the annunciation observer - Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church

THE ANNUNCIATION OBSERVER
GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF THE ANNUNCIATION
3022 F Street
Sacramento, CA
95816
(916) 443-2033
December 2!7 -- Volume 23, I"ue 11
“Without Vision the People PARISH.”
Beloved of Annunciation,
This sarcastic play on words of Proverbs 29.18
(“the people perish”) serves as a reminder of the importance
of vision for our church community. I’m reading a book by
John Maxwell on leadership and he makes an interesting
distinction between having a vision and being visionary.
Having a vision (as a community) brings out the best in all of
us whereas being a visionary is limited to the personal
strengths and charisma of individuals. Our task as Orthodox
Christians is to allow our vision to be guided and inspired by
the prompting of the Holy Spirit. As Father Jim Kordaris
points out:
“Every parish has a different personalitydifferent strengths and weaknesses. Every parish is located
in a particular environment in a particular neighborhood.
For these reasons, every parish will have a different vision
for the ministry that lies before them."
(www.outreach.goarch.org)
So what are our strengths and weaknesses here at
Annunciation as we complete the year of our Lord 2007?
Let me state the obvious. We are a large and diverse
community and this in itself opens us up to a range of
opinions as to what is “best for the community.” For quite a
while (some would say time immemorial), our focus has
been on the crucial question of where to build new facilities.
This question has resulted in numerous studies, building
plans, fund-raising efforts, town hall meetings, etc. But the
measure of our true strength is not and must never be bricks
and mortar projects, “where moth and rust consume and
where thieves break in and steal,” (Mat. 6:19) My
enthusiasm, and I hope it proves contagious, is captured in
the Act of the Apostles: “And in the last days it shall be,
God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young
men shall see visions, and our old men (and women) shall
dream dreams; ” Talk about exciting plans for Annunciation!
The only question is if we are bold enough to adopt the
mindset of the early Church. Are we willing to make the
“universe our parish” or will we settle for the comfort of
plugging along in our own mundane little “parish
universe?” I ask that you to strive with me to see the
universe as our parish. That’s why we now have a line
item for missions in our budget. That’s why we are
organizing a mission team to go to Guatemala this January.
Is there a sense of urgency in all of this? Certainly! As the
Book of Acts clearly states, these are the last days! None
of us knows the hour or day God will call us home. When
we stand before Christ the Lord on the final day and He
asks what we accomplished in His Church of the
Annunciation in Sacramento, how will you respond?
Whatever you say, do not ask Him to repeat the question.
And if you are really wondering what any of this has to do
church life at Annunciation, then it is time to take
inventory of your spiritual condition and tap into the
sacramental “lifeline” of the Church. If you have not been
to Confession for a while, make it your Christmas gift to
yourself to do so. If you are overly concerned with
finances, find someone less fortunate to shower with gifts.
If you are at odds with anyone, take a moment to say “I’m
sorry” or just drop a note to that effect.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, these are
exciting times for us at Annunciation, but let’s not confuse
this with “excitement.” The former is guaranteed by our
perfect God, born in humility and risen in glory. The latter
is illusive because it depends on you and me. Thanks but
no thanks. I do believe I will opt for perfection.
I pray you and your families have a joyous
Christmas and I remain,
Faithfully,
Fr. James
ANNUNCIATION OBSERVER
Page 2
The Annunciation Observer is a monthly
newsletter published by the Greek
Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, a
non-profit organization.
Greek Orthodox Church
of the Annunciation
3022 F Street
Sacramento, CA 95816
(916) 443-2033
(916) 443-2743 (fax)
CLERGY
Rev. Fr. James Retelas
Mobile (916) 273-2842
[email protected]
Fr. Timothy Robinson
Mobile (916) 698-8007
[email protected]
PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT
Manny Balalis
PHILOPTOCHOS PRESIDENT
Helen Grammatikakis
ANNUNCIATION WEBSITE
www.annunciation.ca.goarch.org
OFFICE STAFF
Norine Geissler
Financial Administrator
[email protected]
Maria Mavroforakis
Financial Assistant
[email protected]
Gina Pandelopoulos
O!ce Manager
[email protected]
Andrew Burrows
Youth Director
[email protected]
OFFICE HOURS
Monday - Friday
8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
2007 STEWARDSHIP PLEDGES
PLEASE NOTE: These are pledges received from
October 20, 2007 - November 19, 2007 only.
Antonios & Susan Angelis
Georgia Apostolos
Nicholas & Nikki Avdis
Dr. Kristie Bobolis
Toni & Kathi Chrisopoulos
Zachary & Sarah Smernes Edson
Pete Fotopoulos
Nader & Vivian Hamameh
Nicole Harakas
Sotiris & Matina Kolokotronis
Thomas & Vasiliki Lardas
Nadine Loris
Collette Moore
Seth & Heidi Mullen
Theresa Leakos Sacco
Demetrise Scandalis
Thomas & Duste Sellas
George & Katherine Spanos
2008 ADVERTISING RATES FOR THE OBSERVER
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OBSERVER SPONSORS
IN LOVING MEMORY OF:
Nicholas K. & Marietta Alexander
Don & Dorothy Kilfoyle
Donald Christopher Lovett
You may view a copy of our monthly Observer on our website: www.annunciation.ca.goarch.org
Page 3
THE ANNUNCIATION PARISH REGISTRY
WEDDINGS -- Congratulations!
