Happy Thanksgiving Day -...

Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The Thanksgiving holiday is a joyous day of celebrating the blessings of life. Traditions con-

nected to faith, family, and community have developed in this country, affirm-ing the importance of offering thanks to God for these blessings and recognizing the many ways we are blessed by Him.

We are blessed through God’s com-passion and care for all that He has created. Our Lord asked, Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Matthew 6:26).

He knows our needs, even those we think are small and insignificant. Be-cause God’s love and provision are always with us, because He created us and sustains us by His grace, we give thanks.

We are blessed abundantly by this wondrous power of His grace. It is a power that heals, redeems, protects, and saves. The Apostle Paul proclaimed this power by stating, For by grace you

have been saved through faith; and it is not of your own doing, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). We accept this gift by faith and with thanksgiving. We offer thanks to God in communion with Him through the Holy Eucharist, a communal act filled with grace. Because God loves us and by His grace seeks to restore us to eternal fellowship with Him, we give thanks.

We are blessed because in Him we have life, and we have it abundantly. We are blessed with the anticipation of salvation and glory to come. “After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, ‘Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!’” (Revelation 19:1)

We are thankful to God that so many before us have endured for our sake so that in the words of the Apostle Paul we may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus with its eternal glory. “Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” (2 Timothy 2:10). Because we have hope in deliverance, joy in the light of the Resurrection, and assurance in God’s promises, we give thanks.

As you observe Thanksgiving Day, may all of these blessings be on your hearts and minds. May this be a day of giving thanks to God for His grace, and may His abundant blessings be on each of you and your families. Through your thanksgiving and your joy in His bless-ings may you offer a witness to the world of the life and love we have in Him.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving Day.With paternal love in Christ,

†Demetrios Archbishop of America

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His mercy endures FOREVER!

– Psalm 106:1

Happy Thanksgiving Day

Wait for the promise of the Father 1

v

HO

LY T

RIN

IT

Y GREEK ORTHODOX CH

UR

CH

1966 - ANNIVERSARY - 2

01650th

November 2017 ^ Volume 41, Issue 8 [email protected] 908-233-8533 holytrinitywestfield.org

Dates in the Life of Our Church

NOVEMBER 20175 8:15 AM Orthros

9:30 AM Divine Liturgy

7 4:00 PM Greek School

8 Archangels Michael and Gabriel

8:30 AM Orthros


9 St. Nektarios the Wonderworker

8:30 AM Orthros


10:30 AM TOTS

4:00 PM Greek School

7:30 PM Choir

8:30 AM Orthros

11 11:00 AM Children’s Medical Fund Luncheon

12 8:15 AM Orthros


Scout Sunday

11:45 AM Youth Sunday Luncheon


7:00 PM Philoptochos Board Meeting

7:30 PM Parish Council

16 St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist

8:30 AM Orthros


10:30 AM Women of Faith


7:30 PM Choir

17 1:00 PM Wedding

7:00 PM Cultural Committee

19 Stewardship Sunday

8:15 AM Orthros


11:45 AM Parish Assembly

20 1:45 PM Wedding

20 7:30 PM NNJYC

21 Entrance of the Theotokos

8:30 AM Orthros


11:00 AM Trinity Circle


23 Thanksgiving

24 Church Office Closed

25 St. Katherine

8:30 AM Orthros


26 8:15 AM Orthros



30 St. Andrew the First-Called

8:30 AM Orthros




30 7:30 PM Choir

DECEMBER 20173 8:15 AM Orthros


11:45 AM Parish Council Elections

4 St. Barbara

8:30 AM Orthros



6 St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

8:30 AM Orthros


7:00 PM Philoptochos Christmas Party


7:30 PM Choir

10 8:15 AM Orthros


12:00 PM Sunday School Christmas Program


7:30 PM Parish Council

14 9:30 AM TOTs



7:30 PM Choir

17 8:15 AM Orthros


Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church ^ Westfield, New Jersey2

Just prior to the Small Entrance a kind of mini-Creed is sung, “Only-Begotten Son and Word

of God.” The opening words of this hymn are taken from John 1:14, 18, and John 3:16. It is an excellent sum-mary of the essentials of the Christian faith in the Holy Trinity, the one God in three Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and in the Incarna-tion, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is the immortal and eternal Word of God made f lesh in the womb of the Theotokos and ever-Virgin Mary. Well worth learn-ing by heart, this hymn dates from the 6th Century and is attributed by the majority of contemporary liturgi-cal scholars to the Emperor Justinian (482-565 AD), the man responsible for the construction of the Great

Church of the Holy Wisdom (Agia Sophia) in Constantinople. This hymn was originally the Entrance Hymn of the Liturgy, as it still is today in the Liturgy of St. James: this was the beginning of the Liturgy when the clergy came, not from within the altar, but entered the church from the narthex, through the main doors of the building.

