Catechism 101 HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016!!! JANUARY VOLUME NO. 304

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1 JANUARY VOLUME NO. 304 TABLE OF CONTENTS Father s Article... 1 Stewardship Philoptochos... 9 Craft Show St. Spyridon s Feast Day Christmas Pageant Parish News Stewardship in Greek GOYA Events Calendar Κοινοτικά Νέα ST. SPYRIDON HELLENIC ORTHODOX CHURCH S. RIDGELAND AVE. PALOS HEIGHTS, IL WWW. SAINT- SPYRIDON.ORG HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016!!! Catechism 101 The final major figure in the book of Genesis is Jacob s eleventh son, Joseph. The text leads us once again to Jacob s family. Jacob had sons from Rachel, Leah, and their two servants. The first to be born of his beloved Rachel was Joseph. For this reason, Jacob loved Joseph best out of all his sons. In expressing his special love for Joseph, Jacob gifted him a very expensive multicolor garment which we commonly know of today from the modern day music of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. This garment became the object of jealousy and hate by the rest of Joseph s brothers. Adding insult to injury, Joseph began to tell them of his dreams which foretold of his future powerful position in Egypt where he would rule over his brothers and over most of the known world. Driven mad by jealousy, Joseph s brothers decided to kill him and thereby negate any chance of his dreams coming true. One day, the ten brothers were alone in the fields where their sheep were grazing. As Joseph was coming to visit them dressed in the multicolor coat, the brothers conspired to kill him. The oldest of them, Reuben, stood up to prevent the murder by pointing out that it was unlawful to take their brother s life. Yet, he did not put a stop to their plan. He rather convinced them to Stewardship Sunday January 24th, 2016

2 The Voice - H ΦΩNH Official Monthly Community Publication of St. Spyridon Hellenic Orthodox Church S. Ridgeland Avenue Palos Heights, IL REV. FR. TILEMAHOS ALIKAKOS PROTOPRESBYTER Church Office Hours:... Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Phone: , 2313 or 0787 Fax: office@saint-spyridon.org Web: Parish Council Officers James Korbakes...President Konstantine Labraκis... Vice-President Taso Panagiotopoulos... Vice President Frank Kopanis... Secretary George Papadopoulos... Assistant Secretary Gus Kolyvas... Treasurer James Xeros... Assistant Treasurer Auxiliary Officers Angelo Angelos... Chanter Olga Paxinos... Philoptochos Demetra Mikroulis... P.T.A. Kiki Kazazakis... Kentro Lambrini Stavrou...Plutarchos Greek School Jan Prible... Zoe Kopanis... Sunday School Director Nicky Glikis... Choir Director Dana Vasilakos... G.O.Y.A. & Jr. G.O.Y.A. Janine Riley... Cherubs Demetria Papadopoulos... HOPE Angelo Angelos... Byzantine Music Panagiotis Mihalopoulos... Iconography Fr. Tilemahos... Bible Study Vicki Drikos... Handmaidens Nick Chibucos & Labros Malfas... Altar Boys John Farsatis... Athletics And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. place Joseph in a pit and let him die there. In secret, his real plan was to return later on his own and rescue Joseph out of the pit after the rest of the brothers had departed. What we see here is the power of mob mentality. Reuben was aware of how abominable fratricide was but he did not stand up to his brothers. He was the first born of Jacob s sons and he possessed the authority to put a stop to his brothers plan. Sadly, he allowed his brothers to proceed with their murderous intentions, even though he altered the execution of that plan so that there would be the possibility of rescuing Joseph. Reuben s cowardly behavior was not unique to the group. In fact, Judah, Jacob s fourth son, also tried to save Joseph s life. After Joseph was placed in the pit, Reuben left them behind. The rest of the brothers sat down to eat undisturbed by Joseph s cries for help. Judah, unaware of Reuben s intentions to save Joseph at a later time, suggested a different way for the brothers to execute their plan. Seeing a caravan of traders, he suggested to sell Joseph to them as a slave. He used his brothers greed to save Joseph s life while appearing agreeable to the group s decision to get rid of him. Judah too, knew how wrong it was to kill their brother and yet he did not condemn the plan. He tried to appease his conscience while not losing face in the eyes of his brothers. Jacob s ten older sons were united in their hatred for Joseph. When that hatred rose to the level of murder, we see that at least Reuben and Judah knew it was wrong. If they had spoken honestly to the group, Reuben and Judah would have found support in each other and even in one of more of the other brothers. Separately they tried to save Joseph but did not declare their condemnation of the group s intentions. Perhaps individually they all knew it was wrong, but as a group they set aside their conscientious objections for the sake of not going against the group. This mob mentality, when centered around hate, can indeed be a dangerous thing. Especially, when individuals do not stand up to oppose violence and unlawful acts, they will participate in them despite each individual s best intentions. What we can learn from this incident is that we should always speak our conscience and declare the will of God. As people of faith, we shall speak lovingly and stand up for what is right and for what is God s will without taking into account popular opinion or our allegiance to a particular group. When we stand up perhaps others will join us. By speaking out as faithful witnesses to the will of God we will encourage others to do the same and slowly the Kingdom of God will be a reality in our midst. Let us pray that in this New Year we will be accounted among people of courage and conviction to proclaim the truth of our Orthodox faith and bring to light the Kingdom of Heaven in this world as it is in the world to come. Amen. Fr. Tilemahos 2 The Voice

