THE ST. DEMETRIOS Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH UNION, NJ 908-964-7957 www.stdgocunion.org A Message from Father George: Beloved Family of St. Demetrios G.O. Church, November, it seems, is not unlike the house of Mary and Martha. Martha was indeed attentive to the details but it was Mary who knew the one thing that was needful when she sat at the feet of the Lord in order to hear His voice and gaze into His compassionate eyes. The Church exists to bring us into communion with God and each other. Holidays, like Thanksgiving, are no different as they are opportunities for communion with each other. Yet many times we are so excited about the prospect of meeting one another that we forget to stop and actually meet. That is, we come to a Thanksgiving meal and forget to offer thanksgiving. The first time the early pilgrims gathered for a day of thanksgiving it was a celebration of life and gratitude for the pilgrims; they came together to give witness to God s grace. The pilgrims expression of life and gratitude found in Thanksgiving is central to Orthodoxy. The earliest and most distinctive expression of Christian worship is the Holy Eucharist. In Greek, Eucharist means literally, thanksgiving, and hence is the ultimate expression of thanksgiving by God s people. As we gather at our Thanksgiving tables in remembrance of the first day of thanksgiving offered by the Pilgrims, let us also be reminded of the blessings that God has bestowed upon us and give thanks to Him. Praying that our Heavenly Father continues to bless all of you with every perfect gift from above during this Thanksgiving Holiday, I remain Fall, 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS Father s Letter 1 President s Letter 3 Philoptochos 5 Greek School 6 Sunday School 7 GOYA 8 PTO 9 Joy/Hope 10 Our Faith 11 From the Saints 13 Charity 14 Photos 15 Ads 19 With Love in Christ, Archimandrite George Nikas Pastor S t. D e m e t r i o s G r e e k O r t h o d o x C h u r c h U n i o n, N J Page 1
Upcoming Events Baptisms John & Kaliopi Koutzoulis Oct. 20 Michael & Eleni Niotis Dec. 16 Weddings Christos Parashakis Dec. 29 Tasia Thomakos Memorials Angeliki Vayas (40d) Oct. 21 V. Rev. Alexander Kile (6m) Dec. 9 Vasilios Marmaras (6m) Dec. 9 Other Important Events General Assembly Meeting Nov. 4 St. Demetrios Great Vespers Oct. 25 St. Demetrios Feast Day Oct. 26 -presided by His Eminence, Metropolitan Evangelos of NJ Pastor President: Vice President: Secretary: Treasurer: Board of Trustees V. Rev. George Nikas Nikos Zavolas Ted Kastis Lucas Loucopoulos Barbara Zois Gary Niec Board Members Michael Santos Vasilios Tsakiridis John Agriantonis, Tom Pelardis, Irene Melachrinos, Demetrios Papadopoulos, Manny Kontos, Tasia Lappas, Michael Drivas, Antonios Drivas, George Mastorou, Kostas Vasilopoulos, Steve Zourzoukis To contribute pictures, articles, ideas, advertisements, etc or to join the committee, please contact any of the members above at: TheHeraldNewsletter@gmail.com. Αγαπητή μου οικογένεια του Αγίου Δημητρίου, Ο Νοέμβριος είναι ένας μήνας που μας θυμίζει το σπίτι της Μαρίας και της Μάρθας. Η Μάρθα έδινε μεγάλη σημασία στις λεπτομέρειες, η Μαρία όμως ήταν εκείνη που ήξερε ότι μεγαλύτερη σημασία έχει το να κάθετε και να κοιτάζει τα μάτια Του Κυρίου της και να ακούει τη φωνή Του. Η εκκλησία υπάρχει για να επικοινωνούμε με το Θεό και μεταξύ μας. Οι γιορτές, όπως η μέρα των Ευχαριστιών, μας δίνουν την ευκαρία να συναντηθούμε και να επικοινωνούμε μεταξύ μας. Πολλές φορές είμαστε τόσο χαρούμενοι που θα συνατηθούμε που ξεχνάμε να συναντηθούμε! Καθόμαστε να φάμε στο τραπέζι την Ημέρα των Ευχαριστιών και ξεχνάμε να ευχαριστήσουμε τον Κύριο για όλα τα αγαθά μου μας έχει δώσει. Τη πρώτη φορά που οι πρώτοι Ευρωπαίοι μετανάστες συγκεντρώθηκαν στο τραπέζι την Ημέρα των Ευχαριστιών, ήταν για αυτούς γιορτή ζωής και ευχαριστίας, να ευχαριστήσουν τον Θεό. Η γιορτή ευχαριστίας είναι το κεντρικό νόημα της Ορθoδόξου πίστεώς μας. Είναι η Θεία Ευχαρηστία, ευχαριστούμε το Θεό. Καθώς λοιπόν φέτος καθόμαστε στο τραπέζι ας θυμηθούμε ότι όλα αυτά τα αγαθά μας τα έχει δωσει ο Κύριος και να Τον ευχαριστήσουμε. Εύχομαι ο Ουράνιος Πατέρας μας να σας δίνει υγεία, και όλα τα πνευματικά αγαθά, καθόλη αυτή τη περίοδο των Γιορτών. Mε αγάπη εν Χριστώ Αρχιμανδρίτης Γεώργιος Νίκας Ιερατικώς Προϊστάμενος S t. D e m e t r i o s G r e e k O r t h o d o x C h u r c h U n i o n, N J Page 2
