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What Gifts Will You Give? -Father Mark Emroll Have you made your lists? Have you started sending out your cards? Have you visited the malls and shops looking for the perfect gifts for your family, your friends? Christmas is fast approaching and there will be the normal scurry of activity as we make our plans to celebrate the holidays. We’ll plan parties and invite people to dinner, or answer invitations we receive. It has become commonplace for pastors and religious people to fret over the ever-increasing commercialization of the season. Some years ago, a popular item that was flying off the shelves at the malls were various items marked with the saying “Jesus is the reason for the season.” It was wildly popular to buy and display these items, and the sentiment is certainly true. But there was a certain irony in the fact that these items were being commercially marketed as a reminder of the over-commercialization of Christmas. Go figure… But of course, Jesus is the reason for the season! So take a moment and check your lists (like Santa, check them twice!). Look over all the gifts you plan to buy. Check your calendar, too and see all the events you have planned for the holidays. Then ask yourself if your gift list and your plans include Jesus. Is Jesus on your gift list? Do you plan to see Jesus during the holidays? If Jesus is the reason for the season, it would make sense, don’t you think, to include Him in your plans? Yet it is often one of the most important names we exclude from our lists and calendars. So, this is not a condemnation of the over-commercialization of the holiday season. It is good to exchange gifts at this time of year. Gifts are generally bought at stores. Stores advertise; they compete for market share. They attract customers any way they can. This is the reality of the world in which we live. But it also sounds similar to what we should be doing as a Church. Some of you perhaps will say, “Here he goes again!” As a Church, rather than complaining about the buying and selling of Christmas in the marketplace, why don’t we try selling Christmas for once? Certainly, I don’t mean selling in the same sense as stores do. I’m referring to the fact that we Christians should know the real meaning and spirit of Christmas, but we often don’t compete vigorously with the false notions about the holiday. The Church has a definite message it needs to advertise to the world: that God Himself has chosen to become one of us to save us from the power of darkness and death. This is the cause of our joy at the celebration of God’s becoming human- the Incarnation- and entering a fallen and imperfect world to redeem it. Humanity has already received the greatest gift: the possibility of eternal life and communion with Jesus the Messiah, the Christ Who lives for us, dies for us and rises for our salvation. We should also be fighting for “market-share” by seeking to fill our Churches with persons of all races, nations, languages, and every possible demographic. We know that Jesus is the reason for the season, so we must “sell” this fact to the world. We need to share whatever we can to bring them in. But it often seems that the world is not “buying” it. Perhaps, we are not selling it, advertising this message to the world as we are able. We need to increase our efforts. We need the assistance of every one of our members. We need to realize the gift that the Lord has given us and return that gift in thanksgiving with our own gifts for His glory. We need to spend time with our Lord so that we can learn the “trade secret” and our God-given mission to go out to all peoples and instruct them in the truth. So in addition to being a walking, talking advertisement for the power of the Lord at Christmas, put Jesus on your list today, and mark your calendar, reserving time to spend with Him and His Body, the Church. Jesus has provided you with the gift of salvation. Do not neglect such a great gift! Use it, and offer back something of your own to share with the person who does not realize that the Lord was born for him or her. Let us also exchange gifts with our Savior. Let us accept His gift, let us offer Him our own. But what could we possibly offer to Him? Our very selves and all we have for His glory. Let us meet Him by gathering as a family in Christ. Let us receive Christ into the world, into our lives and into our hearts. This is the meaning of Christmas. May it be a time of blessings for you and yours.
MERRY CHRISTmas!!!
