Welcome to Saint George Church

ORTHROS/MATINS AT 9:30 AM   

DIVINE LITURGY AT 10:30 AM

Celebrated in English & Greek

JOIN US!

All are Welcome

Visit us on our web site and on  facebook.

"...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.

ST GEORGE PHILOPTOCHOS: Our first general meeting for the new ecclesiastical year will be on Sunday, October 1 in the second floor board room area. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend. All parishioners welcome.

PARISH GENERAL MEETING: We will hold a General Meeting of St George Parish members on Sunday, October 15 following Divine Liturgy. We will offer a vision for ministry at Saint George, outline an administrative structure, review finances and prepare for fall parish council elections on Sunday, December 3. 

Choosing Suitable Candidates for the Parish Council: Parishioners are often nominated as candidates for the Parish Council because of their education, business experience or legal background.  The best parish council members are not necessarily those who are business-oriented, but rather, those who are Church-oriented and Christ-centered.  To be a good council member, one must be active in the worship and sacramental life of the Church.  The best candidates are easy to find – they are in church.

 Leaders don't create followers.

They create more leaders

(Tom Peters)

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017

Saint George Church Welcomes

Basile the Commedian

for an evening of laughter and fellowship

in our new 2nd floor fellowship room

cabaret seating is limited to 100

Saturday Evening, December 2

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 - NEXT SUNDAY
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. All volunteers please check in with Marilena in the church hall when you arrive Sunday morning. Thank you!!!

June will be our last Marilena's meals until we resume in September. 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 was 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!

Maria P. Tsakos

Saint George Sunday School

Our School Year Has Ended

Many thanks to Elena, Alexandra and Christopher, our teachers, for nurturing, encouraging and guiding our children in the faith. Thanks to all the parents for bringing their children faithfully to church on Sundays to participate in worship, Sunday School and fellowship.

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.

THANK YOU TO OUR SUNDAY SCHOOL FACULTY We are blessed to have three excellent teachers for our Sunday School this year: Elena 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 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 Reflection on our Responsibility for the Environment...

STEWARDSHIP AS CREATION CARE

 Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis

Scripture and the Fathers

When we think of the term stewardship, we frequently consider only matters of financial support. The prevalent rendering of the term oikonomia as "stewardship" or "economy" is not very illuminating as it provides both a linguistic as well as conceptual reduction of this critical and originally Biblical word. In so doing, however, we have narrowed the scope of the Bible's teaching and neglected the depth of our Church's tradition about our place and role in the world, indeed at a time when these are more vital and critical than ever before.

If we turn to the Church Fathers, we see that they attribute the highest importance to oikonomia (stewardship or economy), which in their eyes implied a broader and more inclusive concept of revelation and salvation, identified with God's vision and desire to save the world. For our great theological teachers and spiritual masters, economy in fact refers to our very salvation by the all-embracing love of God for all humankind and to the universal compassion of the Creator for all creation. Somewhere along the line, we unfortunately shrunk the theme of "stewardship" to purely monetary terms that primarily include making contributions to philanthropic organizations -- probably as a result of a narrow interpretation of scripture, and possibly as a result of the rigid focus of modern society.

All of this invariably affects not just our understanding of the moral obligation that we have toward one another as human beings, but also inevitably distorts the worldview that shapes our moral responsibility toward creation. By limiting our attention to divine commandments for human compassion, we have invariably excised from scripture the clear mandate to creation care. Yet, these two dimensions of Christian life are integrally interrelated; one cannot have human progress without ecological preservation. The way we treat God's creation in nature essentially reflects the way we respect human beings created "in the image and likeness of God." The reality is that we should respond to nature with the same tenderness that we respond to people. All of our spiritual activities are ultimately measured by their impact on the natural creation; just as all of our ecological choices are finally evaluated by their effect on the poor.

The Sin of Neglect; the Arrogance of Domination

It is no wonder, then, that our Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew surprised the theological and secular worlds alike when he identified carelessness or indifference to the natural environment as tantamount to sin. It is plainly wrong to regard sin as the negative impact of our behavior on other people, whether individually or collectively, while disregarding the ecological and cosmological consequences of our actions (or inaction). As His All-Holiness remarked at Santa Barbara in 1997:

For humans to cause species to become extinct and to destroy the biological diversity of God's creation, for humans to degrade the integrity of the earth by causing changes in its climate, stripping the earth of its natural forests, or destroying its wetlands . . . for humans to contaminate the earth's waters, its land, its air, and its life with poisonous substances -- all these are sins.