President s Letter Οι πέντε πρώτοι μήνες Δεν ξέρω πραγματικά από πού να αρχίσω Οι πρώτοι Οκτώ μήνες, μας φάνηκαν οι μεγαλύτεροι μήνες στην Ιστορία της κοινότητας μας. Όλα συμβήκανε τόσο ξαφνικά, από λεπτό σε λεπτό κι από δευτερόλεπτο σε δευτερόλεπτο. Αλλά η κοινότητα δεν λύγησε, μέρα με την μέρα ενώ πολλαπλασιαζόντουσαν τα προβλήματα, αντί να μας απογοητεύσουν, μας έφερναν πιο κοντά τον ένα με τον άλλον, κι ότι δεν μας σκότωνε μας έκανε πιο δυνατούς, γινόμασταν μια οικογένεια, γινόμασταν μια πραγματική κοινότητα. Αγωνιστήκαμε όλοι μας, η Φιλόπτωχος ήταν πάντα δίπλα μας και πάντα στήριγμα μας όχι μόνο οικονομικά, αλλά και ηθικά Το ΠΤΟ προσέφερε επιπλέον μεγάλη βοήθεια και στο ελληνικό σχολείο και η Goya μας συγκίνησε με την προσπάθεια της. Ο νεοσύστατος οργανισμός του Joy & Hope μας έφερε περισσότερο χρώμα, περισσότερη ελπίδα στη κοινότητα μας. Καλωσορίζουμε τον Πατήρ Γεώργιο Νίκα στην ενορία μας και του ευχόμεθα καλή τύχη! Σαν Πρόεδρος του εκκλησιαστικού συμβουλίου, θα στηρίξω τον Πατήρ Γεώργιο σε αυτήν την αποστολή που αρχίζει στον αγαπημένο μας Άγιο Δημήτριο. Από όποια κοινότητα κι αν πέρασε, άφησε τη σφραγίδα του με το έργο του, την εργατικότητα του και την οργάνωση του. Επίσης με την πρώτη επαφή που είχα μαζί του, κατάλαβα ότι αποκτήσαμε έναν Ιερέα, του παρόντος και του μέλλοντος. Μέσα Σεπτεμβρίου, νέα χορωδία μας υπό την εποπτεία του Μαέστρου μας Γεωργίου Χαρτοφίλη άρχισε τις πρόβες της και στις 21 η Σεπτεμβρίου έκανε την πρεμιέρα της, προκαλώντας συγκίνηση και νοσταλγία. Στο ελληνικό σχολείο προσετέθητε μια ακόμη τάξη στο προ νηπιαγωγείο για παιδιά 4-5 χρόνων. Το Φθινόπωρο θα συνεχίσει η συνεργασία μας με to Greek Institute of Arts παρουσιάζοντας πολιτιστικές εκδηλώσεις δια την ψυχαγωγία και την εκπαίδευση των μελών μας κι όχι μόνο. Η ορχήστρα FANTASIA, θα συνεχίσει την συνεργασία της με την κοινότητα μας για ακόμη πιο επιτυχημένες βραδιές. Εύχομαι σε όλους, καλό Χειμώνα. Νίκος Ζαβόλας Πρόεδρος του συμβουλίου της ενορίας, Αγίου Δημητρίου,Union, NJ S t. D e m e t r i o s G r e e k O r t h o d o x C h u r c h U n i o n, N J Page 3
My first five months Where do I begin? My first five months as Parish Council President, felt like the longest months in the history of our community; everything was happening at an alarming rate from minute to minute, or should I say from second to second? However, while our problems kept mounting every day, our community never gave up. Instead of driving us apart, the problems brought us closer together than ever before, just like the proverbial that which does not kill us makes us stronger. Indeed, our community became a close-knit family, a real community. We struggled together and we succeeded. Our Philoptochos was and continues to stand by our side, giving us financial and moral support. Our Greek School is expanding its program by offering a new Pre-K class in September. Our PTO gave to our Greek School even greater support this year. Our GOYA moved us all with its effort and determination. Our newly established Joy and Hope renew our faith and hope to our community. We welcome our new Priest Father George and we wish him good luck in our Community. In all his previous experiences as a priest, he has left a positive stamp with his mission. His organizational skills, hard work made a difference in each community. As President of the Parish Council, I will give Father George all my support as he begins his new mission in our beloved Saint Demetrios. From our first meeting, I knew we have the priest who we were missing, for today and the future. The new choir, led by Maestro George Chartofilis, has been singing in our church from the end of September filling our church with emotions and nostalgia. Come fall, our community will be working with the Greek Institute of Arts in hosting a variety of cultural events aimed at educating as well as entertaining not just our St. Demetrios members, but the Greek community in general. And lastly, the Greek band Fantasia will continue to work with our community by offering us more wonderful evenings, similar to the one we enjoyed last spring. Nikos Zavolas President of Parish Council, Saint Demetrios, Union, NJ Please consider donating to the Herald to help pay for the publishing and mailing costs. See Nikos Zavolas, Tony Drivas or Stefan Petses for more information on how you can help. S t. D e m e t r i o s G r e e k O r t h o d o x C h u r c h U n i o n, N J Page 4
