december 2014 monthly newsletter

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church! ! !! ! !! !

608 SOUTH COLLEGE ROAD • WILMINGTON, NC 28403 • (910) 392-4444 • FAX (910) 392-4905

www.stnicholaswilmington.org

December 2014

The Nativity of Christ (Christmas)December 25, 2014

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church December 2014

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Fr. Jon Emanuelson Parish Priest

Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.Office Phone: 910-392-4444 Office Fax: 910-392-4905

Fr. Jon’s mobile number: 910-685-0080

Office Email: [email protected] Fr. Jon’s Email: [email protected]

Church Website: www.stnicholaswilmington.orgFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/StNicholasWilmington

2014 PARISH COUNCILOfficers MembersEmanuel Miliotis (President) Kim Dandulakis Maria StasiosEvangelos Fragos (Vice President) Peter Malahias Tina BosticIrene Sotiriou Vogiatzis (Secretary) Debbie Rallis John BurgeeBarbara Reynolds (Treasurer) Nick Saffo

CHURCH STAFFAngelique Skandalakis, Parish Office Administrator

PARISH MINISTRY TEAM

Religious Education...Richard Reynolds, Ministry ChairAdult Education...Richard ReynoldsYouth Catechism...Courtney Malahias, DirectorBookstore/Library...Mary Ann WallOratorical Festival...Courtney Malahias

Hellenic Culture...Kitsa Wiersteiner, Ministry ChairHellenic School...Anetis Logothetis, Acting DirectorRomiosini Dance Group...Zaharoula KatsikisZoyra Dance Group...Kitsa WiersteinerChoral...Dr. Michael RallisSpecial Activities...Kitsa Wiersteiner

Youth Diakonia...Koula Katsikis, Ministry ChairGOYA...Dr. David Snow, Irene Sotiriou Vogiatzis,Mary Beth Miliotis, Tina Bostic, AdvisorsHOPE/JOY...Sophia Brewer, Jaime Saffo, Connie Ronner, Joyce Patsalos, Renee Karonis Psilos

Liturgical Life...Dr. Michael Rallis, Ministry ChairLiturgical Music...Dr. Michael RallisAcolytes (Altar Boys)...Doug BrownNeokoros/Sexton...T. Keith Anderson

Communications - Technology Ministries...Alexandros Theodoropoulos, Ministry Group LeaderWebmaster...Alexandros TheodoropoulosPublications.. Stella McTaggart & Angelique SkandalakisTechnology...Alexandros TheodoropoulosMedia/Community Relations...Beth Burgee, Debbie Rallis, Alexandros Theodoropoulos

Parish Family Life...**Volunteer Needed**Parish Life Night...**Volunteer Needed**Men’s Group...Rick ReynoldsWomen’s Group...**Volunteer Needed**Forever Young...Stella VallianosLOVE...Stella McTaggart

Outreach & Evangelism...Diane McGowanOCF...Fr. Jon & Alexandros Theodoropoulos Hospitality...Ed & Kathleen MayorgaCommunity Service...Sia Mayorga Parish Care...**Volunteer Needed**Philoptochos...Thalia Kefalas, Chapter PresidentStewardship...Debbie Rallis

From The Desk of Father JonDo you want to have a December to remember? Let us all keep in mind the Nativity Fast. This fasting period, like the other fasting periods in the Orthodox Church, is a time of preparation for a blessed holy day – The Nativity of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ! The season is filled with many social obligations which can sometimes enhance, but often times distract us from truly celebrating the reason for the season- Jesus’ coming into the world as the Son of God and Savior!

Thus, we need a PLAN! … What PLAN should we have you might ask? Glad you asked dear child of God. PLAN is an acronym for our Nativity Fast journey.

First, let us PRAY. I want to introduce one new prayer into your daily routine for the forty days leading up to the Nativity. It is the first Katavasia for the Nativity of Christ. Please say or chant this prior to every meal. It brings meaning to this time as we look for the Timeless One (Jesus), to step into time.

Yes, I want you to literally cut this hymn out of the newsletter and keep it at your dinner table throughout the fasting period!