October 20th -- George W. Morris III & Jana Schuering
Paranymphos, Stacey Pantages
BAPTISMS – Congratulations!
October 28th -- Anthony, son of Nader Hamameh & Vivian Ochoa
Godparents: Lofti & Mary Ghattas
November 3rd -- David, son of Seth Mullen & Heidi Lappas
Godparent: Nicole Harakas
NA MAS ZISOUN!
FUNERALS – May Their Memory Be Eternal!
November 9th -- Caroline Pappas
BUILDING PROJECT UPDATE . . .
Phil Angelides and John Laing
Homes have joined together to be the
new development team for the housing
section of The Village site. This team has
already made a non-refundable deposit
for the purchase of the property from the
seller, AKT Development Company.
They are close in to resolving the
controversial freeway interchange with
the City of Sacramento, and recent meetings with Union Pacific regarding the
the proposed railroad underpass at
Lannat Street indicate a favorable
resolution for second access to the
building site. At this time the developer
is drawing up plans for the railroad
underpass to submit to Union Pacific for
approval.
The new site plan consists of
403 homes and our Church property.
Our site plan will include the church,
chapel, hall, educational/Sunday school/
PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE. . .
Happy Holidays to everyone! We
had a very active year
with new programs
being implemented and
our wonderful community support. The
Greek school program
organized themselves very well, by
implementing their own board and
cultivating a nice curriculum. The Senior
League continued to provide great
fellowship and their monthly lunch
meetings were second to none!
Our
Stewardship pledges rose to an all time
high showing great commitment from
our community. The Sunday school
continues to teach our youth their
orthodox faith. The youth programs are
administration buildings and an
outdoor amphitheatre. Our Building
Committee has been diligent in keeping
our costs to a minimum. The volunteer
participation of the many parishioners
who serve on the Building Committee
or as professional advisors from the
building professions has saved us
thousands of dollars.
The Building Committee encourages everyone to attend the
monthly Town Hall meetings where
detailed updates will be given.
community. Our parish must keep the
faith and remember this is our
children’s future and we should not
have to burden them with making
decisions we could not make.
I
want
to
thank
the
Parish Council for electing me as
President of our community for 2007. It
has been a learning experience I will
never forget. This leadership position I
have been entrusted with has opened
my heart and helped me understand
what it really means to serve all of you
as a volunteer, and a leader in our
great community. I hope you all
continue to support the wonderful
programs that have been implemented
and help keep our children focused!
Thank you Annunciation Sacramento!
gaining much ground with the activities
and participation from all of our kids.
Our Youth Director, Andrew Burrows
has a great focus which is very refreshing to see and I hope you will support
his efforts!
I encourage all of us to stay
focused and involved, the decisions that
are being voted on at General Assembly
meetings are from approximately 50
people. We have about 800 families in
our community and everyone has an
opinion after the general assembly votes
on projects such as, building funds,
budgets or repairs on our current
facilities. I strongly believe, this is our
second home and all of us collectively
need to be a part of the decision process God Bless you all and your families,
and how it impacts the future of our Manny Balalis, President
ANNUNCIATION OBSERVER
Page 4
PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS & EVENTS . . .
I hope everyone had a
wonderful Thanksgiving with family
and friends and took some moments to
reflect on what we are each thankful
for in our lives.
November saw two diverse
fundraising events. Our 9th annual
wine tasting event was again very
successful. Over $10,000 dollars were
raised that will go toward meeting our
commitments to local and national
charities. If you missed it, you missed
some great wine, great food, great
artwork, great chocolate and the
opportunity to bid on some great silent
auction items. A very big “thank you”
goes to anyone who helped in any way.
Those who obtained donations for us
or donated auction items themselves,
made chocolate, helped to set up and
decor-ate, but most of all, the
predecessors who provided guidance to
this “rookie”. A special thank you goes
to Christine Dariotis who took the
lead on obtaining some fabulous
auction items.
We also participated in the
19th annual Christmas Around the
World held in our Hellenic Center.
This event features foods from
different countries prepared by
members of churches of other ethnic
Town Hall-Synaxis,
Sunday, December 9th
Join your church family for a special
Synaxis (Greek for “Town Hall”),
during coffee hour on December 9.
The goal of the Synaxis is to learn
first-hand how to help our parish
leadership grow and sustain our
programs and ministries, for the glory
of God.
What will be discussed?
•
•
•
2008 Operating Budget
Ramp Proposal
2007 Greek Food Festival
What is the format? Grab your coffee
and refreshments, then sit down in a
circle and participate in what
hopefully will be a lively and
productive exchange of ideas. It is an
open forum to discuss important
parish ministries and projects. It is
NOT a Parish Assembly. No votes
will be taken.
backgrounds. We sold lots of pastry as
well as tiropites, spanakopites and
pasticho. Father James gave a tour of
our church that is always of interest to
the visitors.
