- St. Constantine and Helen Church

Saints Constantine & Helen
Greek Orthodox Church
60 Traverse Road
Newport News VA 23606
Volume
Issue
May 2015
T HE C ROSS+ R OADS
† FROM FATHER GEORGE
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
AND
2-5
May Sundays
Acolyte & Epistle
Readers Schedule
2
Registry /
Announcements
6
Church, Club &
Community News
7
What would your
answer be?
8
Through the Bible
A—Z
9
Recently @ SC&H
9
Parish Council
Minutes
10-11
May Calendar
11
IN
ONE LORD
As we have just celebrated the Feast of all
Feasts in which we witnessed our Lord’s Resurrection from the Dead, we as a Community demonstrated that which a great reality of being Orthodox
Christians is: that being Faith in One God. Our
faith in God acknowledges the true fact that each
one of us is a descendant of Jesus Christ.
The Earthly Ministry of Jesus shows us the One
of whom all the Prophets spoke about and waited
for. As the Prophets foretold what would occur, we
see the same foretelling from the Lord who continuously taught the Disciples in reality, but yet as we
know they showed the sin of disbelief after the
Crucifixion had taken place. It is in the person of
Thomas the Apostle that we see and hear the
doubtfulness of what his brothers had seen, that
being the Risen Lord in their very presence. Thomas needed proof; the testimony of his brothers was
not enough.
We live in a society that needs to “see it in order to believe it”. Are we that skeptical? Do we
not trust the words of our friends and family members? Have we gotten burned by people and feel
the need for a shield of protection from harm and
the needing of the clear picture in order to believe?
How can someone not standing in an Orthodox
Church during the Paschal Vigil holding a lit candle
not feel the truth of our Lord’s victory over Death?
In our union with Christ we walk the walk with Him.
Saint Paul writes in the Epistle to the Galatians
(2:20) “I have been crucified wit Christ; it is no
longer I who live, but Christ lives in me”. What
better way to describe our faith in the Lord and
how we are to nurture our relationship with the
Lord.
The Resurrection of Christ paved the way for us
to become the sons and daughters of God. The
new life, the new opportunities that came about
because of the Resurrection is our chances to
grow in the wisdom of God and be reminded that
God is Love.
Hi-Lites
 Sunday of the
Paralytic—May 3
 Sunday of the Samaritan Woman—May 10
 Sunday of the
Blind Man—May
17
 Fathers of the 1st
Council—May 24
 Holy Pentecost—
May 31
C h r i s t
May 28—31 Please volunteer
Please return your volunteer form to the church office by May 15
i s
R i s e n
               
The Cross+Roads
Page 2
M AY S U N D AY S
Glory Be To God
Saints Constantine & Helen
Greek Orthodox Church
60 Traverse Road
Newport News VA 23606
www.schgochurch.va.goarch.org
Phone (757) 596-6151
Fax
(757) 596-2967
Email Addresses:
priest@ office@ parishcouncil@
youthdirector@ webmaster@
admin@
schgochurch.va.goarch.org
Office Hours
Monday Through Friday
9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Priest
Father George Chioros
Work
Home
Mobile
Email
596-6152
597-7786
288-4487
[email protected]
Parish Council
Barry Hendricks, President
Frank Peri, Vice President
Joanna Vallas, Treasurer
Bobby Garofalis, Assistant
Treasurer
Alex Constantine, Secretary
Elias Doulgerakis
Konstantinos Fotiadis
Barbara France
Alexis Galoozis
Tom Grepiotis
Jason Holbrook
Chanters
John Siokis
Harry Fotiou
Alex Constantine
Office Secretary
Tasia Savrides
named Tabitha, which means
Dorcas. She was full of good
works and acts of charity. In
those days she fell sick and died;
and when they had washed her,
they laid her in an upper room.
Since Lydda was near Joppa, the
disciples, hearing that Peter was
there, sent two men to him entreating him, "Please come to us
without delay." So Peter rose and
went with them. And when he
had come, they took him to the
upper room. All the widows stood
beside him weeping, and showing tunics and other garments
which Dorcas made while she
was with them. But Peter put
them all outside and knelt down
and prayed; then turning to the
body he said, "Tabitha, rise." And
she opened her eyes, and when
she saw Peter she sat up. And he
gave her his hand and lifted her
up. Then calling the saints and
EPISTLE READING
widows he presented her alive.
The Reading is from Acts
And it became known throughout
of the Apostles 9:32-42
IN THOSE DAYS, as Peter went all Joppa, and many believed in
the Lord.
here and there among them all,
GOSPEL READING
he came down also to the saints
that lived at Lydda. There he
Sunday of the Paralytic
found a man named Aeneas, who
The Reading is from John
had been bedridden for eight
5:1-15
years and was paralyzed. And
At that time, Jesus went up to
Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Jerusalem. Now there is in JeruChrist heals you; rise and make
salem by the Sheep Gate a pool,
your bed." And immediately he
in Hebrew called Bethesda which
rose. And all the residents of
has five porticoes. In these lay a
Lydda and Sharon saw him, and multitude of invalids, blind, lame,
they turned to the Lord. Now
paralyzed, waiting for the moving
there was at Joppa a disciple
of the water; for an angel of the
Apolytikion for Saints Constantine & Helen, Equal-to-the
Apostles in the Plagal of the
Fourth Tone
Having seen the image of Thy
Cross in Heaven, and like Paul,
having received the call not from
men, Thine apostle among kings
entrusted the commonwealth to
Thy hand, O Lord. Keep us always
in peace, by the intercessions of
the Theotokos, O only Friend of
man.
Τοῦ Σταυροῦ σου τὸν τύπον ἐν
οὐρανῷ θεασάμενος, καὶ ὡς ὁ
Παῦλος τὴν κλήσιν οὐκ ἐξ
ἀνθρώπων δεξάμενος, ὁ ἐν
βασιλεύσιν, Ἀπόστολός σου
Κύριε, Βασιλεύουσαν πόλιν τὴ
χειρί σου παρέθετο ἣν περίσωζε
διὰ παντὸς ἐν εἰρήνῃ, πρεσβείαις
τῆς Θεοτόκου, μόνε Φιλάνθρωπε.
MAY 3, 2015
MAY 17
Team A - Dominic Peri
Kostas Polyzos, Jorgie
Polyzos, James St. Martin,
Yianni Tsimplekis, Dean Peri
MAY 3 & 24
Team B Christian Detweiler
Hayden Hendricks, Michael Christou, Anthony
Capobianco, Cris Campbell,
Matthew Swanenburg
MAY 10 & 31
Team C - Joseph Dennie
Ethan Detweiler, Georgios
Haramis, Christos Konstantinou, Christopher Myers,
Soterios Tofalli, Kyprianos
Tofalli
EPISTLE READERS
May 3: Helen
George
May 10: Rebekkah
Warhol (GOYA)
May 17: John Williams
May 24: Howard
Mandeville
May 31: Alex Constantine
P A R I S H M I N I S T R I E S & O R G A N I Z AT ION S
Philoptochos
Greek Orthodox Youth Association (GOYA)
Athena Savvas, President
Mary Katherine Galoozis, President
Religious Education
Kent Paumier, Advisor
Aleksandra Garofalis, Administrative Director
Young Adult League (YAL)
Frances Tsimplekis, Artistic Director
Anastasia Theodorogiannis, President
Greek School
Matina Mimikos, Paula Tofalli, Aphrodite Christopoulos
Youth Ministry
Archdiocese on the web
www.goarch.org
ACOLYTES
Golden Hearts
Chris Fotiou, President
Order of AHEPA
Stephanie Peri and Kent Paumier, Advisors
Newport News—Tom Georges, President
Acolytes
Daughters of Penelope
Barry Hendricks, Director
Helen Dennie, President
JOY/HOPE
Hellenic Womens Penelope Society
Helen Micha, Director
Helen Vaughn, President
Hellenic Youth Dancers
Bobby Garofalis, Director
The Cross+Roads
Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and troubled
the water; whoever stepped in
first after the troubling of the
water was healed of whatever
disease he had. One man was
there, who had been ill for thirtyeight years. When Jesus saw him
and knew that he had been lying
there a long time, he said to him,
"Do you want to be healed?" The
sick man answered him, "Sir, I
have no man to put me into the
pool when the water is troubled,
and while I am going another
steps down before me." Jesus
said to him, "Rise, take up your
pallet, and walk." And at once the
man was healed, and he took up
his pallet and walked.
