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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, Dr. 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, Dr. Mary Ann Contogiannis, Craig Corey, Maria Pradetto, Minerva Ross,
Sheila Touloupas, Barbara Vaughan & Vicki Vaughan
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*, Dr. Mary Ann Contogiannis & Eleni Harrison
Philanthropy, Charity & Community – Kiki Tarasidis*, Doris Zaharias & Eddie Merrell
Hall Rental – Matthew Pappas
Festival – Stephen Anton*, Eddie Merrell* and Matthew Pappas*
Choir – Kevin Lawrence Liaisons for other groups in our church community:
Ahepa/Daughters – Dimitrios Efstathiou
Philoptochos – Dr. Mary Ann Contogiannis
GOYA – Theodora Vaporis
Congratulations
Adrianne Varitimidis is a member of the Greensboro Youth Soccer 93 Twisters Green Team/Europe Team. The team is going to Gothenburg, Sweden for the Gothia World Youth Cup in July. Gothia Cup is the most well known youth soccer tournament in the world and most international tournament in the world hosting 1600 boys and girls teams. The mission of the tournament is to create a meeting place for young people from different cultures, with soccer being the common denominator. Adrianne will train with a team in Copenhagen, Denmark prior to the tournament and then attend Opening Ceremonies (Olympic Style) in Sweden at the Ullevi Stadium (the biggest arena in Scandinavia). Best of luck to Adrianne and the team!!! Goya Member News On the recent Goya Retreat, the Goyans talked about wanting to be able to cheer each other on in their individual accomplishments and endeavors whether they were academic, sports, musical, theatrical, community service or simply participative. They liked being able to speak of their joys and interests in the spirit of sharing and not to be misinterpreted as a spirit of competition. In the same vein, those are shared here with the rest of the Parish.
Tim Clark was inducted into the National Honor Society and was awarded Most Outstanding Junior in Band at Williams High School.
Samantha Corey with her team won 2nd place in the International Worlds Cheerleading Competition in Orlando , Florida . Samantha is on the Varsity Cheerleading Squad at Northern Guilford High School.
Victoria Galloway was inducted into The International Thespian Society at Weaver Academy for demonstrating a commitment to excellence in the theatre arts. This is the world's only organization honoring high school theatre students.
Danny Lawrence and Dean Stikeleather toured Greece with His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios and our choir in early June, and sang in liturgies at the churches of St. Andrew in Patras and St. Panteleimon in Athens.
Paul Mott was elected Treasurer of the Student Council at Page High School for his upcoming senior year.
Maria Ross received the award for Outstanding Alto in Chorus from her school as well as for Excellent Student in Social Studies. She has also earned a place on the cheerleading team for the upcoming school year.
Demetra Schermerhorn was inducted in Mu Alpha Theta, the Salem Academy chapter of the National Math Honor Society. She has previously been admitted to the National Honor Society and the National Spanish Honor Society. In July Demetra will be attending a 2 week program at Hellenic College-Holy Cross School of Theology in Boston called CrossRoad. This is a program designed for rising seniors and endowed by the Lilly Foundation for the exploration of the student’s Orthodox faith. Those interested in applying in the future can learn about the program at www.crossroad.hchc.edu
Sophia Schermerhorn was honored at Greensboro Day School as the top English student and the top Science student in the Freshman Class. She was also awarded MVP in Varsity softball. Sophia and her brother Janse will be returning to New Hampshire this summer to attend their 6th and 4th year respectively, at the Metropolis of Boston summer camp.
Georgios Tarasidis was awarded a medal for his achievements on the National Latin and Mythology Exam for the third year. He graduated from Canterbury School where he was an Honor Roll student. He will be attending The Elon School for high school.
PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS by Edna Pappas
Saturday, May 31, 90 volunteers for Habitat for Humanity were fed lunch and dessert at 2 different building locations. Thank you to Diana Liinangi who joined the committee to help Alexis & Titsa Dermatas and Doris Zaharias. It is a heart-warming experience serving the Habitat volunteers who help build the homes. If anyone would like to help in our project of serving lunch to the volunteers, please call Titsa Dermatas (294-0189). The next date to serve volunteers will be Saturday, July 26. On Thursday evening, August 14, following Great Vespers Dormition of the Theotokos, Philoptochos will host a Reception. Members are asked to bring a Lenten appetizer, dessert, nuts, or fruit item. Volunteers are also needed for set up and clean up. Please contact chairpersons Thalia Bundros (294-1592) or Titsa Dermatas (294-0189) with questions or to offer your help. Think about signing up for a Coffee Hour or Altar Flowers during the rest of the year, Sign-up sheets are on the Bulletin Board in the Fellowship Hall. Please remember to bring non-perishable food items for our food bank such as: canned goods, pasta, coffee, peanut butter. These items are needed now more than ever. COMMUNITY SERVICE SUMMER PROJECT
The Ladies Philoptochos is asking your support and help once again for our Fifth Annual Back to School Supplies for Children in Need. Beginning June 29th through August 17th, donations of school supplies for Guilford County School children in grades K through 12th grade will be collected in boxes set up in the Fellowship Hall. Suggested supplies needed are notebook paper, 3 ring binders, composition notebooks, pencils, pens, colored pencils, crayons, markers, highlighters, scissors ,and glue sticks. Donations may be brought to church on Sundays or during the week. If you have any questions or can help with distribution in August please contact Thalia Bundros, ph # 294-1592 or Catherine Stuman, phone 643-1051 or email Catherine at jstuman@triad.rr.com. More than ever, in today’s economy, many families are unable to provide supplies for their children beginning a new school year. As always, our parish's support of this most worthy and charitable community service project is greatly appreciated.
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Father’s Challenge
“The Apostles returned to Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while. For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat” Mark 6:30-32 Summer is a popular time for vacations. Even if it is only for a few days, many families try to go away for a vacation. Years ago, very few people took vacations, which were luxuries usually reserved only for the affluent. This attitude changed over the course of time and now vacations are an engrained part of the yearly schedule. In the Gospel passage from St. Mark it seemed that Jesus Himself was inviting the Apostles to take a brief vacation.
The word “vacation” is rooted in a Latin word meaning “to make space for something” or “to make time for something.” The English word “vacant” — “open” is linked to this same root word for “vacation.” What we ideally do when we go on vacation is to make space in our hectic schedules, to make time in our busy lives, for ourselves and family members or friends in order to be refreshed and renewed. Vacation is a time away from the usual frantic pace of life, in order to become re-created.
Now, there is no vacation from God, because we belong to Him and are always in need of His love which sustains us. However, although there is no vacation from God, there is always a vacation with God. You may ask, “What does that mean?” Being on vacation with God means making space for Him in our hectic schedules, making time for Him in our busy lives. In a word, vacation with God means prayer. Yes, when we really pray, we are making space for God in our hectic schedules; we are making time for God in our busy lives. So, praying every day is taking a mini-vacation. The prayer periods may be short, but they are regular each day. For example, when we wake up, we offer the entire day to the Lord — all our thoughts, words and deeds — so that living this day will become a prayer. Similarly at night, before going to bed, we thank the Lord for the blessings He gave us that day and ask His forgiveness for any sins we have committed in the day that is past. Again, we can use prayers we once learned or make up our own prayers. We ask the Lord to bless our food at meal times. We take five minutes or even ten to reflect on a passage from the Scriptures, especially the Gospels. In all these efforts we are making a space, a time, for God. We are on vacation with God. Being on vacation with God and praying to Him daily are restful experiences. In prayer, we experience the Lord, the Good Shepherd, being at our side with His rod and His staff to give us courage, comfort and guidance. Finally, being on vacation with God, praying daily, if this experience is genuine, leads us to loving others and caring for them in a deep and truly meaningful way. After being on vacation where the love of God is renewed in mind and heart in His human nature, we come back refreshed and reinvigorated. The Lord calls us every day to be on vacation with Him, to be with Him in prayer daily so that daily we may bring His love to others. How true it is: there is no vacation from God but there is daily vacation with God — the vacation called prayer.