The bookstore also
benefited as many purchased their
items. Coincidentally, the bookstore
also sells the Philoptochos cookbook.
Coming on December 1st, the
annual Student Aid Endowment Fund
luncheon in Belmont. Many members
from Sacramento are planning to
attend.
January 13th, is the date for
the annual Vasilopeta luncheon after
church and all are invited to attend.
Dial-a-Baklava is one of our
continuing projects.
Although we
emphasize sales during the Christmas
Holiday and Easter Season, our items
are available the year round.
Wishing all a Joyous Christmas,
Helen Grammatikakis, President
Our new Board Members
*******************************
Dial-A-Baklava
Spanakopites and Tiropites
(Appetizer size) -- $12 Per Dozen
Baklava -- $20 Small Pan
$30 Large Pan
Kourambiethes and Melomacarouna
$1 Each
Galaktobouriko (by special order)
$30 Per Pan
To order, call
Helen Grammatikakis at 371-1627
or Terre Terzakis at 487-6467
*******************************
HELLENISM & ORTHODOXY:
SACRED IMAGES EXHIBIT
As mentioned in the November
Observer, the Hellenism & Orthodoxy:
Sacred Images Exhibit will take place
from January 23, 2008 to March 2,
2008. In addition to handwritten Icons
from Orthodox Iconographers,
parishioners are being asked that if you
have unique Icons that are family
heirlooms and you would like to put
them on display at the Exhibit, please
talk directly to Paul Peters
[email protected] or call him at
(916) 278-7103; or contact Katerina
Lagos-Tsakopoulos at [email protected]
or call her at (916) 682-9243.
By unique Icons is that the
Committee doesn’t want the Exhibit to
have a hundred Icons of Christ or the
Theotokos for instance.
Page 5
THE YOUTH CORNER. . . OUR 2007 VOLLEYBALL TEAMS!
Stephanie and I are working on a
special new letter about confession it
will be out the first of the month for our
youth.
Have a happy and safe holiday
Hope to see you in church.
God Bless, Andrew Burrows
Congratulations to our
volleyball teams that participated in
the San Jose Volleyball Tournament.
Sacramento had two teams that had
representation from the three parishes. The teams supported each other
throughout the tournament and
conducted themselves in a professional
manner.
Our Annunciation Sacramento A Team won first place! We
were blessed to have some great plays
and wonderful team play. It was a
pleasure to take these two teams to
San Jose. Thank you to the Endow-
CHOIR NEWS . . .
Our annual traditional
Christmas Concert will be held on
December 16th at 7:00pm at the
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church
with a beautiful reception to follow
sponsored by members of the
Philoptochos and friends of the choir
in the decorative church hall. !The
concert is free and open to the public
and will feature our dedicated adult
choir and soloists and the inspirational angelic youth voices. ! The
choir will also be presenting a
Christmas program at the Senior
Center on December 9th which has
been a tradition to begin the holiday
season. ! !On November 4th, the
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Choir
participated in a wonderful "Mediterranean V" concert at the newly
remodeled Santuary at the Temple
B'nai with voices from the Temple
B'nai and Beth Shalom. !This was a
great experience to sing together in
fellowship
and
to share
our
liturgicaland ethnic folk songs. ! Order
forms for a CD of the Mediterranean V
ment Fund, coach Asimos, and parent
chaperones that attended and
supported the event.
The All
Saints Carnival was fun and exciting
to see our youth have a good time.
Photos of the evening are below.
Thank you for participating!!!
We are participating in the
holiday food drive program. !Please
bring canned food to donate to the
Sacramento Food Bank.!!There is a
blue barrel in the church office where
you may drop the cans. Thank! you
for helping those who are in need.
Choir Concert are available at the
church office. !November 6th, the
choir sponsored the delicious
Thanksgiving luncheon for the Senior
League and performed the "Prayer of
Thanksgiving" and Greek folk songs
for a very appreciate audience. ! On
February 2nd, 2008, the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church will
be performing with musicians from
the Greek Orthodox Churches from
San Francisco and the surrounding
bay area for the “Advancing
Hellenism” event at CSUS, sponsored
by the Hellenic Studies Program
entitled Sacred Images.As the date
approaches, more information will be
provided.
We wish everyone a joyous
Holiday Season filled with the
Christmas Spirit!
ALL SAINTS
CARNIVAL
PARTICIPANTS!
DO YOU HAVE CHILDREN
AWAY AT SCHOOL?
We, your Priests, want the emails
of your college and university sons and
daughters so that we can keep contact
with them while they are in school.
Current statistics reveal that 60% of
college students at public or secular
universities who attend church before
they go off to school do NOT attend
church after they graduate. We hate
that statistic! We would like to attempt
to keep contact with our parish’s college
students to let them know that we care
about them. With their permission, we
want to encourage them spiritually,
challenge them to examine their faith,
make that faith their own, and remain
faithful to the values and eternal truths
that they learned in the Church. Help
us build that bridge! If you have a son
or daughter currently in college,
university or grad school, please call,
mail, or email us their email address.
You will find our email addresses on the
inside cover of this Observer.
Thank you!