Now that day was the sabbath. So the Jews said to the
man who was cured, "It is the
sabbath, it is not lawful for you to
carry your pallet." But he answered them, "The man who
healed me said to me, 'Take up
your pallet, and walk.' "They
asked him, "Who is the man who
said to you, 'Take up your pallet,
and walk'?" Now the man who
had been healed did not know
who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in
the place. Afterward, Jesus found
him in the temple, and said to
him, "See, you are well! Sin no
more, that nothing worse befall
you." The man went away and
told the Jews that it was Jesus
who had healed him.
SAINTS & FEASTS
The Holy Martyrs Timothy
and Maura
Peter the Wonderworker
Ahmet the Calligrapher &
Martyr
Sunday of the Paralytic
Father Theodosius, Abbot
of Kiev Caves Lavra
Page 3
he exhorted them all to remain
faithful to the Lord with steadfast
purpose; for he was a good man,
full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.
And a large company was added
to the Lord. So Barnabas went to
Tarsus to look for Saul; and when
Seasonal Kontakion in the he had found him, he brought
him to Antioch. For a whole year
Plagal Fourth Mode
they met with the church, and
Though You went down into
the tomb, You destroyed Hades' taught a large company of people; and in Antioch the disciples
power, and You rose the victor,
were for the first time called
Christ God, saying to the myrrhbearing women, "Hail!" and grant- Christians. Now in these days
ing peace to Your disciples, You prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of
who raise up the fallen.
them named Agabos stood up
Εἰ καὶ ἐν τάφῳ κατῆλθες
and foretold by the Spirit that
ἀθάνατε, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ᾍδου
there would be a great famine
καθεῖλες τὴν δύναμιν, καὶ
over all the world; and this took
ἀνέστης ὡς νικητής, Χριστὲ ὁ
place in the days of Claudius.
Θεός, γυναιξὶ Μυροφόροις
And the disciples determined,
φθεγξάμενος. Χαίρετε, καὶ τοῖς
every one according to his ability,
σοῖς Ἀποστόλοις εἰρήνην
to send relief to the brethren who
δωρούμενος ὁ τοῖς πεσοῦσι
lived in Judea, and they did so,
παρέχων ἀνάστασιν.
sending it to the elders by the
WISDOM OF THE
hand of Barnabas and Saul.
ἐποίησε κράτος, ἐν βραχίονι
αὐτοῦ, ὁ Κύριος, ἐπάτησε τῷ
θανάτῳ τὸν θάνατον,
πρωτότοκος τῶν νεκρῶν ἐγένετο,
ἐκ κοιλίας ᾅδου ἐρρύσατο ἡμᾶς,
καὶ παρέσχε τῷ κόσμῳ τὸ μέγα
ἔλεος.
FATHERS
Great is the profit of the divine
Scriptures, and all-sufficient is
the aid which comes from
them ... For the divine oracles are
a treasury of all manner of medicines, so that whether it be needful to quench pride, to lull desire
to sleep, to tread under foot the
love of money, ... from them one
may find abundant resource.
St. John Chrysostom
Homily 37 on John 5, 4th Century
MAY 10, 2015
EPISTLE READING
The Reading is from Acts
of the Apostles 11:19-30
IN THOSE DAYS, those apostles who were scattered because
of the persecution that arose
over Stephen traveled as far as
Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to none
HYMNS OF THE DAY
Resurrectional Apolytikion except Jews. But there were
some of them, men of Cyprus
in the Third Mode
and Cyrene, who on coming to
Let the Heavens rejoice; let
Antioch spoke to the Greeks also,
earthly things be glad; for the
preaching the Lord Jesus. And
Lord hath wrought might with His the hand of the Lord was with
arm, He hath trampled upon
them, and a great number that
death by death. The first-born of believed turned to the Lord.
the dead hath He become. From News of this came to the ears of
the belly of Hades hath He delivthe church in Jerusalem, and
ered us, and hath granted great
they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
mercy to the world.
When he came and saw the
Εὐφραινέσθω τὰ οὐράνια,
grace of God, he was glad; and
ἀγαλλιάσθω τὰ ἐπίγεια, ὅτι
me, a woman of Samaria?" For
Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered her, "If
you knew the gift of God, and
who it is that is saying to you,
'Give me a drink,' you would have
asked him and he would have
given you living water." The woman said to him, "Sir, you have
nothing to draw with, and the
well is deep; where do you get
that living water? Are you greater
than our father Jacob, who gave
us the well, and drank from it
himself, and his sons, and his
cattle?" Jesus said to her,
"Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever
drinks of the water that I shall
give him will never thirst; the
water that I shall give him will
become in him a spring of water
welling up to eternal life." The
woman said to him, "Sir, give me
this water, that I may not thirst,
nor come here to draw."
Jesus said to her, "Go, call
your husband, and come here."
GOSPEL READING
The woman answered him, "I
Sunday of the Samaritan
have no husband." Jesus said to
Woman
her, "You are right in saying, 'I
have no husband'; for you have
had five husbands, and he whom
you now have is not your husband; this you said truly." The
woman said to him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our
fathers worshiped on this mountain; and you say that Jerusalem
is the place where men ought to
worship." Jesus said to her,
"Woman, believe me, the hour is
coming when neither on this
mountain nor in Jerusalem will
you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we
worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the
hour is coming, and now is, when
The Reading is from John the true worshipers will worship
4:5-42
the Father in spirit and truth, for
At that time, Jesus came to a such the Father seeks to worship
city of Samaria, called Sychar,
him. God is spirit, and those who
near the field that Jacob gave to worship him must worship in
his son Joseph. Jacob's well was spirit and truth." The woman said
there, and so Jesus, wearied as
to him, "I know that the Messiah
he was with his journey, sat down is coming (he who is called
beside the well. It was about the Christ); when he comes, he will
sixth hour.
show us all things." Jesus said to
There came a woman of Saher, "I who speak to you am he."
maria to draw water. Jesus said
Just then his disciples came.
to her, "Give me a drink." For his They marveled that he was talkdisciples had gone away into the ing with a woman, but none said,
city to buy food. The Samaritan
"What do you wish?" or, "Why are
woman said to him, "How is it
you talking with her?" So the
that you, a Jew, ask a drink of
(Continued on page 4)
The Cross+Roads
Page 4
M AY S U N D AY S @ S A I N T S C O N S T A N T I N E & H E L E N
(Continued from page 3)
woman left her water jar, and
went away into the city and said
to the people, "Come, see a man
who told me all that I ever did.
Can this be the Christ?" They
went out of the city and were
coming to him.
Meanwhile the disciples besought him, saying "Rabbi, eat."
But he said to them, "I have food
to eat of which you do not know."
So the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought him
food?" Jesus said to them, "My
food is to do the will of him who
sent me, and to accomplish his
work. Do you not say, 'There are
yet four months, then comes the
harvest'? I tell you, lift up your
eyes, and see how the fields are
already white for harvest. He who
reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that
sower and reaper may rejoice
together. For here the saying
holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that
for which you did not labor; others have labored, and you have
entered into their labor."
Many Samaritans from that
city believed in him because of
the woman's testimony. "He told
me all that I ever did." So when
the Samaritans came to him,
they asked him to stay with
them; and he stayed there two
days. And many more believed
because of his word. They said to
the woman, "It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard ourselves, and we know that this is
indeed Christ the Savior of the
world."
spake to the Apostles exultantly:
Death is despoiled and Christ
God is risen, granting great mercy to the world.