3 ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM Those that Seek the Lord Shall Never be in Want of Any Good Thing Psalm 34:10 from the Service of the Artoclasia Beloved faithful of Saint Spyridon, A traditional American proverb says that, God makes this request of his children: Do the best you can, where you are, with what you have, now. The story of Jesus Christ feeding the 5,000 illustrates this through the boy s offering of all that he had five loaves and two fish. This boy did his best with what he had, and Jesus used it to perform an incredible miracle. Just like the boy who offered the loaves and the fish, if we offer what we have however great or small our gift God will receive our gifts and multiply them to feed His people. Our beautiful community of Saint Spyridon is entering its 99 th year as vibrant and inspiring as our forefathers had envisioned. We now need to empower the next generation with an even greater vision of a home for all who seek to meet our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is time that we intensify our spiritual life in imitation of the hundreds of saints that adorn our walls. We must continue and further our ministry to those in need just as our patron Saint Spyridon did as a loving shepherd to the least of His brethren. This vision begins with each and every one of us making a personal commitment of time, talent, and treasure. In order to grow as an Orthodox witness we must all do our share. Volunteering and offering our God-given talents in worship, education, philanthropy, and outreach comprises a most blessed way to center our life around our faith community. Our commitment of treasure should reflect our Christ-centered life and collectively we can enable our parish to prosper with the support of its stewards. We, the stewards of our community, should be the sole financial support of our parish family, and to that end we must all contribute our fair share. I invite you to come together at St. Spyridon this month as we speak about Stewardship, culminating on Stewardship Sunday, January 24 th. Over these few weeks, we will worship together as we do every Sunday, and reflect on the future of our parish family. On Stewardship Sunday, we shall come forward and offer what we have, however great or small our gift. If we do this prayerfully and in humility, God will receive our gifts, which will remain forever. I offer you my thanks for your dedication to our parish and your participation in Christ s work of salvation. Yours in Christ, Rev. Fr. Tilemahos Alikakos STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY SUNDAY, JANUARY 24TH, 2016 All of us are called to offer our Stewardship Commitment on Sunday, January 24th and show our support for our church ministries and mission. St. Spyridon Hellenic Orthodox Church 3

4 ΙNCOME BUDGET FOR 2016 Income 2016 Other 3% Tuitions & Fees 14% Fundraisers 20% Donations 5% Candles & Collections 26% Stewardship 33% Stewardship Candles & Collections Donations Fundraisers Tuitions & Fees Other Income $140,000 $109,863 $21,764 $85,273 $58,800 $11,996 Stewardship is the primary way to support the ministries of our church. Our stewardship involves our time, talent, and treasure. A steward is an active participant in the worship life of the church, and devotes his or her talents in ministering to the community. The 2016 stewardship card contains a multitude of opportunities for volunteering. Our church could not function without our dedicated volunteers. Every steward also perceives the financial needs of the church as his or her own. Our stewardship to the church should adequately reflect our priorities and our devotion to our parish home. We need to work together to raise our stewardship portion of the parish income to 50% or an average of $50/month, in order for our parish to grow and minister to its faithful. Therefore, please encourage family members or friends to join our parish and also consider increasing your own stewardship contribution for Tuition and Fees include everything that is paid toward the Religious Education School and Plutarchos Greek School. Our schools rely on dedicated staff and volunteers. The tuition seldom covers the expenses for our schools and therefore the financial support of the parish and our faithful is needed for our schools. Fundraisers include the Summer Festival and Raffle, the Craft Show, and the Community Dinner Dance. Everyone is called to support these events as volunteers, donors and participants, because we are relying on their success to meet the needs of our community. Donations include all the appeals on Christmas, Pascha, flower donations, in memory donations, youth activities, Kentro Bookstore income, and other gifts that are offered by the faithful. Once again we always count on everyone s participation in these appeals. Candles & Trays are very much dependent on church attendance. A parish can have wonderful finances but without church attendance it will become a museum. We need to attend church regularly, partake of communion at least monthly, and plan to give a respectable weekly offering that reflects our priorities and devotion to God and to our community. The Other category includes the Kentro sales, Youth Ministry fees and interest from the bank. 4 The Voice