Page 6
ANNUNCIATION OBSERVER
BOOKNOTES FOR DECEMBER . . .
Wow, it is December already! I
should start by mentioning all the
items the bookstore has in stock for
Christmas but there are so many
things that have gone on, and are
going on now, that I’m going to ask you
to hold that thought for a moment. A
young lady from the Sunday School
named Athena, left a memo in the
Bookstore’s box in the office saying
that the bookstore needs more books
because more people need to read
books. Well Athena, from your lips to
God’s ears because we truly have been
selling a lot of books lately! Christmas
Around the World for instance was a
wonderful event! Everyone of the
booths from our vantage point was
crowded all day long. The bookstore
was very successfully able to extend its
outreach to our Orthodox brothers and
sisters in Faith and neighbors in the
community.
It truly was an amazing
experience! People bought items we
expected such as Orthodox Advent
calendars.
We sold dozens of those.
There are several religious Advent
calendars left but only two Orthodox
calendars were left at days end.
Children’s books! Well, a lot of children
will be getting Orthodox books,
especially Bibles, for Christmas.
People bought Orthodox pendants and
crosses, but what stood out though
were the number of spiritually
challenging and enriching books people
took home. Priests from the various
churches came into the bookstore, each
several times, with their parishioners
and encouraged them to obtain what
they each needed for their spiritual
needs. It was most impressive to note
that so many people are so deeply
searching their Orthodox Faith.
Of course the bookstore
provided a number of St. Nektarios
icons and books and a number of St.
Katherine and St. Andrew icons for
those respective feast days. And again
this month, the bookstore sold a lot of
prayer books. I say this not because
just one or two were sold but a “lot” of
them made their way into homes so
that is most impressive!
Okay, now to busy December,
there of course is the Feast of St.
Barbara on December 4th. Xronia
Polla Pres. Barbara and Barbara
Takanikos. They are the only two
Barbara’s I know of but the bookstore
has books and icons on St. Barbara if
you have a Barbara in your family.
And, there are a lot of items about St.
Nicholas, December 6th. Xronia Polla to
you all the Nicholas! There are a lot of
children’s books about St. Nicholas but
one really stands out, Miracles of St.
Nicholas. This book offers a way to
explain to your children the life story of
the “real” St. Nicholas, the Bishop of
Myra. There are other saint days in
December of course, last but not least
before Christmas is the Feast of St.
Herman of Alaska through whom
Orthodoxy was brought to the
Northwestern United States. Our
bookstore has numerous items about St.
Herman. For your Christmas shopping,
the bookstore still has lots of children’s
books to choose from and books about
Greek customs and traditions. The
Philoptochos cookbook makes a wonderful gift! As mentioned above for
Christmas Around the World the
bookstore has many choices of icons,
Orthodox jewelry and other religious
articles to choose from. Keeping in mind
Dr. David Fontes homily on Orthodox
marriage, the bookstore has numerous
books on that subject also. All the above
make wonderful and memorable gifts.
May I also suggest that since
His Eminence Metropolitan Kallistos
Ware is coming to Sacramento that you
might want to get some of his work to
read before hearing him speak in
February.
KALA CHRISTOUYENNA and
Thank you for a Wonderful Year!
Marilyn Demas
GREEK SCHOOL NEWS. . .
The holidays are approaching
and Greek School is preparing. We
are looking forward to singing the
!"#$%&$, Greek Christmas carols, on
December 16th during the Sunday
School Christmas program.
There will be NO Greek
School on December 27th or January
3rd.
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Page 7
ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM ORATORICAL FESTIVAL . . .
Our Annunciation Junior and
Senior High School students will have
the opportunity to participate in the
25th Anniversary of the Saint John
Chrysostom Oratorical Festival with the
2008 finals June 6-8, hosted by the
Metropolis of Boston.
Top speakers
from both levels will receive cash prizes
plus an opportunity to compete at the
District level in Stockton, the Metropolis
level in San Francisco, and finally in
June at the Archdiocese sponsored
event.
Applications and a detailed list
of topics are available at the Sunday
School and Greek School classrooms as
well as the church office.
The
applications must be submitted by the
deadline of December 31, 2007. The
speakers competition will be held on
Sunday, March 9th, 2008 after the usual
coffee hour. Parishioners wishing to
hear the speeches will be invited to
return to the church where the
competition will be held.
Beyond the top cash prizes for
first, second, and third place ($300$200-$100), all speakers will receive a
certificate of participation and a fifty
dollar gift certificate.
It has been
several years since our parish held a
festival and this year’s committee is
working hard to attract our young
people to participate.
Information can be obtained
from any of the following committee
members:
Andrew Burrows, Terry Kastanis,
Louie Demas, Stephanie Lewis,
Despina Kreatsoulas &
Mary Sheean
ANNUNCIATION OBSERVER
Page 8
ANNUNCIATION SENIOR LEAGUE. . .
PLEASE JOIN
THE SENIOR LEAGUE FOR THEIR
ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY,
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4th!
!SOCIAL HOUR 11: 00 a.m.
LUNCHEON MEETING 11:30 a.m.!