Τὸ φαιδρὸν τῆς Ἀναστάσεως
κήρυγμα, ἐκ τοῦ Ἀγγέλου
μαθοῦσαι αἱ τοῦ Κυρίου
Μαθήτριαι, καὶ τὴν προγονικὴν
ἀπόφασιν ἀπορρίψασαι, τοῖς
Ἀποστόλοις καυχώμεναι ἔλεγον·
Ἐσκύλευται ὁ θάνατος, ἠγέρθη
Χριστὸς ὁ Θεός, δωρούμενος τῷ
κόσμῳ τὸ μέγα ἔλεος.
MAY 17, 2015
EPISTLE READING
The Reading is from Acts
of the Apostles 16:16-34
GOSPEL READING
Sunday of the Blind Man
The Reading is from John
9:1-38
SAINTS & FEASTS
Theodotos the Martyr of
Ancyra & the 7 Virgin-martyrs
Apolytikion for MidAthanasios, Archbishop of
Pentecost in the Plagal
Christianopolis
Fourth Mode
The New Martyrs of Batak,
At Mid-feast give Thou my
Bulgaria
thirsty soul to drink of the waters
Sunday of the Blind Man
of piety; for Thou, O Saviour,
The Holy Apostles Andronididst cry out to all: Whosoever is
cus and Junia
thirsty, let him come to Me and
Christ God, saying to the myrrhbearing women, "Hail!" and
granting peace to Your disciples,
You who raise up the fallen.
Εἰ καὶ ἐν τάφῳ κατῆλθες
ἀθάνατε, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ᾍδου
καθεῖλες τὴν δύναμιν, καὶ
ἀνέστης ὡς νικητής, Χριστὲ ὁ
Θεός, γυναιξὶ Μυροφόροις
φθεγξάμενος. Χαίρετε, καὶ τοῖς
σοῖς Ἀποστόλοις εἰρήνην
δωρούμενος ὁ τοῖς πεσοῦσι
παρέχων ἀνάστασιν.
WISDOM OF THE
FATHERS
When, then, have they taken
place, save when the Word of
God Himself came in the body?
Or when did He come, if not
when lame men walked, and
stammerers were made to speak
drink. Wherefore, O Well-spring
HYMNS OF THE DAY
plain, and deaf men heard, and
of life, Christ our God, glory be to
Resurrectional Apolytikion men blind from birth regained
Thee.
their sight? For this was the very
in the Plagal First Mode
Μεσούσης τῆς ἑορτῆς,
thing the Jews said who then
Let
us
worship
the
Word,
O
ye
διψῶσάν μου τὴν ψυχήν,
witnessed it, because they had
faithful, praising Him that with
εὐσεβείας πότισον νάματα ὅτι
not heard of these things having
the Father and the Spirit is coπᾶσι Σωτὴρ ἐβόησας· ὁ διψῶν,
taken place at any other time.
beginningless God, Who was
ἐρχέσθω πρός με καὶ πινέτω· Ἡ
St. Athanasius
born of a pure Virgin that we all
πηγὴ τῆς ζωῆς, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεὸς
Incarnation of the Word 38,
be saved; for He was pleased to
δόξα σοι.
4th
Century
mount the Cross in the flesh that
Seasonal Kontakion in the He assumed, accepting thus to
Plagal Fourth Mode
endure death. And by His gloriThough You went down into
EPISTLE READING
ous rising, He also willed to resthe tomb, You destroyed Hades' urrect the dead.
The Reading is from Acts
power, and You rose the victor,
Τὸν συνάναρχον Λόγον Πατρὶ of the Apostles 20:16-18, 28Christ God, saying to the myrrhκαὶ Πνεύματι, τὸν ἐκ Παρθένου
36
bearing women, "Hail!" and
τεχθέντα εἰς σωτηρίαν ἡμῶν,
GOSPEL READING
granting peace to Your disciples, ἀνυμνήσωμεν πιστοὶ καὶ
Fathers of the 1st Council
You who raise up the fallen.
προσκυνήσωμεν, ὅτι ηὐδόκησε
Εἰ καὶ ἐν τάφῳ κατῆλθες
The Reading is from John
σαρκί, ἀνελθεῖν ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ,
ἀθάνατε, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ᾍδου
17:1-13
καὶ θάνατον ὑπομεῖναι, καὶ
καθεῖλες τὴν δύναμιν, καὶ
At that time, Jesus lifted up
ἐγεῖραι τοὺς τεθνεῶτας, ἐν τῇ
ἀνέστης ὡς νικητής, Χριστὲ ὁ
his eyes to heaven and said,
ἐνδόξῳ Ἀναστάσει αὐτοῦ.
Θεός, γυναιξὶ Μυροφόροις
Apolytikion of Sts. Constantine "Father, the hour has come; gloriφθεγξάμενος. Χαίρετε, καὶ τοῖς
fy your Son that the Son may
&
Helen
in the Plagal Fourth
SAINTS & FEASTS
σοῖς Ἀποστόλοις εἰρήνην
glorify you, since you have given
Mode
Simon the Zealot & Apos- δωρούμενος ὁ τοῖς πεσοῦσι
him power over all flesh, to give
He beheld the image of Your
tle
παρέχων ἀνάστασιν.
eternal life to all whom you have
Cross in the Heavens and, as
Sunday of the Samaritan
given him. And this is eternal life,
WISDOM OF THE
Paul, he too did not receive the
Woman
that they know you the only true
call from men. Your Apostle
FATHERS
God, and Jesus Christ whom you
Isodora of Egypt
among
Kings
placed
the
care
of
Here is love! Here is teaching!
have sent. I glorified you on
the
Royal
City
in
Your
hands.
Laurence of Egypt
Here is acquiescence! Here is a
earth, having accomplished the
Through
the
intercessions
of
the
model! ... Those who love they
HYMNS OF THE DAY
work which you gave me to do;
Theotokos,
O
only
Loving
Lord,
Resurrectional Apolytikion also serve. If you want to find out keep it ever in peace.
and now, Father, you glorify me
how
great
your
love
is
towards
in the Fourth Mode
in your own presence with the
Seasonal
Kontakion
in
the
Having learned the joyful proc- God, then measure your obediglory which I had with you before
Plagal Fourth Mode
ence
to
the
will
of
God,
and
you
lamation of the Resurrection
the world was made.
Though
You
went
down
into
from the Angel, and having cast will immediately learn.
"I have manifested your name
the tomb, You destroyed Hades'
Bishop
Nicolai
Velimirovic
off the ancestral condemnation,
to the men whom you gave me
power,
and
You
rose
the
victor,
Prolog, 7 Sept., B #80, 706.
the women disciples of the Lord
MAY 24, 2015
The Cross+Roads
out of the world; yours they were,
and you gave them to me, and
they have kept your word. Now
they know that everything that
you have given me is from you;
for I have given them the words
which you gave me, and they
have received them and know in
truth that I came from you; and
they have believed that you did
send me. I am praying for them; I
am not praying for the world but
for those whom you have given
me, for they are mine; all mine
are yours, and yours are mine,
and I am glorified in them. And
now I am no more in the world,
but they are in the world, and I
am coming to you. Holy Father,
keep them in your name, which
you have given me, that they may
be one, even as we are one.
While I was with them, I kept
them in your name, which you
have given me; I have guarded
them, and none of them is lost
but the son of perdition, that the
scripture might be fulfilled. But
now I am coming to you; and
these things I speak in the world,
that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves."
