Welcome to Saint George Church

ORTHROS/MATINS AT 9:30 AM   

DIVINE LITURGY AT 10:30 AM

JOIN US!

All are Welcome

Visit us on our web site and on  facebook.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

COMMUNITY EVENT: Taverna Night

THIS SATURDAY!

Saturday, May 6  7:00-11:00

"...I was a stranger and you welcomed me...."

WELCOME TO SAINT GEORGE CHURCH. We hope you will return and join us on Sundays and to participate in our various programs as you are able. Fellowship hour follows Divine Liturgy and we welcome you to join us for fellowship, food and refreshments. Visit us online to learn about our church and our various programs. Sign up for our weekly bulletin and become a supporting member at www.SaintGeorgeNYC.org.

VIEW THE COMPLETE MATINS SERVICE FOR TODAY IN ENGLISH & GREEK HERE.

YOUR ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED FOR COFFEE & FELLOWSHIP HOUR. We invite individuals & families to support this ministry by providing food items and assisting with set-up, serving and/or clean-up. Thanks to all that assist in this important ministry of outreach, hospitality and fellowship.

TAVERNA NIGHT 2017 IS THIS SATURDAY, MAY 6 - MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

Tickets are on sale at the Candle Stand

PLEASE HELP SAINT GEORGE CHURCH BY OFFERING ITEMS FOR THE TAVERNA NIGHT AUCTION AND RAFFLE. Gift baskets of many types are welcome - beauty baskets, wine baskets, kitchen baskets, baby baskets and more are welcome. Dinner certificates, Show and Performance Tickets, Hotel Stays, and certificates for other various services are welcome. Contact FrJimK@goarch.org for a donation request letter. Taverna Night is Saturday, May 6. Auction & Raffle items are needed by Sunday, April 30.  Mark your calendar and plan to attend. 

VISIT OUR MINISTRIES PAGE: CLICK HERE

“Let your light so shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:15)

MARILENA'S MEALS - TODAY!
Join our Saint George Marilena's Meals program, preparing and delivering 70 meals each month and feeding those in need in New York City on the last Sunday of each month. Preparers and deliverers are welcome! If you have a car, please volunteer to drive. Thank you!!!

October Marilena's meals was sponsored by Zaphra Reskakis and Helen Vitelas. November was sponsored by Maria & Taso Pardalis. December was sponsored by Efstathia "Soula" Lolis. January was sponsored by Terri & John Skiadas. February is sponsored by Dina Manos. March is sponsored by Cally Kordaris. April is sponsored by Kate and Luke Swezey-Scandalios. May is sponsored by Alexia and Katerina Skiadas. June is sponsored by Alexandra Dimitrakakis. September is sponsored by Darrin Dayton in memory of his grandparents George & Edna Gallanis. October is sponsored by Nick & Tina Plagos. November is sponsored by George, Cindy and Sophia Koumbaroulis. THANK YOU!

BESTSELLING AUTHOR RETURNED TO SAINT GEORGE IN NOVEMBER

Signed Books are Available for Purchase in the Church Hall.

Patricia Schultz, NY Times Bestselling Author of 1000 Places to See Before you Die spoke on her volume 1000 Places to See in the US and Canada

Patricia Schultz is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers 1,000 Places to See Before You Die and 1,000 Places to See in the United States and Canada Before You Die. A veteran travel journalist with 30 years of experience, she has written for guides such as Frommer’s and Berlitz and periodicals including The Wall Street Journal and Travel Weekly, where she is a contributing editor. She also executive-produced a Travel Channel television show based on 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. Her home base is New York City.

Patricia is also known to us as Mrs Nick Stringas. All proceeds to the St George Renovations Fund.

Congratulations!!!

to Taso & Maria Pardalis on the birth of Chloe Georgia

to Anthony & Irene Louh on the birth of George Jakub

&

to Kevin & Christina White on the birth of Penelope Helene

Maria P. Tsakos

Saint George Sunday School

Sunday School is held from October - May following Holy Communion near the library on the 2nd floor. Just before Holy Communion, Fr Jim invites the children to come forward to the seats behind the pulpit where they will be offered a brief sermon/reflection, after which Holy Communion is offered and then the children proceed Upstairs.  Parents are welcome to escort children upstairs and to assist as needed.

