Friday, April 12, 2019

For too many of us, Lent is a season of doom and gloom, a time to feel bad about all the ways we are not “measuring up” in our spiritual lives. But this view could not be further from the truth. Lent is a season of refreshment and love, of awakening and rebirth. In fact, the word “lent” comes from the Old English word, “lencten,” which means spring. Lent is intended to be springtime for us in our spiritual lives where all can become new again.

St. Paul tells us, “Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ.” The Gospel Reading, too, is filled with this theme of awakening and the extravagant, life-changing love that the Father has for each one of us; it is the well-known parable of the Prodigal Son.

We are all familiar with this amazing story — the younger son who has the audacity to ask his dad for his inheritance early, only to squander it sinfully away. It makes us bristle instinctively at his nerve when we read it. But isn’t that exactly what we do when we selfishly turn away from God (in big or small ways) in our own lives? We squander away the inheritance of grace He has given us.

In desperation from the mess he had made of his life, the son finally “comes to his senses”—awakening to the truth that he is a beloved son of a loving and merciful father and decides to return home. His contrition is faltering and imperfect and seems motivated in large part by his growling stomach.

But it was enough for the loving father. “While still a long way off, the father caught sight of him.” The son was still a long way off from a deep understanding of what he had lost and what he was about to gain. But that small and imperfect openness to the father’s love was enough. In fact, the father is “filled with compassion for him” and immediately sets about preparing a feast and fine clothes for this son. What an extravagance of love! What a beautiful picture Jesus gives us of our Father’s love and mercy.

Oh, how this should fill us with gratitude for such a Father! Be refreshed in this love. We are new creations thanks to this reconciling love.

And what comfort this passage gives to those of us who watch with sorrowful hearts for a return to faith for own “prodigal” loved ones. Our Father is watching and waiting for their return to Him even more eagerly and patiently than we are.

We owe God everything! But let’s start by giving him one little thing. Take even a faltering step closer to Him — go to confession, call a family member or friend you are at odds with and try to reconcile. With just the tiniest bit of spiritual “spring cleaning,” we can be sure we will be swept up in our Father’s loving embrace and find ourselves feasting in His presence.

That is what lent is all about.

-From Stewardship Reflections

Celebrations, Milestones, Gratitude, Comfort & Support

Pastoral care

If you or someone you know is sick, homebound elderly, or scheduled for surgery, please call the church office to let us know so Fr. John can make a pastoral visit, or to add someone to the prayer list.

Let us pray to the Lord for the health and salvation 

Suffering and persecuted Christians in the Middle East and the non-Christian world, Irene, Konstantinos, Sophia, Dimitrios, Yianni, Matina, George, Madison, Stephen, Tom, Athena, Joe, Chryssie.

Names will be kept on this list for approximately 3 months. Please resubmit Names if needed. Fr. John will include the submitted names at the Psokomide “Offering of Gifts” during the first part of the liturgy when he prepares the mystical gifts of bread & wine. Please lift these names up to the Lord in your personal prayer life as well.

Prayer for healing: Heavenly Father, physician of our souls and bodies, who have sent our Lord to heal every sickness. Visit and heal us. Grant patience in this sickness, the strength of body and spirit, and recovery of health. Lord, You have taught us to pray for each other that we may be healed. We pray that You heal, guide and protect your servant (s) (pray by name for those who are sick) and grant them the gift of complete health. You are the source of healing and to You we give glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen

Happy wedding anniversary! To those celebrating this week

Falbo, Andrea & Alexander.

Χρόνια πολλα!  Happy birthday!   God grant you many years!  To those celebrating this week

Jennifer  Calliagas, Alexandros  Lawrence, Nikos  Maris, Stephanie  George, Pantelis  Patounas, Efpraxia  Pollatou, Catherine  Driscoll, Nina Elizabeth  Kosoglou, Nicholas  Mazer, Georgia  Mitsas, Stephanie  Ristvey, Maria  Sheehan, John  Armenakis, John  Gilliland, Evangelea  Vlahos, Curtis  Cummings, Kostantinos  Damian, George  Labrinakos, Michael  Weggel.

