month.

Sunday School 2009-2010– Sunday School has kicked off with it’s brand new start time. Please remember that you will be asked to join your parents should you not arrive before 9:35, or the classroom doors closing. With only a half an hour of class time each week, we need to work hard to quickly focus our atten-tion on the lessons, so late entrants will prove disruptive. If you have ques-tions, please see Andrea Faches. Fall Parish Community Nights— With the start of the new Ecclesiastic year, we’re back to scheduling our “Community Night” fellowship. The dates we’re looking at are November 13, December 23 for Caroling, and January 9th 2010. Birth to 3 “Faith” Group— Upcoming meetings October 24th, November 14th, December 19th, from 9:30-11:30 am, snack will be provided. For more informa-tion, contact Kelly Barbes @ [email protected] 612-926-0281. JOY— We are looking for parents to plan an adventure for our JOY aged kids in October to an apple farm. Please see Andrea Faches or Father Rick to volun-teer in leading this important group of our young people. Christmas Program 2009—Planning for the Christmas program can commence at any time. Please contact Andrea Faches to offer your talents in directing, sewing, and/or supervising. We will have lots of opportunities for all, includ-ing music, reading and acting. Sunday School Stewards—Our goal for 2009-2010 school year is to raise $400 in student support of the Church. If each student brings a quarter each week, we will come very close to making our goal! Please remember that the tray will be passed each week. Students, please talk to your parents before making your donations to St. George. Sunday School Supplies– We are looking for a few supplies to support our Sunday School program. You can help by having your child bring in items listed in our posting...including Kleenex, colored pencils, chalk, chalkboard & whiteboard erasers. See the Youth Bulletin Board for additional items. We’d like to get an electric stapler & pencil sharpener for each of the six classrooms. Thank you!

YOUTH NEWS

Page 5 St. Paul, MN

YOUTH NEWS UPCOMING YOUTH EVENTS • Family Camp 2009— “How

do we connect Our Kids to Christ and His Holy Church?” -Camp Wapo, Oc-tober 9th-11th see http://www.stmarysgoc.org

• October 24th—GOYAns visit

residents of Daughters of Penelope Senior Housing in Bloomington. See Pres. Jane or Jean Pliakas for details.

SAVE THE DATES:

• Family Night—Host re-quested! November 13, 2009

• GOYAL Chicago Metropolis Western Region Basketball Tourney-February 5-7, 2010-Kansas City, MO

Youth & Family Ministry

Meeting Monday, October 12 @ 6:30pm. St. George Greek Orthodox Church -Monthly planning meet-ing. Sunday School Staff, Youth Workers, parents & others inter-ested are encouraged to attend or participate: 1-712-432-0850, par-ticipant code: 261137#, to telecon-ference. Upcoming Youth & Family Min-istry meetings will be on: • November 9th • December 14th • January 11th Reminder— Christmas Program 2009 will be Sunday, December 20th.

GOYANs At Trinity Missions GOYA News (grades 7—12)

Hey there, GOYAns! Another year is planned for you to spend time with your friends, learn about Orthodoxy and give back to the community. Check out the Youth page on the church website for the complete calen-dar year. We are looking for new ideas from you too!! Please let Jean Pliakas or Pres. Jane know what you would like to do or see this year. We’re going to start a discussion group with Fr. Rick this year. You pick out the songs and/or movies, be the critic reviewing the content and bring it back to the group for some lively discussion with Fr. Rick. There will be time in November and December. Put the upcoming gatherings on your calendar NOW! Let your parents and Pres Jane or Jean know you are coming. OCTOBER 24 ~ Bingo at the Daughters of Penelope Senior Housing in Bloomington (details coming) NOVEMBER 14 ~ Advent Kick Off DECEMBER 12 ~ Advent Church Cleaning & Discussion JANUARY 9 ~ Tubing