THE ENTRANCE AND PRESENTATION OF THE GOSPEL BOOK: “THE SMALL ENTRANCE”The great theologian Fr. Alexander Schmemann wrote; “We meet the ex-pression ‘Small Entrance’ (as distinct from the Great Entrance) for the first time in the manuscripts of the 14th Century. We know that for a long time

the Entrance was the beginning of the liturgy. However, in contemporary practice, this entrance is above all the Entrance with the Gospels, i.e. the solemn carrying of the Gospel Book out from and then back into the altar area through the royal doors. In sev-eral manuscripts it is even called the “Entrance with the Gospels”. In es-sence the Entrance consists in drawing near to the altar, which was, from the beginning, the focus of the Temple, its holy place. Therefore the Entrance, this drawing near to the altar, is always an ascent. In it the Church ascends to the place where her genuine “life is hidden with Christ God” – Colossians 3:3. She ascends to heaven where the Eucharist is celebrated. The Eucharist is always a

Continued on page 4

Divine Liturgy Part three

THE HYMN “Only-Begotten Son and Word of God…”

The Promise ^ November 2017 ^ Volume 41, Issue 8 3

going out from “this world” and an as-cent to heaven. All our worship services therefore, are an ascent to the altar and a return back to “this world” for us to bear witness to “what no eye has seen nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him.” – 1 Corinthians 2:9

THE BOOK OF THE GOSPELSAdorned in gold or silver out of rever-ence and kept on the holy altar, this special book contains only the four

Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It is a sacramental embodiment of Christ and in the liturgy it is kissed and reverenced, and treated like an icon of Christ. Traditionally, the Entrance with the Gospels is said by St. Nicholas Cabasilas (1322-1391), to represent the entrance of Christ into the world. The Entrance hymn is sung by the clergy, taken from Psalm 94:6, professes what our response ought to be to the Lord Je-sus: “Come, let us worship and fall down before Him.” The centrality of the

Gospels in the Liturgy of the Word and their placement on the altar signifies that Christ is the center of the Church and that Christ ought to be the center of our lives. It is through the Gospels that we come to know who Christ is. As St. Tikhon of Zadonsk (1724-1783) wrote: “Whenever you read the Gospel, Christ Himself is speaking to you. And while you read, you are praying and talking to Him.”

Continued from page 3

“What no eye has seen nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

1 Corinthians 2:9


The Center for Family Care of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, in conjunction with

the host parish of All Saints Greek Or-thodox Church of Canonsburg, Pa., held its second Family Ministry Conference, “The Orthodox Family in a Changing World,” on September 20-23. Fr. Peter Delvizis attended as a representative of the Metropolis of New Jersey. Many participants –including clergy, mental-health professionals, ministry leaders, and devoted laypersons– from across the Archdiocese and other Orthodox juris-dictions attended. The overall objective of the conference was to offer perspec-tives that support family ministry geared to the needs of Orthodox families and communities.

Keynote addresses were delivered by

His Eminence Metropolitan Savas of Pittsburgh; Director of the Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, Steven Christoforou; and Orthodox author, podcaster, and blogger, Elissa Bjeletich. In addition, the conference featured numerous workshops led by clergy and lay leaders. The sessions highlighted some of the challenges families face within contemporary culture. FOCUS North America led a hands-on poverty simulation that helped participants imagine what a life of poverty might resemble and how love should be the response to those who live in such conditions.

Participants also worked in inten-sive sessions to reflect upon two short presentations, “Becoming a Healing Presence,” led by Dr. Albert Rossi, Di-

rector of Counseling and Psychological Services at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, and “Healing the Healer” by His Grace Bishop John Abdalah of the Diocese of Worcester and New England of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Arch-diocese. Patrick Tutella, the founder and Director of Caring Connections in Corrections, also presented on the char-acteristics of a pastoral-care ministry team. Participants were able to engage the content with actual case scenarios within a small-group discussion.