Philoptochos Adelphotis St Irene of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church Dear members and friends of St Demetrios,Union,NJ, On behalf of the Philoptochos "St Irene", I would like to thank all of you for your love, support, help, generosity and participation! Because of all these we had another successful ecclesiastical year. THANK YOU!!!!!! I would especially like to thank all the wonderful hard working women of the Board: the Angela Vayas (memory eternal), Maria Mastorou, Maria Konstas, Georgia Soro, Kalliopi Koufomihalis, Argyro Loucopoulos, Zoe Drivas, Azouletta Greberis, Angela Hondros, Maria Kefali, Anna Lambrakopoulos, Eleni Papaioannou and Panorea Vasilopoulos. Dynamite ladies!!! Because of these AKOYRASTES ladies and all of you members and friends, our Philoptochos successfully continuous it's mission helping our Church, Community, the poor, the needy and the sick. God Bless you and your families. Respectfully, Maria Kostas, President S t. D e m e t r i o s G r e e k O r t h o d o x C h u r c h U n i o n, N J Page 5
Greek School News A Sweet Beginning O ur new year started on Monday, September 17, with the school blessing (Agiasmo) by Father George, our new spiritual father. After a short lesson that day, and thanks to our wonderful PTO, our kids were surprised to see an ice cream truck pull into our parking lot! Each class then came out and every student was treated to a frozen treat of their choice. What a wonderful, sweet way to start our new year! THANK YOU PTO! Our Νew Pre-K Class Εδώ Μιλάμε Ελληνικά! (We Speak Greek Here!) In a nutshell, along with the Greek Alphabet and the sound of each letter, our young students will learn new words, which they will use in simple sentences in conversations with the teacher and the other students. Spoken Greek is emphasized throughout. They will also learn to write their name, count in Greek, the colors, animals, fruits, vegetables, foods, parts of the body, the days of the week, the months, the seasons. They will site-read the words that go with pictures. They will even learn about the weather and clothing when dressing the class Weather Bear. What a fun way to learn Greek! Please note that in every issue we will feature a different class E ducation experts agree that the right age to teach children another language is the ages of 3 to 5. That is why our school is offering for the first time ever, a separate Pre-K class to the youngest children of our community. This class is the result of extensive research on the best methods of teaching such a young group by our Pre-K teacher, Mrs. Katerina Drivas and our principal Mrs. Mata Agriantonis. All summer long, both Mrs. Drivas and Mrs. Agriantonis spent many hours looking at the curricula of many successful pre- school foreign language programs, that are offered in the US and in Europe, and devised a unique and comprehensive curriculum for our Pre-K class. Because we designed our curriculum around games, play, movement, stories, and song, all things that preschoolers enjoy, we believe that learning Greek will be a fun and positive experience for our youngsters. Tο Καινούργιο μας Προ-Νηπιαγωγείο Τ ο σχολείο μας είναι πολύ χαρούμενο γιατί φέτος, για πρώτη φορά, λειτουργεί ξεχωριστή τάξη για παιδάκια που δεν πηγαίνουν ακόμη στο Νηπιαγωγείο. Πρίν δημιουργήσουμε αυτή τη τάξη, κάναμε μεγάλη έρευνα πάνω στα καλύτερα συστήματα διδασκαλίας ξένης γλώσσας που υπάρχουν στην Αμερική και στην Ευρώπη. Ως αποτέλεσμα, γράψαμε ένα πολύ μελετημένο αλλά και ταυτόχρονα ευχάριστο πρόγραμμα για παιδάκια ηλικίας 3, 4, και 5 ετών. Σ αυτή τη τάξη τα παιδιά μαθαίνουν Ελληνικά με σύστημα ψυχαγωγικό, που είναι ακριβώς αυτό που εμπνέει αυτή την ηλικία. Με παιχνίδια, τραγουδάκια, και ιστοριούλες, οι μικροί αυτοί μαθητές μας μαθαίνουν εκτός απο την Ελληνική αλφάβητο, και τους αριθμούς, πολλές καινούργιες λέξεις που εν συνεχεία τις χρησιμοποιούν στη συζήτηση. Π.χ. μαθαίνουν τις μέρες τις εβδομάδας, τους μήνες τις εποχές, και ότι έχει να κάνει με τη ζωή τους, όπως την οικογένεια, τα ονόματα των ζώων, φρούτων κλπ.. Μαθαίνουν να γράφουν το όνομά τους και να αναγνωρίζουν τις Ελληνικές λέξεις που φέρουν οι διάφορες εικόνες. Μαθαίνουν ακόμα και για τον καιρό, ντύνοντας το «Αρκουδάκι του Καιρού» με τα κατάλληλα ρούχα! S t. D e m e t r i o s G r e e k O r t h o d o x C h u r c h U n i o n, N J Page 6