Second, we should LITURGIZE! My most sincere hope for each and every one of you is to come to church (on time) every time we have a liturgy and participate in the worship. We have so many opportunities to do so during the Nativity Fast. Remember, in general our Sunday Orthros and Liturgy are 8:30am and 10am. Our weekday Orthros and Liturgy are 8am and 9am respectively.Just in case you missed seeing all the Liturgies listed, here is the sequence: Nov 16 (St. Matthew), Nov 21 (Entrance of the Theotokos), Nov 23, Nov 25 (St. Katherine), Nov 30 (St. Andrew), Dec 4 (St. Barbara), Dec 6 (St. Nicholas – our Feast day), Dec 7, Dec 12 (St. Spyridon), Dec 15 (St. Eleutherios), Dec 14, Dec 17 (Prophet Daniel), Dec 21, Dec 24, Dec 25 (Nativity of Christ), Dec 27 (St. Stephen). That makes a total of 16 chances to liturgize and receive the Eucharist! And our feast day of St. Nicholas is in this time period also. Please join us! Third, we need to ABSTAIN! Part of the fast is focused on abstaining from certain foods, but even more important is the abstaining from sins! Let us abstain from overeating, watching too much TV, gossiping, judging others, spending too much on presents and the passions that defile us. The fast that is pleasing to God involves of these, so that we become closer to God as we prepare for the coming of our Savior. Fourth, we can give to the NEEDY! It is true that through the example of St. Nicholas and the three kings in the visitation of the Magi, we have a great example by which to follow. Let us in truth set aside a present for Christ Himself, by giving to the needy. After all it is Jesus who taught us that when we give to “these the least of my brethren”, you give it unto Him. Please consider the challenge below that I set forth in the November newsletter as well. Love to all, Fr. Jon.

Here is the challenge, should you accept! During the Nativity Fast, which begins November 15th, make an effort to save some funds by fasting from the normal foods and fasting from eating out. Take these funds and put them to good use in an Orthodox Charity. Some good charitable causes include: OCPM – Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry, OCMC – Orthodox Christian Mission Center, IOCC – International Orthodox Christian Charities, and the rebuilding of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church at ground zero. God bless your efforts to love, serve and fast to the glory of the living God! – Fr. Jon


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Οδὴ α´ Ode 1 Χριστός γεννᾶται, δοξάσατε. Christ is born, glorify Him. Χριστός ἐξ οὐρανῶν, ἀπαντήσατε. Christ comes from the heavens, greet Him. Χριστός ἐπὶ γῆς, ὐψώθητε. Christ is on earth, be exalted. Ἄσατε τῶ Κυρίω, πᾶσα ἡ γῆ, Sing unto the Lord, all the earth, Καὶ ἐν εὐφροσύνη, ἀνυµνήσατε λαοί, And in gladness, sing praises all you peoples, ὅτι δεδόξασται. For He has been glorified.

From Emanuel Miliotis,Parish Council President

I want to thank all those who attended our General Assembly meeting on the 2nd of November. It provided a great opportunity to update our parish on all the great things that we are doing. Additionally it highlighted that fact that as a church that is growing. It was probably the largest attendance we have had in a long time. I appreciate those who participated.

During the month of November we kicked off our 2015 Stewardship drive. We thank all of who already submitted your pledges early. For those who haven’t yet turned in your card, we ask you to prayerfully consider your offering based on the means that God has blessed you with. Know that whatever the amount, the act of offering will be blessed.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to fill in a ministry survey sheet, we will be attaching it to the new stewardship cards. Please take the time to fill it out for each adult in your family. We have begun transposing entries our spreadsheet. We have about 40 entered but we know we have many more to go. The information be very helpful as we establish our goals for 2015.

December’s Schedule: Some of our highlights• Our church will be celebrating our name’s day and we will have vespers on Fri, December 5th. There will

be a light meal in the Hellenic hall afterwards. We will also celebrate Divine Liturgy on Sat, December 6th. Please come out and worship with us.

• On December 7th we will be holding elections for Parish council. If you are a steward in good standing, please vote. We will be holding elections immediately after church.

• Sunday School Christmas Nativity pageant will be on Wednesday, December 10th at 6:00pm. Please take the time to come out and support our children.

• As a reminder we will be holding services this year on both Christmas evening 12/24 as well as Christmas Day 12/25. Please consult the bulletin or our website for the specific times.

Finally I would like to wish all our families as St. Nicholas a very Merry Christmas.