Father James (Iakovos) Retelas is
sponsoring our Christmas luncheon in
honor of his wife, Presvytera Barbara.!
Santa has promised to be with us to help
celebrate Christmas and Pauline Cazanis
has promised a wonderful fun program that
you will not want to miss. We look forward
to having you join us in this seasonal
merriment. Make your reservations now by
calling Helen Caparis (916)448-3670, Kay
Georgallis (916) 455-0939 or Mary Silva
(530) 753-2007.
GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you to our wonderful and
famous CHOIR (under the baton of our
multi-talented maestro, Bill Bobolis) for
sponsoring our November Thanksgiving
luncheon and also entertaining us with
their beautiful voices. We have so much to
be proud of in our Orthodox community.
!!!!!!!! Thank you to our new food
coordinators Dena and Tyke Kuchulis who
worked with Dino Polyzos -our chef par
excellent- to prepare a most elegant and
delicious Thanksgiving meal.
! !!!!!!!!! Thank you to our luncheon set-up
coordinators Angie Gianopulos and
Margo Tzikas and their crew of helpers/
servers: John Christopulos, John Kyriakides, Maurice Silva and Helen Rotas.
!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you to Julie Mamalis, our
wonderful talented decorations person
who always delights us with her festive
and creative table settings.
!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you to Bessie Papailias for
donating all our colorful paper goods
(placemats, napkins, cups, etc.).
CONGRATULATIONS: !to John
Christopulos for being honored by the
Sacramento Area Coaches Hall of Fame
which is sponsored by the La Salle Club.
Trips and excursions: our
committee leaders, Annette Christopulos, Jennie Kleary and Merle Stathis
are in the planning stages of some fun
events for December and January: more
information to follow. A special “thank
!!
you” and many more “Happy Birthdays”
Faithfully,
to John Demas, who generously supplied
Sophia Evrigenis, ASL President
us with delicious sweet rolls on our trip
to Sonoma.
HIS EMINENCE METROPOLITAN KALLISTOS WARE . . .
Also
as noted in
the November
issue of the
Observer, His
Eminence the
Most Reverend Kallistos
Ware will be
offering the
keynote address at a reception to be
held at Ballroom of the Student Union
at California State University on
February 28th, 2008. The reception
begins at 7:00 p.m. with dinner at 8:00
p.m. Gallery seating for the reception
will not be available until after the
dinner.
The following biography of His
Eminence is directly from the
Ecumenical Patriarch Website: http://
www.ec-patr.org/hierarchs/show.php?
lang=en&id=112
His Eminence Metropolitan
Kallistos of Diokleia (in the world
Timothy Ware) was born on September
Elections of new officers for
2008-2009. !A slate of officers was presented to our membership at our November
luncheon-meeting by the nominating committee (Helen Caparis, Mary Kondos,
Anastasia Lovett, Helen Rotas and
Christine Kockinis). The proposed slate of
officers was unanimously accepted and
included: President Sophia Evrigenis, Vice
president, Dena Kuchulis: Recording
Secretary, Bessie Pothos, and Treasurer,
Mary Vasos.! We all thank you for your
vote of confidence in our ability to lead the
Senior League, and we look forward to continuing our fun fellowships in the future.!
Mark your calendars for Tuesday,
January 6th, Epiphany.! After receiving
Holy Water at the Epiphany church
service; please join us as we start the New
Year on the right track.! We will have with
us a speaker from the U.C.D. Medical
Center bringing us more information about
issues pertaining to our well being.
May the blessings of our Lord and
Savior be yours in abundance during this
very Holy Season and remain with you to
enrich your lives throughout all the years
ahead.
11th 1934 in Bath, Somerset, England.
He was educated at Westminster School
(to which he had won a scholarship) and
Magdalen College, Oxford, where he
took a Double First in Classics as well as
reading Theology. In 1958, at the age of
24, he embraced the Orthodox Christian
faith (having been raised Anglican),
traveling subsequently throughout
Greece, spending a great deal of time at
the Monastery of St. John the
Theologian in Patmos. He also frequented other major centers of Orthodoxy such as Jerusalem and Mount
Athos. In 1966, he was tonsured as a
monk, receiving the name Kallistos, and
was ordained to the diaconate and the
priesthood. In the same year, he became
a lecturer at Oxford, teaching Eastern
Orthodox Studies, a position which he
held for 35 years until his retirement. In
1979, he was appointed to a Fellowship
at Pembroke College, Oxford. In 1982 he
was unanimously elected by the Holy
Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of
Constantinople auxiliary bishop of the
Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great
Britain with the high title of “Bishop of
Diokleia”. He was ordained on Sunday
6th June 1982 in Saint Sophia Orthodox
Cathedral in London. Despite his
elevation, he remained in Oxford and
carried on his duties both as the parish
priest of the Oxford Orthodox Community and as a lecturer at the University. Since his retirement as a professor
in 2001, Bishop Kallistos has continued
to publish and to give lectures on
Orthodox Christianity, traveling widely.
Until recently, he was the chairman of
the board of directors of the Institute for
Orthodox Christian Studies in
Cambridge. He is the chairman of the
group Friends of Orthodoxy on Iona.
