A special icon of the Panagia Odegetria, donated by Paul and Koula Pries, will go on raffle.  Tickets are $100 each and all proceeds benefit St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church.  You can purchase tickets from the Church Office and also from the table that will be set up in the Small Hall after Liturgy starting on Sunday, November 18th.  Drawing will be on Monday, December 24th after the evening Liturgy.  No need to be present to win.   Call the Church Office at 408-246-2770 for more information.

Gerontissa Markella and her Sisterhood invite you to a benefit dinner to support the Life Giving Spring Monastery on Sunday, November 11, 2018 at 5:00pm at the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Community Center, 1270 Davis Street, San Jose.  Adults $65 and children 12 and under $35.  RSVP by contacting Evagelia at 408-499-3939 or coming by the table in the Small Hall during Sunday coffee hour.

We are reminded of an important quote “giving is not just about making a donation, it’s about making a difference”.  Making a difference is what all of our ministries have been working on and now it is time to unite under one mission having a successful food drive for Second Harvest. This year we want to really rally the entire community to donate food during the drive.  We will have three “Giving Sunday’s”:  October 28, November 4 and November 11 to bring food for the barrels located in the small hall and in the courtyard.  On November 11^th we will have a special tray collection for Second Harvest during both liturgies.

In addition, this year we want to try something different where each ministry will be assigned a specific item to bring each Giving Sunday until our barrels are completed fully.  If you are a member of multiple ministries, please select one of the ministries food items.  If you are not a member, please bring any items from the list below.  The goal is to fill all 8 barrels.

All youth ministries are assigned to bring: peanut butter and/or cereal. ( Greek School, Sunday School, Dance, Volleyball, Basketball, Young Families, GOYA, Byzantine Music, etc).

All adult ministries are assigned to bring:  canned food, soup, chili, tuna, vegetables, etc. (Choir, Seniors, Parish Council, IT, etc).

AHEPA Family Event Tuesday November 13, Small Hall 7:00pm 

AHEPA and Daughters of Penelope are sponsoring a special presentation in recognition of Veterans Day.  Dr. George Zioulas, Order of AHEPA Golden Gate District 21 Governor, will be speaking about his involvement in the Civil Air Patrol.  The Civil Air Patrol, the all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions. CAP’s members also perform homeland security, disaster relief, drug interdiction missions and serve as mentors to over 25,000 young people participating in CAP's Cadet Programs. 

He will also discuss The Service Dogs for Warriors (ahepa-servicedogs.org)  program.  This program provides the funds to specially train rescued dogs for veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), to assist them in managing their disabilities and in their path to recovery. Donate at www.ahepa21.org.  Everyone from the community is invited! 

PLEASE NOTE THAT: Our next general meeting has been moved to THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15th at 12:00 noon, FOR A SPECIAL PRE-THANGSGIVING DINNER, in the small hall. Please bring your friends.

We invite new members to join us and celebrate with us this special Feast by offering our THANKS to God and expressing our love to each other.  The Golden Years will provide the TURKEY. We will appreciate it very much if you will bring a side dish. For more information call Mina at: 408 515-8301

A CASA advocate (Court Appointed Social Advocate) approached us with tears in his eyes. “You don’t know what this program means to these kids.” He proceeded to describe a teenager, hard as nails, who, upon opening her Angel Tree bag, started to cry. She looked at him and said “It’s like a Mom actually shopped for me.  For ME.”

Every year we support 85 young people, ages 12-20, who are living in or transitioning out of Group Homes or Foster Care.  We provide each with a Hoodie, a Gift Card and a personal item.  These Gifts are more than a package or a bag under a tree.  They are an act of LOVE!

                November 18^th                  Take an Angel (or two or three)

                November 25^th                  Take an Angel (if there are any left)

                December 2^nd                    Bring Gifts to Church

                December 9^th                     Last call for returning Gifts

Please be a part of this important program!

Sunday Coffee Hour Team: Susana Kottikas, Christina Kouvaris, Maria Kyriakopoulos, and Michelle Saleh.

For more information and joining the coffee hour teams, please contact Marcella Fotis at 408-723-4124.  

PARISH ASSEMBLY MEETING

The Parish Assembly will be held on Sunday, November 18,  2018 in the Small Hall.  The meeting will start promptly at 12:00 pm.  Members present will constitute a quorum to carry out the business of the Parish, and those members who are Stewards in good standing may vote.  The agenda for the meeting is provided below.

AGENDA 

1. Call to Order
2. Opening Prayer – Father Demosthenes
3. Elect Assembly Chairperson
4. Elect Assembly Secretary
5. Reading & Approval of Previous Assembly Minutes
6. Priest’s Report – Father Demosthenes & Father Nebojsa 
7. President and Treasurer Reports 
8. Old Business
9. New Business
10. Suggestions for the good of the Parish
11. Closing Prayer – Father Demosthenes & Father Nebojsa 

The Daughters of Penelope will be hosting their Ornament Exchange on Friday, November 30th at the home of Roula Demertzis, 1574 Pam Lane, San Jose at 6:30 pm.  Appetizers and refreshments will be provided.  Please bring a wrapped ornament to exchange and a $5.00 donation for the St. Nicholas Angel Tree Project.  All are invited!  For more information, please contact Jacqui Argyres at jbenjou@hotmail.com or (408) 891-9419. Please R.S.V.P. no later than Tuesday, November 27th.

DRESS FOR SUCCESS PROJECT: If you need tax receipts for your donations to Dress for Success, please e-mail Linda Belba at ljbelba@yahoo.com or Stacy Panayotopoulos at stacypanayotopoulos@yahoo.com or (408) 295-0387, and they will provide you with a receipt.  Thank you all for your generosity.  Dress for Success was amazed with the outpouring of lovely clothes for distribution to women in need.

ADVENT RETREAT - MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!  St. Anna's Philoptochos will hold its Advent Retreat  on Saturday, November 10, 2018, beginning at 10:30 a.m. with a social gathering, followed by the retreat, and luncheon.  This year we are honored to have Metropolitan Nikitas as our speaker on the subject of Philanthropy and Christmas.  Please join us to learn, be inspired, and fellowship.  Open donation, with all funds going to support the philanthropic work of Philoptochos.  If you have any questions, please e-mail or call Stacy Panayotopoulos at stacypanayotopoulos@yahoo.com or (408) 295-0387.

CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON: Save the date - St. Anna's annual Christmas luncheon will be held on Saturday, December 15, 2018 beginning at 11:30 a.m., at the Saratoga Country Club.  Tickets will go on sale beginning Sunday, November 18, 2018.  Tickets are $65 per person.  

WARM CLOTHING DRIVE - St. Anna's Philoptochos will be collecting warm winter gently used clothing for men, women, and children.  We will collect warm sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, winter jackets, blankets, and sleeping bags.  These must all be clean and gently used.  The bins/cardboard box will be in the small hall beginning on Sunday, November 11, 2018.  The donations will be taken to Sacred Heart Community Service for distribution to those in need. 

LIGHT THE PATH:  The Metropolis of San Francisco is the only metropolis with an endowment/scholarships for our students/seminarians attending Hellenic College/Holy Cross.  This year the Light the Path luncheon will be held at Holy Cross in Belmont on December 1, 2018 at 11:00 a.m.  Cost for the luncheon is $75 per person, with the proceeds going to the Bishop Anthony Philoptochos Student Endowment Fund.  If any parishioner plans to attend, please contact Stacy Panayotopoulos by e-mail or telephone call stacypanayotopoulos@yahoo.com or (408) 295-0387.  The Light the Path committee would like to seat parishioners of each parish together if possible.  

The Saint Nicholas Young Families Ministry invites all families to join in for fun and games, food and fellowship today, Friday, December 7th at 6:30pm in the School Room 3 of the Educational Building.  If you have any questions, please contact Meredith Panayotopoulos annapanayotopoulos@hotmail.com.

BOYS

3rd, 4th, and 5th grade boys: Tuesdays 6:30pm

6th, 7th, and 8th grade boys: Thursday at 6pm

GIRLS

3rd, 4th, and 5th grade girls: Wednesdays 6pm

6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls: Wednesdays 6pm

If you have any questions contact Paul Papageorge at paulpapa@mac.com

The Church Office will be closed on Monday, November 12th, for the Archdiocesan observance of Veteran's Day.

As we come upon the Christmas holidays, it is time to start planning for our parish’s Community Christmas Card.  You should have received a community Christmas card form in the mail by now. Please return the form to the church office with the names spelled clearly as you would like them to appear on the card.  The deadline for submitting your form is Thursday, November 15, 2018.  If you do not receive the form in the mail next week, please call the Church Office at 408-246-2770.  

Please look for the new building updates from Sister Nektaria's St. Ignatius school in India, in the November Cannon of Faith. The Orphanage is on the path to becoming self-sustaining and we invite you to join us in an exciting campaign during November and December to finish and furnish the school classrooms. 

The St. Ignatius school’s mission is to fund the Theotokos Girls Orphanage and provide a sanctuary for children at high risk of being enslaved or trafficked. For more details, please contact Amy Terrill (amyterrill@outlook.com). See pictures on our Saints Peter and Paul Missions Ministry Facebook page or at www.fili-inc.com.

We have implemented a parish-wide database system for all ministries and events at Saint Nicholas.  For your convenience, we have uploaded all the children for Sunday School that were registered during the 2017-2018 school year.  If for some reason, we are unable to locate your child(ren), we will reach out directly to you so we can ensure registration.  If you need help with registration, we will have someone available in the Sunday School office for your convenience.

Upcoming Sunday School Schedule:  There is Sunday School all Sundays in November except Sunday, November 25th (Thanksgiving holiday weekend).