In Christ’s service Emanuel Miliotis


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Save the Date - January 2015

January 4 – No Sunday School January 11-Vasilopita Sunday

January 12-14- HDF practice 5 PMJanuary 17-18-HDF in Charlotte


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Outreach and EvangelismDiane McGowan

Due to the increased participation of our ministry and some new leadership, we are really making progress with St. Nicholas’s focus on “giving back “ to the community! And as you’ll see by the report below, it is helping to provide volunteer opportunities and educational opportunities for our young people.Here is a report from Christina Mount, who heads our Community Services for the Outreach & Evangelism ministry:This month has been spent developing a relationship with Habitat for Humanity. We have participated in two additional building activities. One was a ground breaking, setting to dig footings for a new home in Hampstead and the other was landscaping in Wilmington. What’s even more wonderful, these events are going to be used by Lucas Bostic for his senior project. It was good to have some of our younger church members participating in community service. If anyone is interested in participating please feel free to contact Christina Mount by calling 910 262-4429 or email: [email protected] keep in mind and make plans to help out with Stop Hunger Now on December 13th. I am hoping to add to the list of community-service activities. Two agencies I am hoping we can contribute to are First Fruit Ministries and Interfaith Hospitality Network. Please watch for more information regarding these programs in the future.Thank you to Christina for an excellent job taking leadership! Christina is sincere in asking that you contact her in regard to participating!! Wishing all the Lord’s Blessings this Nativity Season,Diane Kastran McGowan

Hope/JOY

Please join us on Wednesday, December 3rd as we gather the children todecorate Christmas cookies and share in fellowship. We will begin followingthe Christmas program rehearsal (5pm) and family night dinner in the churchhall that evening. In conjunction with this event, Joy/Hope will be sponsoring several children from the Salvation Army Angel Tree. All Joy/Hope families are asked to sign up to bring an item from the angel tree wish list and bring your items (unwrapped) to the December 3rd Christmas Cookie event. If you are unable to come that night, but still would like to sign up to donate an item, feel free to drop off to one of us at church any Sunday between now and December 7th.

You may sign up to donate Angel Tree items using the following link:

<http://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050E44AEAA2CA20-salvation>www.signupgenius.com/go/8050E44AEAA2CA20-salvation

No time to shop - no problem! Monetary donations are also welcome and willbe used to purchase any remaining items on the sponsored children's wishlist.

Please reply to let us know if you can come on December 3rd.

In Christ's Service,

Your Joy/Hope Ministry Leaders: Sophia Brewer, Renee Karonis, JoycePatsalos, Connie Ronner, Jamie Saffo

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050E44AEAA2CA20-salvation









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Youth CatechismCourtney Malahias

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35

Merry Christmas to all of you!

We are so excited about our Christmas Pageant! All ages are participating! Thank you to all the parents who brought their children to our rehearsals and helped us in so many ways. A special thank you to Renee Karonis for taking on the task of Director! The date is December 10th at 5:30 in the sanctuary. We will have a meal afterwards and a special visitor! Please come out and support our beautiful youth of St. Nicholas! We are one big, happy, CHURCH FAMILY!

We have a new Sunday School Class! The Pre-K group of little ones have been meeting in the hall and reading a bible story and completing a fun activity. Stella McTaggart has done an awesome job of organizing the calendar and leaders for this group. Please see Stella if you have any questions!

Oratorical festival will be here before before you know it! Please encourage your child to participate. Speaking about their faith is so important and meaningful.

Thank you for putting the U in C H R C H! We love seeing all your children’s bright faces in CHURCH!!!!

Grateful to be in His service,Courtney Malahias

Adult Greek DanceCourtney MalahiasCommunications/Technology

Kitsa Wiersteiner

We would like to thank our Adult Greek dance instructor, Antonia Ioannou, who is an amazing teacher. Every Tuesday from 6:30-8:15PM, we learn Greek dances. Along with the vigorous exercise, we have an enjoyable time as well. Words cannot express our gratitude for her dedication to teaching us an array of Greek dances. Tuesday evenings would not be the same without you. Thank you Antonia!

