Welcome to Saint George Church!

“Faith is collaboration: thinking together, praying together, acting together.

The Church is not the place of my prayer but of our prayer.

We pray together and are responsible for each other.” 

-Archbishop Anastasios of Albania

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers:

for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Hebrews 13:2

WELCOME!

We hope you will join us on Sundays and to participate in our various programs as you are able. Fellowship hour is on break for the summer. We will resume after Labor Day. Visit us online to learn about our church and our various programs. Sign up for our weekly bulletin and become a supporting member at www.SaintGeorgeNYC.org.

VIEW THE COMPLETE MATINS SERVICE FOR TODAY IN ENGLISH & GREEK HERE.

 Sunday Service Schedule:

Matins (morning service) at 9:30

DIVINE LITURGY (Eucharist) AT 10:30 AM

Celebrated mostly in English

 JOIN US!

All are Welcome

 Visit us on our web site and on  facebook.

Memorial Today:

Constantine "Gus" Giviskos 40 Days

      VISIT OUR MINISTRIES PAGE: CLICK HERE

“Let your light so shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:15)

 

MARILENA'S MEALS:  Resumes in September

Thank you to all that help and support this ministry.

On March, 15, 1965, Archbishop Iakovos joined Martin Luther King, Jr. in a historic civil rights march. Prior to the march, a memorial service was held for Rev. James Reeb, a white Unitarian minister who had been beaten to death by the Ku Klux Klan a few days earlier, for his commitment to improving housing in poor, black neighborhoods. Archbishop Iakovos’ words at the memorial follow.

I came to this memorial service because I believe this is an appropriate occasion not only to dedicate myself as well as our Greek Orthodox communicants to the noble cause for which our friend, the Reverend James Reeb, gave his life; but also in order to show our willingness to continue this fight against prejudice, bias, and persecution.

In this God-given cause, I feel sure that I have the full and understanding support of our Greek Orthodox faithful of America.

For our Greek Orthodox Church and our people fully understand from our heritage and our tradition such sacrificial involvements.

Our Church has never hesitated to fight, when it felt it must, for the rights of mankind; and many of our Churchmen have been in the forefront of these battles time and again….The ways of God are not always revealed to us, but certainly His choice of this dedicated minister to be the victim of racial hatred and the hero of this struggle to gain unalienable constitutional rights for those American brethren of ours who are denied them, and to die, so to speak, on this battlefield for human dignity and equality, was not accidental or haphazard.

Let us seek out in this tragedy a divine lesson for all of us. The Reverend Reeb felt he could not be outside the arena of this bitter struggle, and we, too, must feel that we cannot. Let his martyrdom be an inspiration and a reminder to us that there are times when we must risk everything, including life itself, for those basic American ideals of freedom, justice, and equality, without which this land cannot survive. Our hope and prayer, then, is that we may be given strength to let God know by our acts and deeds, and not only by our words, that like the late Reverend James Reeb, we, too, are the espousers and the fighters in a struggle for which we must be prepared to risk our all.

HOW FINAL WISHES ARE COMMUNICATED: It is critical that you make your wishes and plans known to your loved ones.  Our world today requires that many of these wishes be documented in a will or trust or a living will.  A living will and burial instructions can be prepared so there is no confusion at a time when it is easy to overlook important Orthodox traditions when stress and emotions are running high.  The Stewardship Ministries of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese has prepared an Orthodox Living Will that can be filled in and reviewed by your family, doctor and legal advisor. It is important, and we urge you to seek competent legal and financial advice. Please contact Fr Jim (frjimk@goarch.org) for a copy of the Orthodox Living Will. 

STEWARDSHIP OF FAMILY: Throughout our lives and the roles we assume within the family, we are stewards of the love, authority, trust and respect that exist among members of the family. Unlike material possessions, these are not diminished by use. But if mishandled, they can be lost. Love, authority, trust and respect require the most diligent stewardship, because once they are lost, they are most difficult to recover.

MEMORIAL SERVICES  Prayer for the dead is seen by Orthodox Christians as an essential component of our faith in Jesus Christ. Praying for those who have died is not merely an expression of mourning, it is a proclamation that Christ has risen from the dead and that, in His love, even death cannot separate us from one another! Forty days after the death of a loved one (or on the Sunday nearest to the 40 days), it is the custom of our Church to celebrate a prayer service in remembrance of the deceased known in English as a Memorial Service. In this service we ask God to “grant rest” to the deceased “in the bosom of Abraham” (Luke 16:22-23) and to place him/her “in a place of light, a place of happiness, a place of refreshment, where there is no pain, no sorrow and no suffering” (Revelation 21:4) as we did during the funeral service.

We are Stewards of the Gospel: We are called to guard the Gospel message, but not to hoard it. We are instructed not to hide our light under a bushel. As we share the voice of Christ, the message we share is one of hope, truth, grace, divine power, life and invitation. In this busy, ever-changing world, His voice of wisdom is needed to guide us in discerning what is good, what is true and what will bring us closer to Him and to one another.