SAINTS & FEASTS
Fathers of the 1st Council
Meletios the Commander
& his Companion Martyrs
Gregory, Archbishop of
Novgorod
Symeon the Stylite of the
Mountain
Saint Vincent of Lerins
HYMNS OF THE DAY
Resurrectional Apolytikion
in the Plagal Second Mode
Angelic powers were above
Thy tomb, and they that guarded
Thee became as dead. And Mary
stood by the grave seeking Thine
immaculate Body. Thou hast
despoiled Hades and wast not
tried thereby. Thou didst meet
the Virgin and didst grant us life.
O Thou Who didst arise from the
dead, Lord, glory be to Thee.
Ἀγγελικαὶ Δυνάμεις ἐπὶ τὸ
μνῆμά σου, καὶ οἱ φυλάσσοντες
ἀπενεκρώθησαν, καὶ ἵστατο
Μαρία ἐν τῷ τάφῳ, ζητοῦσα τὸ
ἄχραντόν σου σῶμα. Ἐσκύλευσας
τὸν ᾍδην, μὴ πειρασθεὶς ὑπ'
αὐτοῦ, ὑπήντησας τῇ Παρθένῳ,
δωρούμενος τὴν ζωήν, ὁ ἀναστὰς
ἐκ των νεκρῶν, Κύριε δόξα σοι.
Page 5
sion in the Fourth Mode
MAY 31, 2015
Thou hast ascended in glory, O
EPISTLE READING
Christ our God, and gladdened
Thy disciples with the promise of
The Reading is from Acts
the Holy Spirit; and they were
of the Apostles 2:1-11
assured by the blessing that Thou
GOSPEL READING
art the Son of God and Redeemer
Holy Pentecost
of the world.
Ἀνελήφθης ἐν δόξῃ Χριστὲ ὁ
Θεὀς ἡμῶν χαροποιήσας τοὺς
μαθητὰς τῇ ἐπαγγελίᾳ τοῦ ἁγίου
Πνεύματος βεβαιωθέν των αὐτῶν
διὰ τῆς εὐλογίας ὅτι Σὺ εἶ ὁ Υἱὸς
τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ λυτρωτὴς τοῦ κόσμου.
Apolytikion for Fathers of
the 1st Council in the Plagal
Fourth Mode
Most glorified art Thou, O
Christ our God, Who hast established our Fathers as luminous
stars upon the earth, and through
them didst guide us all to the
true Faith. O Most Merciful One,
glory be to Thee.
Ὑπερδεδοξασμένος εἶ, Χριστὲ
ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, ὁ φωστῆρας ἐπὶ
γῆς τοὺς Πατέρας ἡμῶν
θεμελιώσας, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν πρὸς
τὴν ἀληθινὴν πίστιν, πάντας ἡμᾶς
ὁδηγήσας· πολυεύσπλαγχνε, δόξα
σοι.
them, said to them, "Does our
law judge a man without first
giving him a hearing and learning
what he does?" They replied, "Are
you from Galilee too? Search and
you will see that no prophet is to
rise from Galilee." Again Jesus
spoke to them, saying, "I am the
light of the world; he who follows
me will not walk in darkness, but
will have the light of life."
SAINTS & FEASTS
Eusebius and Haralambos
the Monk-martyrs
Hermias the Martyr at Comana
Holy Pentecost
HYMNS OF THE DAY
Apolytikion for Pentecost
in the Plagal Fourth Mode
Blessed art Thou, O Christ our
God, Who hast shown forth the
fishermen as supremely wise by
The Reading is from John sending down upon them the
Holy Spirit, and through them
7:37-52; 8:12
didst draw the world into Thy net.
On the last day of the feast,
O Befriender of man, glory be to
the great day, Jesus stood up and
Thee.
proclaimed, "If any one thirst, let
Εύλογητός εἶ Χριστὲ ὁ Θεος
him come to me and drink. He
ἡμῶν ὁ πανσόφους τοὺς ἁλιεῖς
who believes in me, as the scrip- ἁναδείξας καταπέμψας αὐτοῖς τὸ
Seasonal Kontakion in the ture has said, 'Out of his heart
Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον καὶ δι᾽ αὐτῶν
Plagal Second Mode
shall flow rivers of living water.'" τῆν οἰκουμένην σαγηνεύσας
O Christ our God, upon fulNow this he said about the Spirit, φιλάνθρωπε δόξα Σοι.
filling Your dispensation for our
which those who believed in him
Seasonal Kontakion in the
sake, You ascended in Glory,
were to receive; for as yet the
Plagal Fourth Mode
uniting the earthly with the heav- Spirit had not been given, beenly. You were never separate
Once, when He descended
cause Jesus was not yet glorified.
but remained inseparable, and
When they heard these words, and confounded the tongues, the
cried out to those who love You, "I some of the people said, "This is Most High divided the nations;
am with you and no one is
and when He divided the tongues
really the prophet." Others said,
against you."
of fire, He called all men into
"This is the Christ." But some
Τὴν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πληρώσας
said, "Is the Christ to come from unity; and with one accord we
οἰκονομίαν, καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς ἑνώσας Galilee? Has not the scripture
glorify the All-holy Spirit.
τοῖς οὐρανίοις, ἀνελήφθης ἐν
Ὅτε καταβὰς τὰς γλώσσας
said that the Christ is descended
δόξῃ, Χριστε ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν,
συνέχεε, διεμέριζεν ἔθνη ὁ
from David, and comes from
οὐδαμόθεν χωριζόμενος, ἀλλὰ
Ὕψιστος· ὅτε τοῦ πυρὸς τὰς
Bethlehem, the village where
μένων ἀδιάστατος, καὶ βοῶν τοῖς David was?" So there was a divi- γλώσσας διένειμεν, εἰς ἑνότητα
ἀγαπῶσί σε· Ἐγώ εἰμι μεθ' ὑμῶν, sion among the people over him. πάντας ἐκάλεσε, καὶ συμφώνως
δοξάζομεν τὸ πανάγιον Πνεῦμα.
καὶ οὐδεὶς καθ' ὑμῶν.
Some of them wanted to arrest
WISDOM OF THE
FATHERS
him, but no one laid hands on
him.
The officers then went back to
... for He continues to wear the
Body which He assumed, until He the chief priest and Pharisees,
make me God by the power of His who said to them, "Why did you
not bring him?" The officers anIncarnation; although He is no
swered, "No man ever spoke like
longer known after the flesh -- I
mean, the passions of the flesh, this man!" The Pharisees answered them, "Are you led astray,
the same, except sin, as ours.
you also? Have any of the authorSt. Gregory the Theologian
ities or of the Pharisees believed
4th Theological Oration, 4th
in him? But this crowd, who do
Century
not know the law, are accursed."
Nikodemos, who had gone to him
Apolytikion for Holy Ascenbefore, and who was one of
WISDOM OF THE
FATHERS
For as thirsty men, when they
have taken a bowl, eagerly drain
it and then desist, so too they
who hear the divine oracles if
they receive them thirsting, will
never be weary until they have
drunk them up. For to show that
men ought ever to thirst and hunger, "Blessed," It said, "are they
which do hunger and thirst after
righteousness" (Matt.5:6) St.
John Chrysostom, Homily 51 on
John 7, 4th Century
The Cross+Roads
Page 6
C H URC H REG IS T RY / A NNOU NC EMENTS
BIRTHS:
ing to him our get-well wishes in the April issue of
Our sincere congratulations and best wishes to the Cross+Roads. Roger, you are in our thoughts
Thanos & Melissa Polizos on the birth of their son, and prayers always. Get well soon.
Perastika to all of you.
April 1. Proud paternal grandparents Mel and
THANK
YOU:
Frances Polizos.
Na sas zisi!!!!!
A big thank you to all the ladies of our Parish
who did a great job dying this year's Easter Eggs.
40-DAY BLESSINGS:
Tessie Dakis, Barbara France, Matina Mimikos,
The infant daughter of John & Hannah Doud
Tasia Savrides, Cleo Pillegi, Sevasti Polyzos, Roula
received her 40-day blessing on April 5.