Philoptochos

Philoptochos has been very busy for the start of November. We had our Holiday Bake sale on November 15th and 16th, which was a huge success. We still have pastries, tyropita, spanakopita and tsoureki for sale if you would like to purchase any. Thank you to all the ladies who helped to make it happen. We are also sponsoring 30 families for Thanksgiving. With the help from GOYA, we will be sorting and packaging on Wednesday the 19th at 6:00 to have the baskets ready for pick up by the families on Saturday the 22nd. Our last event happening is our Christmas brunch that will be held on December 7th at 1:00 at Angie’s Bed and Breakfast. The cost is $10.00. There will be postcards sent out, so mark your calendar for that day and don’t forget to RSVP! Happy Holidays!


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of my life is to seek opportunities in each experience to love and to move closer to God.”

What Makes it Difficult to Pursue the Purpose of Our Life?

What makes it difficult for us to stay on track? We all have day-to-day responsibilities – we juggle our time amongst many commitments such as our jobs, school, housework, childcare, our spouse, children, parents, siblings, friends and other loved ones. Many days it seems there is just not enough time to do everything we need to do. We feel drained. We also face struggles – whether it be sickness, divorce, loss of a loved one, a strained relationship, difficulty accepting others weaknesses, financial hardships or some other kind of problem. At times we feel overwhelmed, like we are hanging on by a string, trying to keep it all together.

What Assists Us in Pursuing the Purpose of Our Life?

When we are constantly facing these obstacles and struggles, what keeps us on track? What assists us in pursuing the purpose of our life? Being purposeful and mindful, praying, attending church services, doing good deeds, finding joy in helping others, connecting with each other, loving each other…the list really is limitless. On being purposeful and mindful, a priest once suggested that we direct our thoughts so that we see life as a mystery to be lived, rather than a puzzle to be solved. To me this means that we need to stop constantly asking “WHY?” We need to LET GO and LET GOD. Rather than allowing our struggle to embitter our heart, each of us is called to see our struggle as an opportunity for love, patience and kindness – an opportunity to move closer to God. On praying, we are told in the First Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” We pray that our struggle may be the means to our true repentance and amendment of our life

StewardshipDebbie Rallis

Stewardship and the Purpose of Life

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Raleigh, North Carolina

November 9, 2014Anna Rallis Kouba

What is Stewardship?

What is stewardship? Before I was asked to speak today, I had not given much thought to the meaning of stewardship, other than a conversation with my husband, David, each year as we tried to agree on how much money we were going to give the Church. I think our misplaced focus exclusively on money is common and can be redirected i f we develop a mutual understanding of what stewardship is and how it assists us in pursuing the purpose of our life.

What is the Purpose of Our Life?

What is the purpose of our life? In April, I attended a Lenten Retreat for our Holy Trinity Mothers Group. In preparation for our retreat, we were asked to write down answers to a few questions. The first question: What is the purpose of your life? It bothered me that I could not articulate an answer. I gave it some thought, talked it over with David and did some reading. I found an article on the Archdiocese website on Spirituality which describes Theosis as “a movement of love toward God.” The article goes on to describe a spiritual journey which “begins for each Christian at the rite of baptism and continues throughout this life, as well as the life which is to come”. I left the retreat with a better understanding of the purpose of my life, and I wrote it down so I would not forget and so that I could try to remember it each day “The purpose


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according to God’s will, that we may spend the rest of our days in God’s love. While we need to engage our mind and spirit as we pursue the purpose of our life, this alone is not enough, we also need good works. We are reminded of this need for both faith and good works in the Epistle of James 2:26, “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” By good works, we are talking about stewardship.

What is Stewardship?

What is stewardship? Doing good deeds, finding joy in helping others, connecting with each other, loving each other - when we do these things with God in our midst – these are just a few examples of stewardship. In a recent discussion on “Orthodoxy’s Offering to America,” His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios describes two kinds of relationships. The horizontal relationships we have when we communicate with each other, and the vertical relationships we have when we communicate with each other and we put God in our midst. At Holy Trinity we are blessed to have many ministries in which we can get involved, to provide service for others and to build these vertical relationships which will assist us in pursing the purpose of our life – to move with love toward God. We have several fellowship ministries such as Mothers of Young Children, Seniors, Singles and Couples 35+, GOYA and YAL. We also have a number of philanthropic ministries such as Philoptochos and St. John the Merciful. We can give liturgical support by chanting or singing in the choir or baking prosforo. We have education ministries such as Greek School, Preschool, Sunday School and Adult Religious Education. And we also have service ministries such as the Parish Council and the Greek Festival, just to name a few.

