Please join us for an evening of fun, food and games in our Community Center, Friday, February 28,2020 @ 6:30 pm in the celebration of our church's 75th year anniversary!

We will be offering various board and card games to play!  All ages welcome!  We also invite you to bring your favorite games to share with the group.  We are also looking for anyone who would be willing to teach Tavli/backgammon (or other games) to participants.  

We provide the Pizza, you provide the beverages and snacks!

We hope to see there…please email 75ypc@saintnicholas.org, for any questions!

The next two Saturdays, February 29th, Cheesefare Saturday, and March 7th, are not Saturday of the Souls.  However, if you make kollyva on those days, please bring it with a list of names to Vespers at 5pm.

The next Saturday of Souls will be Saturday, June 6th, the day before Holy Pentecost.

To welcome the Lenten period, there will a panoply of pancakes offered during the coffee hour on Sunday, March 1st.  Come join us!

Okay….we are having PANCAKES! (Donations to Saint Nicholas are welcome!)

In the spirit of our 75th year anniversary and to celebrate the lenten journey, Saint Nicholas is sponsoring a special event for our youth on Sunday, March 1st! We have something planned for each grade and have asked the teachers to chaperone classrooms according to the planned events until parents are excused from Liturgy and join in on the activities.   The following is being planned based on your grades: 

• PreK through 4th grade:  you will take your students to the court-yard where there will be face-painting and balloons.  Thank you to the Gemellos family and St Paul Missions for sponsoring these two events.

• 5th grade - 9th grade:  go to room 11A/11B upstairs.  We will have games and activities.

• 10th grade - 12th grade:  go to room 3A/3B downstairs.  We will have games and activities.

Archbishop Elpidophoros recently said, “Outreach and sharing the gospel is who we are called to be as Orthodox Christians.” Missions, from the days of the apostles has been the cutting edge of the spread of Christianity, of the changing of lives, and of the saving of souls. Make a difference this Mission Sunday by supporting our featured charity, The Theotokos Girls Orphanage and the work of Sister Nektaria in India, or other missionary activity funded by our ministry.  Any donations, big or small are appreciated and help spreading God’s message to the world.

DON’T MISS FACE PAINTING  Join us in celebrating the last day of Triodion / Apokries and the beginning of Lent with some extra fun.  Bring your little ones to the school building courtyard and let members of the Missions Ministry do a complimentary face painting for them or for you on Sunday, March 1st!

Our basketball teams play here at St. Nicholas on Sunday, March 1st in the Community Center.  Come root for our teams!

2:30 Girls Elementary school team

3:30 Boys Middle school team

4:30 Girls Middle school team

Sunday Coffee Team: Eleni Dionisopoulos, Elaine Kouretas-Taousanis, Anastasia Tsaboukos, and Maria Tsaboukos. 

A big, warm thank you to our faithful coffeehour teams for bringing treats and half & half, serving the coffee and cleaning up afterward!   

For more information about joining the coffee hour teams or how to help the ministry, please contact the Church Office at 408-246-2770.  

An important part of FDF is not just the dancing and singing.  Did you know that they also award scholarships?  This year our own Alexia Moustakas was awarded the Cynthia Anderson Scholarship Award.  Congratulations, Alexia, and we wish you the best in your future endeavors!

Our Parish Community would like to thank the many people who helped with their talents in coordinating, designing, sewing, and embroidering costumes and banners and who provided filaxta for the dancers.   

But this would not be a complete thank you unless we also said thank you to the parents and supporters, yiayias and pappous, our priests, dance council members, and all our dedicated directors for their efforts and love they put in for the overall success of the Dance Ministry.  

During this Lenten period, Philoptochos and our youth groups will be once again collecting non-perishable food items and personal hygiene items for bagging and distribution to the Bill Wilson Center.  The bins will be located in the small hall beginning Sunday, March 1st.  Each bin will have a list of items needed.  Thank you for your support. 

The Church Office will be closed on Monday, March 2nd for the Archdiocesan observance of Clean Monday. 

If you need immediate assistance, please text or call either Fr. Demosthenes at 408-784-9364 or Fr. Nebojsa at 707-315-7823.

As we are now entering Lent, the next Philoptochos meeting will be held Tuesday, March 3, 2020.  Please meet in the Small Hall at 6:00 p.m. to set up for the Presanctified Dinner the next evening.  After set-up, we will continue our meeting in Room 3 of the School Building.  All are welcome to attend.  