Valentin and Voula Vretakis. A great job, ladies,
The infant son of Corey & Constandina Moody
many thanks.
received his 40-day blessing on April 5.
Barbara France, thanks for providing the white
May the blessings of our Church be with the
board
on which we print the names of the Sunday
newly-churched infants and our best wishes to
Coffee Hosts.
them, their parents and their entire families.
BAPTISM:
BOOKSTORE:
The Bookstore would like to thank everyone for
the continued support. We encourage you to come
in after Liturgy and see our selection of books,
icons, small gifts, and incense. We are continually
receiving new items. Don’t forget that we can special order icons or other items for you. Please allow
3-4 weeks for delivery.
Please note that the standard price of icons will
be increasing as of the 2015 Festival. Our primary
RECENTLY ILL AND NEEDING
supplier of icons raised its prices back in October,
OUR PRAYERS
but we have maintained the “old” prices. Now, we
We wish a speedy and complete recovery to our must make the transition to the new prices so that
there is consistency in the standard sizes as we
friends and fellow parishioners who have been ill
and/or hospitalized recently: Maria Call, Matthew add new merchandise to the shelves. If there is an
icon that you have had your eye on, now is the time
Grepiotis and Stelios Ikonomou.
to purchase it!
Our apologies to our good friend and valued
fellow parishioner, Roger Headrick, for not convey-
The infant daughter of Constantinos & Ellen
Velissarios was baptized in our Church on April 25
and given the name Styliana Sophia by her godparents, Andrea Lawton and Konstantinos Velisaris.
Our best wishes to the newly-baptized infant and
our sincere congratulations to her parents, godparents, grandparents and her entire family.
Na sas zisi!!!!!!!!!
H O LY W E E K T H A N K Y O U
Thank you for the following Donations of Items for
Holy Week and Great and Holy Lent
Wreaths for the Friday Salutations Services: Anna and
Zena Mageras, Kent and Georgene Paumier, Tessie Savrides, ad Charita Stavrou.
Daffodils for the Third Sunday of Lent: Alvin and Alexa
Garrison
Tessie Savrides for the donation of the Palms and to
those who made the Palm Crosses on the Saturday of
Lazarus.
The Dermanis Family for the Holy Unction service
materials.
Wreaths for Holy Thursday: Jack and Mary Georgalas,
Dr. Michael Kokorelis, Charita Stavrou, and Dr. Chris and
Hope Zambas.
Agnes Samos and Helen Nicholls for ordering the
flowers that were used throughout Holy Week.
Presvytera Flora Chioros and Father Nick and Presvytera Moscha Despotides for the sheets for Holy Friday.
The Lolos Family for the Flowers for the Kouvouklion
as well as the Easter Lilies in Memory of Anargyros and
Antonia Lolos.
Andy and Tessie Baker, John and Phoebe Campbell,
and Asimina Phillos for Flower arrangements.
John and Barbara France for the Bay leaves for Holy
Saturday morning.
John and Agnes Samos for the wine used during the
services.
Aphrodite Christopoulos and the Hitiris Family for the
incense used during the services.
Tessie Savrides and Roula Valentin for preparing the
Boxes of Easter eggs.
Athena Savvas, Barbara France, and Irene Christou
for the Friday Lenten Suppers
Special thanks to our Parish Council under the leadership of our President Barry Hendricks for the ushering
and order during the services as well as sponsoring the
Anastasi meal and to Nick Matthews, John Dermanis,
Frank Peri, and Tessie Dakis for preparing the meal and
the Philoptochos for the Tsourekia.
Special thanks to all who did so much during the
week: the Choir, Chanters, Myrofores, Altar Boys and
Directors, all those who decorated the Church during
Holy Week, The Goya members who did the Epistle readings on Holy Wednesday, the Ladies who dyed all the
Easter Eggs, the readers of the Gospels during the Agape
Vespers and the young men who carried the Kouvouklion
on Holy Friday.
A special thanks to Fathers Nick and Ion who assisted
me during the services and to our Seminarian Dimitri
Konstantinou for his assistance as well and to “Mr. Holy
Week” Ted Fotiou for his service throughout the week.
Paula Detweiler and Kathy Kalinikos for taking pictures throughout the week and posting these pictures on
Facebook.
I hope that all of us will be together again next year in
good health in order to walk the walk of Great and Holy
Lent and Holy Week.
Thank You Again,
Father George ATTENDANCE
April 5
320
April 12
240
April 19
131
April 26
131
April 2015
207
April 2014
211
YTD 15 Ave
167
YTD 14 Ave
182
REFRESHMENTS
We thank all those parishioners
who served as hosts for the coffee
following the Divine Liturgy each
Sunday during the month of April.
The hosts for the month of May
are:
May 3: - No hosts. Victoria
Woodbury Memorial Service
May 10: Dr./M George Katsantonis, Mr. Sam Khoshoba, Dr./M
Brian Killough, Mr. Peter Kilopoulos
May 17: - No hosts - Scholarship Luncheon
May 24: Mr. Daniel Kocic, M/M
John Koenig, Dr. Mike Kokorelis,
Ms. Marina Koliopoulos, M/M Lee
Kolipoulos
May 31: No hosts - Greek Festival
Koliva
If you would like to purchase
Koliva for memorials, you may
contact:
Helen George 722-0610
Anastasia Savrides 595-1581
Athena Savvas 599-8455
Cross+Roads
CHURCH EMAIL LIST
Subscribe to the church email
list for monthly links to the
Cross+Roads and important
church announcements at:
www.schgochurch.va.goarch.org
DEADLINE
Please email information no
later than the 20th day of the
month to Nick Vlattas
[email protected]
The Cross+Roads
Page 7
CHURCH, CLUB
PHILOPTOCHOS:
Once more we thank our hardworking members who prepared
and served the Palm Sunday
Luncheon. Ladies, know that
your dedication and hard work in
supporting the Philoptochos mission is greatly appreciated by all
who benefit from the charitable
work of Philoptochos.
We would like to again remind
our fellow Philoptochos members
as well as the entire membership
of our Community that we continue to provide the patients of Virginia Oncology with sandwiches,
chips, cookies etc. every Monday
during the lunch hour. Please, if
you have not as yet participated
in this most worth-while Act of
Kindness consider doing so. Call
Ellie Costulis, 833-8181, and
offer your services either by
providing sandwiches, cookies,
chips, etc. and/or participating
physically yourselves. We again
thank you for your consideration.
We also ask all of you in our
Community to continue bringing
us the "box tops for education"
from the various products that
feature them as well as your
Farm Fresh Receipts. Our Literacy Committee Chairperson,
Kathy Dermanis along with her
entire committee are doing a
great job seeing that needy
schools are helped through this
effort of ours. We do thank you
very much for your support.
On May 20, following the Vesper Services for the Feast Day of
SS Constantine & Helen, our
Saint Helen Philoptochos will
observe the nameday of our
Church as well as that of our
Chapter with an Artoclasia during
the services and a reception following the Vesper Services. We
invite all our parishioners to join
us both during the Vesper Services and at the reception for this
celebration.
Our obligations to the National
for the months of May and June
are: A contribution to the 75th
Anniversary Founders Fund
which provides assistance to
Greek Orthodox older adults and
their families, continuing care
facilities and special projects;
also, a contribution to Orthodox
AND
COMMUNITY NEWS
Christian Fellowship (OCF) which
provides Orthodox Christian Support to college students on campuses in the U.S.
The May meeting of the
Philoptochos will be Monday,
May 4, beginning with refreshments at 6:30pm. Hosting this
meeting will be Mdms. Marika
Anthony and Stavroula Gailey.
DAUGHTERS OF
PENELOPE:
Continuing with our our obligations to the National, the third
mandatory obligation that the
National Daughters organization
identified during the 2014
AHEPA/DOP Supreme Convention is The Friedreich's Ataxia
Research Alliance (FARA), which
is a national public 50(c)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt organization
dedicated to curing Friedreich's
Ataxia (FA) through research.