Page 6 Glad Tidings

A Word from Father Rick, continued from p. 1 Please look for materials from the stewardship committee in the near future. Like the youth ministries, the Fall also is an opportunity for us to review our parish roster to better understand some of the demographics. According to my estimates we have a total of 238 family units that participate in our financial stewardship program. Of these, approximately 128 families regularly participate in the worship and other activities of our community. About 38 families live out-of-town and/or their membership is primarily in another parish. Eleven persons are home-bound. That leaves 59 families that infrequently participate in the worship and activities of our parish. Of course, it is our hope to help these families

become active again. Weekday Worship

In the Divine Liturgy and other worship services we consistently and regularly pray, “Remembering our most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, and all the Saints, let us commit ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.” One of the main ways we remember these holy people is by celebrating liturgy on their feast days. Recently, we have had low attendance at weekday liturgies. In fact, not one single person attended liturgy for St. Euphemia on September 16th. The priest cannot celebrate liturgy unless he has at least one other person participating. Let’s not forget about or turn our backs on the Saints. They can teach us how

to commit our whole life to Christ. Many of us are freely available to participate in weekday services. Those who have work or regular obligations during the week are not expected to be at every service. However, all of us should reflect comparatively on the activities we do take off work for. Do they include weekday worship services? Do they include bible studies, seminars, retreats and other spiritual enrichment? We have much to be thankful for and we have a lot of people to pray for. Let us show our thanks and care for others by praying according to the Orthodox Tradition.

God bless you! + Fr. Rick

A Word from the President, continued from p. 2 spill over to others who see our efforts and our example. Conversely, grousing about our parish’s lack of money, scolding people to give more, to get to church on time or to get involved won’t cut it. That isn’t leading, it’s driving. And it doesn’t work. So, as we enter a new ecclesiastical year at St. George, please reflect on the thoughts of our President and see if you can provide an example of leadership in some regard. Opportunities abound from participation on the Parish Council, or in the Sunday School, or in one

of our ministries like Welcome & Outreach. If each of us exercises courage, self-discipline and perseverance, we will lead (not drive) one another. The end result will be that our parish will reach heights not yet attained. And if you’ve read this far, you may like to know that the President who uttered the words referenced at the outset of this column, did so shortly after his Christmas night crossing of the Delaware River in 1776 when he led the Continental Army to victory in the Battle of Trenton. Up to then, he had

commanded from behind the battle lines, during which time the army suffered numerous, humiliating defeats. Only once he began to lead by example did the fortunes of the army change. His reward, as we all know, was the opportunity to persevere with courage and self-discipline for an additional six years to help secure our country’s independence. Our faith and our community demand no less. In Christ, Eric

Page 7 St. Paul, MN

Saint Paraskeva Saint Paraskeva the New, also known by her worldly name, Petka, was born into a pious family, living during the eleventh century in the village of Epivato, near Constan-tinople. Her older brother Euthymius be-came a monk, and later he was consecrated as Bishop of Matidia. One

day, while attending the divine services, the words of the Lord pierced her heart like an arrow, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny him-self" (Mt. 16:24). From that time she began to dis-tribute her clothing to the needy, for which rea-son she endured much grief from her family. After her parents died, the saint traveled to Constantinople and was tonsured into monasti-cism at the age of fifteen. After a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, she withdrew to the Jordanian desert where she lived the ascetic life until she reached the age of twenty-five. An angel of the Lord ap-peared to her in a dream and ordered her to re-turn to her homeland, so she stayed at Epivato for two years. St Paraskeva departed to the Lord at the age of

twenty-seven, and was buried near the sea. Be-cause of the many miracles which took place at her grave, her relics were uncovered and found to be incorrupt. They were placed in the church of the Holy Apostles at Epivato, where they re-mained for about 175 years. St Paraskeva's relics were moved to Trnovo, Bulgaria in 1223 and placed in the cathedral. Pa-triarch Euthymius wrote her Life and established the day of her commemoration as October 14. The Turks occupied Bulgaria in 1391, and her relics were given to Mircea the Elder, Prince of the Ro-manian Land (one of the districts of Romania). In 1394 the relics were given to Princess Angelina of Serbia (July 30), who brought them to Belgrade. For 120 years St Paraskeva's relics rested in Con-stantinople in the patriarchal cathedral. On June 13, 1641, her incorrupt relics were transferred to the monastery of the Three Hier-archs at Jassy/Iase in Rumania, where many heal-ings took place. On December 26, 1888, after be-ing rescued from a fire, St Paraskeva's relics were moved again. This time they were placed in the new cathedral at Jassy, where they remain until the present day. A portion of St Paraskeva’s relics rest in the altar at St. George Greek Orthodox Church today.

