ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ!
CHRIST IS RISEN!
His Eminence, Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey to Lead Prayer Service for the Health of those afflicted from COVID-19
Tuesday, May 26, 2020 at 12:30pm
Westfield, NJ
May 18, 2020:
Please join us online on Tuesday, May 26 at 12:30pm from the St. John the Theologian Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Tenafly, New Jersey, as His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey, on behalf of the Holy Eparchial Synod, leads all of us in prayer for the health and healing of those suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic. This prayer service will be broadcasted live on the official YouTube Channel of the Metropolis of New Jersey, the YouTube Channel of the St. John the Theologian Greek Orthodox Cathedral and the various social media platforms of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.
This beautiful service grants us the opportunity for all the Clergy and Faithful in the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey, together with the devout Faithful from throughout the Country, to join together in prayer as we pray for all those suffering with this terrible disease. His Eminence requests that you please submit to the Metropolis the names of your family, friends and loved ones that are afflicted with the COVID-19 Virus to metropolis@nj.goarch.org by Monday, May 25, 2020, so that together we may pray for the complete restoration of their health.
Names for the Prayer List should only be sent through this Google Forms Link:
https://forms.gle/YR61H3gSaEj9xxnz9
The online prayer service may be viewed by clicking on one of the links below:
GOMNJ YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5zLKZhXjIj-u8mZVsMrduQ
Tenafly YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCnCLMyhU2m7X_1KhBXlBnRw/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/goarch
Twitter: www.twitter.com/goarch
YouTube: www.youtube.com/greekorthodoxchurch
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.
Follow us on our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Stgeorgeclifton.org/ or on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJEO_34m3S9yKpiFfzZQo5A or visit the church's website at www.stgeorgeclifton.org for online streaming links. 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.
Liturgical Schedule via Online Streaming Only:
Sunday, May 27th - Sunday of the Blind Man..............Divine Liturgy 9:00AM
Thursday, May 28th - Holy Ascension.........................Divine Liturgy 9:00AM
Memorial Services Today For:
Jason Borys - 6 months. May his memory be eternal.
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese COVID-19 Relief Fund:
In its efforts to support those around the country who have been impacted by the current pandemic, the Archdiocese is making available one-time grants of up to $2,500 to those who are facing extreme financial hardship as a result of COVID-19. Those facing an economic or financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and in need of emergency help with expenses such as rent, mortgage, utilities, food, childcare, medical, funeral or other daily costs, may apply to the COVID-19 Relief Fund, which has been privately funded, through the GOARCH website at: https://www.goarch.org/covid19relief
Virtual Bedtime Bible Stories & Adult Bible Study With Fr. Peter:
Following the Paraklesis service on Tuesday evenings at 6:45 pm, Fr. Peter invites the youth in grades Pre-K to 4th grade to participate in a virtual "Bedtime Bible" storytelling program. Then at 7:15 pm Fr. Peter will conduct a virtual adult bible study. We will be discussing the Gospel readings of Holy Week through Zoom meetings. We will notify everyone through a separate email to join the meeting with a Zoom invitation so that all the faithful can join us in learning.
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. We would like to thank Demetrios & Konstantina Holevas for sponsoring May 4th in honor of Konstantina's birthday and an Anonymous donor for sponsoring May 19th. 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.
Greek School News:
We want to extend our sincere appreciation to our Teaching Staff who in a lovingly and dedicated manner continued to be creative with their distance learning techniques in order for our students to successfully complete this school year. Moreover, we would like to thank our Parents and Students who demonstrated resilience and supported their children in their Greek School studies under the daily challenges that they were facing. Information on our upcoming 2020-2021 Greek School year will be forthcoming. Please look out for an email in the near future. We look forward to better times and being together once again as a Triangle of Teachers, Students and Parents working together for the benefit of our children's futures!
Please open the BELOW LINK for a special message from our Teaching Staff as a final goodbye for this school year.
https://youtu.be/ic1HxqXOjoA
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2020 ST. GEORGE GREEK SCHOOL 6th GRADE GRADUATING CLASS!!! WE ARE ALL SO PROUD OF YOU AND CAN'T WAIT TO CELEBRATE IN PERSON SOON! THE 6TH GRADE GRADUATES ARE:
MARINA GIAKAMOZIS
JOANNA KOUKOUNAS
ALEXIS MISH
THERAPON PAPATHERAPONTOS
EVANGELIA ZYGAKIS
Συγχαρητήρια! Και σε ανώτερα!
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 experiencing difficulties in retrieving high school transcripts and other necessary documents as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions, we hope the extension gives them sufficient time to complete their application. Scholarship 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.
St. Paraskevi Philoptochos Cancer Awareness:
May is Melanoma & 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.