ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ!
CHRIST IS RISEN!
Saint George Greek Orthodox Church
Festival Fund Appeal
Dear Fellow Parishioners and Friends of St. George:
Xrisos Anesti!
I pray this message finds everyone in our community safe and healthy during this unprecedented and difficult time in our history. The effects of the “stay-at-home” order have taken a dramatic toll on all of us and our community. There are so many activities which have been postponed or cancelled for our members. From social gatherings, Sunday school, Greek School and Youth Ministry gatherings, our opportunity for fellowship has been greatly reduced. The greatest frustration for us as Orthodox Christians has been our inability to attend our church services. Father Peter continues to keep everyone in his prayers and is always available to minister to you or attend to your spiritual concerns.
Unfortunately, two major fundraisers have been cancelled this year, our Greek Festival and 50/50 Raffle sales. These two events are the ones which allow the church to meet its operating expenses through the summer and into early fall.
Our Parish Council is sensitive to these challenging times and has taken extreme cost cutting measures and has looked into the government loan programs. However, we are in need of revenue to continue to operate our church on a weekly basis. To counter the adverse effects of the loss in Festival and Raffle income, our goal is to raise $75,000 over the next two months. We are asking 250 families to contribute $300 per family to our “Festival Fund” to help us reach our goal.
Other donation amounts are always welcomed and donations can be made online at www.stgeorgeclifton.org.
We thank you for your continued support of our Saint George Church.
Yours in Christ,
Dr. George C. Scordilis
Parish Council President
Αγαπητοί ενορίτες και φίλοι του Αγίου Γεωργίου,
Χριστός Ανέστη!
Προσεύχομαι το μήνυμα μου, να βρει όλους στην κοινότητά μας ασφαλή και υγιή κατά τη διάρκεια αυτής της άνευ προηγουμένου και δύσκολης περιόδου στην ιστορία μας. Τα αποτελέσματα της κρατικής αποφάσεως «Μένουμε σπίτι», είχαν επιπτώσεις σε όλους μας προσωπικά αλλά και στην κοινότητά μας. Υπάρχουν τόσες πολλές δραστηριότητες που έχουν αναβληθεί ή ακυρωθεί για τα μέλη μας. Από τις κοινωνικές συγκεντρώσεις την Κυριακή, το Ελληνικό Σχολείο και τις συναντήσεις της Νεολαίας, η δυνατότητά μας για αλληλεγγύη και συντροφικότητα έχει μειωθεί σημαντικά.
Η μεγαλύτερη απογοήτευση για εμάς τους Ορθόδοξους Χριστιανούς, ήταν η αδυναμία μας να παρακολουθήσουμε τη Θεία Λειτουργία . Ο πατέρας Πέτρος συνεχίζει να κρατά όλους εμάς στις προσευχές του και είναι πάντα διαθέσιμος να μας εξυπηρετήσει φροντίζοντας τις πνευματικές μας ανησυχίες.
Δυστυχώς, δύο από τις πιο σημαντικές εκδηλώσεις μας ακυρώθηκαν φέτος, το Ελληνικό μας Φεστιβάλ και η Λαχειοφόρος 50/50 Raffle. Οι δύο εκδηλώσεις, είναι αυτές που δίνουν την δυνατότητα στην εκκλησία μας, να καλύψει τα λειτουργικά της έξοδα το καλοκαίρι και έως τις αρχές του φθινοπώρου.
Το Διοικητικό Συμβούλιο της εκκλησίας μας, έχει ευαισθητοποιηθεί σε αυτές τις δύσκολες στιγμές και έχει λάβει εξαιρετικά μέτρα μείωσης των εξόδων, εξετάζοντας επίσης και τα προγράμματα κρατικών δανείων. Ωστόσο, χρειαζόμαστε κάποια μορφή εσόδων, για να συνεχίσουμε να λειτουργούμε την εκκλησία μας σε εβδομαδιαία βάση. Για την αντιμετώπιση των αρνητικών επιπτώσεων της απώλειας εισοδήματος στο Φεστιβάλ και στη Λαχειοφόρο, στόχος μας είναι να συγκεντρώσουμε $75,000 για τους επόμενους δύο μήνες. Ζητάμε από 250 οικογένειες να συνεισφέρουν το ποσό των $300 ανά οικογένεια στο "Ταμείο του Φεστιβάλ’’, ένα ποσό που θα βοηθήσει στην επιτυχία των στόχων μας.