GOD HAS APPEARED IN THE FLESH… By Priest-Monk Athanasios Gievtich
Christmas is the manifestation of God: God has appeared in the Flesh (I Tim. 3:16), born as a human being, a person just like us: flesh and blood. Christmas is the day on which our Holy Orthodox Church celebrates the birth in the flesh of the Son of God, born of the All-Holy Theotokos in a cave in Bethlehem of Judah during the reign of Augustus Caesar. From that moment began the history of our Christian Church. This appearance of God in the flesh, this birth of God as Man, is the greatest event of all ages. And Christmas, as the Feast of the birth of God as Man, is the beginning of all the Christian Feasts, of all ecclesiastical events. Saint John Chrysostom justly named Christmas as the “Mother of all Feasts,” the source of all the Feasts of the Church, precisely because it is the beginning and source of the events of salvation which have occurred in the history of the salvation of the human race. Only after Christmas, after the birth of the God-Man Christ, follows His Baptism for our sake, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection for us and the sending of the Holy Spirit to the Church on Pentecost. In the Orthodox Church of Christ, which is the Body of the Incarnate God, there does not exist an essential difference between the feasts and the events which the Church celebrates in the Divine Services. Because each God-given event of salvation in the Divine Economy of the salvation of the world occurs in one historical moment, it occurs in such manner that it remains such forever. In other words, each event occurs in such a manner as to be liturgical, which means for mankind’s salvation, continually prolonged throughout all the history of the Church on earth, until the Second Coming and throughout all eternity. And it is this liturgical nature of the salvation of mankind which conveys and extends the Divine events within our lives and is really the life of the Church and its feasts — this is really Her Liturgy: the Liturgy of the Living God which gives us life and saves us...this is the meaning of Christmas.
Glory to God in the Highest,
and on Earth,
Peace and Goodwill
to all mankind! On Behalf of our Parish Family, We wish you a Merry Christmas
filled with the blessing of our Incarnate Lord.
PASTORAL POST-ITS WE’RE INVITED! Our parish has been invited to come to the Great Vespers Service for the Feast of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker by our sister parish, Holy Trinity-St. Nicholas in Cincinnati. The service will take place on Friday, December 5th at 7:00 p.m. The church is located at 7000 Winton Road, Cincinnati 45224.
WEEKDAY SERVICES IN DECEMBER
Sat. 6th
Feast of St. Nicholas
8:30 am Orthros, 9:30 am Divine LiturgyThurs. 11th
Eve of the Feastday of St. Spyridon,
6:00 pm Vesperal Divine Liturgy w/ Veneration of RelicsWed. 24th
Eve of the Nativity
8:30 am Royal Hours of the Nativity
6:00 pm Great Vespers for Nativity and Choral ProgramThurs. 25th
Feast of the Nativity
8:30 am Orthros, 9:30 am Divine Liturgy
DECEMBER MEMORIALS: 6th
+Ken Cole 2 yrs
+Constantinos Malavazos 2 yrs
+Angeliki Malavazos 30 yrs
+Constandinos Malavazos 50 yrs
+Katherine Malavazos 12 yrs
7th
+Valentina Kouzmina 40 days
28th
+Elizabeth Houvouras 1 yr
t Prepare, O Bethlehem
For Eden has been opened to all.
Adorn yourself, O Ephratha,
For the Tree of Life blossoms forth from the Virgin in the cave.
Her womb is a spiritual paradise planted with the fruit divine;
If we eat of it, we shall live forever and not die as Adam.
Christ is coming to restore the image which He made in the
beginning. HYMN OF THE PREFEAST OF THE NATIVITY
STEWARDSHIP As we approach the end of the year we should be preparing ourselves for next year’s stewardship. I say preparing ourselves for stewardship because it is so much more than simply filling out a pledge card. We must prepare ourselves spiritually as well. There are two ways of looking at stewardship: one way would be that of the world, a business attitude towards stewardship. The other way is Christ’s way, the way of love, of philanthropy. With this attribute, the fruits of one’s labors are blessed. Without these, there is no Christ in the stewardship – but only giving. A pastor once said to his congregation: "My friends, it takes faith to make the church walk!" They shouted, "Let it walk, Pastor, let it walk." He went on, "Brethren, it takes love to make the church run!" They shouted, "Let it run, Pastor, let it run." "Beloved," he continued, "it takes money to make the church fly." Back came the answer: "Let it walk, Pastor, let it walk." In Byzantine icons the angels are pictured with wings to denote the speed with which they fly to carry out God's will. I'm sure we can all try to imitate the angels in this respect. The Church should not walk or run; it should fly like the angels, because its purpose is to promote and expand the love of Christ among us. Whether the Church walks, runs or flies depends on how well we have prepared. Joachim and Anna prepared to fulfill their promise by dedicating Mary’s life. The Pilgrims prepared by following the advice of the Indians to plant for the coming year. Each was thankful for the blessings bestowed upon them. We, as Orthodox Christians, have much to be thankful for. Yet, how well have we prepared? Stewardship is the privilege of responding to God's love with thanksgiving and gratitude. Soon, we will have the great privilege of assisting Christ by our 2009 Christian Stewardship Commitment. We have the privilege of participating in spreading the good news of his love now and in future generations. While we definitely need to increase the monetary amount of our stewardship, we should keep this one thing in mind: It is not how much we give that matters, it is how much out of what we are given are we willing to share and give back to Christ. Let us all take time to reflect on our blessings and prepare for our stewardship for the upcoming year.
Note: Portions of the above message were based on sermons by The Reverend Alexander G. Leondis and The Rev. Dr. Dumitru Macaila
PARISH ELECTION RESULTS
The following candidates were elected for a three-year term beginning in 2009: Paul Angelopoulos, Evan Bambakidis, Tom Daskalakis, Jay McAlpine, and Tom Retzios. Congratulations to all of the members-elect. We also thank all of the candidates who sought to serve on the Council. We offer our appreciation to the following outgoing members for their commitment and service to God and His Church: Harry Bouris, Angelo County, Matt Kaiser, Kathy Kordalis and Jim Richards.
PRESIDENT’S CORNER Gil Thurman Parish Council President When this appears in the December True Vine, it will be near the end of the year 2008. This has been a year of progress, and we should end the year in decent shape. The election of Parish Council members for 2009 will be completed. You will soon have a new Parish Council, and perhaps new Parish Council officers. Before ending the year, I want to express the appreciation of the present Parish Council for your support and assistance. And last, but certainly not least, I want to express my belief that this is a good, caring, giving community. Throughout the course of a year we sometimes tend to focus on negative issues, mainly because those are the ones that require the most attention. Frequently we are faced with situations that point out a lack of funds to complete projects, or a lack of support to accomplish certain specific goals. But there is another, positive side to our efforts, that should be recognized and applauded — the good we do for others. Let’s consider some of our contributions. We have organizations and groups that not only help our members, but also provide funds and sorely needed services to our fellow citizens in this area. There are monthly drives for selected beneficiaries. Our young people contribute their time and effort to social agencies in our area. Our Annunciation Investment Fund provides funding to a number of causes and organizations, and distributes Christmas baskets to needy families. We provide scholarships to our young students. When presented with a worthy cause, we are quick to respond. Individually, many of us not only contribute to charities and service agencies, but also volunteer our services to those agencies. I am sure that if we knew the totality of these contributions we would be pleasantly surprised. I have on occasion discussed our philanthropic and social activities with others. Most are impressed with the extent of our activities, and the support we give those activities. So at least once during the year we should reflect on our positive strengths, and take some measure of comfort in what we do. So, I repeat, we are a good, caring giving community.
ANNUNCIATION INVESTMENT FUND
A reminder that all requests for funds for the Year 2009 MUST be made in writing by December 31, 2008. Turn in requests to the Church office, ATTN: AIF Committee.
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Also, we need a new member to complete our committee! This will be a new five-year term, beginning Jan. 1, 2009. Please send your application and resume to the Parish Council before their meeting on Thurs., Dec. 18, 2008.
STEWARDSHIP 2008 REMINDER Please remember to fulfill your 2008 Financial Stewardship Commitment. All Pledges must be completed by December 31st. Checks must be into the accountant’s office by Wednesday, December 31, 2008 in order to be recorded on your statements for 2008. Our sincere appreciation goes to all who have made and fulfilled their financial Stewardship Commitment for 2008.
YOUTH MINISTRY
JR. AND SR. GOYA! SR. GOYA- This is a ministry to our High School Students in 9th
through 12th grade. All high school students are encouraged
to participate. JR. GOYA- This is a ministry to our Middle School Students in 6th
through 8th grade. We want to invite all middle school stu-
dents to participate. Youth Activity
Sunday, December 7 Meeting - Following Church service
Sunday, December 21 Jr. & Sr. GOYA Christmas Party at the
Kouroupas’
__________________________________ JOY! JOY (Junior Orthodox Youth) - This is a ministry to our Elementary
School Students in 2nd through 5th grade. All youth in those grades are welcome to participate. JOY youth met Friday, November 7 for Movie Night. They enjoyed pizza and snacks while watching the movie “Madagascar.” Everyone had a wonderful time. A winter activity to be announced soon.
GOYA BASKETBALL PRACTICE BOYS:
Tues: Dec. 2, 9, 16 GIRLS: Wed., Dec. 3, 10, 17 All practices start at
7:00 pm
2009 GOYA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
Ads for the Annual GOYA Basketball Tournament will be available for purchase every Sunday after church in the month of January. Starting December 1st you may contact any GOYAN to purchase your ad or check in at the ad table in January. Please support the GOYANS and the 35th Annual Basketball Tournament February 13, 14, and 15 2009. Contact Deb Pulos (890-3511), Steve Kouroupas (885-7385), or Irene Dow (434-6216) for further information.
CHRISTMAS PROGRAM SCHEDULE 2008 December 7th and 14th and 21st PRACTICE SCHEDULE For these 3 weeks, 2nd through 6th grade classes will report directly to the stage at 10:00 a.m. for play practice. At 11:00 a.m. after play practice, they will go to class. Preschool through 1st grade will go first to church and then to class. The Catechism School teachers will then take these classes to the gym for practice according to the schedule below. 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th practice in gym 11:00 a.m. 1st and 2nd grade 11:10 a.m. Kindergarten 11:20 a.m. Cherubs and angels, Preschool, Pre-K
December 21st CHRISTMAS PROGRAM ALL CLASSES WILL EAT BREAKFAST FROM 9:30 A.M. – 10:00 A.M. Cherubs and Angels, Preschool, Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st grade will go to their classroom first and teachers will oversee breakfast with them. 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades will report directly to the gym for breakfast. After breakfast at 10:00 a.m. these classes will follow the schedule below. 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th practice in gym 11:00 a.m. 1st and 2nd grade 11:10 a.m. Kindergarten 11:20 a.m. Cherubs and angels, Preschool, Pre-K
ALL STUDENTS IN GRADES 7 – 12 All students in grades 7 – 12 will go to church at 9:30 and to class after communion. You may eat breakfast with your parents if you attend the program. EXCEPTIONS: Any student who is in the 11-12 grade class who has volunteered to help serve breakfast to the kids needs to report to the gym by 9:30 a.m.
Catechism School and Greek School
invite the community to their annual CHRISTMAS PROGRAM
Sunday, December 21, 2008 (following the Divine Liturgy) Brunch will be provided by The Parish Council Prepared and served by A.H.E.P.A. and Daughters of Penelope
PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS
FAITH IN ACTION PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS—DECEMBER 2008
Last Month Thank you for coming! The Annual Anniversary Spiritual Weekend offering fellowship and spiritual growth began with the Divine Liturgy celebrated on the Nov. 1st Feast Day of our Patron Saints, The Holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damianos. Then, guest speaker, Rev. Father David Bissias of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, Hammond, Indiana was welcomed by a large gathering of parishioners and guests. His two presentations were inspirational and enlightening on his topic “The Mystery of Faith: The One and the Many”. With earnest listening and eager questions, our group enjoyed a deep appreciation for his lively instruction. On Sunday, your contributions were dedicated to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, its programs and charities. At Special Coffee Hour both the new Fleece Blankets Project “Warming the Children From our Hearts” and the “Afghan Project” were on full colorful display for all to see. Thank you Co-Chairs Berdi Kakas and Angela Retzios and their entire committee for all arrangements, delicious food, and hospitality; the weekend was a beautiful gathering of the Faithful.