To help you understand the importance of ministries like these, I want share with you a personal story of how the stewardship of the Mothers Group has touched my life. I moved to Raleigh about a year ago with my husband, David, and our very energetic and enthusiastic toddler aged sons, Telly and Louie. We came to Holy Trinity on Sunday morning for service. As almost any mother understands, making it through a church service with toddlers without causing a disruption isn’t easy. As I walked quickly out of the service with whichever son was causing the disruption, I remember feeling like everyone in the church was staring at us, I looked down to avoid eye contact, I could feel my heart pounding and my face felt hot, I broke out into a cold sweat. I got so discouraged, I remember thinking “Why are we putting ourselves through this? We should just stay home. We can’t make it through a service. We can’t meet anyone. We can’t get involved.” I grabbed a weekly bulletin as we left church that day and learned that there was an upcoming meeting for Mothers of Young Children, and the bulletin said to email Christie Demos for more information.

I attended my first Mothers Group meeting, which was hosted by Presvytera Mary. I will never forget how her hospitality enveloped me with the love and encouragement that I so desperately needed that day. And I felt the love and support from the other mothers, many whose faces I had recognized from church but had not connected with until the meeting. Before that day, I kind of felt like a stranger in the community and when I left I was rejuvenated, I felt loved and connected, I felt like I was now a member of the Holy Trinity family. I am truly grateful for the stewardship of Pres Mary and all the mothers in the Mothers Group. It has been a blessing to me to have the opportunity to enjoy your friendship and


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gracious hospitality, and to feel the love in your hearts and in our Holy Trinity family life.

In the Gospel of Matthew 25:31-46, we are reminded of the importance of taking in a stranger and helping the needy. “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me” Then the righteous will answer Him, saying “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? And the King will answer and say to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, in as much as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to Me.”

How Can We Grow as Stewards?

As we continue on our spiritual journey, let us remember to look for opportunities in each of our experiences to love and to move closer to God. In furtherance of this goal, I would like to challenge each of us to get involved in a ministry – either an existing one or by starting a new one and expanding our parish family. As I mentioned there are many ministries at Holy Trinity that we can get involved in. All we have to do is check the box on the pledge card and contact the chair of that particular ministry. If we want to participate in a way that is not listed on the pledge card, there is a space to indicate that as well. The Mothers Group is a relatively new ministry that was started just a few years ago.

If each of us gets involved in a ministry, collectively we will help the needy, the hungry, the homeless, the stranger, the sick, the prisoner, we will serve others, we will let others know that we love them and that we are praying for them, we will build vertical relationships by connecting with each other with God in our midst – all of which will assist us in pursing the purpose of our life – to move with love toward God.

Please try and complete your 2014 pledges. We will soon be closing out the year!Many thanks to our parishioners for helping to make the current year so fruitful at our parish!

“The rich man is not one who has much, but one who gives much. For what he gives away remains his forever.” St. John Chrysostom

STEWARDSHIP 2015

You should have received a letter and stewardship brochure in the mail.. Please take time to fill out both sections- Time and Talent on one side and Stewardship Commitment on the other. This information will assist us in getting everyone in our church family involved in a ministry and help us to form new ministries. 100% participation is our goal! Help us to make this a reality and together we can “Lift Up Our Church Through Our Participation.” Return these forms to the church office or give to a parish council member at the pangari.

Hellenic SchoolKitsa Wiersteiner & Anestis Logothetis

The Hellenic Culture Ministry and Hellenic School would like to thank all the people who contributed to the beautiful OXI celebration. Special thanks go to our speaker Dr. John Anagnost. Many thanks to the Greek School


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parents and especially to Angelo and Anastasia Katris and Kim Dandulakis for decorating the Hellenic Center. Also, a big thanks to Vasilis Voyiatzis, Peter Malachias and Evangelos Fragos who prepared the delicious fund-raising lunch to help the dance groups raise money, to all the folks who brought desserts, fruit and drinks and to the College Diner for donating the Greek salad. The parents and Dr. Ron Demas and Dr. Emmanuel Koklanaris from the Hellenic Special Activities Committee did an outstanding job assisting the children with their poems. We are proud of our children who worked so hard with their poems, singing and dancing. What an outstanding job has Zaharoula Katsikis done with the Romiosini and Zoyra dancers. Her enthusiasm in teaching the Greek dances is matched with Nota Dukas' dedication to spend countless hours sewing the authentic beautiful Greek costumes. Many thanks to the ladies who set up the desserts and fruits and to Alexandros Theodoropoulos for his assistance with the power point presentation and the sound system. Many thanks to Kathy Dimopoulos for the flyers and the printing of the program, to Barbara Harris for photographing the OXI celebration and to Ben Harris for video taping the event. Most importantly we want to thank our community for being there and supporting activities like these which are so important to our children's heritage. We apologize if we forgot to acknowledge anyone who helped with this program. Θερµά ευχαριστήρια σε όλους που βοήθησαν στην Εορτή της 28ης Οκτωβρίου.

