"May the Word in you never be smothered with the cares of this life and so make you unfruitful: but may you walk in the King's Highway, turning aside neither to the right hand nor to the left, but led by the Spirit through the narrow gate." St. Gregory the Theologian

As we look forward to the Feast Day of the Three Hierarchs, Sunday, January 30, as we venerate St. Gregory, St. Basil and St. John Chrysostom, we know from history and tradition that this feast was instituted during the reign of Alexis I Comnenus (1081-1118), when a dispute arose in Constantinople about which of the three Fathers was the greatest. People took sides in three hostile factions – the Basilians, Gregorians and Joannites. At last, to restore peace to the people and the Church, the three holy hierarchs themselves appeared to the monk John Mauropus, revealing to him that they stand together in harmony and in equal glory before the heavenly throne, and instructed him to compose a common service for the three of them. Saint John (Mauropus) obeyed, and chose January 30 as the date of the commemoration, since each of the three hierarchs is commemorated separately in January.

Thus by celebrating the Feast Day of the Three Hierarchs, we are also celebrating the vision of unity, and honoring the Greek letters that they loved. One of the great gifts of these wise and holy saints was to interpret the Bible in such a way that it could be understood by the people of their times. Their writings are a legacy of which we are still proud. Thus we have the great tradition of education that is uniquely ours as Orthodox Hellenes. We have seen the fruits of this tradition flourish with our parochial and charter schools.

We also honor our tradition of Greek letters, specifically St. John Chrysostom, with our annual Oratorical Festival, which takes place first in our communities, then on a district level and finally at the Metropolis of Atlanta.

For in these ways, we honor not only these great saints, but also the beauty and the legacy of our Greek Orthodox Faith and vision.

Paternally yours with love in Christ,

+ALEXIOS
Metropolitan of Atlanta

Am I Doing a Job or Offering Ministry to God?

At times, we may approach our service to our Church as a task or job to be performed, rather than view it as a diakonia or service to our Lord and His Body of Believers.

Perhaps we do something to help because no one else will, without realizing our gifts of time and talents as true service/ministry to our Lord.

Maybe we commit just enough time at a task to get by, rather than offer our personal talents to the best of our ability, thereby honoring God and thanking Him as well.

Perhaps we find it easy to offer ourselves only so long as our assistance does not interfere with our other activities, rather than let go of material or self-centered desires that limit or prevent us from offering our best to God.

Sometimes we may stop helping because no one praises or thanks us, rather than persevere . . . even when no one is looking or we do not derive a personal benefit.

Perhaps we are more concerned with individual success with our work, rather than concern for faithfulness to our Lord’s plan of salvation for all humankind and the critical importance of our communal efforts.

I encourage you to listen to the voice of God that is calling and asking you to serve each day within His Holy Church. Rather than perceive your efforts as a “mere job”, consider them as “offerings, as sacred tasks, as diakonias, or as ministries” that will lead you, your family, and fellow parishioners to spiritual fulfillment and excitement, and help us go forward in our walk of faith leading to God’s Kingdom.

Then, we will at the Day of Judgment, hear God’s joy when He proclaims: “Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your Master.” (Matthew 25:23)

May God bless and empower each of us, His co-workers, whom He is calling to assist in the ministry of this parish and our community at large. May we see ourselves in the same context with which St. Peter encouraged his co-workers more than 2,000 years ago to consider:

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9) AMEN!

Faithfully yours,
+Fr. George Tsahakis
Chancellor

"Let Your Light So Shine before Others"
By Father Mark Leondis, St. Mark Greek Orthodox Church Boca Raton, FL   

Today, try in some small way to reflect God's light to others. 

Jesus said: "You are the light of the world". 

Light makes things visible by dispelling darkness and makes that which is before us perceptible. In the absence of natural light, electricity produces the light we need to perform our daily functions. 

A storm or blackout can abruptly reduce electricity's efficiency to nothing. On such occasions we resort to candles to provide us with light. 

A candle is always willing to serve, to give, to help -- even if it is a poor substitute for powerful electricity. There is almost no time needed for preparation -- a simple match is all it takes.  

A candle is true to itself. It is content with being exactly what it is. A candle doesn't attempt to run trains, produce heat or energize appliances. A candle is content with giving its one candle-power to overcome darkness. 

One humble candle, lit in the midst of darkness, can be seen from miles away. If we can't do great things and be great people, we should be content with what we can do and be what we are. If we have but one candle-power to give, we should use it fully today to glorify God. 

A candle is willing to sacrifice itself in order to serve others. With every ray of light that the candle produces, it is slowly consumed until it completly melts away. 

Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. He showed us the way, he revealed God's love for us and thus, He is "the Light of the world". We are called upon to reflect his light and echo his love by laying down our life for our neighbor. 

Let your one candle-power shine today. 

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

Journey of Marriage (Pre-Marital Seminar)

IMPORTANT: All couples marrying in the Metropolis must attend a Metropolis-sponsored Journey of Marriage seminar prior to their wedding. The couple will present their certificate of completion to their parish priest after the seminar. 

• January 23 - Atlanta, GA 
• January 23 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
• January 30 - Jacksonville, F
• February 6 - Tallahassee, FL
• February 13 - Raleigh, NC
• February 27 - Charlotte, NC
• February 27 - Maitland, FL
• March 12 - Atlanta, GA
• March 26 - Tampa, FL

Check out the latest weekly offerings from the Metropolis' blog this Advent Season! www.familylifeministry.atlanta.goarch.org 

To see the full list of seminars through 2016, and to register, please visit: http://www.familylifeministry.atlanta.goarch.org/upcoming-events-2/

JANUARY

- HDF (HELLENIC DANCE FESTIVAL) 2016: Held in Orlando, Florida at Rosen Shingle Creek January 15-18, 2016

- MY BIG FAT GREEK CRUISE: 8 day cruise January 16, 2016

FEBRUARY 

- STS RAPHAEL, NICHOLAS, & IRENE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH Palm Harbor, FL Groundbreaking Ceremony Monday, February 1, 2016 11am

- THE SAINT PHOTIOS FOUNDATION 34th Anniversary of the Dedication of Saint Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine. February 5-7 2016

- 2nd ANNUAL GREEK ORTHODOX YOUTH TALENT SHOW OF TAMPA BAY at Palm Harbor University Theatre. Saturday, February 13, 2016 6:00pm

- ST JOHN THE DIVINE JACKSONVILLE, FL Greek Festival. Feb 26- 28 2016 

- ST JOHN THE DIVINE JACKSONVILLE, FL 5k Run at the 2016 Greek Festival (Run in favorita toga or running gear). Sat, Feb 27 2016 - race begins at 8am. 

MARCH

- HOLY TRINITY, COLUMBIA SC Community Dance (All Parishes Welcome!). Sunday March 6, 2016 6pm- 11pm