Bishop Kallistos is perhaps best known
as the author of the book The Orthodox
Church, published when he was a
layman in 1963 and subsequently
revised several times. More recently, he
produced a companion volume, The
Orthodox Way. But his most substantial
publications have emerged from his
translation work. Together with G. E.
Palmer and Philip Sherrard), he has
undertaken to translate the Philokalia
(four volumes of five published to date);
and with Mother Mary he produced the
Lenten Triodion and Festal Menaion.
Page 9
GREEK MUSIC, DANCE AND POETRY . . .
A Greek Music, Dance and Poetry Concert will be held at
7:00 p.m. on February 2, 2008 in the Student Union Ballroom of
the California State University, Sacramento (CSUS). The ninety
minute program of music, dance and poetry will be Greek the
with narration in English.
The event is sponsored the CSUS Hellenic Studies
Program, The Tsakopoulos Hellenic Foundation and the
American Hellenic Professional Society. The program features:
the Bay Area Festival Singers and Orchestra, Gus Gundunas
and Tikey Zes directors, Suzanne Gundunas soloist and George
Liviakis as coordinator of the group; the Annunciation Greek
Orthodox Choir of Sacramento, Bill Bobolis, director; the Hara
Dance Troupe also of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church,
director Stefanie Manolakas; and poetry readings by Andonia
Cakouros, Professor of Drama, CSUS. The program will be
narrated by Georgia Larsen of Sacramento.
Admission is free. However, tax deductible donations to
the Hellenic Studies Endowed Scholarship Fund at CSUS are
gratefully accepted. Refreshments will also be served after the
performance.
Prior to the program, you will have the opportunity to
view the Eastern Orthodox Icon Exhibit located at the CSUS
Library Art Gallery on the first floor and of the University
Library and visit the Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection on the first
floor rare books section and the main collection on the third floor
of the University Library. Both will be open from 4:00 p.m. until
6:30 p.m.
Free parking will be available by permit. Parking permits
will be printed on the program flyer or postcard for the event.
For further information on the program or parking you may
contact Paul N. Peters, (916) 213-4814 or [email protected]
John Christopulos was
one of the honorees at the La
Salle Club's Coaches Hall of
Fame Night.
John was a high school
teacher and coach for 44 years.
Thirty of those years he taught
and coached at El Camino High
School here in Sacramento.
While at El Camino High
School, he coached Varsity
Basketball, Junior Varsity and
Freshman Football, Varsity
Tennis and Junior Varsity
Baseball.
His Varsity Basketball
record was 441 wins out of 609
games.
He retired in 1999.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Page 10
ANNUNCIATION OBSERVER
"LAY UP TREASURES IN HEAVEN"
(Matthew 6.20)
INCOME
YEAR-TO-DATE
2007 BUDGET
Pledges
$ 411,354
$500,000
Tray & Candle
$ 54,518
$ 35,000
Food Festival
$ 30,000
$ 35,000
Subsidy/
Capital Outlay
$ 70,000
$ 33,938
End. Fund/Sb
Sdy/Grk. Tcach
$
7,638
$ 15,277
All Other
Revenue
$ 52,106
$ 68,650
Total Revenue
$ 625,616
$727,865
Total Sta! Exp.
$ 303,756
$ 370,345
Program Services
$ 18,116
$ 27,500
Other Oper.
Expense
$ 229,659
$260,400
Archdiocese
Commitment
$ 45,000
$ 59,620
Total Expense
$ 596,531
$ 717,865
OPER. FUND
BALANCE
11/19/07
$ 29,085
EXPENSE
2007 PLEDGES, AS OF 11/19/07
Stewardship Budget
$ 500,000
Pledged to Date
$ 453,453
Total Received to Date
$ 411,354
Total Members Pledged
535
Page 11
SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS. . .
It was with one simple can of food
and a dollar provided by many of our students
that the Sunday School was able to provide an
entire Thanksgiving for several families this
past holiday. We learned that sometimes, we
can’t always do things on our own; but
together, bound by our faith and a common
goal, we can do just about anything. Our
children came together and provided a
wonderful gift and there was a great sense of
pride in the children as they assembled the
baskets, realizing how wonderful and
rewarding it is to give.
Their generosity doesn’t end there;
they have also been busy collecting coats for
the KXTV 10 Coats for Kids Drive. This is
the third year we have collected and the
children are eager to top last year’s collection
of over 100 coats.
We would like to invite the entire
community to our Christmas Program on
December 16th. The children have been busy
preparing a wonderful program about the
Christmas miracle. Our Kindergarten and
High School students and teachers have also
contributed their thoughts and comments on
this very special holiday in the articles below.
Their articles are the first that will be featured
in our new Sunday School contribution to the
Observer. Each month, our students will be
sharing their thoughts and highlights from
their lessons with the community. We hope
that you will not only enjoy these articles, but
be sure to commend the children for their
wonderful insight.
Lastly, there are some very special
events coming up this year and we hope that
you will be sure to mark your calendars. On
January 6, 2008, we will celebrate the
Epiphany with our first annual Dive for the
Cross. Our high school students will be
invited to take part in this wonderful honor
and we hope that all the community will
come to witness the event.