With gratitude

• To Louis Bougioukas, Thomas Dinoulis, and Cosmas Trifonidis, for scrubbing and power washing our courtyard and walkways.
• To Stephen Oratis and George Vlahos for restoring and soding the area around our church sing/monument.
• To Thomas Hatzopoulos for getting our courtyard water fountain ready for spring.

April is National Volunteer Month

In the United States, volunteerism is instilled at a young age.  In many parts of the country, it is the cornerstone of summer vacation or woven into after-school programs.  Most organizations in small towns, rural counties and the largest cities would not function without volunteers.  In some families, the baton of volunteerism is handed down generation after generation.

Rural fire and ambulance departments remain staffed due to the efforts of volunteers.  The underprivileged receive much needed medical care thanks to volunteers.  Long overdue repairs and upgrades are made to a senior women’s home thanks to an organization’s annual call for donations and skilled workers.  A woman answers a call on a suicide hotline because she cared enough to give up a few hours to train and listen to someone desperate and alone.  A team sets up tables at a soup kitchen every week.  Another group delivers meals to men and women who can no longer cook for themselves.  Boys and girls sell ice cream sandwiches during a fair to raise money for a homeless shelter.

Volunteers come in all shapes and sizes.  They pick a cause and make a difference in someone’s life.  Sometimes the difference is a drop in the bucket.  Other times it creates a tidal wave of change. 

At the Church of the Annunciation/Evangelismos in Elkins Park, we would not be able to survive without the dedication of our many, many volunteers.  People who prepare the meals and pastries for the OPA Festival, deliver to a local food pantry to feed those less fortunate, clean, prune and weed our grounds, engage in the lives of our youth, mend and clean altar vestments and cloths - all of our volunteers are special to us!

Throughout this month, we will highlight just a sample of our many volunteers in our weekly bulletins and emails.  Take a moment to thank them for all they do for our church.  Volunteer yourself!  Our volunteers will tell you it is a rewarding experience.  You don’t have to have a ton of time.  Do you have a special talent or skill that may benefit us?  Offer your services or just ask how you can be of help.  OPA is right around the corner, and preparations are underway.  Volunteer your time and your talent!

Cathy Avgiris

A Master Plan for Our Facilities

A few weeks ago I wrote about the infrastructure needs of our Church and mentioned that we would be hiring an architectural firm to develop a Master Plan for the facility.  In the past few weeks, we have been getting proposals from firms and interviewing the finalists.  In the next few weeks, we will select one and initiate the work.

The master planning process is best with input from a wide range of people in the community and there will be several ways you can be involved.  First, the architects will be interviewing all the ministries and organizations to understand how they use the facility today and what needs they have for the future.  These interviews will occur after Pascha and will be scheduled through the Church office.  Second, we will hold a design workshop on a Saturday after the OPA festival where Parishioners will work in teams with the architects to develop specific design ideas.

Our goal is to have a completed Master Plan in July that includes designs that address the needs of the Church, along with construction budget estimates and options for how the work can be completed.  The Master Plan should answer the key questions of how we address access to the Hall, where we put an elevator, how much all the projects should cost and how to go about doing them.

The master planning process is a great opportunity for you to have direct involvement in planning the future of our Church facilities.  I encourage you and your families to participate.  We will publish in the next few weeks dates for the interviews and workshop.  Please join us in these sessions and help us design the facilities of our future!

Thank you for your support in building the future of our Church!

Dean Dalson

50^th Anniversary Campaign Chairperson

Many hands are needed to make the 2019 OΠA Greek Food Fest a success.

Here are some of the ways you can help:

• Participate in the 2019 OPA Journal by placing a personal message, or by soliciting an ad from your local businesses.
• Please submit your αd by April 19 to receive the 10% early bird discount.
• 2019 OPA Journal Business Ad Invitation Letter>>
• 2019 OPA Journal Ad Order Form>>
• Assist Philoptochos with baking the homemade pastries & delicacies.
• Baking schedule coming soon.
• Set some time aside to assist with the preparation, setting up, working the various stations, and cleaning up.
• A volunteer Sign Up Genius link will be available soon.
• Share the event with your family and friends in your place of business and social media.

• Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey