St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Christian Church - San Diego, CA : 2019-03-10 Bulletin

Be The Bee BEETREAT - this Saturday, March 9th

Join the BeeTreat Team for a day of prayer and fellowship as we open our hearts to God and each other. Steve Christoforou will lead a track specially designed for youth (6th-12th grades). Christo Pappademos, who is a graduate of Holy Cross Seminary and the Pastoral Assistant at St. Katherine GOC in Elk Grove, CA, will lead a special track for (2^nd – 5^th grades); and Christian Gonzalez will lead a track specially designed for adults of all ages. The young adults (age 18-30) will meet at St. Spyridon at 7 pm on March 9^th for coffee, dinner and discussion.

This is the FIRST time the BeeTreat team has been in Southern California and this retreat is open to ALL in SoCal.

Be the Bee Registration is still OPEN for March 9, 2019 retreat in San Diego - don't delay register today.

Please see the "Insert and Fliers" Section below for more information.

Patriarchal Homily at the Opening of Holy and Great Lent 2019

Please see the "Insert and Fliers" Section to read the entire homily

Spring General Assembly

Sunday, March 10th immediately following the Divine Liturgy. Please plan to attend!

The Stewardship Committee Thanks You!

The Stewardship Committee once again thanks you for all your stewardship efforts. As we enter the third month of the new year we also respectfully ask that if you have not yet completed your 2019 stewardship pledge card please do so at your earliest convenience. If you have misplaced your 2019 pledge card please call the church office and they will send one out to your home.

We thank you in advance for doing so.

Saint Spyridon GOC Stewardship Committee:

John T. Kalas: Stewardship Chair Fr. Andrew Scordalakis

Ben De La Riva, Jim Gilpin, Greg Kostas, Bill Navrides, Stephen Thiros and Spero Tzathas

This Sunday's Acolyte Team

St. John: Captain: Michael Angeles, Luke Billings, Luke Georggin, Theo Huntalas, Konstantino Mellos, Alexios Savvides, John Savvides, Nektarios Sissons

Greek Festival 2019 Cooking & Baking Schedule

Sunday, March 17th - Prep for Dolmathes; Monday, March 18th at 9 am - Assemble Dolmathes; Sunday, April 7th - Prep for Galaktoboureko; Monday, April 8th at 9 am - Assemble Galaktoboureko; Monday, May 13th at 9 am - Koulourakia & Paximadia; Monday, May 20th at 9 am - Kourambiethes & Melomakarona; Tuesday, May 28th at 9 am - Baklava; Wednesday, June 5th at 9 am - Melomata (syrup); Wednesday, June 5th at 9am - Packaging.

Come join in the fun as we prepare the delicious food and pastries that our church festival is famous for. Any amount of time you can contribute is appreciated! Lunch will be provided, along with opportunity to participate in drawings for prizes! Questions? Contact Gina Balourdas 858-204-1016 or Christine Tradas 619-253-4153.

Philoptochos and Fellowship

We hope you continue to enjoy the long standing tradition of fellowship throughout the year. Philoptochos is thankful for the continued support from all the families and organizations that offer every week. We kindly ask that you consider offering at least once per year, so think of name days, celebrations, memorials, fundraisers, etc. Offering fellowship should be kept simple (bagels, cream cheese, fruit and cookies) as it is a light snack to enjoy with family and friends following the Divine Liturgy. Therefore, the cost of fellowship should be approximately $100-$150 . You are also more than welcome to share your fellowship hour with another family or friend. If a ministry from the church offers fellowship then they can keep the donations for their group. Lastly, the donations collected from the coffee hour support our many ministries so please consider this when offering your donation.

To see which dates are available and sign up online visit our SignUp Genius page. To sign up over the phone, by email, or in person, contact Christina Vassos at cmvassos@gmail.com or 619-818-6882. Available dates can also be viewed using the fellowship calendar on the Philoptochos table in the hall. Thank you!

Bookstore

Let’s Take A Walk Through the Orthodox Church is a great book written primarily for children, but excellent for use by parents too. It takes your child on a tour through the Orthodox Church, explaining the meaning of many objects seen in Church. Come take a look!

Agape Meals

Philoptochos has started a new outreach program and is looking for parishioners who are able to either cook or deliver (or both) a meal to fellow parishioners who are facing a difficult or stressful time in their life (illness, new baby, etc). If you would like more information on how you can participate, please contact Stella Weil at (858)694-0570 or 4weils@sbcglobal.net. Please join us as we come together as a community to help one another. Thank you.