I would also like to thank Paul
Peters who has arranged for His Excellency,
the Most Reverend Bishop Kallistos to spend
an evening with the Sunday School children.
Be sure to mark February 26, 2008 on your
calendars.
While parents are invited to
attend, this will be an evening for the children
to ask questions and talk with Bishop
Kallistos on their level. More information on
this event will be provided, but I urge you all
to save the date, it is an opportunity of a
lifetime that our children have.
On behalf of the Sunday School, I
would like to wish you all a Blessed
Christmas and New Year,
This month in our Kindergarten Sunday
School class we will be talking about why we
celebrate Christmas. All of us said we liked
presents, toys, snow and Christmas trees but
when our teachers Stella (Dariotis) Petrucci
and Rena Vasile asked us why Christmas was
special, we told them it’s because Christmas is
when Jesus was born, and that Jesus is God’s
son. We still think Santa is very cool, but we
told our teachers that Jesus, not Santa, was
the reason the Christmas is important.
Some of us remembered the story of
Christmas. We knew Jesus’ mother was Mary
and his father was Joseph. We’re not really
sure how it all happened, so Thea Stella and
Thea Rena said they would explain how there
was no room for them at the inn, why Jesus
had to be born with the animals and how they
put him in a manger instead of a crib. And
then they said something about the three wise
men who followed the bright star in the sky
that led them to baby Jesus and their gifts of
gold, frankincense and myrrh. Those sound
like strange gifts to us.
At Christmas, all of us said we would either
have family over our house or we would go to
Yiayia and Papou’s house and eat a lot of
“really great food.”
Another thing we know we’re supposed to
do at Christmas is help people. People seem a
lot happier at Christmas time if you help them.
It makes us feel good to help them too.
One thing that makes us happy at
Christmas is music! Our favorite songs are
Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer, Frosty the
Snowman and We Wish You a Merry
Christmas.
We think Christmas is the best time of the
entire year!
Upper High School Lessons on Love
As the Nativity of Christ draws near,
we turn our attention to the holiday spirit of
love. The subject of love has been discussed
and pondered by this year’s upper high school
class. As we have found, there are different
types of love--love of a possession, love of
food, love of self, love of one another, and love
of God. Society today tends to overuse and
sometimes even trivialize the word love, so
that its true meaning is lost. In Matthew 22:
37-39 Christ says, “You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, and with all your mind…you shall love
your neighbor as yourself.” As Orthodox
Christians, we are called upon to focus our
love on our Lord and on one another. Let us
take these forty days before the Nativity of
Christ to pray, fast and show love to each
other as well as our Lord, as we are called to
do.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Your Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Ariadne Antipa, Meryl Balalis, Christina
Dimakides, Zach Heinzer, Theodore Nikolau,
Nick Perakis, Arianna Pandelopoulos, Peter
Romas, Dimitra Theodoridis, Theo Vasiliou,
Katie Yerocostas. Teacher – Stephanie Lewis
This Month’s Perfect Attendance Students:
Marika Alexander, Marina Alexander, Nasia
Delis, Alexander Maguire, Sophia Malloy,
Jack Maguire, Sophia Delis, Abigal Harr,
Yiannis Alexander, Apostolos Delis, Audrey
Harr, Dennis Margaris, Theo Petsalis,
Christina Ganetsos, Katerina Petsalis, Dimitra
Tsigaris, Alexis Vasile, Marco Petrucci,
Steven Romas, Evi Tsigaris, Yiota Tsigaris,
Ariel Corelis, Christine Balalis, Francie
Staveris, Ariadne Antipa, Meryl Balalis,
Christina Dimakides, Nick Perakis
Are you ready for winter this year?
Do you have a coat to keep you warm?
Not everyone may be so lucky
this winter,
but YOU can help!!
Sunday School’s 3rd Annual
Used Coat Drive
Each Sunday through December 16th, the
Sunday School will be collecting coats.
(Coats will be given to the KXTV 10
Coats for Kids annual program)
Bring your used coats to the lower Sunday
School classrooms during coffee hour or
before classes.
New coats are always welcome too!
Any size, any color, adult or child,
everyone deserves a warm winter!
~Despina M. Kreatsoulas, Director
Sunday School Class Contributions:
Kindergarten students William
Durrell, Madeline Harris, Juliana
Gianulias and Jack Maguire shared their
feelings on the meaning of Christmas.
Free Dessert with Purchase of Any Entree
ANNUNCIATION OBSERVER
Page 12
FROM THE METROPOLIS YOUTH & FAMILY MINISTRIES . . .
Generation Hope
By Pete Sotiras,
Director
My brother and I get
along really well.
We
have many of the same
interests and enjoy each other’s company
—which is surprising since he’s an
Oakland Raiders fan and I’m a San
Francisco Forty-Niners fan, two pro football teams that have a huge rivalry.