Stewardship 2010

When the call comes, support St. George in Time, Talent, and Treasure.

1111 Summit Avenue St. Paul, Minnesota 55105

Phone: 651-222-6220 Fax: 651-225-9276 Web Site: www.stgeorgegoc.org

S T . G E O R G E G R E E K O R T H O D O X C H U R C H

Weekday Worship Schedule

Holy Confession: By Appointment Vespers: (September—May)

Saturday 5 pm Orthros: Sunday 8:30 am 8:15 am (begins 9/13) Divine Liturgy: Sunday 9:45 am 10:00 am (begins 9/13) Sunday School: (September - May)

9:30 am

��

REGULAR WEEKLY SERVICES

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID St. Paul, MN Permit No. 177

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

St. Thomas the Apostle Divine Liturgy—10:00am, Tuesday, October 6

St. Paraskeve Petka of Romania

Divine Liturgy—8:00am, Wednesday, October 14

St. Gerasimos Divine Liturgy—9:00am, Tuesday, October 20

St. Iakovos Divine Liturgy—10:00am, Friday, October 23

St. Demetrios Divine Liturgy—9:00am, Monday, October 26

Holy Protection

Divine Liturgy—8:00am, Wednesday, October 28

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday1 2 3

+HOLY +FAST DAYPROTECTION

October 2009Coming in November...4-7 - Metropolis Clergy-Laity, Milwaukee WI PROTECTION

OF THEOTOKOS

*5:00pm RadioProgram KKMS 980am

+5:00pm VESPERS

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Coming in November...4-7 - Metropolis Clergy-Laity, Milwaukee WI8 - SYNAXIS OF ARCHANGELS9 - ST. NEKTARIOS

15 - Advent Fast Begins21 - ST.KATHERINE

(Pan-Orthodox Thanksgiving Eve Divine Liturgy)

26-27 - Thanksgiving Holiday30 - St. Andrew

4 5 6 7 8 9 10+2ND SUN. LUKE +ST. THOMAS +FAST DAY +FAST DAY

APOSTLE+Church MusicSunday +9:00am LITURGY *5:00pm Radio

Program KKMS +8:15am ORTHROS 980am*9:30am SundaySchool Classes +5:00pm VESPERS+10:00am LITURGY *7:00pm Catechism *7:00pm Parish

Class Council*12:00pm ParishAssembly + FAMILY CAMP +





Assembly

11 12 13 14 15 16 17+4TH SUN. LUKE COLUMBUS DAY +FAST DAY +FAST DAY- HOLY FATHERS - Office Closed *9:30am FAITH

+ST. PARASKEVE Youth Group+8:15am ORTHROS PETKA OF *9:30am Sunday ROMANIASchool Classes+10:00am LITURGY +8:00am LITURGY

+ FAMILY CAMP +





*11:30am Acolyte *5:00pm Loaves *7:00pm Bible *5:00pm Spiritual *5:00pm RadioTraining & Fishes Study at Fr. Life Cmte Program KKMS

Rick's Home 980am*6:30pm Youth& Family Ministry *7:00pm Catechism +5:00pm VESPERSMeeting Class

18 19 20 21 22 23 24+ST. LUKE +ST. GERASIMOS +FAST DAY +FAST DAYEVANGELIST

+ FAMILY CAMP +

+ FAMILY +CAMP





EVANGELIST+9:00am LITURGY +ST. IAKOVOS

+8:15am ORTHROS*9:30am Sunday Metropolitan School Classes Iakovos Nameday+10:00am LITURGY - Xronia Polla!