FARA grants and activities provide support for basic and translational FA research, pharmaceutical/biotech dug development,
clinical trials and scientific conferences. FARA also serves as a
catalyst between the public and
scientific community to create
world-wide exchanges of information that drive medical advances.
The third voluntary obligation
identified by the Daughters during the 2014 Supreme
AHEPA/DOP Convention is
Melissa's Orphanage for Girls.
Melissa's Orphanage for Girls
was established in 1921. It accommodates 28 girls aged 10-18
years old who have been removed from their families following a court order due to instances of maltreatment, abuse or
abandonment. The goal of the
Orphanage is to substitute as
well as possible the care and
nurture that would have been
provided with a healthy family
environment.
The 84th AHEPA/DOP Districts #3 & #4 Convention will be
held May 15-17 in Baltimore.
We're hoping to see many of you
there.
The May meeting of our Chapter will be held Thursday, May 21,
at 6:45pm.
HELLENIC WOMAN’S
PENELOPE SOCIETY:
The May meeting of the Hellenic Woman’s Penelope Society
(HWPS) will take place on Thursday, May 7, 2015 at 6:30 pm at
the Hellenic Center. This is our
last business meeting, and the
election of new officers for 2015
-2016 will take place. Please
make every effort to be present.
Our Spring Bake Sale was very
successful, and we thank all
those members who worked diligently to make our delicious pastries. All proceeds from the
bake sale will fund the Father
Peter and Gregory Makris Memorial Merit Scholarship.
Our Book Group will host the
Norfolk Annunciation Cathedral’s
Book Group on Tuesday September 15th at 11:00 AM at the
Hellenic Center. We will be discussing The Return by Victoria
Hislop, who is also the author of
the international best seller, The
Island.
During the Spring Festival, we
will be conducting tours of the
Biblical Garden. Marika Anthony
will serve as the tour guide.
Those who visited the garden in
previous years were extremely
impressed with its beauty and
spirituality. We invite our parishioners and our young people to
visit the Garden as well.
The Installation of Officers
and Initiation of New Members
Banquet will be held on Thursday, June 4, at 6:30 PM. The
location will be announced at a
later date. Mrs. Jane Williams,
chairman of the Cultural Committee of the Annunciation Cathedral of Norfolk, will be the installing officer. All members will
be contacted by telephone or email to place their reservations.
We pray for the speedy recovery of Steve Ikonomou, who recently underwent a second surgery. Steve, be patient and soon
you will be your old self again.
We wish George Tsirimokos,
who spent nearly two months in
a rehabilitation center, a speedy
recovery as he is presently recovering at home.
We welcome back to Newport
News Elias Doulgerakis after a
long waiting period and a successful heart transplant. Elias,
our prayers were with you the
entire time.
PORT HOMELESS
SHELTER:
Thank you to all those who
provided their time, treasure and
talent in making the PORT events
a success this season. Your efforts were greatly appreciated!
LINK OF HAMPTON
ROADS
LINK of Hampton Roads is
asking for the community’s help.
State funding for the PORT
Homeless Shelter has been permanently eliminated due to the
use of Sherriff’s deputies to
maintain overall safety for the
churches, guests, volunteers,
and staff. On May 5th and 6th,
LINK of Hampton Roads will be
participating in a 36 hour online
fundraising campaign called
“Give Local 757!”. Give Local
757! is a community wide event
where local non-profit organizations highlight what they do in
hopes of receiving donations to
help support their mission.
LINK’s mission is to address and
reduce the causes of poverty
through collaborative partnerships, advocacy, and maximization of effective resources. The
goal is to raise at least $10,000
with the proceeds to go towards
the PORT Winter Homeless Shelter.
The shelter is one of the community outreach ministries our
Church supports every year.
Along with providing a place to
sleep, the shelter provides
guests with food, clothing, and at
some locations the opportunity to
shower. It also provides guests
with an opportunity to connect
with needed services such as:
Community Services Board, Social Services, Care A Van, Veteran’s Administration, and employment services.
For more information, please
contact the LINK of Hampton
Roads Programs Coordinator,
Leigh Mitchell, at
[email protected], or
757.595.1953 x 207.
The Cross+Roads
W H AT
Page 8
WOULD OUR
During our General Assembly
this past March, I discussed the
fact that we have seen our attendance and stewardship offerings decline over the past several
years. We are not alone, today,
80% of churches across the
country have either seen their
numbers plateau or are in decline (both in attendance and
offerings).
Just three decades ago, nationwide, gifts to religion accounted for 60% of all charitable giving
(that is, of all charitable gifts
people made to charities and non
-profits, 60% of those gifts went
to religion, i.e. churches). In
2011, that number had gone
down to 32%. However, during
that same time, charitable giving
has remained constant; meaning
people were still giving, but to
other organizations and institutions. In addition, during that
same 30 year period, the number
of non-profit organizations increased significantly. Bottom
line, there is more competition
for those charitable giving dollars, so the old way of doing business just won’t work anymore.
Today, those non-profit organizations that are successful understand precisely what motivates a person to give (this includes the 20% of churches that
are seeing growth in attendance
and offerings). Study after study
on non-profit fund raising has
shown that the number one reason people give to a particular
organization is a belief in the
mission. Donors clearly see what
the organization stands for and
that they have a vision for where
they are headed in the future.
The donor connects with that
vision and believes in what the
organization stands for, and in
turn, supports that organization
with their time and treasure.
That’s why I’m convinced that we
need to start now rebuilding an
individual and community connection to our faith, and then set
a vision and course for the future. Our lack of focus on the big
picture, that is our purpose and
what we stand for, makes it all
the more difficult for people to be
inspired enough to look into their
ANSWER BE?
hearts and make that next step
in making spiritual and inspired
offerings to the church. We must
be able to show how we are performing our mission today, and
how we plan to do it better tomorrow if our faithful choose to
bless us with their gifts.
One of my biggest fears, or to
put it another way, one of the
things that keeps me up at night,
is this scenario – how would we
respond if someone came to us
and said, “I’ve got a million dollars that I’m considering giving to
your church, could you please tell
me where you see your Church
heading in the next several
years? And what would you
would do with this gift that will
change lives, or better yet, make
disciples for Christ and His
Church?” Think about it, what
would our answer be?
Would it be something like
this:
- “Wow, we never expected
anything like that. Huh, let’s see,
maybe we would use it to keep
our doors open and pay our annual expenses for the next few
years and then hope for another
gift like that when it runs out.” Or,
- “We’ll have to get back with
you because we never thought
we’d ever see that much money.”
Or simply,
- “I have no idea.”
Or an answer like:
- “We’ve been praying for a
gift such as yours, and have the
perfect way to put that gift into
action. We would invest that
million dollars in order to endow
an annual salary for a Director of
Youth Ministries or a Director of
Music Ministry.” Or perhaps this,
- “I see us using that money
to expand and build our Mission
and Outreach Ministry where we
can provide opportunities for
mission trips or outreach opportunities in our community where
we could help those less fortunate. A gift such as that could
open so many doors for us and
provide opportunities that will
change lives.” Or something like
this,
- “As the church of choice on
the Peninsula for Orthodox Christians from all ethnic back-
grounds, we will provide a loving
community where all feel welcome and offered the opportunity
to grow spiritually. Their faith will
be strengthened by being an
active participant in the life of the
Church. Your gift would be a
blessing that will enable us to
expand our ministries well into
the future.”
What response do you think
would be the one that would
inspire that person to make that
gift? What answer is the one are
we prepared to give today?
I feel many of our faithful are
asking us that same question
(whether they realize it or not)
and we might not be giving them
the answer they are looking for.
You can tell how inspired many of
them are with their current offerings.
Friends, we are at a crossroads. We can continue along
the road we’ve been traveling as
part of that 80% of churches who
have plateaued or are in decline.