Άλλα ποσά δωρεάς είναι πάντα ευπρόσδεκτα και οι δωρεές μπορούν να γίνουν ηλεκτρονικά στο www.stgeorgeclifton.org.
Σας ευχαριστούμε για τη συνεχή υποστήριξή στην εκκλησία μας.
CHURCH PROTOCOLS AS WE FACE COVID-19:
We ask that everyone please follow the directives sent to us by His Eminence, Metroplitan Evangelos, per the directives issued by the Ecumenical Patriarch through Archbishp Elpidophoros: Effective immediately, Divine Services and Liturgy will take place in our parishes with only the parish priest and a chanter. The church doors will remain closed to the faithful who are instructed to participate in the services through online streaming services. Please visit the church's website at www.stgeorgeclifton.org for online streaming links or visit the church's Facebook page or YouTube channel. To find the prayers for each service and to follow along, go to agesinitiatives.com. To light a candle or make a donation follow this link https://st-george-greek-orthodox-churchand-the-shrine-of-st-nectarios.square.site/.
All Ministry and non-worship events are STILL CANCELLED until further notice. Thank you for your cooperation and we pray that God keeps everyone resilient and strong through these unsettling times.
The mission of our beloved parish of St. George is to put into practice our Orthodox faith for our spiritual growth while creating fellowship and ministries for all the faithful. It should be our mission to spread the word of the Gospel and build harmony and love within the community and be the example of our Orthodox faith for our youth.
pLiturgical Schedule via Online Streaming Only:
Sunday, May 3rd - Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women.............Divine Liturgy 9:00AM
Tuesday, May 5th - St. Irene the Great Martyr............................Divine Liturgy 9:00AM
Memorial Services Today For:
Alkinoos "Alkis" Papadakos - 6 months
William (Vasilios) Pappas - 1 year
Trisagion offered for Christos Manis
May their memory be eternal.
Church Office:
For all matters, please make sure to call the office directly or email directly rather than using texts or various forms of social media. Office hours are limited so please leave a message and we will respond as soon as possible. DO NOT COME TO THE CHURCH. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
Sponsor A Day Program:
For 2020 our ambitious goal is to meet our operating budget through Stewardship. It is estimated that the operating expenses of our church average to be $1,400 per steward/family. If this average were to be reached, then the Church would be able to pay all its bills only with Stewardship donations. All other funds collected from candles, trays, raffles, fundraisers, etc. could be used towards capital improvements. One way to bridge the gap is through our “Sponsor a Day” program. We encourage our parishioners to select a day that has special meaning to them like a birthday, feast day, anniversary or a memorial and make a $250 donation. All donors will be recognized on a calendar located in our atrium. For more information about the program, speak to one of our Parish Council members, Ministry Leaders or call the church office.
St. George Endowment Fund Scholarship Deadline Extension:
The Endowment Committee has elected to extend this year's application deadline for the scholarship to October 15, 2020. Since applicants are experienceing difficulties in retrieving high school transcripts and other necessary documents as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions, we hope the extension gives them sufficeint time to complete their application. Scholarhsip awards are tentatively scheduled to be presented on November 29, 2020. For more information about the memorial scholarship, please inquire at the church office or read our online bulletin.
The Hellenic Musical Society Scholarship:
HMS awards scholarships to graduating high school seniors entering a college, university or trade school, who demonstrate musical talent and academic achievement. Applications are tentatively due on May 22, 2020. For questions or an application please contact: hellenicmusicalsoc@gmail.com.
St. Paraskevi Philoptochos Cancer Awareness:
May is Melamamc & Skin Cancer, Brain Cancer and Bladder Cancer Month. Continuing with the Philoptochos' year-long cancer project, please see the online bulletin for a brief overview of these cancers.