5 Financial Trends $470,000 $450,000 $430,000 $410,000 $390,000 $370,000 $350,000 Income & Expenses Income Expenses In this parish income and expense chart, the figures for are actual figures and the are budgetary figures. However, the trend here shows that expenses are increasing faster than our income. Most of our expense increases are either inflationary or tied to national commitments such as Archdiocesan obligations which is beyond our control. It is thus imperative that we increase our contributions to keep pace with the expenses of our growing parish. Reliance on Fundraisers $100,000 $90,000 $80,000 $70,000 $60,000 $50,000 $40,000 $30,000 $20,000 $10,000 $ In this chart the figures for are actual figures and are budgetary figures. The trend here shows that we are increasingly relying on our fundraisers to pay for our everyday expenses. In the 2016 budget, 20% of our income will come from fundraisers. These fundraisers are the Summer Festival & Christmas Craft Show. This trend is unsustainable. Maintaining the parish on the efforts of our aging volunteers who are running most of our fundraisers should not be the vision of our parish. We should strive to fund our parish through stewardship and donations. We all need to work together to reverse this trend for the good of our community. Food for Thought We could eliminate the need for a Craft Show by all our stewards giving $1.52/month more in stewardship. We could eliminate the need for a Festival by all our stewards giving $17.32/month more in stewardship. In other words, if all our stewards add $18.84/month more in stewardship we could give our aging cooks and volunteers the rest and respect that they deserve. They have given us a beautiful church without any debt. We must meet our responsibilities and not rely on their continued labor in our kitchen to pay our obligations. What is $18.84/month compared to our average spending? The average American spends $56/month on coffee $64/month on Cable TV $38/month on alcohol $51/month on entertainment Let us consider that we raise our stewardship commitment so that we may eventually wean ourselves off our reliance to fundraisers. It is definitely an achievable goal if we all strive to meet our responsibility together. St. Spyridon Hellenic Orthodox Church 5

6 EXPENSE BUDGET FOR 2016 Expenses 2016 Utilities & Maintenance 22% National Ministries 12% Ministry Expenses 16% Office Expenses 3% Employee Wages & Benefits 46% Employee Wages & Utilities & Office Expenses Ministry Expenses National Ministries Benefits Maintenance Expenses $195,394 $14,641 $69,416 $52,639 $95,689 Employee Wages & Benefits includes the parish priest, chanter, secretaries and custodians. Built in to these expenses are items beyond our control such as the contributions to the Archdiocesan Health Plan. All of our employees are compensated much less than they deserve but they are motivated by their own devotion for the good of the parish and also the assistance of our dedicated volunteers who give their time and talent to make our church ministries possible. We are the largest parish in the Metropolis of Chicago without a second priest or a youth director. An overview of our parish ministries shows an active worship ministry with over 250 services and sacraments, counseling and visitations, numerous fundraisers, food pantry and missions, three schools, website and newsletter, accounting and payroll, bible studies, music classes, youth groups and athletics, organizations and other ministries, all of which are coordinated by our staff and volunteers. With the volume of work that is involved in running our numerous parish ministries, we are always in need of volunteers in order to keep our costs low. A variety of volunteer opportunities are outlined in the 2016 stewardship card. Office Expenses include copying, postage, paper, and equipment needed to communicate with all the faithful. Again, many thanks to the volunteers who assist with our office work. Ministry Expenses include all the expenses associated with our youth programs and athletics, our Religious Education School, our Plutarchos Greek School, our choir, our Kentro Bookstore, and other ministry programs. This area as well relies heavily on volunteers who help us minimize the cost of these ministries. National Ministries includes our contribution to the Archdiocese as it is set by the National Clergy Laity Congress, and our contribution to the St. Iakovos Camp and Retreat Center that is set by the Metropolis Clergy Laity. The national ministries support our Metropolis staff, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, our Holy Cross School of Theology, and a number of Archdiocesan ministries whose details can be found on Maintenance includes all the utilities, snow removal, and routine maintenance that is constant with an aging building. Our facilities are in need repairs and updates, and once again the costs are kept low by many volunteers who give of their time and talents to maintain our building. What is not showing in the maintenance budget is the long term depreciation. The big ticket items that come up every few years such as the roofs, heating and AC units, parking lot, and structural repairs require us to set aside about $40,000 every year in anticipation of these long term expenses. 6 The Voice