A road, unfortunately, I feel takes
us to a place where our numbers
and involvement will continue to
fall to where it reaches a point of
no return. Or we could take another road, a road where we look
at what is making those 20% of
churches that are growing successful and perhaps look for a
way to make that success fit in
our community. A road that
leads us to a spiritual connection
to our faith and church, and
where we clearly know what we
stand for and where we want to
go in the future.
Think about that question that
was posed earlier, and what
would our answer be? The
choice is squarely in our hands. I
invite you to join me and the Parish Council in discussing what we
believe God has called us to do
with His church, today and into
the future.
By Barry Hendricks
Parish Council President
THROUGH
THE BIBLE
A—Z
Tread upon the lion and
cobra & serpent – Psalm
91:13
Treasure in earthen vessel
so that the surpassing
greatness of the power
will be of God & not
yourself – 2 Cor. 4:7
Treasure in your heart His
Word –Psalm 119:11
Treasured ones – Psalm
83:3
Tree known by your own
fruit – Luke 6:44
Trees planted by the rivers
that bringeth forth fruit –
Psalm 1:3
Tremble and do not sin –
Psalm 4:4
Trespasses not counted
against you – 2 Cor.
5:19
Tribulation brings perseverance, then character,
then hope since God’s
love pours through your
heart – Rom 5:3-5
True child in the faith – 1
Timothy 1:2
True Christians seek the
glory of the Father who
sent Jesus – John 7:18
True disciples continue in
His Word – John 8:31
The Cross+Roads
Page 9
R E C E N T LY @ S A I N T S C O N S TA N T I N E A N D H E L E N
HELLENIC YOUTH DANCERS
Myrophores at Holy Friday Lamentations Service
On Saturday, April 18th, the Hellenic Youth Dancers were
invited to participate in the Hampton, Virginia International
Children's Festival. The Fotakia dancers marched in the parade that opened the festival. They represented the country,
Greece. Later on that morning, both Fotakia and Elliniki Psihi
performed some dances on the main stage at Mill Point Park.
They performed beautifully. Great fun for the entire family!
The Hellenic Youth Dancers would like to thank everyone for their
support in purchasing luminaries. They were displayed in front of
the church on Good Friday for all to see while entering and exiting
the church. It was wonderful time to reflect on those that have
touched our lives. Unfortunately, the luminaries were pushed back
against the wall for safety because of the winds and storms passing
through that evening. This is a picture taken of the luminaries in
front of the church on Good Friday.
The Cross+Roads
Page 10
P A R I S H C OUNC I L M I N UT E S (A P P R OV E D )—M A R C H 1 6, 2 0 1 5
I:
Call to Order & Opening
Prayer:
The meeting convened at 1903 by
Barry Hendricks with an opening
prayer by Father George Chioros.
The Parish Council began the meeting by discussing an excerpt of Katherine Clark’s “Simple Guides – Religion: The Orthodox Church” on the
life of St. Helen. Barry Hendricks
encouraged members of the Parish
Council in other ministries and organizations to recommend opening their
meetings with a short discussion on
a religious topic or lesson. The following items were discussed, with
action items in bold script:
Present: Father George Chioros,
Alex Constantine, Barry Hendricks,
Frank Peri, Barbara France, Bobby
Garofalis, Joanna Vallas, and Tom
Grepiotis
Absent: Elias Doulgerakis, Jason
Holbrook, Alexis Galoozis, and Gus
Fotiadis
Guests/Visitors: Dr. Marika Anthony and Mr. Tony Anthony
II:
Minutes:
Dr. Bobby Garofalis made a motion to approve the 19th February
2015 meeting minutes; Seconded by
Barbara France, Passed unanimously
III:
Correspondence:
E-mail dated 10th March 2015
from LINK of Hampton Roads, requesting support to the PORT Homeless Program as they endeavor to
raise $10K in light of the dropping of
state funding for PORT. LINK requests parishes announce the 5th
and 6th May 36-hour fundraising
campaign called Give Local 757 and
contribute financially if able. Request confirmation by 25th March.
Fr. George will announce during services and Barry will send to Nick
Vlattas for publishing in the
“Cross+Roads”.
IV:
Treasurer’s Report:
Joanna Vallas: Statement from
Morgan Stanley – assets currently
valued at $93,788.57
Current monthly revenue (Month
ending Feb) is $18,502.94
Operating Expenses are
$35,058.11
This places the Church In the red
$16,555.17 YTD
Reports are available at the office
Audit committee notes that the
renovation account and line of credit
were reconciled with assets at
$128,652.19; note payable at the
bank is 75,808.39
V:
Visitor’s Comments:
Dr. Marika Anthony: The chairs
which arrived 1.5 mo ago are still by
the stair case and have not been
opened and inspected
Suggestion that the PC appoint a
committee to be in charge of the
chairs and market them to those who
wish to rent the hall, and that if such
a committee is appointed she be
allowed to serve on it
There are individuals who are
unaware that there are chairs available and how many are available
Committee would ensure chairs
are properly cleaned and stored
safely in a locked room
Joanna Vallas: The House Committee was unaware of the delivery
The committee already manages
the chairs and has them in the contract
There is another concern that the
HWPS is supposed to be able to rent
the chairs for free once per year and
requests a written statement from
the board for their archives
The PC agreed to furnish such a
letter or make it a matter of record in
the meeting minutes
Suggestion that there should be
some rules which ensure the property is properly handled
Joanna Vallas: The contract now
included damage clauses to handle
this
Reminder that a year ago Dr.
Anthony submitted a suggestion that
all clubs not be asked to pay for use
of the kitchen if the function is for
the direct support of the church,
otherwise they can be charged
As an example Norfolk does not
charge clubs but leaves it up to the
clubs to make a donation to the
church
Dr. Anthony believes this will motivate clubs to perform more functions
provided the functions are earmarked only for the church
Request the PC consider this
Finally a concern that the
Poquoson Players felt mistreated
while setting up and preparing the
dinner theatre
Dr. Anthony relayed several concerns on behalf of the theatre company and requested that in future the
house committee be less rigid with
respect to hall availability and operational hours
The Dinner Theatre went well
though the attendance was down
due to the weather
The rest of the chairs will be purchased due to an anonymous loan by
one of the HWPS members which will
bring the total number of chairs available for rent to 350.
Discussion: The Group arrived on
a Sunday at 1900 even though the
hall was open as late as 1630 for
several meetings and Ted Fotiou
opened the hall for them and stayed
through 2200 to help them set up
and avoid extra truck rental fees.
There was also a lack of communication from the play sponsors to the
House Committee regarding schedule and needs prior to setup. Additionally there was a large use of
power and other hall assets, and
there is a need to ensure that nonparishioners are not left unsupervised by a PC member. Regarding
the request to eliminate fees for club
events held for the good of the
church; the council discussed and
will take under advisement – current
contract allows clubs to use the
kitchens rent-free provided proceeds
go entirely to the renovation fund or
the church general fund.
Members are also already allowed
to use the facilities on a noninterference, no-cost basis if the
church is open
Motion by Barbara France that
Hellenic Woman’s Penelope Society
(HWPS) will be allowed to use the
chairs rent-free in perpetuity for their
annual dinner theatre; seconded by
Alex Constantine, passed unanimously
Minutes annotated to reflect the
resolution
VI:
Committee Reports:
Stewardship Ministry:
Barry Hendricks: Nothing Significant to Report
Priest’s & Youth Report:
29th March: God Parent’s Sunday + 25th March Greek Independence Program, followed by the GOYA
Spaghetti Luncheon
4th April: Teaching Liturgy on the
Saturday of Lazarus followed by
luncheon and the folding of palm
fronds for Palm Sunday
19th April: St John Chrysostom
Oratorical Festival
26th April: District Finals
10th-12th May: Metropolis Clergy
Laity Conference
Delegates due 15th April
Last time two PC members attended, event ran Sunday through
Tuesday – delegation should be ≥ 3
members
Cross+Roads: The bulk rate requires at least 250 articles, and with
the number of individuals using email this number is getting close to
underrunning
Discussion over handing out
Cross+Roads on Sundays in print and
e-mailing to members given publication and postal costs - Cross+Roads
cost on the order of $500 per month
to send out
Cross+Roads is an outreach item
and the Council agreed to continue to
bear the cost for the present
13th-15th March GOYA retreat at
Camp Piankatank was attended by
Newport News, Norfolk, and Richmond
YAL-aged councilors and adult
chaperones did a good job leading
events
Investment Account: Recommendation to have the fund managers
present their program to the PC
Barry Hendricks will contact them
about such a presentation
Holy Week Services
The church logs how many people
attend each year to plan palms, candles, etc.