In His Love,
Fr. Dionysios
President’s Message
This past weekend I had the pleasure of being one of the chaperons for our GOYA retreat at the lake. I was so happy to have the opportunity to be with 16 of our youth. As parents and as fellow parishioners we should all be very proud of our kids. They were so well mannered, caring, respectful and loving to each other. They bonded; they cheered each other on the lake, gathered wood for the bonfire, sat together for meals and spent time discussing their faith and issues that affect them.
I enjoyed being a part of their discussion groups. I was amazed at how much we can learn from our youth. Their basic love for each other is beautiful.
I share this with all of you because I was so touched and encouraged by our discussions. We made an agreement that we would make our church a priority. The kids committed to attending church at least twice a month and encouraged each other to attend every Sunday. They also pledged to encourage their parents and family to attend on a regular basis. So, look around on Sunday and see all the beautiful faces in the pews and when one of the smiles at you, smile back, let's make everyone feel needed and welcomed.
On another note, I hope you share in my excitement as the foyer of the Sunday School building nears completion. The generosity of the Ragsdale Family is so very much appreciated. We will soon start the work in our Fellowship Hall. The foundation of the building has been stabilized and we are now working on the interior.
Plans are also underway for our annual Dormition of the Theotokos Nameday celebration picnic. Details will be provided in the Sunday Bulletins. I hope that we will all come together to celebrate the beautiful Feast day of our Church.
Kiki S. Tarasidis
THE TREASURER’S NOTE
MAY 2008
Income $ 8,326.76
Expenses $ 20,353.13
Difference $ - 12,026.37 Fellow Parishioners, if writing a check to the church, please make sure that the memo line is filled out as to how you would like the money to be applied: i.e., Pledge, candles, tray, memorial, etc. I cannot stress the importance of this enough. It not only ensures that the money from you is applied correctly, but also helps in determining expected income for the next year’s budget. Thank you for your help.
STEWARDSHIP
The Dormition of the Theotokos Stewardship Ministry acknowledges stewardship as an Orthodox Christian lifestyle whose purpose is to actively participate in God’s plan for salvation by recognizing that every good and perfect gift comes from above (James 1:17), each member of our parish is responsible to manage their unique talents, time and treasures given to each of us by God to promote His plan. We all endorse His plan, yet we struggle all the time in decisions we make. What should we use our extra gifts for; toys for the children, car repairs, some new clothes, or give back to God? Fr. Dionysios said, in the June Oracle, we must place our faith in He who died on the cross for our sins, and know that Jesus Christ will deliver us. God promised us, if we give him 10 percent, that he will return it tem times over and God keeps His promises. We pray that everyone will have a safe, wonderful and religious summer. Enjoy the season with all of God’s creations; sunrises, birds, trees, skies and sunsets, in all their beauty, and you will see how God surrounds us every day, know that, He will always be there.
Yours in Christ,
Stewardship Committee
PARISH COUNCIL UPDATE
The Parish Council met for their monthly meeting on June 23, 2008. The following issues were discussed:
1. Our appeal to the Archdiocese of the amount assessed our Church for the Annual Allocation was denied. The Archdiocese believes the amount to be proper and instead encouraged us to encourage better stewardship within our Parish. Our mandatory allocation this year is $26,736.00.
2. Maintenance issues were discussed and are being attended to as presented. Please let a member of the Maintenance Committee know if you see anything on the Church property that needs to be addressed.