SUNDAY SCHOOL Come and see our NEW and IMPROVED Sunday School program! BRING YOUR CHILDREN TO LEARN ABOUT OUR ORTHODOX FAITH! To all Parishioners and Parents, We completed our Sunday school year on June 6 th with our children receiving their promotional certificates along with a keepsake gift. We thank all the parents and families who brought their children to Sunday school this past year. The children continued learning about our faith and having fun doing it. May we remember Fr. Alex in our memories for the short time he was with us at our church. God rest his soul. We welcome Archimandrite George Nikas to our parish with a warm and loving heart along with his spiritual support. During the summer, we prepared for our children to return to class and have broken up the classes by grades to better meet the needs of our beloved children. The lessons will be child friendly and according to the orthodox faith. The lessons the children will be learning are: discussing the Sunday s bible lesson, reading the Children s Bible Stories and Extreme Faith Bible, discussing and learning about upcoming Saint days, the meaning of church holidays throughout the year, Orthodox church traditions, practice to learn by heart, the Lord s Prayer- Our Father who art in heaven. In English and Greek, playing church bingo, crafts and possibly sing some hyms. Your Sunday school teachers are: Preschool 3 rd grade: Sammie Wolz, Katerina Drivas, Demetria Demoleas, Julia Petses, Irene Melachrinos 4 th 6 th grade: Eleni Vayas-Cuty, Katerina Moulinou, Irene Melachrinos, Joanna Stravelakis 7 th 12 th grade: Nicholas Papadopoulos, Stefan Petses, Maria Palivou, Tony Drivas Please complete a student registration form located in the church Narthika or see any Sunday School teacher. Registration cost is $20. per child, $10. for additional child. We are also looking for any new teachers/parents to volunteer and assist us. Please let us know if you can help with our children. We are looking forward to a wonderful school year. We appreciate your faithfulness in regards to bringing your children. There is a lesson to learn every Sunday! Thank you for your support and may God bless you and your families. We hope to see you soon. Sincerely, Nicholas Papadopoulos and the Sunday school teachers Nicholas Papadopoulos nicholaspap@aol.com S t. D e m e t r i o s G r e e k O r t h o d o x C h u r c h U n i o n, N J Page 7
NEWS St. Demetrios Goya ended the 2011-2012 season, by participating in the Olympics which took place at Monmouth University. Our Goyans competed in relays, shot put, softball throw, volleyball and marathon. We are all so proud of them. We would like to congratulate our senior Konstantinos Kostis for his support throughout the years. Konstantinos will be attending Rutgers-Newark. We look forward to a new an excited new season, and would like to welcome and congratulate the following: 2012-2013 Goya Board Members Goya Advisors President: Voula Zaphiros Vice President: Mary Ellen Santana Vice President: Andreas Fanos Secretary: Irene Sarris Asst. Secretary: Stephanos Lappas Maria Sarris Angie Zavolas Anna Munley Popi Emmanouilidis Sofia Malandrenias Kostas Lappas Nikos Zavolas We always welcome new members to our Goya family. Please feel free to email mariasarris@verizon.net for more information about event and membership "Reverend Archimandrite, George Nikas attended Mr. and Ms. GOYA Pageant at the Pines Manor, Edison, New Jersey October 7, 2012 with Miss Union, Mary Ellen Santana. Escorted by Achilleas Vassilarakis. Present with GOYAns and family. S t. D e m e t r i o s G r e e k O r t h o d o x C h u r c h U n i o n, N J Page 8
The St. Demetrios Greek School P.T.O. A parent/teacher organization (PTO) responsible for organizing events on behalf of the Greek School and planning fundraisers throughout the school year. The St. Demetrios PTO will like to welcome back everyone as well as the new students and their families to our Greek School. We have kicked off the year with our Gertrude Hawk Chocolate Fundraiser which will help us with the planning of our 3rd Annual Harvest Ball. The Harvest Ball will take place on Friday, October 19th from 6:30pm to 10:30pm in the gym. We hope everyone attends as well as friends and other family. On Sunday, November 18th, we will hold our bake sale after church. We also will like to plan a Mom's Night Out and a Dad's Night Out before the holidays, so stay tune to the latest developments. The PTO is looking forward to a great year and working with everyone. Thank you! PTO BOARD President: Stella Malouhos Vice President: Voula Kartsonas Treasurer: Maria Pelardis Secretary: Fotini Mazis S t. D e m e t r i o s G r e e k O r t h o d o x C h u r c h U n i o n, N J Page 9