Please join us on Wednesday, March 4th at 5:30pm for the 9th Hour, Presanctified Liturgy, and Confessions.  After the Liturgy, we will have a potluck in the Small Hall sponsored by St. Anna Philoptochos.  Kanella Sarros attended the enthronment of Archbishop Nikitas this past summer, and she will give a presentation on the enthronement, including pictures, a video, and her perspective at the event.  

The St. Anna Philoptochos applications for its annual scholarship are now available.  If you wish to apply please obtain the application from either the church school office or the church office.  All applications, with the necessary documents, must be received in the church office no later than 5:00 p.m., Friday, May 1, 2020.

The Greek American Professional Women’s Society (GAPWS) is proud to support and mentor young women who work towards advancing their education and becoming successful members of their communities. The Society announces a scholarship award to be offered to two female college students of Hellenic heritage in 2020.  Eligible applicants must be California residents, full-time, degree-seeking college students, pursuing an undergraduate degree at an accredited college or university of the USA. A minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) is required.  The 2020 GAPWS scholarship award recipients will receive $1,000 each.

Deadline for applications is March 31, 2020. The scholarship award will be announced in early May, 2020.  For information and to apply visit www.gapws.org

Our next regular meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 3, 2020 at 11:00am in the Small Hall with a VERY special presentation from Vasiliki Fkiaras entitled:

“HEALTHY HABITS AND HOW THEY ARE VITAL TO LIVING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE”.

The presentation will include some exercises that promote movement as well as basic information on nutrition.  Please come in comfortable clothes and shoes.  Don’t miss this very special meeting!

We are approaching the end of this year.  Please make note of the last three meeting dates:

• Wednesday, April 1, 2020 – 6pm – Presanctified Potluck hosted by the Golden Years.
• Tuesday, April 7, 2020 – Regular Meeting
• Tuesday, May 5, 2020 – Last Meeting – Offsite - TBA

For more information call Mina at: 408 515-8301.

2020 marks the 75th anniversary year of the establishment of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church.  A number of events and celebrations are being planned to mark this important milestone.  We wish to honor individuals and groups who were important to the development of our community and served selflessly. 

The candidates for the honor should be women and men whose accomplishments are truly outstanding to the St. Nicholas Church community.   A major criterion for selection should be service that enhances and betters the lives of our parish.   Such activities are felt throughout the church community.  These individuals have exercised considerable influence through their service.  The ideal candidate also inspires others to better serve our community. 

If you know someone you wish to nominate for this honor, please e-mail the 75th Anniversary Planning Committee at: 75ypc@saintnicholas.org with that person’s name and a brief paragraph on their contributions to our community.  Groups as well as individuals are eligible for consideration. 

Please remember to turn your clocks forward one hour on Sunday, March 8th. 

Presvytera Anastasia Karastamatis has been gone almost a year now and we will be celebrating her one-year memorial on Sunday, March 8th at the Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Santa Cruz with Orthros and Liturgy beginning at 9:00am. Her daughter, Maria, and her son, Foti, will be here and will prepare lunch for everyone. Please join us to show the love and respect we have for our dear Presvytera Anastasia.  

If possible, please RSVP so they have an idea how many will attend by calling the Prophet Elias Church Office at (831) 429-6500 or send an email to  info@propheteliassc.org.

Fr. Nebojsa Pantic will continue to offer a new adult education opportunity twice a month to learn more about our faith and traditions.  Until Pascha we will be studying the Gospel passages that take place before Christ is crucified, as well as the culminating event of His Crucifixion. For more information or questions please contact Fr. Nebojsa Pantic directly.  

Please join us for Great Compline at 5:30 pm on Mondays during Lent.  Due to the Lenten Schedule we will have the final two classes on:

Monday March 9th 6:30 pm
Monday March 30th at 6:30 pm

The church office will be open limited hours on Tuesday, March 10th.  Please call before coming to the office at 408-246-2770 or you can leave a message on voicemail.   If you need immediate assistance, please text or call either Fr. Demosthenes at 408-784-9364 or Fr. Nebojsa at 707-315-7823.

The Center of Hellenic Education invites you to celebrate this special day on Sunday, March 22, 2020 in the Small Hall following the Liturgy.  Come join us as we honor the heroes of Greece who fought for our freedom with a program by our Greek School students and teachers and the Saint Nicholas dancers.  More details to come.  Save the date!