Community Care Ministry (CCM) The December CCM project is “Caps Mittens, and Coats” for students of Edison School. See this Newsletter for details. An envelope is enclosed for your convenience. We are grateful for your support; you are truly touching lives.
Christmas Luncheon Deadline is Sunday, November 30th, to reserve with Jodie Gianopulos (454-1950) for the Annual Christmas Luncheon held on Thursday, December 4th, at 11:30 AM at Moraine Country Club, 4075 Southern Blvd., Kettering. $17 check to “Philoptochos”
VASILOPITA 2009—START THE NEW YEAR RIGHT! Sunday, January 11th is the Annual Vasilopita Celebration benefiting St. Basil Academy, our Greek Orthodox orphanage in America. This is always a family event with the great fun of anticipating who will find the coin in their piece of the Community Pita! The silent auction will again feature pitas from the best cooks in the world and the popular children’s bidding table. A delicious meal is planned. Pre-paid Reservations deadline is Sunday, January 4th. (Again this year, there will be NO ticket sales on the day of the event, on January 11th.)
Upcoming Dates Thursday, December 4th: Christmas Luncheon 11:30 @ Moraine Country Club, see above. Sunday, December 14: Philoptochos hosts Coffee Hour January: Stella Moulas will be accepting your memberships for 2009 very soon! Thursday, January 8th: Membership Meeting, Coffee 9:30, Meeting 10:00 AM Sunday, January 11th: Annual Vasilopita! Following the Divine Liturgy
COMMUNITY CARE MINISTRY FOR DECEMBER Hat, Scarf and Mitten TreeBenefiting the children of Edison School
Hang your donations on the Christmas tree in the Community Center Lobby
Monetary donations are appreciated“Philoptochos” – Memo: Dec. CCM
Michelle Zois 885.5319 and
Katina Tsatalis 291.1748
GAPA’S MEMBER CHRISTMAS PARTY Tuesday, December 16, 2008 — 6:30 pmNCR Country Club4435 Dogwood Trail, Kettering
Reservation Contacts: Evanthia Valassiades or Helen County
Thank You! To all those who purchased pitas from GAPA this fall, a sincere thank you. Your support, in addition to the orders from other friends and Festival attendees, helped GAPA with a wonderful success that we can all enjoy. Our awesome pitas are a great hit both in flavor and convenience. This year’s orders were double the number of our initial year in 2007. It is with great joy that GAPA can present to the Church for the Renovation Fund a check for $5,000.00.
YOUNG-AT-HEART CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON Tuesday, December 9, 2008 11:00 am
DAUGHTERS OF PENELOPE Place your order for Tsourekia (Greek Sweet Bread)
Deadline to order is Sunday, December 7, 2008
Cost: $4.00 per 16 oz loaf
Delivery dates are Sat., Dec. 13 & Sun., Dec. 14
PHILOPTOCHOS INVITES YOU TO OUR ANNUAL VASILOPITA LUNCHEON Benefiting St. Basil’s Academy (Our Greek Orthodox Orphanage in America) Sunday, January 11, 2009 Silent Auction of pitas and the popular children’s bidding table Monetary donations welcome
MENU
Salad / Bread
Entrée
Dessert
Coffee /Juice COST
Adults: $10 / Children: $6
Pre-paid Reservations Deadline: Sunday, January 4, 2009 No ticket sales on the day of the event!! Tickets go on sale on Sunday, December 21st
ALL Tables will have Vasilopitas RESERVE A TABLE AND BRING THE ENTIRE FAMILY Ticket Sales: Irene Davis at 298-2093
CHOIR
PRACTICES
will be
Wednesday
Dec. 3, 10, 17
at 7:30 pm Our choir continues the beautiful tradition of caroling at the homes of our shut-ins. This year they will be going on Sunday, December 7th following Divine Liturgy.
CLOSINGS AND CANCELLATIONS For Church service and activity cancellations due to inclement weather tune to WDTN T.V. 2 or WHIO T.V. 7 or log on to the website www.whiotv.com.
You can also visit the Parish website at www.daytonannunciation.org.
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