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CHURCH SERVICES:
Sunday Orthros (Matins) 9:00am
Divine Liturgy 10:00am
Sunday School after Holy Communion
Weekday Holy Days:
Orthros and Divine Liturgy 8:00am
COUNCIL OFFICERS:
Kiki Tarasidis, President: 288-2921
Maher Hanna,Vice-President: 547-0058
Carl Colozzi; Treasurer 644-0615
Theodora Vaporis; Secretary 584-6020
Board Members:
Stephen Anton, Mary Ann Contogiannis,
Dimitrios Efstathiou,Eleni Harrison,
Eddie Merrell, Doris Zaharias COMMITTEES:
Committee heads are denoted by an asterisk (*) Stewardship - Maher Hanna*, Doris Zaharias &
Eleni Harrison
Maintenance - Doris Zaharias*, Stephen Anton,
George Palamaris & Jimmy Sipsis
Religious Education and Youth - Fr. Dionysios*,
Kiki Tarasidis, Dimitrios Efstathiou &
Mary Ann Contogiannis
By-Laws - Theodora Vaporis*, Kiki Tarasidis &
Fr. Dionysios
Foundation - Theodora Vaporis*, Scott Graham
Fellowship & Community Events - Kiki Tarasidis*,
Eleni Harrison & Eddie Merrell
Welcoming, Transportation & Newcomers -
Dimitrios Efstathiou* & Doris Zaharias
Volunteer Coordinator - Maher Hanna*,
Mary Ann Contogiannis & Eleni Harrison
Philanthropy, Charity & Community - Kiki Tarasidis*,
Doris Zaharias & Eddie Merrell
Hall Rental - Matthew Pappas
Festival - Stephen Anton*, Eddie Merrell* &
Matthew Pappas*
Liaisons for other groups in our church community:
Ahepa/Daughters - Dimitrios Efstathiou
Philoptochos - Mary Ann Contogiannis
GOYA - Theodora Vaporis
WELCOME
The parish of Dormition of the Theotokos
Greek Orthodox Church would like to
extend a hearty welcome to the following
families who have joined our parish
family within the last year:
Ana-Loredana Baltatescu;
Tony & Raegan Bulugaris & Family;
Helen Hudak;
Maxima Kolitwenzew & children Alexander,
Ivan, Mikhail & Marina;
Gina Mastan;
Sonja Topalovic Marinkovic;
Kidist Minalu & children Tewodros,
Emniel, Nahom, Robel, & Betselot Tessema;
Anya Pacyga;
Tom Pappas;
Frank and Ellen Scaturchio & children
Pat and Anastasia;
Levan & Anne Seperteldadze & their
daughter Natalie;
Seble Tatek & children Helen &
Thomas Solomon,
Lula Tsaros;
and Igor Mihailovich Zheleznyakov
& his mother, Nina Nikolaevna Bogolubova
FESTIVAL BAKING DATES FOR FEBRUARY & MARCH
It's time to schedule baking for the 2008 festival.
Monday & Tuesday February 4 & 5 - Baklava, 9am-1pm
Tuesday February 12 - Koulourakia, begins at 8:30am
Monday & Tuesday February 18 & 19 - Kourambiethes, begins at 8:30am
Monday & Tuesday February 25 & 26 - Baklava, 9am-1pm
Monday & Tuesday March 10 & 11 - Spanakopita, 9am-1pm
Monday & Tuesday March 17 & 18 - Spanakopita, 9am-1pm
GOYA is sponsoring a blood drive on February 23rd from 10am-2:30pm
PHILOPTOCHOS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
The Philoptochos Society is pleased to announce the continuation of our two scholarship programs. The scholarships are for dependant children of Dormition of the Theotokos parishioners who are in good standing. The Philoptochos Society Scholarship is based on academic achievement and is awarded to a high school senior who will graduate in May/June 2008 and who has been accepted into a university/college, junior college, or vocational/trade school for fall 2008. The Pete Harris Scholarship is a financial scholarship that is awarded based on need to a high school graduate who will be a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior at a university/college, junior college, or vocational/trade school next fall. Students may apply for both scholarships, however, if the student is a finalist for both, the student may accept only one of the two scholarships. These scholarships will be awarded at The Philoptochos Scholarship Luncheon, honoring all of our graduating seniors, scheduled for Sunday, May 18, 2008.
If you are interested in applying for one or both of these scholarships or would like more information, please contact Cecelia Antahades (704-619-2372 cell), Thalia Bundros (294-1592), Athena Constantinou (292-0368), Helen Peterson (632-1816), Effie Varitimidis (299-4093), or Georgette Galloway (545-8601). The Scholarship Committee MUST receive completed applications along with all the required supplemental letters and transcripts on or before NOON, SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 2008.
NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE DEADLINE NO EXCEPTIONS.
Apokreatiko Glendi 2008 Saturday, March 1, 2008
Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church, Greensboro
Fellowship Hall
Dinner, Dancing & Surprises
7:00pm
Adults $20
Students/Children $10.00
Wear your favorite mask or costume
For more information & tickets call
292-8013
Don't miss this event!
Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church General Assembly Sunday, February 24, 2008 Lunch and Meeting Following the Divine Liturgy Please make every effort to attend
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Father's Challenge Singing is a very essential part of our worship of God and needs to be a part of every parish. God loves singing, and loves to hear us sing praises to Him. Singing, whether a cappella (without instruments), or accompanied with instruments, has ALWAYS been an important part of the worship of God. Singing in worship of God existed in eternity before the world was created. God created music and singing before He created the world. That is how important music and singing is to God.
Music is not a human invention. God reminds us, "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Who determined its measurements - surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?" Job 38: 4-7
In addition, we know that God also sings and expresses joy with songs like we do. We were made in the image of God with the ability to sing and enjoy music. In the Holy Bible we find that God sings songs of joy about us! "The LORD your God in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." Zephaniah 3:17 God tells us also that singing will be an important part of worshiping Him in Heaven when we are all gathered around the Him at the Throne. "And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire: and those who had conquered the beast and its image, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are your ways, O King of saints." Revelation 15:2-3
Singing has had a significant place in the worship of God for thousands of years. There were temple musicians and singers a number of years before the first kings of Israel. Those musicians and singers had a full time ministry in the Temple singing and worshiping God day and night. "And these are the singers, chief of the fathers of the Levites, who remaining in the chambers were free: for they were employed in that work day and night." 1 Chronicles 9:33 It is important to understand that the emphasis in the Bible is on singing rather than on listening to music. God instructs us five times in the Bible to sing a new song to Him. Consider this passage, "O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. 2 Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; show forth his salvation from day to day." Psalm 96:1
Singing was also an important part of the church in New Testament times. Jesus sang and left us an example that we should also sing. "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives." Matthew 26:30. Another example of singing is Paul and Silas. They sang in prison at midnight. "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them." Acts 16:25
We find throughout the New Testament that God's desire is that everyone in His church believe the same thing. Singing is one way that everyone "with one mind and one mouth" can glorify God together in unity. When we sing, everyone is singing to the Lord with the same words, and we are agreeing together that what we are singing is what we believe about Him. There is a beauty about the oneness of what we say that is pleasing to God.
Proper singing by the Church is a result of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Singing to the Lord needs to come from our heart. We need to mean what we sing. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." Colossians 3:16. Our singing strengthens the church. Singing in the church should edify, not entertain. Indeed, it has a holy purpose just like a sermon or a Bible lesson. "Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms." James 5:13
I encourage everyone to join in with me, the chanters and the choir and add your voices to our worship of God. Filling the church with your individual voices will truly glorify Our Lord. Yours in Christ, Fr. Dionysios
President's Message
The past year, 2007, was a rewarding year for me being able to serve our church as President of the Parish Council. I am honored to serve for another year. Thank you to everyone for your support, encouragement and guidance.
Our Parish Council met for the first meeting on January 21st. Our Council is made up of 10 unique and dedicated individuals. We will work together to strengthen our church. I encourage you to continue to support our Council and work with us. We hope to have more opportunities to fellowship together and work on projects that will enhance our church and strengthen our relationships.
I encourage you to contact any member of the Parish Council with concerns and suggestions. Further, I ask you to volunteer and be an active parishioner. I am excited about the opportunities that await our church community. Again, I thank you for allowing me to be one of our leaders. Kiki Tarasidis
PARISH COUNCIL NEWS
The Parish Council met for the monthly meeting on January 21, 2008. Welcomed were the two newest members, Doris Zaharias and Mary Ann Contogiannis.