& The words hope and joy by definition mean a confident expectation and a happy state. Our children bring us hope and joy and so does our faith. How can we help our children learn more about our Orthodox Christian Faith and traditions? Through the JOY and HOPE Youth Ministries. These are fellowship programs for children from kindergarten through 6th grade. They will complement other children's programs at the church such as Sunday school and Greek school. The JOY/HOPE program held its first event before Easter. The children together with their parents created their own Easter lambada by decorating the Easter candle with lovely ribbons, beautiful butterflies, various sports and Easter themes. The children learned about the symbolism and meaning of the lambada. We also had fun making an Easter pencil craft and we enjoyed snacks and refreshments together. In addition, the group made Easter lambades that were sold during Holy Week and we were able to make a small donation to the St. Demetrios Greek School. The JOY/HOPE program will begin on November 16 th and be held every third Friday of the month from 5:30-7:30bpm. Hope to see you there! If you would like to join the JOY/HOPE email distribution list please contact Julia Petses at joyhopestdunion@gmail.com. S t. D e m e t r i o s G r e e k O r t h o d o x C h u r c h U n i o n, N J Page 10
Our Orthodox Faith With fear of God, with faith and with love, draw near. I have often been asked the question, How frequently should we receive Holy Communion? I hope that I may shed some light on this burning issue of our congregants with the anticipation that it will be to everyone s spiritual edification. Of course, I welcome all who have a special circumstance or issue to please see me in private for further discussion and clarification as well as for any further spiritual guidance on this vital Sacrament of our Holy Orthodox Church. In ancient times, after the clergy received Holy Communion, the laity entered the Holy Altar and also received it, in the same manner as the priests, that is, the Holy Body and Precious Blood separately. As the centuries passed, this custom came into disuse and the laity received Holy Communion together, in the Chalice. When the priest would address the faithful with the words, With fear of God, with faith and with love, draw near, he was signaling an invitation to those gathered to come forth and approach the awesome mysteries of our Lord. At one time in our Church s history, everyone in the church would respond to the invitation and partake of Holy Communion. Sadly, as the years passed, our faith cooled, morals weakened, and Christians did not receive Holy Communion as before, but only two or three times a year. It should be noted that celebrating the Divine Liturgy without anyone receiving Holy Communion is an offense and an insult to Him who prepared the Table and invited Christians to draw near! Indeed, the 9th Canon of the Apostolic Canons which dates from the 4th Century states, All of the faithful who come in and hear the Scriptures, but do not stay for the prayers and for Holy Communion, are to be excommunicated Many feel that they should receive Holy Communion only a few times a year, believing that they are not worthy to receive more often, and then only after rigid fasting for a lengthy period of time. To receive Communion more frequently is far better, for the nearer a person comes to the light, the more light he gets. The closer he draws to the fire, the warmer he is. The nearer he approaches sanctity, the more saintly he becomes. If we are worthy to receive Holy Communion two or three times a year, then we are worthy of receiving it more often, as St. John Chrysostom tells us, by maintaining our own earlier preparation and worthiness. If the Church Fathers interpreted our Lord s teachings and commandments in such a way that we should only receive the very Body and Blood of our Savior Jesus Christ only a few times a year, then the Priest would only exclaim the invitational words only a few times a year, and not at every Divine Liturgy. Just as we must eat at least two or three times a day for the material body to live, must our unfortunate soul only eat three times a year, or even less, the food that gives it life in order to live the spiritual life? S t. D e m e t r i o s G r e e k O r t h o d o x C h u r c h U n i o n, N J Page 11
