PROTOCOLS FOR OUR PARISHES IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19:
Except where these GOMNJ Reopening Guidelines are more restrictive, each Parish must also follow the orders and directives of their State, County, and Local Authorities. Regulations NOW allow us to safely socially distance a maximum of 140 people in our Church.
PARISH SAFETY REQUIREMENTS:
- Parishioners must wear protective masks throughout the Service.
- There are to be no gatherings of any kind after the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy.
- There will be no access for parishioners to enter other buildings or areas, other than where the Liturgy is being celebrated, except for use of the restroom.
- Parishioners must sanitize their hands upon entering the Church.
- Parishioners upon entry must register their attendance with their full names and contact information.
- Parishioners must adhere to the social distancing guidelines of keeping a 6 foot distance from other parishioners at all times in the pews and throughout the Church. The only exception being for families that have quarantined together, as they will be able to sit together in a designated section of the Church.
- Parishioners are not to wander in the Church, in the Parish facilities, or outside on the parish grounds.
- Parishioners must leave the Church premises, including the parking lot and exterior grounds, upon conclusion of the Divine Liturgy.
- The traditional practice of receiving Holy Communion will not be changed.
Parishioners MUST register online at St. George's website in order to attend services. Please visit stgeorgeclifton.org and click on "CHURCH SERVICE RSVP" on the home page. The deadline to register for Sunday services is by Friday at 12:00pm. Orthros will begin at 8:30 am and the Divine Liturgy at 9:30 am. If you have difficulty registering online, please call the Church office at 973.779.2626 to register.
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/.
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.
WE WELCOME EVERYONE TO OUR COMMUNITY!
We are grateful that you have joined us for prayer and worship.
Memorial Services Today For:
Elias Argiris – 6 months
May his memory be eternal.
Liturgical Schedule:
Monday, April 19th – Compline …………………………………………………6:30PM
Wednesday, April 21st – Presanctified Liturgy…………………………6:00PM
Saturday, April 24th – Saturday of Lazarus…………………Orthros & Divine Liturgy 8:30AM
Communion Guidelines:
Baptized and Chrismated Orthodox Christians who have properly prepared, according to the Holy Orthodox Church guidelines, may receive Holy Communion. Please allow families with young children to receive Holy Communion first and wait for the ushers to dismiss your row.
Sunday Memorials, Artoclasias and Other Blessings:
Please inform the church office well in advance of Sunday mornings for all memorials, artoclasias, 40 day blessings and other blessings so as not to disrupt the Divine Liturgy. If any requests or lists of names are received after the Great Entrance they will have to wait until the following Sunday.
****Additionally, in order to preserve the sanctity of the Divine Liturgy, please wait to light candles in the St. Nectarios Chapel at the correct time. If one arrives after the Great Entrance, they will have to wait until the end of Liturgy, while the Andithoron is being given out, to light candles in the Chapel.
Holy Confession:
If you wish to partake in the Sacrament of Holy Confession, please feel free to call the Church office or Fr. Peter to arrange a time.
Mark Your Calendar:
Sunday, April 25th ……Palm Sunday Services
Fish Take-Out Order Pick-up from 11:00am – 1:00pm
GOYA Lantern Sale – Last Day to order
St. Paraskevi Philoptochos Tsoureki Pick-up – Preorders Only
Saturday, May 1st ……Service of the Resurrection – Anastasi – Celebrated by His Grace Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos
Sunday, May 2nd ……..Great and Holy Pascha - Hierarchical Great Vespers Celebrated by His Grace Bishop Apostolos of Medeia
Greek School annual Easter Egg Hunt following AGAPE service
Friday, May 21st ………YAL Fellowship Gathering – 6:00PM – More details coming soon
St. George’s Kitchen:
Is offering a Palm Sunday Fish Take-Out meal for $ 20 which includes battered cod, roasted potatoes, skordalia, salad and Lenten dessert. Pre-order on our website by April 22nd or call the church office to place your order.
Lenten Lecture Series:
During the Wednesdays of Lent, immediately following the service of Pre-sanctified Liturgy, Fr. Peter will conduct a Lenten lecture via ZOOM at 7:15PM. An email will be sent to the community with the ZOOM information.
St. Paraskevi Philoptochos Community Lenten Project:
This Sunday is the final collection and we are asking for donations of gently used clothing to benefit the Salvation Army in Paterson. Please drop off your donations upstairs on the stage. For further information, please see the flyer attached to the bulletin. We thank all of our Saint George family for their generosity and participating in this first Community Lenten Project.
Church School In Person Classes:
Our “Lenten Lesson” schedule for in-person church school classes continues. We are eager to see our students back in church and hope you take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. Classes are as follows:
April 18th - Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt: High School Grades 9 - 12 will have a lesson about Holy Week and make Palm Crosses.
April 24th - Saturday of Lazarus: Middle School Grades 5 - 8 will have a lesson and make Palm Crosses.
Classes will take place in the lower hall immediately following Holy Communion and will last 30-40 minutes. RSVP for each class is required via the church website at http://www.stgeorgeclifton.org. Please note that the registration link opens the Monday before each class and only allows registration for that week. Be sure to indicate the names of the students who will be attending class. COVID protocols will be enforced and masks must be worn at all times. If you haven't done so already, please consider renewing your Church School registration for 2021 or making a donation. The registration fee is only $20 per family. Thank you in advance and we look forward to seeing our youth in church on Sundays!