7 STEWARDSHIP GOAL FOR Stewards GOAL FOR AVERAGE STEWARDSHIP FOR 2016 $450/per steward annually or $37.50/monthly OUR GOAL FOR OUR AVERAGE STEWARDSHIP BY 2020 $600/per steward annually or $50/monthly Stewardship Contribution Range 2015 Stewards $1501-$2,000 $1,001-$1,500 $751-$1,000 $501-$750 $401-$500 $301-$400 $201-$300 $101-$200 $ STEWARDSHIP UPDATE The Stewardship Committee thanks all of you, the 364 Stewards who fulfilled their commitment to our Church for 2015 for your support and generosity that makes all our parish ministries possible. We hope that all of you will commit your stewardship for the new year A complete listing of 2015 stewards will be published in the February issue of the VOICE. (November 21st December 24th) Mr. & Mrs. Curt James, Mr. & Mrs. Tasos Malamis, Ms. Stella Parhas, Mr. & Mrs. Mrs. Andreas Theodorou, Mr. & Mrs. Theodore Proutsos Mr. Gus Roros, Mr. & Mrs. Nick Scarlatis and +Mr. Sam Stive 100TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION You are invited to join in the planning of our church's landmark celebration years of service to our families. Committee members met on November 19th to discuss the commemorative album. Our theme for the anniversary is Generations of Faith and Tradition. We are looking members to join the following committees: Anniversary Banquet Special Events Commemorative Album We are still looking for new members to help plan the year-long celebration of our 100th anniversary which will begin in October of 2016 and culminate in a grand celebration on October 15th, NEXT MEETING: TUESDAY, January 19th, 7:00 p.m. St. Spyridon Hellenic Orthodox Church 7

8 Our class attended a performance of Frosty s Winder Wonderland presented by Dave Herzog s marionettes in our own Gym. On Friday, December 18th, our students performed a wonderful Christmas Pageant. Santa surprised everyone with a visit after the performance! We would like to thank all the parents that helped put together the fantastic reception that followed the pageant. We wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year! SCHOOL YEAR Applications for the School year will be available after January 4th. Please be aware that applications are accepted on a first come first serve basis with priority given to St. Spyridon stewards and alumni. We have limited space so please plan accordingly. SCHOOL CALENDAR Jan. 4th School resumes Jan. 18th No school, Martin Luther King Day 8 The Voice

9 PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS Dear Philoptochos Sisters and Fellow Parishioners, Happy New Year! The St. Spyridon Philoptochos ended 2015 in a great way. We had the Craft Show on December 5th and 6th which was a great success. First we thank all the donors who always support the church. Thanks to George Papadopoulos for being at our side. Thanks to Toula Georgiopoulos for organizing and procuring all the crafters. Thank you to the Kitchen Crew, Kosta Alikakos, Litsa Alikakos, Dina Katsoulis and all who helped them in their monumental job. Thanks to Kathy Korbakes for procuring and organizing the sweets. Thanks to all the ladies who came and prepared a month in advance. Thank you to the ladies who brought sweets and helped at the event. Thank you to Kiki Davros and Irene Giardina for running the Philoptochos raffle. Great job everyone. Kai tou Cronou. St. Spyridon Feast Day and vespers were as usual phenomenal. We were honored to have His Grace Bishop Dimitrios of Mokissos at Vespers and His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos on the Feast Day. Our Philoptochos ladies with chairmen Litsa Alikakos and Roula Karampelas brought Lenten sweets, worked, and greeted all those who adorned our packed hall. Congratulations We attended the Metropolitan s Open House on December 13th. Many faithful came to greet His Eminence, brought food for the needy, partook of the refreshments, and enjoyed the fellowship of those not seen so often from other parishes. One of the most heartwarming sights is to see our priests embracing each other, because they too do not see each other often. The St. Spyridon cutting of the Vasilopita will be on January 10th, immediately after the Divine Liturgy. The City Wide Metropolis Vasilopita will be on January 10th in the late afternoon at our sister parish of St. Nicholas. We always have a table and all are welcome and encouraged to come to a wonderful event. We hope the weather does not get too extreme as we enter and prepare for the coming events. On behalf of the Ladies of the Philoptochos I wish our Protopresyter Father Tilemahos and Presvytera Georgia and family, all our church families and organizations a Happy and Healthy Thank you to all for a great year. With Sisterly Agape, Olga Paxinos, Philoptochos President As always we would like to thank everyone who attended in our annual dinner dance this year. The net profit from the community dinner dance supports in the operations of our church. The results below exclude any raffle proceeds which go to the PTA of our church. The financial results of the dinner dance for the last 5 years are summarized in the following table: ANNUAL DINNER DANCE REPORT St. Spyridon Hellenic Orthodox Church 9

