Special General Assembly - This Sunday, May 23rd Directly Following the Divine Services
Please join us for our Special General Assembly, this Sunday, May 23rd. We will further discuss the unsolicited offer by a Commercial Broker to list a portion of our church property and what the future could look like in the years to come.
The agenda and an information packet have been mailed to your home. You can also visit the front page of our website www.stspyridon.org and click on the "Master Planning" tab for additional information. Our website has extensive information about our past, present, and potential future of our faith community. We look forward to seeing you in the Hall (or on Zoom) for this important meeting.
RSVP Signup for Sunday's Divine Services
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Christ is Risen!
As we continue to move toward some greater sense of normalcy in the coming weeks and month(s) ahead, and for the time being, we are still asking you to RSVP signup so that we can place you and/or your family in an assigned seat in our continued effort to keep everyone safe while we are seated inside the Sanctuary and/or our Church Fellowship Hall.
Thus, we have created a familiar RSVP signup link below for the divine services of the Church. This will allow us to exercise the six feet of physical distance required by San Diego county while inside our Sanctuary. We are hopeful that change is in the not-so-distant future but, for now, this is the best system that has worked very well for our parish as we continue to move in a very positive direction -
RSVP Signup Link - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4EA8A92BA7FF2-stspyridon
As a reminder, you can also RSVP signup from the front page of our website - www.stspyridon.org
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, as you well know, we are currently, as a county, a parish, and a state in a much better position and in much better condition than we once were but we have just a little ways to go. Thus, let's continue to pray that our current condition continues to increase and flourish as we ALL look toward greater normalcy in our communal lives and in our personal lives as well.
Until then, your patience and understanding, your encouragement and support, and your love and concern have been, and continue to be much needed and much appreciated - Truly He has Risen, +A.
Philoptochos Board Elections - This Sunday, May 23rd
Philoptochos Board Elections will be held this Sunday, May 23rd after Liturgy, in the Education Building. Please take a few minutes to cast your vote. Thank you!
Calling All 2021 Graduating Seniors
We would like to recognize our graduating seniors, both from High School and College/University. Please submit your name, the school that you're graduating from, your potential major, and any future plans (college, trade school, career choice, etc.) Call the church office at 619-297-4165 or email office@stspyridon.org at any time, but no later than Monday, June 14, 2021, for the July newsletter.
Upcoming Memorials for May and June
Sunday, May 30th - Mary Giannos - 40 days
Sunday, June 27th - Stephanie Navrides - 1 year
Sunday, June 27th - Andreas Kyriakidis - 3 years
Stewardship Corner
As we enter a new Paschal season and greet you with the customary “Christ is Risen,” I am reminded that this is a season of renewal for all of us – and all our neighbors – and thus this is a season of “hope.” My own faith and hope have been buoyed by how well we, the faithful of Saint
Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church, have done over the last 13 months: we have mitigated the pandemic through good health and safety practices; we have continued to have weekly Divine Services and Liturgies, and we have been good and faithful stewards of the parish and of the Church.
And for that, we are blessed, and we are deeply appreciative as the Stewardship Committee. We as a community have much to be thankful for this Paschal season. So, again, we say “THANK YOU.”
We ask you once again to take a moment to reflect on what our beloved church means to you as a sojourner seeking illumination and nurturance from our faith community and the effort it takes to provide a “safe harbor” for each of you - and your family and friends – and to be as “lights” in the larger community.
So, take this opportunity to repledge yourself to the tangible wok of St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church and refresh your pledge to stewardship so we, the Stewardship Committee and the Parish Council, can continue to support the many and varied ministries of the Church. You may go online at www.stspyridon.org to make or fulfill your pledge online or call the church office at 619.297.4165 for their assistance.
With God’s Blessing - The Stewardship Committee thanks you in advance:
John Kalas, Chairperson Fr. Andrew Scordalakis
Greek Festival Update
Christos Anesti!
I pray this message finds you healthy and blessed. Many of you have probably wondered if we would be able to put on a Greek Festival this year. To this end, a small group of dedicated volunteers have been meeting over the past two months to determine if this was something that we could achieve. Our initial hope was that we would be able to put together some type of festival even if it had to be a scaled-back version of our popular annual event. Due to the many challenges related to health and public safety, however, it was obvious fairly quickly that we would not be able to do anything resembling our normal festival, so we leaned towards a drive-through concept.
As the planning continued, the committee worked faithfully to balance the needs of the community, the long-standing reputation of our annual festival, and the news that the state would soon be relaxing safety restrictions. Unfortunately, as the committee strived to move forward, it became increasingly clear that the benefits of holding a hybrid event were easily outweighed by the risks of uncertainty and the possibility of damaging the proud reputation of our Greek Festival. Reluctantly, and after careful consideration, the committee concluded that a festival event of any type would not be possible.
As we move forward, let us keep our sights set on bringing back our Greek Festival in June of 2022.
Together in Christ,
Ben De La Riva, Festival Chair
Sunday School Updates
Our last day of Sunday School will be Sunday, May 30, 2021. We will have fun class activities planned! Parents of graduating seniors, please email Julie Dennis at sundayschool.stspyridon@gmail.com so that we can properly honor their accomplishments!
Philoptochos Membership - Renew or Become a Member
Xristos Anesti!
Hope you and your families had a blessed Pascha. We are reaching out in hopes of encouraging you to renew your membership and reaching out to potential new members. As a reminder, Philoptochos welcomes men and women over the age of 18. Your membership enables us to continue our good work throughout the year helping those in need, in our community, and beyond.
To renew or join, please visit anthousa.org or send your payment to the church. Please see our attached flyer in the "Inserts & Fliers" section below for details.
Thank you for your continued support of St. Spyridon's Philoptochos.
Melanie Anastopulos [(619) 218-9778, melanie@anastopulos.com]
Kelly Samouris [(619) 871-4702, nyckelly@cox.net]
Membership Chairs
Give Back 0.5% From “Amazon Smile” Foundation
We remind you to please participate in the AmazonSmile program. When you shop on Amazon, the AmazonSmile Foundation will give back 0.5% of your purchase price to St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church. That’s right, every eligible/registered purchase you or someone else makes at AmazonSmile 0.5% will be donated back to your parish!!!
It's quick and easy to 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).
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 opportunity.
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.