Do you find yourself humming along with the hymns each Sunday?  Then please come on up and join our active, music-loving choir.    Requirements:  age 16 and over; be able to carry a tune, reading music is not necessary, knowledge of Greek NOT required, phonetics provided.  Rehearsals every Thursday from 7:30 to 9pm. Sunday liturgy from 10:00am to 11:45am; no rehearsals in July and August.  You will gain many benefits including active participation in the liturgy which enhances the understanding of our religion, gaining knowledge of the Feast Days, being part of a warm, friendly group, and guaranteed the best seat during Holy Week!  If this sounds interesting, drop in at a rehearsal - no invitation necessary.  For questions, call the Choir Director, Dr. Tikey Zes at 408-723-0640 or the Church Office at 408-246-2770.

The donations for September included a brand new car seat, a high chair, and baby clothing. A big thank you to all that contributed in the month of September for the RealOptions Pregnancy Center located on the Alameda.   These items are a great blessing to the moms in need that are facing a crisis pregnancy.  Our collection bins will continue to be in the church book store and near the Sunday School office.  God Bless you, thank you!

For any questions, please call Ruth Duterte @ 408-483-3009 or ruthrad1@aol.com.

Confessions with Father Demosthenes are available by appointment.  Call him directly or call the church office at 408-246-2770.

The wonder-working and myrrh-streaming Iveron Icon of the Mother of God from Hawaii will be in San Francisco on Sunday, November 11 at the Holy Virgin Russian Orthodox Cathedral “Joy of All Who Sorrow”, 6210 Geary Blvd., San Francisco, CA 94121, Tel: (415) 221-3255.

4:00pm, Arrival of the Holy Icon
5:00pm, Moleben and Akathist
 *Visitation until 7:30pm

The Holy Icon will be available for veneration throughout the services.  Anointing with myrrh from the Holy Icon will also take place following the services.  Everyone is welcome.

The Saint Emmelia West Orthodox Homeschooling Conference will be held November 8-11, 2018 at St. Nicholas Ranch and Retreat Center in Dunlap, California.  For more information, please reference saintemmeliaconferences.com/west-conference or send email stemmeliawestconference@gmail.com.

A pilgrimage to St. Anthony’s Monastery in Florence, AZ is scheduled for the weekend of December 8 – 10.  Visit the grounds, see the churches and chapels or you could have confession with Elder Paisios or one of the other priestmonks, upon request. If you are interested, please call Despina at 520-457-0000, who will be making accommodations to/from the airport/monastery along with reserving rooms at the monastery for all the pilgrims.  Flights are reserved by each individual but you may contact Despina to obtain the specific flights. 

Join us for this beautiful retreat, located on a private beach on the shore of Lake Tahoe with spectacular views, incredible food, and awesome accommodations with a weekend packed full of fun, faith, and fellowship with Orthodox young adults from all over the West Coast! This retreat will sell out with a max capacity of 60, so make sure to register beginning November 1, 2018!

DATE: January 18-21, 2019
LOCATION: Galilee Episcopal Camp & Retreat Center, South Lake Tahoe
ARRIVAL TIME: Friday beginning at 5:30pm and DEPARTURE TIME: Monday 9:30am
AGES: 18-30's

ONLINE REGISTRATION Opens: November 1, 2018 at www.gosfyouth.org

FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/events/1943883609026865/

RETREAT VIDEO from 2016: https://vimeo.com/153430756

COST: $260 includes 3 nights lodging (Fri, Sat, and Sun) and all meals except lunch Saturday & Sunday since we will be out exploring Lake Tahoe both afternoons. Price does not include lift ticket. For questions call  Johanna Duterte, Cell: (408) 712-7658, Email: JDuterte@sanfran.goarch.org, Website: www.gosfyouth.org

If you wish to order kollyva, paximadia, koulourakia or other Greek pastries, or artoklasia, please see below.  Payment is arranged with the makers and not the church.  If there is anyone who wants to be added to the makers list, please call the church office.

For kollyva:

Marcella Fotis 408-723-4124

Maria Anagnostou 408-316-6609

For paximadia, koulourakia, and other Greek pastries:

Maria Tsaboukos 408-723-5175

Antonia Komianos 408-472-3888

Marcella Fotis 408-723-4124

For artoklasia:

Marcella Fotis 408-723-4124

Despina Anagnostou 408-316-6609

To avoid any confusion on our part as we compose and print the Sunday bulletin, we ask that anyone who wishes to include a notice in the Sunday bulletin submit the notice in writing to the office BY TUESDAY AT 5PM!  Please don't wait until the last minute or send a note into the altar on a Sunday morning while the liturgy is in progress.

In addition, all ongoing (same message) bulletin entries will be in for four weeks, four times a year.  Please review these entries and plan accordingly.

Please check with Father Demosthenes in the office before posting anything on the bulletin board in the Small Hall.  Notices, announcements, advertisements, etc. that have not been approved will be removed.  Thank you for your kind cooperation.

Please note that all information in the weekly bulletin is subject to change.