1. Elections were completed and the officers elected for 2008 are as follows: Kiki Tarasidis, President; Maher Hanna, Vice-President; Carl Colozzi, Treasurer; Theodora Vaporis, Secretary
2. Much of the meeting was spent establishing the various committee chairs and members. All parish council members are responsible to chair at least one committee and to sit on other committees. Parishioners also are encouraged to sit on committees. We established the following committees, the head of which is denoted by an asterisk (*): Stewardship - Maher Hanna*, Doris Zaharias, Eleni Harrison; Maintenance - Doris Zaharias*, Stephen Anton, George Palamaris & Jimmy Sipsis; Religious Education and Youth - Fr. Dionysios*, Kiki Tarasidis, Dimitrios Efstathiou and Mary Ann Contogiannis; By-Laws - Theodora Vaporis*, Kiki Tarasidis, Fr. Dionysios; Foundation - Theodora Vaporis*, Scott Graham; Fellowship & Community Events - Kiki Tarasidis*, Eleni Harrison, Eddie Merrell; Welcoming, Transportation & Newcomers - Dimitrios Efstathiou* and Doris Zaharias;
Volunteer Coordinator - Maher Hanna*, Mary Ann Contogiannis and Eleni Harrison; Philanthropy, Charity & Community - Kiki Tarasidis*, Doris Zaharias and Eddie Merrell; Hall Rental - Matthew Pappas; Festival - Stephen Anton*, Eddie Merrell* and Matthew Pappas*
3. Liaisons for other groups in our church community are as follows: Ahepa/Daughters - Dimitrios Efstathiou; Philoptochos - Mary Ann Contogiannis; GOYA - Theodora Vaporis
4. It was announced that Helen Peterson had made a donation to begin the process of collecting monies to start a foundation at our church. We would like to thank Ms. Peterson for her kind effort and contribution, If others would like to contribute to this, we may be able to establish a foundation in the future. By donating the distribution from her IRA, Ms. Peterson advises us that she was able to both take a charitable deduction on her income tax return and avoid the tax on the distribution.
5. We are in critical need of a new computer in the church office. If anyone is in the position to donate the $1,000.00 necessary to purchase this computer, please contact Fr. Dionysios or a member of the Parish Council.
6. We discussed the need for organizations that use the Parish Hall for events to supply their own paper, foil, saran wrap etc. The church is not responsible for supplying these items to various groups and clubs and we would appreciate everyone's cooperation in this regard.
7. We addressed the issue of the light fixtures in the church sanctuary. The Maintenance Committee is working with an electrician to replace those fixtures since most likely the bulbs cannot be replaced. We apologize for the dim appearance and appreciate everyone's patience.
8. An update on the renovation by the Ragsdale family was given by Fr. Dionysios.
Fr. announced that a group of 250 high school aged children with Operation Understanding 2008 Youth Interfaith Tour would be touring the church.
An awning between the Church and the Parish Hall was discussed.
The dates for General Assembly were announced as February 24th and November 2nd.
Submitted by Theodora Vaporis
January 20, 2008 RE: Clean up of Kitchen/Fellowship Hall following Group Function Happy New Year. In an effort to keep our kitchen, coolers and freezers clean we are asking all organizations to help by removing and disposing of all food items following their use of the kitchen and Fellowship Hall.
Any unopened, non-perishable food items may be left in the kitchen in the appropriate area. All opened perishable food items must be removed and disposed of following each event.
All kitchen surfaces should be cleaned and all utensils placed in the appropriate shelves and drawers.
Thank you to everyone for keeping our kitchen and Fellowship Hall clean. Sincerely, Parish Council
STEWARDSHIP We would like to announce that we here at the Dormition have are well on our way in setting up a Foundation. Thanks to the generous help and donations from a life-long supporter of our Church. Now that we have this vehicle, we can secure the legacy of our Church. Like any vehicle, no matter how impressive, you need to supply it with the necessary amount of fuel to allow it to get you to your destination. This is where we CHALLENGE you! We need to keep adding funds to get this foundation to its destination. This charitable donation can come from insurance policies, or from retirement accounts, or any type of account. There are tax benefits to these types of charitable contributions. If you are taking Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from your Individual Retirement Account (IRA), you can contribute those distributions into our charitable foundation to take advantage of the tax benefits. It is a win-win situation for those who are fortunate enough to take advantage of these opportunities.
I hope that everyone who reads this will share these ideas with their friends and families. Then bring-up these topics with your Financial Advisor, Accountant and/or Attorney to see how you, too, can take advantage of this new opportunity. Yours in Christ,
Stewardship Committee 2008 Stewardship Signed Pledges as of January 20, 2008
Alexiou, Marina; Andrews, Ted; Bishara, Jacob & Shannon; Blavos, Sylvia; Bouras, John & Peggy; Colozzi, Carl & Maria; Contogiannis, Marry Ann; Efstathiou, Dimitrios & Konstantina; Ganim, Michael & Afaf; Hanna, Aziz & Violet; Hanna, Maher; Harrison, Eleni; Hatzisavvas, Diogenes & Cindy; Katsikas, Mary; Kattan, Nihad & Sana; Kattan, Niveen; Kazazes, Anne; Kontoulas, Dimitrios & Karen; Liinangi, Diana & Martin; Listermann-Vierling, Dionysios & Elena; Miller, Donald & Brenda; Oncea, William & Jennie; Pappas, Edna; Patterson, Vasiliki; Perrou, Dimitrios & Elena; Schermerhorn, Tom & Theodora; Silos, Estelle; Tarasidis, Kirk & Kiki; Touloupas, Zack & Sheila; Triantis, Ted; Tzouvelekas, Mark; Vaporis, Mary; Vaughan, Edgar & Vicki; Vavalides, Philip; Woods, Mary; Zaharias, Doris
AHEPA will have their next meeting on Wednesday, February 13th at 6:00 pm at Mykonos Grille Restaurant (Market Street, Greensboro).