The Center for Family Care is grate-ful for the generosity of the Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100 Endowment Fund, which faithfully continues to sup-port its activities and overall mission.

For more information about this conference and future conferences visit www.family.goarch.org. The keynote addresses are available in podcast form on Ancientfaith.com.

FAMILY MINISTRY CONFERENCE The Orthodox family in a changing world

Canonsburg, PA


Saint Nektarios was born in Selyvria of Thrace on October 1, 1846. After putting himself

through school in Constantinople with much hard labor, he became a monk on Chios in 1876, receiving the monastic name of Lazarus; because of his virtue, a year later he was ordained deacon, receiving the new name of Nektarios. Under the patronage of Patriarch Sophronius of Alexandria, Nektarios went to Athens to study in 1882; completing his theological studies in 1885, he went to Alexandria, where Patriarch Sophronius ordained him priest on March 23, 1886 in the Cathedral of Saint Sabbas, and in Au-gust of the same year, in the Church of Saint Nicholas in Cairo, made him Ar-chimandrite. Archimandrite Nektarios showed much zeal both for preaching the word of God, and for the beauty of God’s house. He greatly beautified the Church of Saint Nicholas in Cairo, and years later, when Nektarios was in Athens, Saint Nicholas appeared to him in a dream, embracing him and telling him he was going to exalt him very high.

On January 15, 1889, in the same Church of Saint Nicholas, Nektarios was consecrated Metropolitan of the Pentapolis in eastern Libya, which was under the jurisdiction of Alexandria. Although Nektarios’ swift ascent through the degrees of ecclesiastical office did not affect his modesty and childlike innocence, it aroused the envy of lesser men, who convinced the

elderly Sophronius that Nektarios had it in his heart to become Patriarch. Since the people loved Nektarios, the Patriarch was troubled by the slanders. On May 3, 1890, Sophronius relieved Metropolitan Nektarios of his duties; in July of the same year, he commanded Nektarios to leave Egypt.

Without seeking to avenge or even to defend himself, the innocent Metro-politan left for Athens, where he found that accusations of immorality had arrived before him. Because his good name had been soiled, he was unable to find a position worthy of a bishop, and in February of 1891 accepted the posi-tion of provincial preacher in Euboia;

then, in 1894, he was appointed dean of the Rizarios Ecclesiastical School in Athens. Through his eloquent sermons his unwearying labours to educate fitting men for the priesthood, his generous alms deeds despite his own poverty, and the holiness, meekness, and fatherly love that were manifest in him, he became a shining light and a spiritual guide to many. At the request of certain pious women, in 1904 he began the building of his convent of the Holy Trinity on the island of Aegina while yet dean of the Rizarios School; finding later that his presence there was needed, he took up his residence on Aegina in 1908, where he spent the last years of his life, devoting himself to the direction of his convent and to very intense prayer; he was sometimes seen lifted above the ground while rapt in prayer. He became the protector of all Aegina, through his prayers delivering the island from drought, healing the sick, and casting out demons. Here also he endured wicked slanders with singu-lar patience, forgiving his false accusers and not seeking to avenge himself. Al-though he had already worked wonders in life, an innumerable multitude of miracles have been wrought after his repose in 1920 through his holy relics, which for many years remained incor-rupt. There is hardly a malady that has not been cured through his prayers; but Saint Nektarios is especially renowned for his healings of cancer for sufferers in all parts of the world.

SAINT NEKTARIOSThe Wonderworker

November 9


Stewardship Sunday will be held on Sunday, November 19. The 2018 Christian Stewardship Cards and

pamphlet have been mailed to all Stew-ards of Holy Trinity. The theme for the 2018 Stewardship Campaign is “What-ever you do, work at it with all your heart,

as working for the Lord, not for men....” (Colossians 3:23)

Please pray about what you will give in 2018, keeping in mind that your pledge sustains the personnel, ministries and physical buildings of Holy Trinity. The responsibility of sustaining our parish

rests on the parishioner. Your contribu-tion to glorify God and the sacred work of His Church is always welcomed.

Everyone is asked to bring their Stew-ardship Cards with them to church on Sunday, November 19 so that they may be placed in the trays and presented to our Lord. Please remember to vote or seek elective office all Stewardship Pledge Cards must be received by March 1, 2018.

The fall Parish Assembly will be held on Sunday, November 19. Your attendance is requested since important financial issues will be presented.

The Parish Council elections will be held on Sunday, December 3 after the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy. The parish will select eleven (11) members to join the other eleven who serve on the Parish Council. Only those sacramental members of the church and those who submitted pledge cards by March 1, 2017 is eligible to vote. Please check the voting rooster that day.

Should we look to kings and princes to put right the inequalities be-tween rich and poor? Should we

require soldiers to come and seize the rich person’s gold and distribute it among his destitute neighbors? Should we beg the emperor to impose a tax on the rich so great that it reduces them to the level of the poor and then to share the proceeds of that tax among everyone?

Equality imposed by force would achieve nothing, and do much harm. Those who combined both cruel hearts and sharp minds would soon find ways of making themselves rich again. Worse still,

the rich whose gold was taken away would feel bitter and resentful; while the poor who received the gold from the hands of soldiers would feel no gratitude, because no generosity would have prompted the gift.

Far from bringing moral benefit to society, it would actually do moral harm.

Material justice cannot be accom-plished by compulsion, a change of heart will not follow. The only way to achieve true justice is to change people’s hearts first—and then they will joyfully share their wealth.”

An Interesting Perspective on the Limitations of Government

Stewardship SUNDAY

ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM


Parish CouncilStewardship - Faithful Investments!

BY A.J. KARANIKOLAS, PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT

Giving is one of the best feelings in life. We have all experi-enced watching a loved one

open a present on Christmas morn-ing. The excitement in the eyes of the loved one is only exceeded by the joy

in the heart of the one who gave. Our Lord also wants us to experience that tremendous joy when we give to Him - with gratitude and thanks for the many blessing He has bestowed upon us and our blessed Holy Trinity.

In Matthew 25:14-30, we learn of the Parable of the Talents and the choices that were made. In stewardship rela-tionships, there is a master who dis-perses resources and the steward with whom the resources are entrusted. One day the steward will be held accountable and answer for how those resources were invested.

We are blessed at Holy Trinity to have a wonderful, loving, Christ-cen-tered community. That is evident in everything we do, from the ministries surrounding youth, Religious Educa-

tion, Greek School, Fellowship, and Stewardship. As we approach 2018 and consider our own stewardship offerings, let us reflect on all of God’s blessings that we are witness to at the church and challenge ourselves to experience the joy in our hearts when giving to back to our Lord just as we do on Christmas morning.

The Parish Council is committed to leading the way with stewardship, which will enable us to continue the Ortho-dox Church’s mission of proclaiming the Gospel of Christ and to teach and spread the Orthodox Christian Faith. Join us in this stewardship mission and cheerfully give, as this faithful invest-ment will fulfill God’s commandment and secure a bright future for our most blessed Holy Trinity!

“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparing-ly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”

2 Corinthians 9:6-7

Notes from the Assembly of Bishops meeting in New Jersey

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America

held its Eighth Annual General As-sembly Meeting October 3-5, 2017 in Garfield, NJ at the invitation of His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey. Thirty-Two Hierarchs from across the country gathered to prayerfully consider ways to enhance their Orthodox witness to the world and to address their common concerns for youth and emerging adults.

In his opening remarks, the As-sembly Chairman, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, reminded the Hierarchs that “through God’s grace and providence, we have all been brought together to this one place and we have been called to walk in unison toward a common goal…. While our sights are ultimately set on the ‘things

to come and longed for,’ as long as we call ourselves co-laborers in God’s vineyard, it is our sacred obligation to work together to realize this goal by drawing ever-closer to one another.”

The Hierarchs identified specific steps to be investigated to better min-ister to youth and young adults. These included hiring more trained youth ministry leaders; more effective men-toring programs; encouraging more leadership roles in the Church for young people; greater spiritual devel-opment; inter-jurisdictional youth con-

ferences; and improved resources for training and developing parents and leaders. The Hierarchs also focused on ways to enhance their engagement with local Orthodox Christian Fel-lowship (OCF) Chapters; encourage programs like Crossroad and youth gatherings/camps; improve personal relationships with youth and parents, emphasizing prayer and liturgical life; increase funding of youth programs; and encourage all parish activities to be inter-jurisdictional.


The Parent/Teacher Open House took place on October 15 and we thank all the parents who attend-

ed. At the Open House, teachers reviewed their course outlines and the goals of the Religious Education Department, which are as follows: � To encourage active participation from all

students in Pre-K through Grade 12, and their parents.

� To make our program spiritually enriching for our children.

� To establish a stable, inclusive Orthodox Christian educational environment for children of all abilities.

� To provide well-rounded and theologically based lessons on the Bible, Liturgical Worship, Prayer Life, Sacramental Life, and Mission Awareness.

� To have a reliable volunteer staff, who because of their personal commitment to Christ, serve His Church as teachers.

� To provide the staff and students with text books, suitable learning facilities and other resources (i.e. craft supplies, videos, guest speakers) which inspire Orthodox Christian learning.

� To provide all students the opportunity to learn about Stewardship and to put it into practice (donating their time, treasure and talent).

� To encourage respect, collaboration and Orthodox Christian agape among all children of our church.

� To be the prerequisite for any participation/membership in JOY, HOPE, GOYA, Sights & Sounds, Greek Dance, Olympics, Athletics, and all other youth activities.

Upcoming important dates are as follows: � November 26, Angel & Mitten Tree � December 3 – After classes, rehearsal for

Christmas Program- PreK to 6 � December 10 – After classes, Christmas

Program � December 17 – After classes, rehearsal for

Christmas Eve Pageant

The Lord has taught us that children are very important members of His Church who require unique guid-

ance and much love. He is so impressed by the innocence of a child that He constantly reminds us that “whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” Mark 10:15

One of the great joys marking the begin-ning of the Ecclesiastical Year is seeing the Agathis Learning Center filled with children attending Religious Education after the Di-vine Liturgy. On behalf of the teachers, we thank you for bringing your children back to Religious Education classes this year. It gives us so much spiritual fulfillment to serve Christ as your children’s Religious Educators.

In case you haven’t registered your child/ren yet, please do so immediately via our on line link at http://bit.do/HTRES2017. All students, new and returning, must register so that we have current contact and emergency information. Additionally, students should be in the equivalent grade of their primary education - if there are any special circum-stances, please let us know. Also, since there

is no direct fee for Religious Education, all registered families must be Stewards in good standing. If you are a new family to Holy Trinity, please let us know so we can give you a firsthand parent/student orientation to our program.

This year’s teaching staff (lead teacher noted first) is as follows:Pre-K: Alix Martin, Irene CohenKindergarten: Alexandra Mavridis, Ariadne MonfalconeGrade 1: Anna Decavalles, Sandy WestGrade 2: Vanessa Papoutsoglou, Melissa KrikosGrade 3: Despina Apostolou, Angeline Apos-tolouGrade 4: Felicia Karsos, Helen KyritsisGrade 5: Areti Ticas, Manuela Dragan, Grade 6: MaryAnn Meihe, Beth GryvoyannisGrade 7: Leon Carayannopoulos, Elias Gry-voyannisGrade 8: Anthony Bosco, Bill SallasGrade 9: Penny Mavridis-Sales, Peter Tar-hanidisGrade 10: Evans John, Tony DrivasGrade 11: Miriam Kotsonis, John Kotsonis

Grade 12: Agapios Kyritsis, Zenon Christo-doulou

Please mark your calendars for the follow-ing upcoming events:

Rehearsal for Christmas Program: Decem-ber 3, 2017

Christmas Program: December 10, 2017

We are always looking for volunteers to the Religious Education program in these areas: Future teachers/assistants, substitutes, Angel/Mitten tree, Christmas Program, Com-munion Breakfast, Oratorical Festival and more. It’s never too late to raise your hand and volunteer to serve our Lord and his children.

Lastly, we pray that you make Church an important part of your family life. Please note that we ask you to arrive on time for the Divine Liturgy and sit as close as possible to the front of the Nave. Additionally, the pews contain a special guide “The Divine Liturgy for Children”. It is our hope that this book helps bring you and your child/ren to a greater level of participation in The Divine Liturgy, the Kingdom of God.