Seniors Gathering

Please join us this Tuesday, March 12th at 11:00 am in the Cypress Room. Lunch will be provided. Please call or e-mail Cynthia Samarkos at (619) 582 - 4109 or tedcynsam@cox.net to RSVP.

Ancient Wisdom & Modern Coffee

Ancient Wisdom & Modern Coffee - Sunday School class for adults (taught by Dn. Michael Kallas, MA, MDiv). Please join us as we follow the bible readings from Pascha to Pentecost to study the gospel according to St. John (March 17th & 24th, April 7th & 14th, May 19th). We meet in the lounge following the Divine Liturgy. Please bring your bible.

Dance & Choral's Spring Fundraiser

Please support Dance & Choral's Spring Fundraiser. Get your See's Candies for Pascha! We will be pre-selling assorted candies and chocolates after church March 11 - April 5. For more information, please contact Kathy Meck via email at sprnodiva@aol.com.

Please see the "Insert and Fliers" Section below for more information.

Faith, Hope & Love

Faith, Hope & Love, A Movie by Greek Filmmaker Robert Krantz. Movie Opens: Friday, March 15, 2019, AMC Fashion Valley 18, San Diego.

Please see the "Insert and Fliers" Section below for more information.

Lenten Cooking Class with Chef Katherine Emmenegger

Saturday, March 23rd. Learn and prepare tasty Lenten recipes with Chef Katherine! Fellowship, Food, and Fun! Please RSVP to Maria Platis 619.988.6538 or mplatis@hotmail.com. Sponsored by Philoptochos.

Please see the "Insert and Fliers" Section below for more information.

Greek Independence Celebration/Luncheon

You are all invited on Sunday, March 31st immediately following the Divine Liturgy. Pre-paid reservations only and no tickets will be sold at the door. Adults $25, Children under 12 - Special menu $10. For more info please contact Candice Kotinopoulos at 619 663-7653 or sales@stspyridongreekschool.org or call the church office at 619 297-4165. Seating is limited!

San Francisco Metropolis Young Adult Lenten Retreat 2019

Please join us for the Metropolis Young Adult Lenten Retreat at St. Nicholas Ranch & Retreat Center, March 29-31, 2019. This retreat is open to all Orthodox young adults ages 18-30's from across the Archdiocese. Please share this with your friends and encourage them to register as well!

We are excited to announce that our speaker will be Fr. Niko Bekris from the Resurrection Greek Orthodox parish in Castro Valley, CA, speaking on the theme of "Prayer as a Path to Healing".

DATE: Friday, March 29 - Sunday, March 31, 2019

LOCATION: St. Nicholas Ranch & Retreat Center, Dunlap, CA

ONLINE REGISTRATION & MORE INFO: http://gosfyouth.org/young-adult-lenten-retreat

Please see the "Insert and Fliers" Section below for more information.

Are You a Military Veteran?

If you are a post-WWII veteran or currently serving in the military and would like to be included in the NEW hand-stitched service banner that is being planned for the church hall, please submit your full name, branch of service, and phone number or email address to: Soula De La Riva at (760) 521-0471 or soula.delariva@cox.net. The deadline to be included is March 31, 2019. Don’t miss this special opportunity. We don’t want anyone left out!

Decorated Feast Day Icons

Philoptochos invites you and your family to commemorate a special Feast Day by offering a donation towards the cost of a beautifully decorated icon which will be displayed in the church Narthex for all to venerate. This offering, a floral adornment around the blessed icon, is a perfect way to honor both your family member(s) as well as an important day in the life of the Church. Throughout the liturgical year there are many opportunities to select a decorated icon, so please reserve your dates now. A suggested donation of $75 is much appreciated. Please contact Stella Weil at 4weils@sbcglobal.net or (858)694-0570 to reserve your icon/date or if you have any questions. Thank you.

The following Saints and Feast Days will be celebrated during March and April and have icons that can be displayed:

3/3 JUDGMENT SUNDAY

3/10 FORGIVENESS SUNDAY

3/17 SUNDAY OF ORTHODOXY

3/24 ST. GREGORY PALAMAS

3/25 ANNUNCIATION OF THE THEOTOKOS

3/31 SUNDAY OF THE ADORATION THE HOLY CROSS

4/7 SUNDAY OF ST. JOHN CLIMACUS

4/14 ST. MARY OF EGYPT

4/20 SATURDAY OF LAZARUS

4/21 PALM SUNDAY

4/21-4/23 ICON OF THE BRIDEGROOM

4/24 MYSTICAL SUPPER

4/25 CRUCIFIXION

4/26 DESCENT FROM THE CROSS

4/27-4/28 GREAT AND HOLY PASCHA/RESURRECTION

BRIGHT WEEK ST. GEORGE AND/OR THEOTOKOS OF THE LIFE-GIVING SPRING

4/30 ST MARK THE APOSTLE

Attention Parents of College Students!