DAUGHTERS OF PENELOPE Ktimene Chapter # 70 celebrates its 70th anniversary on February 12, 2008. The chapter began with 29 charter members. Happy Anniversary!
The next meeting will be on Monday, February 18, 2008 at 5:30pm
at Mykonos Grille. Note time change.
50+ Club will meet on Monday, February 4, at 1pm at Porticello's behind Kohl's in Westridge Square. Call Donna at church to reserve seating.
GOYA is sponsoring a blood drive on February 23rd from 10am-2:30pm
SUNDAY SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Sunday School program wishes to thank Fr. Dionysios for the special "True Meaning of Christmas" Marionette Show that he wrote and performed for us on December 23rd. It was spectacular! He also built the stage(s), and hand-made the marionettes and their costumes. Thanks to Max & Dean, who helped run the technical aspects of the show.
The children who participated in the talent program, and did a GREAT job, were: Sophia & Janse Schermerhorn, Elias & Symeon Efstathiou, and William Colozzi-thank you! Victoria Galloway also pulled "double-duty," as the director of the children's talent show, and as narrator for the marionette show. Tori's voice has matured through many of our Christmas programs, and her singing voice was lovely! She helped to entertain the audience while our "special guest" was on his way ("Ho, Ho, Ho") . . .!
Which brings us to SANTA CLAUS, who came to visit the children before the show. He even had time to stop for pictures, and hand out goodies to each child. Santa also introduced the Marionette show, and encouraged the children to look beyond all the gifts they will receive, and reach for the true meaning of Christmas. Thank you, Santa Claus!
PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS
The Ladies Philoptochos Society would like to thank all of you for making our Vasilopita Luncheon a huge success. We would like to thank the following members who baked a Vasilopita: Toula Chininis, Lula Culler, Soteria Dascalakis, Titsa Dermatas, Dena Kontoulas, Celia Sims, Kiki Tarasidis, Kirk Tarasidis, Kaki Touloupas, and Sotiria Tripp. We would also like to thank those who helped cut the Vasilopita in Church: Thalia Bundros, Lula Culler, Christa Graham and Kiki Tarasidis. We would also like to thank our outstanding chefs who cooked a delicious meal for us: Minas Dascalakis, Demetri Dascalakis, Yianni Varitimidis, Nikki Varitimidis, and Adrianne Varitimidis. Thanks to all parishioners who stayed for the luncheon, donated money in the Church tray for St. Basil's Academy, participated and bought a Vasilopita in our auction. Our auction raised $1,240.00 which will be used to benefit the charitable services of The Ladies Philoptochos Society. Thanks also to those who stayed to clean up afterwards. A special thank you to Celia Sims and Shelia Touloupas for organizing this event and to Zack Touloupas, our very talented auctioneer.
The Ladies Philoptochos will be baking on the following Mondays and Tuesdays. Please mark your calendars: February 4 and 5, 9 am to 1 pm, BAKLAVA; Tuesday, February 12, 8:30 am, KOULOURAKIA; February 18 and 19, 8:30 am, KOURAMBIETHES; February 25 and 26, 9 am to 1 pm, BAKLAVA. Your help is greatly appreciated!
Our next General Meeting will be February 11. Refreshments will be served at 6:45 pm and the business meeting will begin promptly at 7 pm. The Board will meet at 6 pm prior to the General Meeting.
On February 17, in honor of the name day of St. Philothea, a Memorial Service will be held remembering our departed sisters.
Our annual Scholarship Luncheon will be May 18. Ladies Philoptochos and Pete Harris Scholarship applications will be available in February. Please contact Thalia Bundros if you have any questions or if you have a graduating Senior and are interested in an application. The following high school students will be graduating: Eleni Contogiannis, Jessica Dolianitis, Elizabeth Touloupas, and John Touloupas. If you are aware of other graduating seniors, please let the committee know as soon as possible.
On March 2 we will host a Hot Dog Luncheon featuring Zack's Hot Dogs. All proceeds will benefit our St. Stephen's Camp Scholarship fund.
Please continue to bring items for our Year Round Food Bank. Your donations help those less fortunate throughout the year.
Dates are always available to host the Sunday Coffee Hour and to donate flowers to the altar. Check the sign-up sheets that are posted in the Church Hall.
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