We should receive Holy Communion with fear of God and with faith, and proper preparation through contrite confession, genuine fasting and ceaseless prayer. We should also receive the Body and Blood of Christ with love, the noblest of all feelings. Love should reign in our souls during the Eucharist, love which can repeat the words of Christ and say: Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. Unfortunately, most people do not receive the Eucharist with love, but rather become disturbed with thoughts of prejudice and judgment, even as they approach the heavenly fire. It is thus fair to say that people without the fear of God, without faith in the Mystery, and without love for their neighbors, are unworthy to receive Holy Communion. Finally, we need to realize in faith that when we receive Holy Communion we are being united with Christ, He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in Me and I in him. (John 6:56) Communion is not a custom, a tradition or just a nice religious practice. For we receive worthily (by the grace of God) when we respond reverently, faithfully and in good conscience to the Lord s invitation to be united with Him and His Church in the Sacrament. Holy Communion is a foretaste of heaven, of the eternal Paradise and Kingdom of God that all of us must ceaselessly pray to be made worthy to enter. I conclude with the words of St. Ambrose of Milan, Receive daily what profits you daily. So live, that each day you may be worthy to receive the Holy Mysteries; he who is not worthy to receive each day is not worthy to receive after a year. He that has a sickness needs medication. It is a sickness that we are subject to sin. The medicine is the heavenly and venerable Sacrament. And the Venerable John Cassian the Roman, We must not avoid Communion because we deem ourselves to be sinful. We must approach it more often for the healing of the soul and the purification of the spirit, but with such humility and faith that considering ourselves unworthy it is much better if, in humility of heart, we receive Holy Communion every Sunday rather than, blinded by pride, think that after one year we become worthy to receive. Archimandrite George Nikas Pastor The divine Apostle loudly proclaims that man created in the image of God is to be a body of Christ and a temple. Standing, therefore, far above all sensible creation and having attained to a heavenly dignity by virtue of the saving Passion, by eating and drinking Christ as a source of life, he readjusts both his eternal soul and his body and by partaking of the divine Grace he is continually sanctified S t. D e m e t r i o s G r e e k O r t h o d o x C h u r c h U n i o n, N J Page 12
The Journey Towards Love 'These things I command you, that you love one another.' - Jesus Christ "Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; It is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; It is not irritable or resentful; It does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; But when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." -1 Cor 13:4-8 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets." -Matt 22:36-40 "Remember this, my dear brothers: be quick to listen but slow to speak and slow to rouse your temper; God's righteousness is never served by man's anger; so do away with all the impurities and bad habits that are still left in you accept and submit to the Word which has been planted in you and can save your souls. But you must do what the Word tells you, and not just listen to it and deceive yourselves. To listen to the Word and not obey is like looking at your own features in a mirror and then, after a quick look, going off and immediately forgetting what you looked like. But the man who looks steadily at the perfect law of freedom and makes that his habit not listening and then forgetting, but actively putting it into practice will be happy in all that he does. Nobody must imagine that he is religious while he still goes on deceiving himself and not keeping control over his tongue; anyone who does this has the wrong idea of religion. Pure, unspoilt religion, in the eyes of God our Father is this: coming to the help of orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world." -James 1:19-27 Remember, never to fear the power of evil more than your trust in the power and love of God. - Hermas, one of the Seventy sent out by Christ "All of us who are human beings are in the image of God. But to be in his likeness belongs only to those who by great love have attached their freedom to God." - St. Diadochus of Photike One day, while St. Antony was sitting with a certain Abba, a virgin came up and said to the Elder: 'Abba, I fast six days of the week and I repeat by heart portions of the Old and New Testament daily.' To which the Elder replied: 'Does poverty mean the same to you as abundance?' 