The annual Greek Flag Raising, in recognition of Greek Independence Day, will be held on Wednesday, March 25th at 4pm at the San Jose City Hall Plaza, 200 E Santa Clara Street.  Reception on the 17th floor immediately following the ceremony compliments of the AHEPA and Daughters of Penelope.  

January and February brought generous donations to the East Valley Real Options Clinic: five cases of diapers and wipes, a bassinet, gently used baby clothes and baby carrier. We were also able to donate, as a request from the clinic, 10 copies of the book “Jesus Calling” from Costco. The book is a Christian daily reading which the moms find very helpful as they face many challenges with their crisis pregnancy.  God Bless you all for these generous donations!!  For more information please contact Ruth Duterte ruthrad1@aol.com  or 408-483-3009.

Our annual Greek Festival is only four months away.  If you have gently used items that you no longer need, please consider donating them to St. Anna Philoptochos to sell in their boutique.  Items can be brought to church on Sunday, and we will store until festival preparation time.  For more information, contact Laurie Sahines, Festival Boutique Chairperson, at lsahines@comcast.com.

March 1 - Sunday School in session and InService for Sunday School staff

March 8 - Sunday School in session

March 15 - Sunday School in session

March 22 - Sunday School in session

March 29 - Sunday School in session

Basketball Practices start this week. See the practice schedule below:

• Middle School Boys (6th, 7th, 8th): Tuesday’s 6:30-8pm

• Middle School Girls (6th, 7th, 8th): Wednesday 6:30-8pm

• Elementary Girls (3rd, 4th, 5th): Wednesday 6:30pm - 7:30pm

• Elementary Boys (3rd, 4th, 5th): Thursday’s 6:30-8pm

• High School Boys—Spring season (more details later)

The Center of Hellenic Education (CHE) is looking for teachers and helpers. The ideal candidate should have a mastery of the Greek language, teaching skills, as well as a desire to provide students with an exemplary, Hellenic education.   If you are interested in becoming a teacher, helper, or know anyone that might be interested, please email our director, Petros Balaskas at petros.balaskas@gmail.com.   

Confessions with Father Demosthenes are available during some Lenten services or by appointment.  Please call the church office or Father Demosthenes directly at 408-784-9364.   

In case of a special need and you would like a pastoral visit, the priests would be happy to visit after receiving a call from an immediate family member due to privacy concerns.   Please text or call either Fr. Demosthenes at 408-784-9364 or Father Nebojsa at 707-315-7823 or call the church office at 408-246-2770.

Saint Nicholas is happy to present another option for our parishioners to contribute to Saint Nicholas through our Fidelity brokerage account.  If there are stocks, bonds or funds you wish to contribute, please use the following  information:

Account #: Z40-125155

DTC #: 0226

As stewards of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, God has gifted us with the honor of being the caretakers of our Orthodox faith.   As caretakers, we are responsible for ensuring that there is a safe and welcoming spiritual home in which to come together to worship for the glory of God. 

Your continuing support spiritually, socially and financially are vital to the well being of our parish.  We humbly request if you have not had an opportunity to complete your 2020 stewardship pledge, use the following link to do so online.  When completing this, we ask that you make time to pray and reflect on the many gifts that the Church has given you.  Increasing your stewardship contribution will assist in growing our parish and provide an environment in which our community will flourish.

Stewardship Links:

https://saintnicholas.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/36/responses/new    OR

https://saintnicholas.org/donate

Father Demosthenes and the Stewardship Committee: Mary Ann Devetzis, Jeff Contos, and Peter Panayotopoulos

We are a registered non-profit on Facebook and you can donate any time (without any fees for the church) by pressing the donate button in this link:

https://www.facebook.com/SaintNicholasOrg/

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:  Maria Anagnostou 408-316-6609

For paximadia, koulourakia, and other Greek pastries:

Maria Tsaboukos 408-723-5175

Antonia Komianos 408-472-3888

For artoklasia:

Maria Anagnostou 408-316-6609

Antonia Komianos 408-472-3888

We now have a few blue redemption recycling garbage cans with small holes cut out where you can put your aluminum cans and empty plastic water bottles. Please, do not put garbage in these blue garbage cans! Only put cans and bottles so this new program can work! Thank you!

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.