*7:00pm Catechism *5:00pm Radio*11:30am Choir Class Program KKMS Practice 980am

+5:00pm VESPERS+5:00pm VESPERS

25 26 27 28 29 30 31+6TH SUN. LUKE +ST. DEMETRIOS +FAST DAY +FAST DAY

+9:30am Liturgy+8:15am ORTHROS +9:00am +HOLY in Eau Claire, WI*9:30am Sunday LITURGY PROTECTION - School Classes OXI DAY+10:00am LITURGY

*7:00pm +8:00am LITURGYStewardship Cmte *5:00pm Radio

Program KKMS Program KKMS *7:00pm 980amCatechism Class

+5:00pm VESPERS

St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 1111 Summit Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105+ Rev. Father Richard Demetrius Andrews -- Phone: (651) 222-6220 -- www.stgeorgegoc.org +

TWIN CITIES ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN RADIO 2009 Matching Grant Offer Extended

This summer $3,600 has been raised within the Orthodox community to broadcast “Come Receive the Light” on KKMS 980 AM Radio each Saturday at 5:00 PM in the Twin Cities. This amount has been matched by an anonymous benefactor and now the matching offer has been extended. In today’s changing world, the Orthodox Christian Network communicates the love of Christ 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through radio and the internet (www.myocn.net). Our message is for youth, families, and adults, whether Christian or non-believer. Come Receive the Light is the premier program of the Orthodox Christian Network. It is insightful, inspiring and dynamic. In the Twin Cities over the past 6 years many have helped us broadcast the weekly program Come Receive the Light on KKMS 980 AM. In an internet age, radio is a leap of faith. We believe there are several thousand people, mostly non-Orthodox, listening to this program each week in this area. Join us and keep a strong Orthodox Christian radio presence in the Twin Cities. The cost of the radio air time is $85.80 per week, about $4,500/year and we need your help now. As Christians we are called to spread the gospel to all nations. Please help us continue to do that in the Twin Cities. Any donation you give now will be matched (up to $7,200 total). Yours in Christ, Dimitri Dokos, Chair MEOCCA Twin Cities Radio Ministry Please make checks payable to: “MEOCCA – Radio Ministry”. Send to: Myra Toconita, Treasurer, 1391 West Sandhurst Dr., St. Paul, MN 55113-4225 Visit us at: www.myocn.net or www.meocca.org or listen Saturdays at 5:00 PM on 980AM

Parish Council July 9, 2009 Meeting Minutes

I. Call to Order- 7:00pm. Those in attendance, Eric Chadwick, Christ Kontenakos, Jim Theros,

Paul Pliakas, Joe Weiser, Diane Anastos, and Stacy Katsiyiannis. II. Opening Prayer-led by Eric Chadwick III. Submission of Minutes-Christ K made a motion to accept the June 2009 meeting minutes as

amended. Paul Pliakas seconded the motion. Motion carries. IV. Treasurer’s Report-Diane Anastos presented year to date and monthly details. See handouts.

We are under budget in Stewardship. Some transfers were made to cover payroll and renovations from investments and money market. Eric Chadwick asked why memorials are in the operating budget. Eric Chadwick asked about 4035 other misc. income coming in. Eric Chadwick asked about visiting priest expense in two places. Diane Anastos will check with Frank about these things. The National Oratorical festival will pay for itself. The copier company has been charging tax since 2007 and we are working to get a rebate. Eric Chadwick brought up the fact that there will be no Art Auction this year-and we need to be aware that those fundraiser funds will not be available.

V. Committee Reports a. Stewardship- Discussion about sending a letter listing all who have signed a pledge

card. We will table until later b. Greek Festival- Paul Pliakas has been meeting for a few months. We need more

people to work, encourage friends to work. Signs will go up next week with schedule. We need to purchase a credit card machine for CC use. Electrical work-we are making the final selection of a contractor for the Greek Festival electrical upgrade.

c. By Laws-letter going soon to inform people about the changes. This letter will ask for comments and suggestions by the end of July for the PA meeting in the fall. At the Parish Assembly, a vote will be taken regarding whether elected Parish Council terms will be for two or three years.

d. Festival of Nations- Paul Pliakas gave a handout of a 3 year comparison. The income tax still needs to be paid for this year’s festival. See handout. Christ Kontenakos asked what could account for the difference in profits. Potential reasons could be ticket price and expenses going up. Eric Chadwick asked about the bazaar profits. We need to clarify this with the people responsible for handling the Bazaar.