Sometimes (okay, many times), I like to
tease my little bro when he starts getting
frustrated at the Raiders, wondering if
they’ll ever return to the SuperBowl again
—they haven’t been since 1984, before he
was born! As the wise older brother, I
can’t help but offer my wisdom and
usually tell him not to lose hope, reminding him that the Isrealites wandered in
the wilderness for forty years before God
led them out, so the next Super Bowl
might not be until 2024! Needless to say, I
don’t think he appreciated my advice!
Even though I was half-joking, having
hope is what sustains many fans during
tough times. Not every year will be a
Super Bowl season, but true fans hang on,
not giving up, sticking with their team
through thick and thin.
In life, hope is obviously more
crucial than it is in sports. Hope is what
sustains us and keeps us going every day.
That’s what Christmas is all about. Before
Christ was born, God’s people awaited a
Messiah for centuries, hoping for someone
who would free them from bondage and
oppression, someone who could be their
King and grant them victory from their
enemies. The Messiah was someone who
would stand up for those who had no
protection, who had no comfort. Many of
God’s people never lost hope, even though
they never lived to see the Christ child.
The Incarnation of Christ, when Christ became human, was the answer to the prayers of all the countless of saints who lived
before Jesus. God did not disappoint—He
delivered. Christ, the Messiah, was the
champion of the poor in spirit, the peacemakers, those who were ostracized and
oppressed.
We as Orthodox Christians can
relate to the saints who awaited the
Messiah. Many of us and those in our
society are also in bondage and oppressed.
We may need to be freed from the
bondage and oppression of guilt, jealousy,
anger, frustration, despair, greed and/or
hate. It’s easy to let our emotions control
us—when we do, we are in bondage. We
are not in control and we need someone
who will grant us victory against the
spiritual enemies that try and bring us
down.
We sometimes lose hope,
wondering where our help will come from.
Christmas is a reminder, a celebration,
that our cry has been heard, that a
Champion has entered our lives, a King,
who will grant us victory over the forces
that try to oppress us. Sometimes, we
have to be patient, knowing that changing
ourselves takes time, but we must never
lose hope, for God will deliver. When we
allow Christ to enter our lives, just like
He entered the world 2,000 years ago, He
answers our hopes and gives us the
strength and courage to overcome our
own challenges and to be free.
[Youth and their families can
contact Pete at: sfyouth@ sanfran.
goarch.org. You can also view and download
this article from the Metropolis Youth
webpage at: www.youth.sanfran.goarch.org/]
Please join us for cakes, cookies and hot cider during our
Holiday Open House
Saturdays
December 1st & 15th
11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Holiday Decorations s Beautiful home accessories s Excellent gift advice!
If you haven't visited us lately, our store hours are
Monday - Friday
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
and always by appointment
*Special 10% discount offered*
PORTA BELLA
DISTINGUISHED INTERIOR DESIGN
"DECORATING BEAUTIFUL INTERIORS SINCE 1985"
3330 Folsom Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95816 (916) 454-9074
Page 13
DECEMBER
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
1
Denotes Special Divine Services
2
3
9:00am -- Orthros 7:00 pm -- choir
10:00am -- Divine
practice
Liturgy & Sunday
School
4
9:00am -- Orthros &
Divine Liturgy
St. Barbara the
Great Martyr
11:00 am -- Senior
League Luncheon
(Hellenic Center)
5
11:30am -- Bible
Study - (Library)
7:00 pm -- Adult
Christian Education
-- LFR
6
7
8
9:00am -- Orthros &
Divine Liturgy
St. Nicholas the
Wonderworker
5:00pm - greek
school
6:30 pm -- Philoptochos Meeting -- LFR
9
10
9:00am -- Orthros
7:00 pm -- choir
10:00am -- Divine
practice
Liturgy & Sunday
School
11
12
9:00am -- Orthros &
Divine Liturgy
St. Spyridon the
Wonderworker
13
5:00pm - greek
school
14
11:30am -- Bible
Study - (Library)
11:15am -- Sunday
School christmas
program practice
& caroling
7:00 pm -- Adult
Christian Education
-- LFR
16
17
18
9:00am -- Orthros
6:00 pm -- Parish
10:00am -- Divine
Council Meeting
Liturgy & Sunday
School
7:00 pm -- choir
practice
Sunday School
christmas program
19
11:30am -- Bible
Study - (Library)
15
9:00am -- Orthros &
Divine Liturgy
St. Eleftherios
the Martyr
20
21
22
28
29
5:00pm - greek
school
7:00 pm -- Adult
Christian Education
-- LFR
7:00pm -- Choir
christmas concert
23
24
25
9:00am -- Orthros
10:00am -- Divine
Liturgy
10:00am -- Great
9:00am -- Orthros &
Divine Liturgy
The Nativity of
Jesus Christ
30
31
9:00am -- Orthros
10:00am -- Divine
Liturgy
hours of christmas
7:00pm -- christmas
vesperal liturgy
26
27
9:00am -- Orthros &
Divine Liturgy
St. Stephen the
Protomartyr
merry christmas
Kala Cristougenna
7:00pm -- New Years
Eve Gala
Hellenic Center
You may view a copy of our monthly Observer on our website: www.annunciation.ca.goarch.org
Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation
3022 F Street
Sacramento, CA 95816
TIME DATED MATERIAL
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 700
Sacramento, CA