SUNDAY SCHOOL FACULTY We are blessed to have four excellent teachers for our Sunday School this year: Elena L, Alexandra L., Alexandra S. and Christopher S. All love the kids and love teaching them about the faith. Elena L, (PhD) is a post doctoral researcher at Columbia University Medical Center. Alexandra L. is a teacher by profession and has recently earned her masters degree. Alexandra S is a lawyer by profession and a long-time member of Saint George Church. Christopher S. received an MDiv from St Vladimir's Seminary. Fr. Jim serves as spiritual advisor to our Sunday School.

Parents are asked to complete a Sunday School Registration Form and give it to the teachers. Parents are welcome to help with bringing the children downstairs and as needed during class.

AFTER SUNDAY SCHOOL PROJECTS  The children are engaged in projects following Sunday School ranging from art projects to community service projects. The children enjoy painting & building various art & design projects. They have participated with fun science projects and have assisted with preparing Marilena's meals.

This past spring, and again this winter, our children assembled 100 emergency hygeine packets for IOCC - International Orthodox Christian Charities (www.iocc.org/take-action/assemble-emergency-kits). The packets are warehoused near IOCC headquarters in Baltimore so that they may be shipped on short notice when emergencies arise anywhere in the world. Supplies for the preparaton of 100 hygeine packets last spring were provided by Cally Kordaris. This project will be repeated by the Sunday School again in the fall. To be a one-time sponsor of this project, the cost is $500. Contact FrJimK@goarch.org.

Do Your Best: A traditional American proverb says, “God makes this request of his children: Do the best you can – where you are, with what you have, now.” The story of Jesus Christ feeding the 5,000 illustrates this through the boy’s offering of all that he had – five loaves and two fish. This boy did his best with what he had, and Jesus used it to perform an incredible miracle.

We are Stewards of the Gospel: We are called to guard the Gospel message, but not to hoard it. We are instructed not to hide our light under a bushel. As we share the voice of Christ, the message we share is one of hope, truth, grace, divine power, life and invitation. In this busy, ever-changing world, His voice of wisdom is needed to guide us in discerning what is good, what is true and what will bring us closer to Him and to one another.

Saint George Church seeks to offer:

1. A sense of Peace and Presence of God in worship;
2. Opportunities to Serve Others;
3. Meaningful opportunities for Fellowship;
4. Education in aspects of the Faith for all ages; and
5. A well-maintained and inspiring place of worship & fellowship

    SAINT GEORGE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS

Our mission is to bring together young professional members & friends of St George Church to form stronger friendships through events & activities. We accomplish our mission through Laughing, Learning and Giving, alternating between social, philanthropic and spiritual activities. Questions or Ideas? Contact Sarah at sgalanis@hotmail.com .

Contact Sarah at sgalanis@hotmail.com to be added to the YP e-list.

 VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF SAINT GEORGE

  ST GEORGE CHURCH 2nd FLOOR UPDATE

The 2nd floor renovations are nearing completion. We are awaiting the arrival of a 10 foot tall stained glass window from a church in England dating to the 1880s. This has been donated by an individual that visited our parish and was moved by our hospitality. The window, which has been restored, will be installed & back-lit on the west wall.

We are also installing a stair-lift to assure that all are able to participate in gatherings and events on the second floor.

Most of the steam pipes rising through the church space have been removed and the holes in the ceiling have been closed. Potential water damage to walls & iconography from occasionally leaking steam pipes has been eliminated and past damage has been repaired and painted.

The aging florescent lights and wiring above the icons lining the walls of the church have been replaced with LED lights. The beautifully restored icons may now be enjoyed with brighter, more even lighting at a fraction of the energy cost. They also run cool and are easier on the artwork.