We are happy to report that Philoptochos’ College Connection ministry is in full swing, make sure your children don’t miss out!! Philoptochos will reach out to our college students a couple of times per year to let our students know that we are cheering them on from home. If your son or daughter is attending college, either in San Diego or away, including community college, undergraduate or graduate school, we want to reach out to them with some love from their St. Spyridon Philoptochos family.

Please send your students postal mailing address and email address while they are in college, as well as the name of the school they are attending to Michelle Defelippi at mdefelippi@san.rr.com.

If you have any questions, please contact Michelle at the above email or (858) 695-9772.

Body Basics Parking Spaces

Please be reminded that one of our tenants, Body Basics, has been given permission to use two parking spaces off the alley near Park Blvd. on Sunday mornings. Please be respectful of that agreement and do not park in these two marked spaces on Sunday mornings. Please know that we are working diligently and moving forward to provide more parking for our church members. In the meantime, please pay attention to the signs marking the two spaces for Body Basics and do not block their customers from using those two designated spaces. Thank you.

Your Legacy and Your Church

...to whom much is given; from them much more is required (Luke 12:48).

Please remember to include your Saint Spyridon parish in your estate plan and bequest.

Youth & Young Adults Social Media

Program Description: Connect with the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries through social media to stay current with all the most recent news & events. We are all living and working in the mobile age, and the Metropolis Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries is committed to building its presence on the internet. These sites serve as a unified place to connect our youth, young adults, clergy, youth workers, and parents throughout our very geographically diverse Metropolis. It will also be a place for everyone to share their ideas. Please be sure to check out these sites!

Like us on Facebook: Metropolis of San Francisco Youth & Young Adult Ministries https ://www.facebook.com/MetropolisofSanFranciscoYouthOffice
Follow us on Instagram https://instagram.com/metropolisofsanfranciscoyouth/
Follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/SFMetSummerCamp
Snap with us on Snapchat (via your phone app): msfyouth
Watch with us on vimeo https://vimeo.com/metropolisofsfyouth
Smile with us on flickr Summer Camp at St Nicholas Ranch https://www.flickr.com/photos/98532376@N08

Receive Back 0.5% From “Amazon Smile” Foundation

We are pleased to announce, St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church of San Diego now participates in AmazonSmile. AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets you enjoy the same wide selection of millions of products, low prices, and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church. That’s right, every eligible purchase you or someone else makes at AmazonSmile 0.5% will be donated back to our parish!!!

Register by visiting AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com) and select “St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church” before you make your first purchase (be sure to select St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church - San Diego, California). Amazon will remember your selection and each time a purchase is made AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% back to our parish.

For more information about AmazonSmile, go to http://smile.amazon.com/about

We hope you’ll consider this easy way to support your beloved parish. Everyone is eligible to participate so tell your friends and relatives and spread the word about this wonderful program. It takes little effort and with our collective participation and God’s continued blessings, our parish can benefit from this program.

A short video will be available on the parish website demonstrating how to select St. Spyridon GOC as your charity in your Amazon user account.

Live Stream Broadcast

If you know someone who may be in the hospital or home bound or for whatever reason just cannot get to church, don’t forget about the Live Stream Broadcast of our Divine Services. You can watch our Live Broadcast by going to our parish website and clicking on the “Live Broadcast” tab on the top tool bar. Remember, our Live Stream Broadcast is for those who absolutely cannot physically make the divine services of the church and is not a substitute for being present. Also, please be aware that conversations, crying babies, etc. can be heard on the broadcast. We have a wonderful cry room facility, which is located off the Narthex behind the candle stand, and is comfortable and provided for your convenience.

The Live Stream divine services of Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church of San Diego, CA may not be recorded, retransmitted or reproduced without the express written consent of the Parish Council of Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church of San Diego, CA. Thank you for your consideration.

Donations toward the digital ministries of the parish are warmly welcomed. If you would like to help support the ministries of Saint Spyridon please contact the church office. Again, thank you.