10 10 The Voice CHRISTMAS CRAFT SHOW

11 ST. SPYRIDON S FEAST DAY With great splendor, the feast day of St. Spyridon was celebrated on December 11th & 12th. His Eminence, Metropolitan Iakovos of Chicago, and His Grace, Bishop Demetrios, assisted by Metropolis clergy, presided over the divine services. faithful from throughout the area came to worship and honor our patron saint. The Philoptochos hosted the reception after the Great Vespers Services and the Divine Liturgy. Many thanks to all who brought prosfora, the artoclasia, the flowers, sweets and fruit for the hospitality. Thank you to all the dedicated faithful who made this year s feast day truly memorable. St. Spyridon Hellenic Orthodox Church 11

12 CHRISTMAS PROGRAM On Sunday December 20 th our Sunday School and Greek School students participated in our annual Christmas Pageant. The younger children served as our small animals and angels and the older students volunteered for the various parts. Many thanks to Dana Vasilakos for coordinating this beautiful event and Nicky Glikis for sharing her amazing musical talents with us. 12 The Voice

13 We wish to express special gratitude to... THANK YOU * His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos of Chicago for honoring our parish with his presence at our St. Spyridon Feast Day. * His Grace Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos for honoring our parish with his presence at our St. Spyridon Feast Day. * all our parishioners and friends who offered monetary donations towards the flowers of St. Spyridon Feast Day and Christmas. * the Handmaidens for beautifully decorating St. Spyridon s Icon * to all the students of Sunday and Greek School, teachers and P.T.A. members for presenting such a beautiful Community Christmas Pageant to our parishioners. * the individuals & families who sponsored the annual Community Christmas Card. * all Goyans and Junior Goyans for making this Holiday Season full of cheer with their Christmas Caroling. * the Parish Council and the Philoptochos ladies for hosting the Annual Craft Show and for all the wonderful cooking and baking. * all the anonymous donors for donating monetary and food donations for the Christmas Baskets for the needy. * the individuals who helped clean up the church in preparation for our feast day. * the individuals who assisted in packing and delivering the Christmas Baskets for the needy. * to Mr. George Elicacostas for painting our Altar, Narthex, Bride s room, cry room and choir loft. * the ladies who made the Artos for the Feast Day of St. Spyridon Artoclasia. SUNDAY SCHOOL As the holidays approach, the Sunday School students continue to work in their classrooms and learn about our Orthodox faith. We would like to thank all those who contribute to our food pantry, especially this time of year. Giving to those in need is something we should do year round, but most importantly during the holidays, when we are all remembering what we are thankful for and sharing that thankfulness with our communities. The Christmas Pageant took place Sunday December 20 th. Many thanks to all the students who volunteered to participate in the program as well as all the teachers who helped with getting our students in costume. A special thanks to Dana Vasilakos for coordinating this event and for all that she does for Sunday School. As we find ourselves at the end of another year, I would like to thank the Sunday School staff for all their support and hard work. Many of our Sunday School teachers have been volunteering in their rolesfor over 5 years, and some over 10. The dedication and commitment to plan weekly lessons and be present each Sunday is a great responsibility. I am so grateful that you have the passion for what you teach and that you share your talents with the students of St. Spyridon. Parents, we are all working together to provide your children and grandchildren with an excellent Orthodox foundation and hope that you will continue to bring them each week. We have much to look forward to in the New Year. My hope is for more parents to get involved and volunteer their time and share their talents with us. Whether you are able to help with one Sunday School class, or several, you are always welcome. There will be no class on Sunday December 27 th and on January 3 rd so that students can worship with their families. We will resume classes on January 10 th with our tradition of cutting a Vasilopita in each classroom. We are in need of Vasilopites in each Sunday School class so please consider making one for your child s classroom. The best to all of your families from all of us in the Sunday School program and many blessings for the New Year. Zoe Kopanis, Sunday School Director St. Spyridon Hellenic Orthodox Church 13