The New Saint George Church Library has been Built

Donations of Books are Welcome

Many thanks to Dean Pardalis and George Xerakias of APEX Design, our general contractors, for providing their expertise and services at no cost to the church, while donating many materials and resources to our ongoing renovation of Saint George Church.

Thank you all for your support.

Bible Reading  In private study, when a Christian profitably reads the Bible, receiving inspiration and strength from it, family members, friends, relatives and even acquaintances will inevitably notice the difference. Any person who comes into contact with such a Christian cannot but notice the growing peace, love and inner assurance - the spirit of Christ - in that Christian, and will frequently ask (if not ask, certainly think) what gives that person such strength and radiance. God will provide many opportunities to the growing Christian for sharing with others his or her experience with the Bible. What better witness for the truth of the Christian faith than a solid Christian life nourished by Holy Scripture and radiating true Christian love at home, at Church and at work? The Christian's own life becomes a kind of gospel, a living Bible, in which other people observe, read and experience the truths of God in action.

From Bread for Life, by Father Theodore Stylianopoulos 

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Department of Religious Education

PROSPHORO (offering bread)
A prosphoro (Greek for offering) is a small loaf of leavened bread used in Orthodox Christian liturgies. The term originally meant any offering made to a temple, but in Orthodox Christianity it has come to mean specifically the bread offered at the Divine Liturgy (Eucharist). We are blessed at Saint George that Kyria Dina Manos bakes prosphora for us as needed. This is a very special ministry and we thank God for Kyria Dina's service to our church.

WINE FOR HOLY COMMUNION If you would like to offer wine to be used for the preparation of Holy Communion at Saint George Church, you are welcome to do so. The sweet wines that we use for Holy Communion are: Mavrodaphne, Commondaria and Nama Byzantino.

STEWARDSHIP OF FAMILY 

Throughout our lives and the roles we assume within the family, we are stewards of the love, authority, trust and respect that exist among members of the family. Unlike material possessions, these are not diminished by use. But if mishandled, they can be lost. Love, authority, trust and respect require the most diligent stewardship, because once they are lost, they are most difficult to recover.

OUR CALLING:

Research shows that most unchurched Americans would come to church if invited. As the visible presence of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, we are called to witness to those within and those outside the community of believers.  If we believe that in Orthodoxy we have the fullness of the Truth, then we have the great responsibility to share it with all people. The very nature of this mission implies creative witness within society in word and in deed. Bring a friend to Church!

SUNDAY PARKING: is available for $10 at ICON Parking on 54th St just east of 8th Ave. Bring your ticket to the candle stand to be validated. Effective from 8:00 AM-2:00 PM after which regular rates will apply.

“Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea

until we have someone to forgive.”

C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity

 What is Christian Stewardship?

 Stewardship is caring for the needs of others.

 Stewardship is offering one’s self to God as He offered Himself to us.

Stewardship is what a person does after saying “I believe…” as proof of that belief.

 Williams and McKibben in Oriented Leadership

Click here to set up regular or 1-time stewardship contributions to St. George Church.

A Tale of Two Eggs: A Lesson in ‘Philoxenia’

By Fr. Mark Sietsema

I will never forget a story that my Classical Greek professor once told about his friend from England, an archaeologist who traveled to Greece after World War II to study some ruins.

Alas for the Englishman! The Greek Civil War was just getting into full swing. One day while at work in the field, he was surrounded by a band of communist insurgents. They took him captive and led him bound to a nearby farmhouse. He was locked in a back room while the rebels in the front room gathered to debate his fate. Half of them said they should hold the foreigner for ransom; the other half argued simply to kill the intruder and be done with it. For hours on end the disagreement raged back and forth: murder or money? blood or profit? (The insurgents assumed the Englishman could not understand them, but in fact his grasp of ancient Greek allowed him to follow quite well their discussion of his dim prospects!) At long last the fierce wrangling was interrupted: another rebel was reporting back to base. His daylong search for food had turned up only two eggs. Now a new question was put to the group: who should get the eggs? In this matter, however, agreement was immediate and unanimous. The eggs must of course be served to the guest!