Romiosini & Zoyra

Our dancers will continue their Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon practices. The Hellenic Dance Festival (HDF) will be held in Charlotte this year. All the dancers should be registered by now; family members and friends should register this month to avoid higher fees.

Our dancers will be having their Christmas Caroling Fundraiser again this year, on December 21st. Look for sign up sheets in the Hellenic Center.

GOYAKoula Katsikis - Mary Beth Miliotis - Tina Bostic -

David Snow - Irene Vogiatzis

Goya welcomes all youth in middile and high school grades. If you aren’t on our mailing list or email list, please contact one of our advisors: Koula Katsikis, Tina Bostic, Mary Beth Miliotis, David Snow or Irene Sotiriou Vogiatzis.

• The Goyans will have Wednesday night discussion group meetings with Fr. Jon. They meet at 6:45pm.

• Thank you to everyone who helped with Lucas Bostic’s Habitat for Humanity project! What a wonderful community service project.

• Another great community service project is helping at the Good Shepherd Center on Friday’s at 4:00-5:00pm. Adults and Goyans are welcome and encouraged to help. Please sign up in advance to work a Friday shift.

• Look for our flyer for our Christmas shopping project.

• On Decemeber 13th we will need help with our Stop Hunger Now meal packaging event. Please make sure to sign up as we have limited workstations.

• December 27-30 is Winter Youth Rally in Atlanta GA.

We wish everyone a happy, healthy Nativity Season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


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LOVEStella McTaggart

Winter is now upon us with all the preparations. As we prepare our souls through the Advent Fast, we are also preparing our children’s’ minds by having all LOVE children (who are able) to participate in the Church’s Annual Christmas Pageant. Part of that preparation is practice, practice, practice. So, what better way to hold a LOVE event than after the practice for the Christmas Pageant taking place on Wednesday, December 3 . Practice will begin at 5pm and our event will be after practice. I am excited that we will be joining the “older kids” of Hope/Joy with our event this month so all the LOVE kiddos with older siblings can participate together.

If anyone is interested in joining me in Leadership, contact me to learn more about what goes into preparing for events each month. The more the merrier is a great expression!!

LOVE is a Ministry for all Parents-to-be, Parents, Grandparents, or any other Caregiver for preschool or younger aged children to come together for playtime and fellowship as parishioners of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. I truly hope anyone who has not come to an event yet chooses to attend this month.

Community News

STOP HUNGER NOWMeal-packaging Event

Saturday, December 13, 2015 - St. Nicholas Hellenic Center

STOP HUNGER NOW’s Mission states: “To end hunger in our lifetime by providing food and life-saving aid to the world's most vulnerable and by creating a global commitment to mobilize the necessary resources.”On Saturday, December 13th, in our Parish’s Hellenic Center, we will gather volunteers to package meals for the world’s most vulnerable. Our goal is to package 25,000 meals and we need your help! At a cost of 25 cents per meal, we’ll need to raise $6,250. We have raised over $5900 towards our goal! Thank you to

everyone who has donated or volunteered to help so far. There is still time to help.

1.)Volunteer to help package meals by signing-up in the Hellenic Center or by calling the church office.

2.)Donate money to help us reach our goal. Cash, checks (made out to “Stop Hunger Now” or “St Nicholas GOC”) or on line contributions are accepted.