Saint George Church seeks to offer:

1. A sense of Peace and Presence of God in worship;
2. Opportunities to Serve Others;
3. Meaningful opportunities for Fellowship;
4. Education in aspects of the Faith for all ages; and
5. A well-maintained and inspiring place of worship & fellowship

    SAINT GEORGE PROFESSIONALS

Our mission is to bring together professional members & friends of St George Church to form stronger friendships through events & activities. We accomplish our mission through Laughing, Learning and Giving, alternating between social, philanthropic and spiritual activities. Questions or Ideas? Contact Marissa at marissapallis@gmail.com to be added to our e-list.

The New Saint George Church Library has been Completed,

Donations of Books on Religion, Philosophy, Arts and Culture are Welcome

WINE FOR HOLY COMMUNION If you would like to offer wine to be used for the preparation of Holy Communion at Saint George Church, you are welcome to do so. The sweet wines that we use for Holy Communion are: Mavrodaphne, Commondaria and Nama Byzantino.

 
SUNDAY PARKING: is available for $10 at ICON Parking on 54th St just east of 8th Ave. Bring your ticket to the candle stand to be validated. Effective from 8:00 AM-2:00 PM after which regular rates will apply.

 What is Christian Stewardship?

 Stewardship is caring for the needs of others.

 Stewardship is offering one’s self to God as He offered Himself to us.

Stewardship is what a person does after saying “I believe…” as proof of that belief.

 Williams and McKibben in Oriented Leadership

Click here

to set up regular or 1-time stewardship contributions to St. George Church.

PLEASE REMEMBER THE CHURCH IN YOUR ESTATE PLANNING

BEFORE YOU RESERVE YOUR WEDDING DAY

The Holy Church has a sacred obligation to uphold and abide by the spiritual guidelines which have been formulated over the ages. One of these guidelines dictates that Wednesdays and Fridays are to be observed as days of fasting, in some cases that includes Saturdays and Sundays. Therefore, weddings are prohibited on such days. In order to avoid confusion and conflict, before you reserve a reception hall you need to check with the church if that day is indeed a day when weddings are allowed.
 

Fr. Anthony Coniaris

A large passenger ship was crossing the Atlantic.  The passengers strolled the wide decks as the ship cut through the peaceful sea.

Then, suddenly, the sea turned black and angry as a terrible storm came on, and most of the passengers returned to their cabins --- except for one small group that stayed on deck to watch the storm.

When an officer of the ship passed by on the deck, one of the passengers asked him, “Do you think we’re in for a rough night?”

The officer replied that, yes, it would be stormy, but the ship was a strong one and there was nothing to worry about.

Just as he said this, a huge flash of lightning was followed by booming thunder which shook the passengers to the bone, and one of them exclaimed, “Look at this storm!”

To this the officer replied, “No, DON’T look at the storm --- look at the SHIP.  And then he proceeded to tell the group of passengers about the construction of the ship and how it would be able to ride out any storm.  He didn’t minimize the storm, or the difficult night that lay ahead, but he had great faith in the ship, and he was sure that it could weather any storm.

Jesus never promised us that if we follow Him, that we could avoid the storms of life.  But He does promise us the strength to face our storms.

Just like the passengers on the ship, the secret is to look at the ship instead of the storm. 

Instead of focusing on our problems and being overcome by fear, we look to Jesus and place our faith in Him who can calm even the stormiest sea.

“God will not always save us fromthe storm.  Sometimes He chooses to save us inthe storm.  He doesn’t always stop the storm, but he does give us the inner strength to weather the storm.  For it is in facing storms that we grow.  And God knows how much we need to grow!”

In the Gospel lesson today, when Peter saw Jesus walking on the water, he said, “Lord, if it is you, bid me to come out on the water.”  And Jesus told him to come.

And then we read, “So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus.  But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Peter’s mistake was that he didn’t keep his eyes on Jesus.  He looked around him at the waves and the water.  He looked at his own fearful heart.

He became so preoccuppied with the problem, that he forgot that the solution was standing right in front of him.

As we face our life each day, it’s important that we stay focused on the right things in life.  Whether we look at the storm or the ship; whether we look at the waves or at Christ, has a lot to do with our survival.

We’re like the little boy riding his bike who saw a big stone in the path ahead of him.  He wanted to be sure to avoid hitting the stone so he kept his eye right on it – and the result was that he went right over it and nearly fell off his bike.

He realized later that he had kept his eye on the wrong place.  He should have kept his focus in the path where he wanted to go and not on the stone where he didn’t want to go.

In Chapter 12 of his letter to the Hebrews, Saint Paul instructs us to remove our eyes from that which tempts us and focus them on Christ through prayer.

It was when Peter began to focus on the waves around his feet that he began to sink.  As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he walked as if he were on dry land.

The more difficult our task, the greater our temptation, the more important it is to keep our eyes on Christ.

Remember that when Jesus saw Peter sinking, He immediately reached out his hand and caught him.  In the same way, Jesus is there for us.

We are told to lay our problems before God in prayer.  As Paul writes to the Philippians:  Have no anxiety about anything, but in every thing by prayer and supplication -- with thanksgiving -- let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.