14 ΠΡΟΫΠΟΛΟΓΙΣΜΟΣ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑN ΤΟ 2016 Σύμφωνα με τον προϋπολογισμό που εγκρίθηκε την 16ην Δεκεμβρίου, 2015, από την Γενική Συνέλευση της ενορίας μας, προβλέπουμε τα ακόλουθα για το Προϋπολογισμός Εισόδων 2016 Πρόγραμμα Καλού Οικονόμου $140,000 Δίδακτρα $58,800 Δίσκοι καί Κεριά $109,863 Δωρεές $21,764 Κέντρο και άλλα προγράμματα $11,996 Καλοκαιρινό Φεστιβάλ και Εράνους $85,273 Σύνολον $427,696 Προϋπολογισμός Εξόδων 2016 Εξοδα Γραφείου $14,641 Αντίτυπα, Τηλέφωνο, Ταχυδρομικά, Ενημερωτικά Δελτία. Συντήρηση της Εκκλησίας και άλλων κτιρίων $95,689 Ηλεκτρισμός, Θέρμανση, Ασφάλεια, επισκευές καί έξοδα συντηρήσεως των κτιρίων. Για όσους υπηρετούν την Εκκλησία $195,394 Έξοδα δια την διακονία της Εκκλησίας, μισθοί και έξοδα του προσωπικού. Η Διακονία της Εκκλησίας $69,416 Έξοδα το Κατηχητικό και Ελληνικό Σχολείο καί έξοδα δια την διακονία της Εκκλησίας Η Διακονία της Μητροπόλεως και Αρχιεπισκοπής $52,639 Η προσδιορισμένη από την Αρχιεπισκοπή προσφοράν ΣΥΝΟΛΟ ΓΙΑ ΤΟ 2016 $427,779 *Παρακαλούμε όπως παρατηρήσετε ότι, ενώ τα έξοδα της ενορίας καλύπτονται στον προϋπολογισμό, χάρις της αγάπης και της γενναιοδωρίας όλων σας, αυτά που δεν καλύπτονται είναι οι μεγάλες επισκευές όπως η σκεπή, το πάρκινγκ, οι εγκαταστάσεις θερμάνσεως και κλιματισμού, και οι ανακαινήσεις του κτιρίου. Αυτά τα μεγάλα έξοδα προκύπτουν κάθε λίγα χρόνια, και απαιτούν όπως κρατούμε στην άκρη περίπου $40,000 τον χρόνο δια να καλύπτονται χωρίς την ανάγκη εκτάτων εράνων. Στόχος του Μέλη για την Εκκλησίαν μας Ας συνεχίσουμε να προσφέρουμε ότι το καλύτερο μπορούμε στην αγαπημένη μας ενορία του Αγίου Σπυρίδωνος, και ο άγιός μας ας μεσιτεύει για όλους μας για ένα ευλογημένο και υγιές νέον έτος The Voice

15 GOYA CAROLING Christmas would not be the same without giving back and on Friday, December 18th our Goyans did so in music and song! During their annual Christmas Caroling outing they visited many homes of our fellow parishioners including the homes of Gus & Litsa Alikakos, Pete & Olga Paxinos, Chris & Dina Katsoulis, and Bill & Toula Georgiopoulos. They brought joy and smiles and spread Christmas cheer to all the homes that they visited with beautiful singing accompanied by the clarinet and other instruments. Also many thanks to all our drivers. CHERUBS This month we had a great time preparing for Christmas. We celebrated St. Spyridon, made ornaments for our trees and had a wonderful little Christmas party. Thank you to all our parents and grandparents for their help and support. We wish our Cherubs family and our community a Merry Christmas and a healthy Janine Riley, Cherubs Advisor VASILOPITACELEBRATIONS The cutting of our Saint Spyridon Community Vasilopita will be on Sunday, January 10th, 2016, after the Divine Liturgy. We ask that all parishioners and friends join us for this very special beginning for the New Year. The Sunday School Cutting of the Vasilopita will be also held on Sunday, January 10th during Sunday School class. The Greek School Cutting of the Vasilopita will be held on Monday, January 11th during Greek School. METROPOLIS VASILOPITA The 56th Annual Chicago Metropolis Vasilopita will be held on Sunday, January 10th, 2016, at St. Nicholas Church in Oak Lawn, IL. All proceeds from this annual celebration are sent to St. Basil s Academy, a home away from home for Orthodox young people who come from broken homes, or are victims of poverty, abuse or abandonment. BLESSING OF HOMES Fr. Tilemahos will be blessing homes the week after Epiphany. In preparation for the house blessing you should have an icon and the kandeli on a table. Please make sure that all family members are present. Anyone wishing to have their home blessed should contact the Church Office. St. Spyridon Hellenic Orthodox Church 15

16 January 2016 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 3 Orthros & Divine Liturgy 8:00 a.m. Family Worship Basketball at St. Spyridon 2:15 10 Orthros & Divine Liturgy 8:00 a.m. Sunday School Community Vasilopita Metropolis Vasilopita Basketball at St. Spyridon 2:15 17 St Anthony, Orthros & Divine Liturgy 8:00 a.m. Sunday School Basketball at St. Demetrios 2:15 24 Orthros, Liturgy 8a.m. Sunday School Stewardship Sunday Basketball at St. Spyridon 2:15 31 Orthros, Liturgy 8a.m. Sunday School P.T.A. Artoclasia Hellenic Letters Luncheon 4 Greek School-4:30 pm 11 Greek Bible 10:30am Greek School-4:30 pm 18 St. Athanasios Orthros & Divine Liturgy 8:00 a.m. Greek Bible 10:30am Greek School-4:30 pm 25 St. Gregory Orthros & Divine Liturgy 8:00 a.m. Greek Bible 10:30am Greek School-4:30 pm 5 Royal Hours, Vesperal Liturgy & Agiasmos 7:00 a.m. 12 Byzantine Music 6 pm Jr. GOYA 7pm Parish Council 7 pm 19 St. Mark of Ephesus Orthros & Divine Liturgy 8:00 a.m. 100th Anniversary 7pm 26 Byzantine Music 6 pm Jr. GOYA 7pm 6 Theophany Orthros, Divine Liturgy & Agiasmos 8:00 a.m. Cherubs 10:30 a.m. BBall Grammar 6:45 pm BBall High School 7 pm 13 Cherubs 10:30 a.m. Bible Study 10:30 a.m. BBall Grammar 6:45 pm BBall High School 7 pm Bible Study 7 pm 20 Orthros, Liturgy 8a.m. Cherubs 10:30 a.m. Bible 10:30 a.m. & 7pm BBall Grammar 6:45 pm BBall High School 7 pm 27 Cherubs 10:30 a.m. Bible Study 10:30 a.m. BBall Grammar 6:45 pm BBall High School 7 pm Bible Study 7 pm 7 St. John the Baptist Orthros & Divine Liturgy 8:00 a.m New Year's Day Church Office Closed 8 Greek School 4:30 p.m. 15 Greek School 4:30 p.m. 22 Greek School 4:30 p.m. 29 Greek School 4:30 p.m. Three Hierarchs Program 2 Basketball at St. Spyridon 2:15 9 Sunday School Staff Meeting 9:30am HOPE, Handmaidens & Altar Boys 10:30 a.m. Pee-Wee Ball 11:30 am 16 HOPE, Handmaidens & Altar Boys 10:30 a.m. Pee-Wee Ball 11:30 am Basketball at St. Spyridon 2:15 Vespers at Metropolis Chapel 7pm 23 HOPE, Handmaidens & Altar Boys 10:30 a.m. Pee-Wee Ball 11:30 am Pansholiki 3 p.m. 30 Three Hierarchs Orthros & Divine Liturgy 8:00 a.m. HOPE, Handmaidens & Altar Boys 10:30 a.m. Pee-Wee Ball 11:30 am Vespers 5:00 p.m.