3. We discussed a complaint by a Parishioner that we were “wasting his stewardship money” by having the thermostat set at the temperature he found it, and of which he disapproved. What the parishioner did not know is that the air conditioning unit was broken on one side so we were advised to keep the other side set as such to compensate until the problem was resolved. Your Parish Council is here volunteering their time and expertise to serve this Church. Please come and ask us, or drop us a note if you have a concern. Outbursts and accusations are not conducive to our common goals and a Christian environment.
4. A report was given on the Festival. Hard work is underway by the Committee who are looking for donations and corporate sponsors this year. We will be adding an International Tent to celebrate all of our cultures here at Church which we expect to really enhance our Festival.
5. It was reported that 16 Goyans attended the recent Retreat and had a wonderful time. The Goyans divided their mornings with outdoor sports activities such as boating, tubing, volleyball, and hiking. Afternoons were spent in an “Orthodox Life” lesson. Evening time was spent with campfires, fireworks and movies followed by a late night Devotional. The kids were very cooperative and interested, even across age groups, and demonstrated such great examples of inclusiveness. We could all learn from them. Kiki was thanked for the very gracious donation of the use of the Tarasidis family lake home on Lake Claytor, Virginia .
6. It was reported that the target date for the completion of the Hall renovation is July 27th. We hope to have a dedication with the Ragsdale family sometime in the future when they are available to attend.
7. The issue with the crack in the Fellowship Hall has been resolved. The foundation was stabilized by Carolina Foundation Solutions. This project was completed successfully and within budget. There are plans underway to renovate the interior of the Hall.
8. We discussed the upcoming move to Greece of one of own our Parish Council Members, Dimitrios Efstathiou. He will continue to serve our Parish Council through August and we thank him for his service to this community.
Submitted by Theodora Vaporis, Parish Council Secretary
AHEPA
The brothers of Ahepa chapter #257 would like to thank Brother Dimitrios Efstathiou for his service to the chapter and to the parish. Dimitrios and his family will be moving to Greece this July and we wish him all the best. The chapter will be in summer recess until September.
I am pleased to announce the new AHEPA, Chapter General N. Greene #257 officers: President: Matthew Pappas, Vice-President: George Beskas, Recording Secretary: Johnny Bouras, Correspondence Secretary: Jerome Pappas, Treasurer: Lampros Megremis, Chaplin: Theodore Triantis. Have a great Summer.
- Dimitrios Efstathiou, Past President
Candle Donations for Dormition of the Theotokos
The church has ordered candles needed for the Narthex. If you are looking to
make a donation for the Dormition of the Theotokos, on August 15, please consider donating one or more cartons of candles. Give your donation to the ushers in the Narthex. Cost per carton, including shipping is $30.00. Thank you.
DAUGHTERS OF PENELOPE will not meet in July or August.
GOYA Spends a Weekend on the Lake
On the weekend of June 20-22, 16 GOYANS and 5 chaperones got together and created a fun filled weekend retreat that I think will be remembered for quite a while. Highlights included: the cell phone bowl (hehe), bon fires, fireworks, singing “I am a C . . .” and “Beaver time”, boating (first time for Nunu), tubing (first time for Darden and Zach), a Devotional that no one wanted end, Orthodox Life discussions with the talking monkey, tons of sun (Darden and Paul M.), tons of laughter (boys and their jokes), and major bonding. Zach had the best wipe-out, Theodora kept us all fed, Kiki wouldn’t braid her hair and Craig & Kirk handled the boat and made sure everyone remained safe during water sports.
I want to thank Kirk & Kiki for graciously opening their Lake House to this rowdy bunch and Theodora for handling all the food preparations. Craig and I wouldn’t have been able to pull it off without you all. –Amanda Corey
Please consider these words that I recently heard:
"I guess I could be pretty angry about what happened to me. But it's hard to stay mad when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once and it's too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst. And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it. And then it flows through me, like rain. And I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my life. You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry. You will someday."
I hope that each of us can learn to recognize the beauty that surrounds us every day, not to dwell in what goes wrong in our lives but to embrace the life the God has given each of us.
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