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.

THANK YOU TO ALL THAT SUPPORTED TAVERNA NIGHT

"...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.

SAINT GEORGE PHILOPTOCHOS WILL MEET TODAY FOLLOWING DIVINE LITURGY

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.

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
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 was sponsored by Dina Manos. March was sponsored by Cally Kordaris. April was 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.

The Power of a Picture:

Iconography in the Orthodox Christian Church

Fr. Mark Sietsema

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of Lansing, Michigan

“All art is either infection or education.”   -John Ruskin

 Images have a tremendous power, so different from that of words.  As we read, we can pause and reflect, analyze and decide whether to be persuaded or unmoved.  With an image, however, the mental imprint is instantaneous, involuntary, and often below the level of conscious thought.  Words enter the mind through the faculty of reason; images operate at the level of instinct and emotion.  One of the common ideas of the world’s traditions is that “We become what we behold”: those things that are habitually in our gaze work their way into the core of our being and reshape us into their own image.

The advertising business knows this, which is why this half-trillion dollar industry keeps our society awash in images.  Some instruct, but most infect—with baser passions of greed, gluttony, lust, and pride.  Is it not possible, though, to counteract the power of those soul-corrupting images with others that inspire purity, faithfulness, repentance, and holiness?

In some way, all spiritual traditions reckon with the power of images. Some prohibit, others embrace.  Like most, the Orthodox Church navigates a middle course between the two ends of the spectrum, allowing certain types of sacred art, disallowing others, and regulating their proper use as visual aids for spiritual formation.  We obey the Second of the Ten Commandments by excluding images of the Invisible Godhead, allowing depictions only of that which has been revealed to human eyes, just as with the representational art that the Prophet Moses enjoined for the Tabernacle (cf. Exodus 25:18, 33, 28:34).  And even of these visible things—nature and people, angels and demons, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit hidden behind the form of a dove or in tongues of fire—we allow no “graven images” (three-dimensional sculptures).

Iconography educates, and not merely by retelling stories from our sacred Scriptures.  The iconographer’s goal is not so much to teach you or thrill you or move you to tears or laughter; it is rather to change you, to configure into the image of divine glory that is the subject of every icon (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:18).  In pursuit of this holy purpose, the iconographer approaches the act of “writing” an icon (not “painting”) with prayer and fasting, with confession and purification of soul and body—not unlike a doctor scrubbing in for surgery.

Images have a power not only to configure, but also to connect. Through the image, the one represented is somehow re-presented, made present anew.  The honor (or dishonor!) shown to the image passes on to the prototype, and the holiness (or unholiness!) of the one depicted affects the observer.  A Byzantine emperor disputed this idea, and so to prove the point, a monk produced a coin bearing the emperor’s image, tossed it on the floor and stepped on it.  The emperor lost the argument at the moment he ordered the monk to be executed.  The Orthodox venerate icons with kisses to express love for the holy people represented, much as we might kiss a loved one's photo.

Orthodox iconography encodes a paradox in its use of reverse perspective: lines do not converge at the horizon, but rather at the viewer.  This subverts the usual sense of observer and object: it forces a kind of spiritual disorientation, or rather, re-orientation to the centrality of God and the marginality of the individual ego.  Conveying this spiritual value is one of icons’ primary powers of education and transformation.