This year, our Parish will be hosting its third SHN meal packaging event in our Hellenic Center. This is a joint effort of Parishioners from St. Basil the Great Orthodox Church, our St. Nicholas Outreach & Evangelism Ministry, GOYA, and AHEPA-Cape Fear Chapter No. 408.We will start at 10:00am sharp. Please don’t forget to bring a hat. Hair nets will be provided.Irene Sotiriou Jim Stasios

Forever Young

Forever Young" met on Tuesday, November 4th for their monthly meeting. It was a delightful get-together with a number of new attendees, most of who came to see the new Bob Krantz movie "Christmas with the Kourountzoses." Jimmy Stasios was very thoughtful and generous to take the time away from his work to come and show us this movie, which everyone enjoyed. Thank you, Jimmy! Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, December 2nd, 11:00 a.m., at the church. This time our special guest will be our own Alex Theodoropoulos, who, once again will bring his guitar to lead us in singing some of the old Greek songs which everyone loves to do. There is no need to bring any food as Kay Skandalakis, very generously, offered to prepare our lunch in honor of her mother, Angeline Saffo. Please be there on time.


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Congratulations

For all the people celebrating their birthday, anniversary, and name day in the month of December may you have many happy years! Many Happy Years!

Sympathies

We extend our deepest sympathy to the family of Steve Papanikolaou, who fell asleep in the Lord on November 1, 2014. May his memory be eternal!

On November 16 we held a 40 day memorial for Margaret Passaris, mother of Pres. Barbara. May her memory be eternal.

On November 23 we held a 40 day memorial for Elizabeth Petrolias, mother of Stacy Constantinou. May her memory be eternal.

On November 30 we held a memorial for Father Regis’s parents. May their memories be eternal!

With the Saints, give rest to the souls of Your servants, where there is no pain, sorrow, or suffering, but

life eternal

Miscellaneous

We wish to thank Jim Patsalos and family for their generous donation of the kneelers for our pews! Thank you all so much!


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OXI Day CelebrationSunday,October 26, 2014


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2014%Stewards%as%of%November%13,%2014%%Anagnost,%Dr.%John%&%Dr.%Kathleen%Jewel%Anderson,%Keith%&%Sally%Angeledes,%Angelo%&%Evelyn%Andrews,%Chris%Andrews,%Louis%&%Roula%Athens,%Damon%Babson,%Darius%&%Stella%Batis,%John%&%Emily%Balourdos,%Karla%Batounis,%John%&%Nancy%Batuyios,%Bill%Batuyios,%Francis%Bostic,%Michael%&%Tina%Bouboulis,%Nikolaos%Brewer,%Nevin%&%Sophia%Saffo%Brilakis,%Antony%&%Shirley%Brown,%Doug%&%Argie%Brunetti,%George%&%Cindy%Burgee,%John%&%Beth%Burke,%Aaron%&%Maria%Calhoun,%Cameron%&%Pam%Chantiles,%KatarinaPMaria%Chantiles,%Stravros%Cranidiotis,%Chris%&%Joy%Faulk%Dandulakis,%Gregory%&%Kimberly%Demas,%Ronald%&%Sharon%Demetriou,%Angelo%&%Emilee%Dentiste,%Angela%Diakogiannis,%Ifiynia%Diakogiannis,%Yiani%Dimopoulos,%Pete%&%Katherine%Dimova,%Stanislav%&%Diana%Dukas,%Nota%Efstathiadis,%Efstathios%&%Aphrodite%Emanuelson,%Fr.%Jon%&%Presbytera%Barbara%Faraclas,%Pearl%Flowers,%Larry%&%Helen%Fokakis,%George%Fragakis,%John%&%Sophia%Fragos,%Evangelos%&%Olympia%Franck,%John%%Argie%Fulton,%Brian%&%Mary%Ann%Gerry,%Despina%Gill,%Tim%&%Tina%%Hale,%Pamela%Mavros%Haralambous,%Irene%Heggler,%Charles%&%Copes,%Sophie%Jefferies,%%Phil%&%Irene%Johns,%Chris%&%Shannon%Kalogiros,%Gus%&%Tom%Kaprantzas,%Christos%&%Eleni%Karafas,%Steve%&%Sarah%Karonis,%Yianni%&%Evyenia%