Last year was down, however
given convergence of Western and
Eastern Easter and travel this number may be low for use as a metric
number
Reminder to ushers of the increase in attendees and to guide
parishioners during special processions
Saturday of Lazarus: 1000
Teaching Liturgy as discussed above
Flowers have been donated for
the events
Palm Sunday: 1000 Liturgy,
1900 Vigil
Wednesday: GOYA will read the
Epistle at the 1900 Services
Thursday: 0700 Vesperal Liturgy,
1900 Twelve Gospels
Friday: 0900 Royal Hours followed
by decoration of the kouvouklion,
1500 Vespers of the un-nailing,
1900 Lamentations
Saturday: 0800 Vesperal Liturgy,
1100 Matins of the Resurrection
followed by the Divine liturgy of St.
Basil, Margaritsa and the fastbreaking meal
Nick Matthews will prepare Margaritsa, and the PC will work the
other mains and sides
An announcement for the meal
will be made in the Cross+Roads
Sunday: 1100 Agapi Vespers, the
reading of the Gospel in multiple
languages, and the Easter Egg hunt
House:
Joanna Vallas: Contract and
House rules were finalized to include
damage and chair clauses
Liquor license must be in-place 3days ahead of time, and setup times
and fees have been included
Personnel rates will be negotiated
by the House Committee per event to
ensure they are properly compensated for overtime, etc.
Regarding deliveries, reminder to
the community to ensure they are
coordinated with the house committee in advance rather than at the last
minute
Council discussed communicating
acceptance procedures to avoid lastminute issues
Personnel are not full time, and
the House Committee must know in
advance that there are pending deliveries
(Continued on page 11)
The Cross+Roads
(Continued from page 10)
House committee will set rules
with the personnel to ensure items
are properly accepted
Further, Mrs. Savrides has requested that the parish be notified
that they should cease attaching
personal orders to orders for the
hall as this makes accounting impossible
Personal orders must be made
separately
Parishioners are reminded that
AHEPA has opened its Agora and
many goods are available through
them
The sales points of presence
need to be informed as well
Festival
Barry Hendricks: Next meeting is
Wednesday, 1st April
Maintenance Committee
Hall side Door has been fixed
Barbara France: The swing
structures and bench will be removed along with footings
Audio in the Narthex has been
fixed
Paint chips were found in the
stairwell – PC discussed checking
for abatement and committee will
investigate
Internet Ministries
Nothing Significant to Report
Other Committees
Nothing Significant to Report
VII:
Unfinished Business:
Church Calendar Update:
Updated by Frank Peri and Joanna Vallas
Items may be posted by emailing Joanna Vallas
Intent is to list all church events
Fire Suppression System (From
General Assembly):
PC investigated the issue and
the system is good for two years and
will need to be replaced thereafter
Church Directory (From General
Assembly):
John Dermanis will conduct verifications in April for a publication in
Page 11
May.
VIII:
New Business:
Personnel Issues:
Deferred till April
Centurion Campaign Update
Deferred till April
Initiatives Covered during General Assembly
Vision, mission, worship involvement, and Mission and Outreach
Ministry
Deferred till April
Video in Nursery
A parishioner has approached
the PC regarding the camera feed
into the Nursery
The video is not working and
members do not have a place where
they can observe the Liturgy if their
children are crying or distracted
The parishioner has offered to fix
the system as a donation – the PC
discussed supporting the effort and
ensuring all parishioners are made
to feel welcome
Round Table
Joanna Vallas: The choir room
piano is in need of tuning and the
room needs cleaning – PC agreed to
have the tuner in and that the choir
can arrange for routine maintenance at a reasonable cost as required
Fr. George: In closing, Elias
Doulgerakis passes along his wishes
and expressed his desire to come
for Holy Week.
IX:
Adjournment:
Fr. George offered the closing
prayer at 2136. Next meeting 20th
April 2015.
X:
Certification:
Respectfully Submitted
Alexander N. Constantine
Secretary
May 2015
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
HOURS OF OPERATION:
Monday – Saturday: 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Sunday: 1 hour after Church
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
2 Saturday
18 Monday
3 Sunday
20 Wednesday
Baptism
Sunday of the Paralytic
8:45am Orthros
10:00am Liturgy
40 Day Memorial Victoria Woodbury
Baptism
4 Monday
6:30pm Philoptochos
5 Tuesday
5:00pm -8:00pm Greek School
Classes
6 Wednesday
Mid-Pentecost
5:00pm -8:00pm Greek School
Classes
7:15pm Choir
7 Thursday
6:30pm Hwps
7:00pm Parish Council
Apodosis of Pascha
6:30pm Great Vespers for
Feast of Saints Constantine &
Helen
21 Thursday
Holy Ascension
Saint Constantine & Helen
9:00am Orthros
10:00am Divine Liturgy
6:45pm Ahepa
23 Saturday
Wedding
24 Sunday
Fathers of the First Ecumenical
Council
8:45am Orthros
10:00am Liturgy
25 Monday
Memorial Day
11-11:30am Park Lawn CemeSunday of the Samaritan Woman tery
Mothers Day
1:15pm Peninsula Memorial
8:45am Orthros
Park
10:00am Liturgy
10 Sunday
12 Tuesday
The Brothers of Chapter 241 are offering various
Greek pantry items for your homes.
Please come by the AHEPA center to purchase
stock for all your cooking needs.
Proceeds benefit general and philanthropic
AHEPA programs.
Thu
5:00pm -8:00pm Greek School
Classes
13 Wednesday
5:00pm -8:00pm Greek School
Classes
7:15pm Choir
17 Sunday
Sunday of the Blind Man
8:45am Orthros
10:00am Liturgy
End of Year Awards
Scholarship Luncheon
28Thursday
Greek Festival
29 Friday
Greek Festival
30 Saturday
Greek Festival
Saturday of Souls
9:00am Divine Liturgy
31 Sunday
Holy Pentecost
8:15am Orthros
9:30am Liturgy
Greek Festival
Saints Constantine & Helen
Greek Orthodox Church
60 Traverse Road
Newport News VA 23606
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Permit No. 50
Newport News
Virginia
Return Address Requested
COME WORSHIP
THE
G L ORY
OF
GOD
Sunday Services
9:00 a.m. Matins
10:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy
11:15 a.m. Religious Education (Sep-May)
11:30 a.m. Christian Fellowship (Hellenic Center)
Mission Statement
The mission of Saints Constantine & Helen
Greek Orthodox Church in Newport News, Virginia
is to keep, practice, and proclaim the Orthodox
Christian Faith. The work and ministry of our Parish
will include proclaiming the Gospel, sanctifying the
faithful through God's grace in worship, the Divine
Liturgy and the Sacraments, and enhancing their
spiritual life. We will fulfill the great commission of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by inviting others
into the Church through Baptism and/or Chrismation, educating them in the Orthodox Faith through
the establishment of programs, schools and philanthropic activities, and implementing Christian
ministries.
www.schgochurch.va.goarch.org
Phone (757) 596-6151
Fax
(757) 596-2967
C h r i s t
i s
R i s e n
               