We look forward to another fulfilling year in the teachings of the Gospel of Christ and His Church. Please check the bulletin board periodically for updates or join the Holy Trinity Westfield Religious Education

Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/464246557101314/. If you have any questions, contact Chris Economides at [email protected], or Iris Love at [email protected]

Religious EducationUpdate


Welcome back to another exciting year of GOYA at Holy Trinity! I hope every-

one had a wonderful summer and was able to recharge for the upcoming school year. As for myself, I was lucky enough to experience Ionian Village this summer. On July 21, a small group from Holy Trinity, along with other teens from across the country, traveled to Greece to experience three weeks of faith, fellow-ship, and fun. At Ionian Village, we had

various activities throughout the day, and we were able to make new friends from all over the country. We traveled to monasteries and venerated the relics of various saints. It was an educational experience that brought me closer to my faith. Overall, Ionian Village is a once in a lifetime experience, and I highly recommend it.

My main goal as president is to unite our whole group and to increase par-ticipation. I want to make everyone feel

welcome regardless of what age they are. There are so many wonderful GOYA ac-tivities throughout the year, and I would like everyone to participate. The dances, athletics, and Sights & Sounds are such a great time, and I want everyone to have the same experiences I have had.

Friday, September 8: Our first event of the year was the GOYA Kickoff Pool Party at the Carayannopoulos home. Goyans reunited for a night of swim-ming and pizza. We would to thank

UpdateGOYA BY NICHOLAS SAVORGIANNAKIS, GOYA PRESIDENT


the Carayannopoulos family for hosting this event.

Sunday, September 17: The Annual Diving for the Cross took place in As-bury Park. Our divers this year, Andrew Economides, Ariana Tarhanidis, Daniel McCaffrey, and Julia Love. Congratula-tions to each of our divers for participat-ing in this wonderful event!

Sunday, October 8: The Annual Mr. and Miss GOYA pageant took place at the Pines Manor in Edison. Our representatives for this year were: Mr. Westfield, Andrew Economides, and Miss Westfield, Cipriana Christodou-lou. Congratulations to Cipi for placing fourth runner up! We are so proud of both of you and you both did a wonder-ful job representing our church.

Friday, October 13: For the second time, we hosted the Harvest Dance here in Westfield. It was the first dance of the year and a great opportunity to meet up with friends from other churches and have fun dancing all night.

October 27 and 28 was the Annual Christ Encounter Retreat at Camp Ma-son. It was a wonderful weekend where Father Peter and two seminarians led us to reconnect with our faith through discussions relating to our religion. We also had the opportunity to spend time and have fun with our fellow Goyans.

I would also like to take this op-portunity to introduce the executive board, board, and outreach committee for this year.

GOYA Executive BoardPresident: Nicholas SavorgiannakisVice President: Andrew EconomidesTreasurer: Georgiana Katsingris Recording Secretary: Ava LeichtlingCorresponding Secretary: Caroline Maglaras

Board MembersNicole Boutsikaris, Stamati Angelides, James Cerini, Costa Vasilopoulos, Ari-ana Tarhanidis, John Petris, Lea Cerini

Senior Outreach Coordinator: Dani-ella Cohen

Outreach Committee Members: Julia Love, Christina Arida, Will Arida, Stelio Kanaras, and Thomas Savorgi-annakis


Fr. Peter and Pres. Victoria celebrating 25th Wedding Anniversary at Fellowship Hour

Helen Criares, Trinity Circle President

BY LAUREN KARANIKOLAS

At Holy Trinity, we experi-ence fellowship with God, our long-standing friends, and new

parishioners. Fellowship is a spiritual unity of the faithful with our Lord Je-sus Christ. It is where the faithful join together to fulfill the mission of the Gospel. By coming together as a Holy Trinity family to worship, glorify and pray, we share a fellowship with God, and with each other.

Fellowship’s importance to God is found in the Old Testament. In Gen-esis 18, sets the example of Abraham and Sarah as they welcomed the three strangers into their home. Abraham and Sarah prepared a feast to extend to their three guests. The three strangers are symbolically seen in the Church as an appearance of the Holy Trinity. Their hospitality provided an early biblical insight to the way God wants to form a relationship and share Himself with each and everyone one of us. When we share a meal or enjoy an event together, we create fellowship with each other and grow together in the living Christ.