'No', she answered. 'Or dishonour the same as praise?' 'No, Abba.' 'Are your enemies the same for you as your friends?' 'No', she replied. At that the wise Elder said to her: 'Go, get to work, you have accomplished nothing.' - St. Peter of Damaskos If you wish to be saved, seek no other thing here in this world as much as love. - St Kosmas Aitolos A true Christian is made by faith and love toward Christ. Our sins do not in the least hinder our Christianity, according to the word of the Saviour Himself. He deigned to say: not the righteous have I come to call, but sinners to salvation; there is more joy in heaven over one who repents then over ninety righteous ones. Likewise concerning the sinful woman who touched His feet, He deigned to say to the Pharisee Simon: to one who has love, a great debt is forgiven, but from one who has no love, even a small debt will be demanded. From these judgments a Christian should bring himself to hope and joy, and not in the least accept an inflicted despair. Here one needs the shield of faith. Sin, to one who loves God, is nothing other than an arrow from the enemy in battle. The true Christian is a warrior fighting his way through the regiments of the unseen enemy to his heavenly homeland. According to the word of the Apostles, our homeland is in heaven; and about the warrior he says: our warfare is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers of wickedness under heaven (Ephesians 6:12) -St. Herman of Alaska He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. - St. John S t. D e m e t r i o s G r e e k O r t h o d o x C h u r c h U n i o n, N J Page 13
2012 Beautification Project For the 2012 year, the Beautification and Renovation Committee has been devoted to renovating and updating the restrooms in the Church. We are currently asking for donations to complete this very important project, both in terms of labor, supplies, and money. So far, many have pledged to contribute and the fund has grown, but we still require more to complete this endeavor. Thank you to all who have generously given to this important project for our Church. Please contact Nikos Zavolas or Katerina Drivas to learn how you can help! The Tree of Life Emulating the Tree of Life from the Garden of Eden, our community has built a Tree of Life in the Narthex of our Church to commemorate and memorialize the occasions of our loved ones and to remember them who have passed into eternal life. The proceeds from the Tree of Life go directly into paying for the energy costs of the Church, thereby allowing us to continue to preach the Word of Salvation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in this holy building where He lives and blesses us all. Please order an engraved leaf so that we may add your loved one s name in commemoration. What greater way to honor and commemorate those whom you love than to charitably give in their name. For order forms, please stop by the office. ALMSGIVING Send your treasures to the heavenly storage room. Deposit your wealth in God s Bank, distributing it to the poor, the orphans and the widows, so that you can receive a million times more in the Second coming of Christ Elder Joseph the Hesychast Ladies Philoptochos Society of St. Irene International Orthodox Christian Charities (410) 243-9820 www.iocc.org Orthodox Christian Mission Center (877) 463-6784 www.ocmc.org Our thoughts and prayers go to all our parishioners, friends and family who are sick, and for those in hospitals and in nursing homes. The words of the [Lord's] Prayer bring the cure of the disease which is in the soul. For He prays as if His soul were immersed in pain, saying. Your Will be done. Now the will of God is the salvation of men. -St. Gregory of Nyssa S t. D e m e t r i o s G r e e k O r t h o d o x C h u r c h U n i o n, N J Page 14