17 ΚΟΙΝΟΤΙΚΑ ΝΕΑ Η ΕΚΟΥΣΙΑ ΠΡΟΣΦΟΡΑ 2016 «Του Κυρίου η γης και το πλήρωμα αυτής, η οικουμένη και οι κατοικούντες εν αυτή» (Ψαλμός 24,1). Σύμφωνα με τόν ψαλμωδό αλλά και την διδασκαλία του Χριστού, ότι έχομεν δεν ανήκει σε μας. Ολα ανήκουν στον Θεόν, καί εμείς είμαστε απλοί διαχειρισταί. Εις το Λευτικό αναφέρεται, «Και παν δέκατο της γης, είται εκ του σπόρου της γης, είται εκ του καρπού των δένδρων, του Κυρίου είναι, άγιον εις τον Κύριον. Και παν δέκατο βοών, καί προβάτων, παντός ζώου διαβαίνοντος υποκάτωθεν της ράβδου, το δέκατον θέλει είσθαι άγιον εις τον Κύριον.» (Λευιτικόν 27,30-32). Μεταφράζοντας την έννοια των ανωτέρω σημαίνει ότι εκείνα τα οποία κερδίζομεν σήμερον από την εργασίαν μας, ή από επιχειρήσεις ή από καταθέσεις ή από οτιδήποτε άλλο, μέρος αυτών ανήκουν εις τον Θεόν. Έχομεν την ελευθερίαν να προσφέρωμεν ότι νομίζομεν σύμφωνα μέ τον Απόστολον Παύλον ο οποίος ενθαρρύνει τους Χριστιανούς της Κορίνθου να προσφέρουν με ευχαρίστησιν καί λέγει ότι η προσφορά σου πρέπει να βγαίνη απο την καρδιά σου. Προσφέρεις ότι θέλεις να προσφέρεις όχι διότι αναγκάζεσαι. Η υποστήριξη της Εκκλησίας είναι ζήτημα σημαντικό, αντανακλά την πίστην μας και την αφοσίωσήν μας προς τον Θεόν. Για αυτό λοιπόν ας σκεφθούμε καί ας πράξουμε όπως ο Κύριος και ο Σωτήρας μας Ιησούς μας προσκαλεί να πράξουμε. ΑΓΙΑΣΜΟΙ ΣΠΙΤΙΩΝ Ο πατήρ Τηλέμαχος θα αγιάζει σπίτια την εβδομάδα για τα τα Θεοφάνεια αρχίζονοτας από τις 5 Ιανουαρίου. Εαν θέλετε να έρθει και στο δικό σας σπίτι παρακαλείσθε να επικοινωνήσετε με το γραφείο της Εκκλησίας μας. ΚΟΠΗ ΒΑΣΙΛΟΠΙΤΤΑΣ Το κόψιμο της Κοινοτικής μας Βασιλόπιττας θα γίνει την Κυριακή 10 Ιανουαρίου 2016 αμέσως μετά την Θεία Λειτουργία. Παρακαλούμε όλους τους ενορίτες και φίλους να παρευρεθούν στο κόψιμο της Βασιλόπιττας. Το κόψιμο της Βασιλόπιττας της Ιεράς Μητρόπολης του Σικάγου θα γίνει την Κυριακή 10 Ιανουαρίου στίς 6 μ.μ. στον Ιερό Ναό του Αγίου Νικολάου στο Oak Lawn. Παρακαλούνται όλοι οι ενορίτες να παρευρεθούν και να υποστηρίξουν το πρόγραμμα αυτό της Μητρόπολής μας. ΕΟΡΤΗ ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΣΠΥΡΙΔΩΝΑ Θα θέλαμε να ευχαριστήσουμε όλους τους πιστούς που προσέφεραν στην λαμπρότητα της ενοριακής μας πανηγύρεως, και κυρίως τον πρόεδρο του Κοινοτικοὐ Συμβουλίου μας και τα Μέλη αυτού, τους Ιεροψάλτες και τους βοηθούς των, όλα τα Ιεροπαίδια, τις κυρίες της Φιλοπτώχου και του Συλλόγου Γονέων και Διδασκάλων για τον καφέ και τα γλυκίσματα, και όλους τους δωρητές για τα λουλούδια, άρτους και πρόσφορα. Ο Θεός να σας ευλογεί όλους. ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟ ΣΧΟΛΕΙΟ Τα μαθήματα του Ελληνικού Σχολείου θα αρχίσουν και πάλι την Δευτέρα 4 Ιανουαρίου. Η κοπή της Βασιλόπιττας του Ελληνικού Σχολείου θα γίνει την 11 Ιανουαρίου. Το πρόγραμμα του Ελληνικού σχολείου για την εορτή των Τριών Ιεραρχών και των Ελληνικών Γραμμάτων θα γίνει την Παρασκευή 29 Ιανουαρίου, στις 4:30 μ.μ. ΕΥΧΑΡΙΣΤΗΡΙΑ Ευχαριστούμε όλους όσους δώρησαν χρήματα για τα λουλούδια για τον στολισμό της Εκκλησίας μας για την Εορτή του Αγίου Σπυρίδωνα και για τα Χριστούγεννα, και για το Χριστουγενιάτικο δώρο τους προς την Εκκλησία μας. Eυχαριστούμε επίσης όλους τους δωρητές και εθελοντές για το Χριστουγεννιάτικο Craft Show, της 5ης και 6ης Δεκεμβρίου. St. Spyridon Hellenic Orthodox Church 17

18 Come, for all is now ready The Restoration of our Saint Spyridon Bell In preparation for the 100th Anniversary, we are starting a new project which centers around our bell and bell tower. The old Saint Spyridon Church in Roseland had acquired a cast iron bell from the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of Chicago which had suffered a fire in the 1950 s. The bell was manufactured in St. Louis in The inscription on the front of the bell is in German and it says: Come, for all is now ready. Through the efforts of Mr. John Dritsas and his committee, the bell was purchased in the 1950 s and installed in the old church tower. It was made to ring electronically in the pattern that it was rung at Mr. Dritsas town in Greece. When the church moved to Palos Heights, the bell was placed in storage because some of the original pieces were no longer functional. It is now time for the bell to ring again as it did at the old Saint Spyridon in Roseland. The Verdin Company from Cincinnati has offered us a bid to install a remote controlled electronic striker and secure the bell in our north bell tower. Some modifications to the bell tower roof as well as electrical work will be required. We hope that as we journey toward the 100th Anniversary, we can take on this endeavor and have our Saint Spyridon Bell ring once again. You can see the bell in the hallway by our bookstore. There is a donation box there for anyone wishing to donate toward the bell restoration, or you may contact Fr. Tilemahos at the church office. Project Cost: $40,000 - Donations Received: $8,000 Attend Church Regularly with Your Family! St. Spyridon Hellenic Orthodox Church S. Ridgeland Avenue Palos Heights, IL 60463