Tsoureki Sale:
The ladies of the St. Paraskevi Philoptochos will be busy baking traditional troureki for Easter. Only pre-orders will be sold! The cost is $20 each. Please make checks payable to St. Paraskevi Philoptochos. Orders must be received by April 18. Tsoureki will be available for pick-up on Sunday, April 25th after Liturgy. For more information look for the flyer in our electronic bulletin or contact Anthoula Bozios at abozios@optonline.net.
Anastasi Lantern Sale:
The St. George GOYA is selling “Anastasi Lanterns” through Palm Sunday. A beautiful and safe way to transport the Light of the Resurrection home on Holy Saturday night! After Easter, these decorative lanterns can be used year-round both inside and out. Lantern is 8¼” tall and comes with tealight (4hr burn time) ready for use. Lanterns are only $10.00 each and make wonderful gifts! Pre-order yours for pick-up by Holy Week. Lantern sale ends on Palm Sunday so don’t miss out! Our GOYAns will be in the atrium with a sample and available to take lantern orders every Sunday following the Divine Liturgy. Completed order forms with payment can also be dropped off at the church office.
Sponsor A Day Program:
As a church community, it is our ambitious goal 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, feastday, anniversary or a memorial and make a $250 donation. During Great Lent and Pascha we would like you to consider sponsoring the Saturday of Lazarus, Palm Sunday, the days of Holy Week and Pascha. Remember that as Orthodox Christians, we are also stewards of our Church family – those with whom we worship, fellowship and serve the community. In the same way that we care for our immediate family, we also care for our Christian brothers. For more information about the program, speak to one of our Parish Council members, Ministry Leaders or call the church office.
Loumidis Foods and Tsanos Bakery Products:
Purchase delicious Lenten cookies and breadsticks on Sundays following Liturgy. They make great snacks and are a great alternative during Lent.
HOPE & JOY Bunny Baggies:
Get some treat filled bags for your children for Easter. Each bag is $15 and includes 10 eggs filled with toys, treats and candy. Pick-up will be on Saturday, April 24th from 11:00am – 3:00pm or call the church office to arrange pick-up. Payment is by cash or check made out to St. George. For more information email Fotoula at foto1081@gmail.com.
St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine Sponsoring Drawing Competition For Ages 9-12:
In commemoration of the Fall of Constantinople, this year, we are proud to announce the first ever Drawing contest sponsored by the St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine. This unique inaugural Drawing Competition is being held in conjunction with the annual commemoration of the Fall of Constantinople, of the Saint Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine and is open to children ages 9-12 of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Visit www.stphotios.org for more information or visit our online bulletin for contest details.
Great Lent, Holy Week and Pascha Donations:
We would like to thank the following who have made donations thus far:
John & Panagiota Baltgian, Anthoula Bozios, John & Helen Foukas,Ross & Antoinette Halkias, Christina Kyriazis, Nick & Lisa Marcopulos, George & Kristina Mihalis, Antoni & Margarite Papamarkos, Dominick & Barbara Pepe, Vasili & Chris Pilarinos, Elias & Calliope Pelidis, Suzi Podimatis, Ivan & Alexandra Popov, Morfia Sokolic, Maria Tsimpedes, Hariklia Vasilopoulos, Vasiliki Vasilopoulos, John & Athens Zambalis.
Red Easter Eggs:
Please remember to prepare Red Easter Eggs and bring them to Church by Good Friday, April 30th. All are invited to participate in this simple but meaningful project.
Making of Palm Crosses:
This Sunday, April 18th our Sunday School will be making palm crosses using real palms. Additional palm cross making sessions are scheduled for Thursday, April 22nd from 4:00pm-7:00pm and again on April 24th, Saturday of Lazarus. Parishioners, parents and children are encouraged to join us to assist in this project. All COVID guidelines will be adhered to. Please plan to join us!
St. Paraskevi Philoptochos Virtual Mother’s Day Fundraiser:
You will be able to send e-cards to all the women in your life: (Mother, Wife, Yiayia, Nouna, Mother-in-Law, Daughter, Daughter-in-Law, first time Mother, Mother-to-Be, Sister, Friend.) Relationships don’t last because of good times; they last because the hard times were handled with love & care. Show all the women in your life that you love & care for them. Send a thoughtful e-card on Mother’s Day, May 9, 2021 to express your unconditional love to all the women in your life & support the Philoptochos at the same time. See flyer in bulletin for more details or contact pmagiros@verizon.net. Orders due by Monday, May 3, 2021.
Orthodox Life Institute:
We have moved our lessons online to Wednesday nights at 7:00pm through ZOOM. If you would like to join us virtually, send your email address and contact information to Lisa Marcopulos at lmarcopul@gmail.com and we will send you the ZOOM invitation. Dr. Peter Salierno and the class are now studying the book of Esther, one of the four novellas in the Old Testament. We will continue with the books of Ruth and Deborah. After the novellas we will be studying the books of the Macabbees.
Virtual Bedtime Bible Stories & Adult Bible Study With Fr. Peter:
We will resume both sessions again after Pascha.
Please visit our Bookstore:
It will be open on Sundays after Liturgy. We have items for your religious needs and if you do not see what you need, we will be glad to special order it for you!