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2012 Stewardship Drive ARE YOUR PARISH FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS CURRENT? This Church is open because of the support of the members here who donate their time, energy, skill and money to keep this parish alive and the doors of the Church open to all who come and worship God and partake in the Holy Mysteries. This is the work of Holy Spirit. And so, the lights stay on, the building is kept warm, and the altar kept clean by the stewardship donations of those who are its members. This parish does not exist unless we take our responsibilities as stewards seriously and give our appropriate attention, be it in time or money. The Lord has not given us talents to hide, but to use towards His greater glory. By doing so, He will reward us with even greater treasures, ones which are eternal and divine. This is the promise of the Lord whom we glorify and why there is a Church. In these financially difficult times, it is understandable that a person cannot give monetarily an amount they wish they could give, either in charity or stewardship. Everyone understands this. That is why there is no set amount to give in a stewardship, and why we allow rather God instead to touch the hearts of the faithful to give what they can. Please visit or mail the office and fulfill your obligation as a servant and steward of Christ. The future of our community and the strength of its mission and purpose require all of us to give. The TerpsiXorians The TerpsiXorians, Hellenic Dance Group of New Jersey is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the Greek traditions & customs. It is made up of individuals 13 years of age and older (high school, college, adults) from different communities of New Jersey. Lessons/practices take place weekly at St. Demetrios on Sundays. The group was founded and directed by Angelo D. Gergatsoulis in 1994. This group performs all Greek dance levels, but focuses on advanced dances and also adds some choreography to their programs. The group has appeared in several magazines & newspapers and has placed 1 st the two times it has participated in the Folk Dance Festival. The Group performs for different functions, such as weddings, festivals, dinner dances, and charity events- fund raisers. The group also performs at the ST. Demetrios Greek Festival annually. St. Demetrios has been proving dance lessons for the youth for many years. The St. Demetrios Union dance group is for younger children ages 5-12, from the St. Demetrios community. Lessons/practices take place weekly at St. Demetrios on Sundays. This group focuses on the basic steps and dances of Greece, as to build a solid foundation for all dancers. Some of the dances that we focus on are: Hasaposerviko, Kalamatiano, Syrto, Karagouna. Once the steps have been learned we move on to intermediate dances and steps. This church group performs annually at the St. Demetrios Greek Festival and other Greek school functions. Contact: 201-952-5501 or hellenicdancer@aol.com S t. D e m e t r i o s G r e e k O r t h o d o x C h u r c h U n i o n, N J Page 18
908-233-0052 917-833-9120 908-233-0052 917-833-9120 908-688-8060 www.spconstructionandson.com michaelmortgage.com 908-665-0211 Please support our sponsors who have graciously donated to make The Herald possible. For anyone interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact Nikos Zavolas or email us at: TheHeraldNewsletter@gmail.com Future sponsorships will allow us to expand and improve upon this publication. Again, Thank You! S t. D e m e t r i o s G r e e k O r t h o d o x C h u r c h U n i o n, N J Page 19
Come, join and celebrate!!! On Sunday October 28 th, come and join in the festivities as our Greek School students perform in our celebration of four important events in the life of our community! + St Demetrios Feast Day + 84th Anniversary of our Parish + OXI Day + Honor our past President John Agriantonis with dance performances by The TerpsiXorians! Dinner and wine to be served Adults $20 All children and youth under 18 free (available children s menu) ================================================================================================================= ST. DEMETRIOS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH S t. D e m e t r i o s G r e e k O r t h o d o x C h u r c h U n i o n, N J Page 20