VI. New Business a. Ushering Duties and Security-an incident occurred last week where someone was

allowed to stay here all day on Sunday. Eric Chadwick read an email from Father Rick about the incident and security procedures. A checklist will be generated. The last person in the church, head usher, should lock the doors and designate a person to be sure that someone is in charge if head usher leaves.

b. Property Donation-Eric Chadwick circulated a draft agreement for the potential donation of property by a parishioner to St. George. Negotiations for the donation are ongoing including attempting to address concerns regarding restricting the use to which proceeds from the property can be used and timing. A discussion took place about the potential I n come and other related issues arising from the potential donation. The Council unanimously agreed to pursue this donation

c. 2009 Metropolis Leadership Conference-Eric Chadwick attended this meeting in Chicago. This is usually where we find out how much money they want each church to give to the Archdiocese. Historically the Chicago metropolis has paid more than other metropolises. Income has come way up in the other metropolises, so Chicago is 3rd on the list. Because of the increase in monies collected by the other metropolises, there will be an overage of approximately $279K for fiscal years 2009 and 2010 for the Metropolis of Chicago. A discussion ensued about what to do with the overage with the options being to either (1) give the overage back to the parishes on a pro rata basis and then levy an assessment on each parish for the St.

Iakovos Retreat Center or (2) allow the Metropolis to simply keep the overage for the Retreat Center. They voted to keep it and will use it for proposed renovations of the St. Iakovos retreat center. They will use this money and try to raise an additional 1.3 million in donations to move forward with the proposed renovations.

d. Church Landscaping Improvement Plan-Jim Theros would like to designate the memorial money from Maria Theros to update the landscaping Bid is 12-14K , with money coming from Maria’s memorial fund (8K), and the Theros family will cover the difference and maintenance costs will be paid by the family. Joe Weiser made a motion to use Maria Theros’ memorial donations for the landscaping of the front of the church (side on Summit Avenue) consistent with the plan presented at the PC meeting by Jim Theros. Any excess costs will be funded by the Theros family. Diane Anastos seconded the motion. Motion carries.

e. Platytera: Christ Kontenakos made a motion to use the donation money from Antonia Kontenakos’ memorial for a mural icon on either side of the platytera, any additional money needed above what was donated would be funded by the Kontenakos family. Joe Weiser seconded the motion. Motion carries.

VII. Unfinished Business a. Sale of 1135 Summit Avenue- cost has come down to 1,450,000. See listing sheet

and text of the letter attached. If someone else makes an offer, the church has right of first refusal. If someone makes an offer, the church has 15 days to match it. Father will send out a letter.

b. Sunday Morning schedule/Sunday School Format- see handout from Father Rick with a proposed letter to go out to the community. Diane Anastos made a motion to accept the new Sunday Worship/Sunday School time and format as recommended by the YFM committee. Paul Pliakas seconded. No discussion. Motion carries.

c. Board of Elections- Naomi Tsantir declined the nomination to fill Angela Mortari’s seat. The council recommended Kalley Johnson. Jim Theros will call her.

d. Youth Bucks Overview-See handout. This is a program for the youth to encourage the youth to be more involved in youth activities. They earn money to be used for camp, etc. by meeting certain requirements. We put a $250 cap per person on it. See handout regarding requirements. Children are responsible for providing documentation of these things.

VIII. Adjournment and Closing Prayer-Paul Pliakas lead closing prayer and meeting adjourned at 9:15pm. ___________________________________ ______________________,2009 Eric Chadwick, President ___________________________________ ________________________,2009 Stacy Katsiyiannis, Secretary ____________________________________ _________________________,2009 Rev. Fr. Richard Demetrius Andrews, Presbyter

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St. Paul, MN ST. GEORGE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH Volume … · 2014. 9. 27. · of fasting, prayer and almsgiving. Easy to say, but not easy to do, I know. To be sure, it takes courage