The vocation and covenant to cherish and care for the creation is the principal reason for which God placed Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden (Genesis 2.15), namely "to till and keep it" -- a phrase I like to translate (based more closely and literally on the Greek translation of the Septuagint) as "to serve and preserve it." It has not, of course, helped in the least that we have also misconstrued the Biblical term "dominion" (in Genesis 1.28 and Psalm 8.5-8) as "domination" in an unashamedly self-centered and self-serving manner; after all, "dominion belongs only to the Lord." (Psalm 22.28) Any dominion over the creation implies ruling in accordance with the love, peace, and justice of the Creator. Whether for fear of pagan idolatry or out of a sense of arrogant selfishness, there is no doubt that -- over the centuries and in our own lives -- we have overemphasized the unique role of humanity. Anthropocentrism is an entrancing temptation to which we are all guilty of submitting at one time or another, and which has detrimentally burdened our perspective and practice. "The whole of creation has been groaning together in pain until now, inwardly awaiting its liberation by the children of God." (Rom. 8.22-23)

What Can I Do?

There are numerous practical ideas available and readily accessible today for parishes and families that would like to become aware of their ecological impact on the planet and on people. Indeed, some of our Orthodox parishes – and even more of our sister Christian congregations – have already undertaken initial steps or else made considerable progress toward this goal. Seeking their counsel, or offering our advice to others, is undoubtedly a fundamental form of sharing and communion. Alternatively, parishes may consult professional environmental auditors, often freely at the disposal of local communities.

Parishes and parishioners can make a difference by becoming sensitive to what they use (energy-efficient light bulbs and heating/cooling systems), what they can reuse (recycled paper, bags, ink cartridges, glassware and cutlery), what they waste (electricity, water, heat, energy, even cups and plates), and what they do (carpooling or support of local products).

         Most importantly, however, we can all learn to do and love with less. In order to alter our self-image, what is required is nothing less than a radical reversal of our perspectives and practices. The balance of the world has been shattered. The ecological crisis will not be solved with sentimental slogans or smiley stickers but by proposing self-denial as a solution to self-centeredness, by learning to exercise self-control, self-restraint, by the ability to say “no” or “enough.”

Here, I think, lies the heart of the problem. For we are unwilling – in fact, violently resist any call – to adopt simpler lives. We have misplaced the spirituality of simplicity and frugality. The challenge is this: How do we live in such a way that promotes harmony – not division? How can we acknowledge – daily – “the earth as the Lord’s” (Ps. 23.1)?

This means that stewardship opens up more than simply our pockets and our hands to charitable institutions and tax-deductible options. It opens up our eyes and our hearts to proper and harmonious relations among all of God's creatures. Learning to give up in a spirit of self-control implies learning to give in a spirit of sharing. It is learning to live in such a way that communicates gratitude and generosity, not avarice and greed.

Am I Accountable?

While there are numerous passages in the Old and New Testaments that provide insight into the principle and practice of stewardship -- intimately relating its social and ecological aspects -- it is a message that acquires increasing urgency in light of our ultimate accountability on the day of judgment with Christ's parable about the faithful and prudent steward in Luke chapter 12, which concludes with the following warning: "Everyone to whom much was given, more will be required; and from those to whom much was entrusted, more will be demanded." (verse 48) This is a verse that might not meet with general agreement on a political level; yet it is a statement that deserves close attention on a spiritual level: "Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes." (verse 43)

Like the servant in the parable, we too will be asked for accountability by the Master: "What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management." (Luke 16.2) We will surely be judged for the abuse of the earth that has been entrusted to us "to preserve," as for the unjust distribution of its resources to human beings that we are called "to serve" -- for the devastation of God's creation by human beings usurping unjustly the right to control it and presuming arrogantly the right to manipulate it, as for the exploitation of the poor (and the poor nations) by the rich (and the rich nations).

If we open ourselves -- avail ourselves and become sensitive -- to all people and to the whole creation, then we shall recognize our history as inextricably linked to the destiny of the world. We shall begin to perceive the universe in its unfathomable interconnectedness, and we shall surely feel the spirit of God as a gentle breeze and hear the seal's heartbeat as the pulse of our own life.

Further Reading

For further information on this subject, consult the Orthodox Fellowship of the Transfiguration, a ministry officially endorsed by the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops: http://www.orth-transfiguration.org/

For details on how to achieve greater awareness and environmental action in your community, see F. Krueger (ed.), Greening the Orthodox Parish: A Handbook for Christian Ecological Practice, CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2012 (www.CreateSpace.com, book number 3776415). Also available from http://www.amazon.com; and The Orthodox Fellowship of the Transfiguration, c/o 887 Sebastopol Road, Suite A, Santa Rosa, CA 95407-6828.

For a comprehensive list of (over 2000) scriptural passages highlighting creation care and ecological stewardship, see The Green Bible, HarperOne, 2008.