Katsaros,%Constantine%&%Sharon%Katris,%Angelo%&%Anastasis%Katris,%Gus%Katsikis,%Basile%&%Koula%Kefalas,%Thalia%Kiliaris,%Leonidas%&%Eleni%Kiliaris,%Theodoros%King,%Lee%&%Doris%Kirkby,%Matthew%&%Melissa%Koklanaris,%Dena%Koklanaris,%Emmanuel%&%Lambra%KoumparakisPBotbol,%Elaine%Kratsa,%Perry%Caleb%&%Anita%Nagy%Kruczko,%Andrew%Mark%Lawler,%Jessica%Lawler,%Samuel%&%Susan%Lazaridis,%Nick%&%Nena%Lionikis,%Emmanuel%&%Athanasia%Logothetis,%Anestis%&%Constance%Loizides,%Michael%&%Theodora%Macris,%Georgia%Macris,%Spiro%Malahais,%Peter%&%Courtney%Manolukas,%Dr.%Peter%&%Joan%Maraveyias,%Nick%&%Jennifer%Margoles,%Jaqueline%Markatos,%Aristea%Marmaras,%Georgia%Marmaras,%Mary%Matyushyn,%Oleksandr%&%Dotsenko,%Viktoriya%Mayorga,%Ed%&%Kathleen%Mayorga,%Sia%McGowan,%Calvin%&%Diane%McGrath,%Ronald%&%Mary%Papagerogiou%McTaggart,%Micaiah%&%Stella%Miliotis,%Emanuel%&%Mary%Beth%Nashed,%Neemat%Omirly,%Roubini%Papakidis,%Maria%Papanicolaou,%Lambros%&%Niki%Pappamihiel,%Ruth%Pathenos,%Alexios%Patsalos,%Jimmy%&%Anna%Pinkston,%Anne%Pittman,%Brian%&%Benjalee%Porzio,%Andrew%&%Alexia%Poulos,%Dena%Poulos,%Emanuel%(Mike)%Poulos,%Jack%&%Danielle%Poulos,%John%&%Athena%Poulos,%Patricia%

Proukou,%Theodore%&%Katherine%Rallis,%Michael%&%Debra%Bakalis%Rallis%Reynolds,%Rick%&%Barbara%Ronner,%Tom%&%Connie%Rowell,%Robert%&%Cathy%Lazarides%Rowell%Saffo,%Marian%&%Marika%Saffo,%Nick%&%Tia%Saffo,%Tony%&%Jamie%Schaefer,%Robert%&%Rena%Simotas,%Spiro%&%Joanne%Skandalakis,%Angelique%Skandalakis,%Kay%SkinnerPDarby,%Patricia%Sljaka,%Sophie%Snow,%David%&%Daphne%Spyropoulos,%Maria%Stasios,%James%&%Maria%Stephanou,%George%&%Peggy%Theodorpoulos,%Alexandros%&%Pappamihiel,%Eleni%Theophilos,%Plato%&%Renee%Thomas,%Robert%&%Florence%Tracy,%Ernest%&%Sophia%Tracy,%Joshua%Tragas,%Charalambos%&%Cathy%Tsangarides,%Arthur%&%Wanda%Tsingelis,%Chris%&%Angia%Vallianos,%Stella%Vavalette,%Mary%Ann%Verikios,%Mary%Ellen%Veros,%Stacy%Vogiatzis,%Anastasios%Vogiatzis,%Anastasios%&%Geogia%Vogiatzis,%Vasilios%&%Sotirou,%Irene%Voneiff,%George%&%Irene%Wall,%Mary%Ann%Whitley,%John%&%Helen%Wickersham,%Donald%Ross%Wiersteiner,%Sam%&%Kyriaki%Woods,%William%&%Eleni%Zaharis,%Jason%&%Julie%Zezefellis,%Effie%Zondos,%Angela%


15

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16

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17

Please join usfor some Holiday Cheer….

For Christmas Daywill soon be here!

St. Nicholas Golden AgersChristmas Social

Tuesday, December 2, 201411:00 am ~ St. Nicholas Hellenic Center

Luncheon hosted by Kay Skandalakisin Loving Memory of her mother Angeline Saffo

Lunch will be served promptly at NoonFollowed by an afternoon of fellowship and song.

Alexandros Theodoropoulos will be joining us with hisguitar as we sing Christmas Carols and Kalanda

and bring back Christmas memories of yesteryear.

For an accurate headcount for the luncheonplease phone Kay Skandalakis by November 29, 2014

at (910) 762-1161


18

Hos

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014

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

ST. NICHOLAS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

608 S. College Road, Wilmington, NC 28403

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december 2014 monthly newsletter

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