This story gives a marvelous insight into the Mediterranean ideal of philoxenia, “hospitality.” One of the highest ideals of the ancient world, and still one of the great virtues of Mediterranean culture, is the code of courtesy for guests, whether invited or uninvited. Whatever else might be happening in one’s life, the claims of hospitality take precedence over everything else whenever a guest shows up at the door.

Homer in The Iliad takes great pains to describe in poetic detail the treatment, good or ill, that Odysseus received from different hosts … and how the gods and goddesses rewarded those hosts for said treatment.

For the ancient Greeks, hospitality to the stranger was more than a civil pleasantry: it was a sacred duty enforced by the powers on Mount Olympus. In fact, the Greek gods didn’t mind exercising a little “quality control” over hospitality among humans.

There are many stories from classical literature of the gods taking human form and showing up on someone’s doorstep to test his reception of a stranger. Perhaps the most beautiful example is the tale of Baucis and Philemon, a wife and husband who entertained Zeus and Hermes. These aging spouses were the only ones in their whole village to show friendship to the disguised outsiders. The gods thereafter granted the couple’s wish to remain together forever in life and in death, transforming them into two trees whose branches intertwined in an eternal embrace.

Does this tale sound vaguely familiar? It should! One of the great icons of Ortho- dox Christianity is a depiction of a similar story from the Scriptures. It is called E Philoxenia tou Avraam, “The Hospitality of Abraham.”

It illustrates the story told in Genesis 18, when by the oaks of Mamre the LORD came to Abraham and Sarah in the form of three angelic visitors, who were received graciously by the aging couple. (The Orthodox Church uses this icon to express its belief in the Holy Trinity: one Godhead in three persons.) The hospitality of Abraham is contrasted with the attitude of the Sodomites. Two of the angels went to Sodom to see Lot, the nephew of Abraham, and Lot received them kindly. The other men of the city, however, clamored at the door for a chance to abuse the strangers shamefully. The quality of hospitality was rewarded in each case: Lot and his daughters were led to safety, while the Sodomites received fire and brimstone from the sky.

Our modern mindset often dismisses the story of Sodom and Gomorrah as a moralistic fairy tale. The Bible, however, has a more sober take. “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby have some entertained angels unawares,” says the writer to the Hebrews (13:1-2). Jesus Christ Himself takes this idea one step further.

Not only do some strangers come as God in disguise; every stranger that comes into our life is potentially Christ Himself. And Christ will be the one to reward us in a way that matches our treatment of him (Matthew 25: 35, 43).

I have many occasions to think about that English archaeologist and his two eggs.

(As it turns out, the rebels just let him go, after which he lived to tell his tale for years afterwards.)

Spiritual seekers are regularly calling, e–mailing, and dropping by almost weekly to check out the Orthodox Church. They come to visit our services. They come to observe our fellowship.

They come seeking a deeper experience of God.

How do we receive them? In the Church where The Hospitality of Abraham is one of the most treasured icons, how do we receive our guests?

Same question, but different wording: how do YOU receive these strangers?

• Do YOU seek them out and welcome them?
• Do YOU take them by the arm to coffee hour and sit with them?
• Do YOU invite them to come back next Sunday?
• Do YOU follow up with them later in the week?
• Do YOU rejoice in the sight of new faces?
• Do YOU support the use of languages in worship that accommodate the needs of our guests and not ourselves?

It’s not someone else’s job, it’s not just the priest’s job … it’s YOUR job. And you will be rewarded by Christ according to the measure of hospitality that you show. There was a time in the life of our Greek Orthodox parishes in America when, in the name of keeping things Greek, a non-Greek visitors would be received coldly.

One parishioner – of Greek descent! – once told me that as a college student she attended services at a parish for a year before anyone ever spoke to her. Unbelievable, and yet all too believable … for it is all too human to want to keep things to oneself, just the way they, familiar and comfortable.

Fr. Sietsema is pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Lansing, Mich., and a former editor for Merriam–Webster Dictionary. His e-mail is: frmarksiet@sbcglobal.net