Fellowship is a virtue of life. The Greek word for fellowship is philoxenia, a friend to the stranger. Philoxenia is demon-strated by hospitality and an enthusiastic respect to honor visitors. A host’s duty is

to ensure the visitor is comfortable and feels welcomed. This is extended today by getting together for social, cultural events, and for spiritual purposes such as sharing the needs of others, reading scripture, praying for one another, and edifying one another. Fellowship is made complete with the glorification of God in the Divine Liturgy and through the reception of the Holy Eucharist.

When a visitor comes to our Holy Trinity, it is our hope that the visitor experiences authentic Christian hospi-tality and the joys of our Lord that comes through association with fellow Chris-tians. Having experienced the warmth, dedication, and love of Holy Trinity, the visitor may consider becoming a Steward of our parish and a servant of the Lord. As a result, our hope that the Steward will begin to experience the fullness of our spiritual fellowship in Christ.

The Fellowship Committee serves to welcome and integrate our new parish-ioners, support current parishioners in promoting fellowship through spiritual, social and cultural events. We ask each of us welcome our visitors, help integrate new families into our ministries, and invite them to our social and cultural gatherings.

“Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us,

to the glory of God.”Romans 15:7

If you have ideas or suggestions for a fellowship event, or you would like to help with an event or join the committee, please contact

one of the committee members: Peter Tarhanidis [email protected], Lauren Karanikolas [email protected], Lia Lewis [email protected]

or stop by the Fellowship Table on Sunday.

Fellowship Committee


Since the financial crisis hit Greece and Cyprus in 2012, The Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos,

including our own chapter, stepped up to help our brothers and sisters overseas.

On July 30, 2017, The National Ladies Philoptochos approved disbursements totaling $115,000 for aid to Greece and Cyprus.

In February 2012, our chapter was the first Philoptochos chapter to donate $1,000 to the efforts of the newly formed Hellenic Relief Foundation for their first trip to Greece. As of today, we have donated close to $15,000 to this cause. H.R.F. has been the recipient of proceeds from our 2013 and 2016 Art Shows, 2016 Christmas card, and 2016 Fashion Show Grand Raffle. On March 4 of this year, I had the privileged, along with Avi Kiriakatis, to represent our chapter at the 5th Anniversary H.R.F. Gala, where our chapter was recognized and honored for its support to the needy in Greece.

The following is a list of other efforts by

our chapter to help the people of Greece and Cyprus:

� Aid to Greece and Cyprus Campaign, initiated by The National Philoptochos $5,000

� The Smile of the Child (Greece) $1,000

� Cyprus Children’s Fund –proceeds from the 2014 Art Show $3,222

� Aid to Greece & Cyprus, HRF and CCF are also included in our budget as a line item.

Supporting the above exemplifies our Philoptochos Mission Statement:

“To aid the poor, the destitute, the hungry, the aged, the sick, the unem-ployed, the orphaned, the imprisoned, the widowed, the handicapped, the victims of disasters, to undertake the burial of impoverished persons and to offer assistance to anyone who may need the help of the Church through fund raising efforts.”

On behalf of the Ladies Philoptochos, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you the Holy Trinity family for your generosity and support. Because of you, Philoptochos is able to fulfill its mission. If you would like more informa-tion on the above charities, please see me during Fellowship Hour on Sundays.

Many people simply look forward to a great big Thanksgiving Day dinner with “all the trim-

mings”. Others cherish this time as one of the few special occasions when the whole family gathers together to enjoy the com-panionship of their loved ones. Many treat the holiday as the name implies, as did the first “Americans” sitting down with Native Americans to give thanks to their God for His bountiful gifts.

Few know that thanksgiving is one of those “secret ingredients” [Philippians 4:6] to receive that special peace: “And the peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” [What is that special part of you called the “nous”?

This is probably why the words “Peace be with you” are so often repeated during the Divine Liturgy, and also why the Cherubic Hymn advises us to “put aside all earthly cares” before receiving Holy Communion with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Ladies! Also note Archpriest Farley’s comments on why Saint Paul banned women clergy: in Shepherding the Flock, pp 36-37.

Regardless of any earthly anxieties, Saint Paul’s words stand for all time as the way to “the peace of God which passes all un-derstanding will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7!

Celebrate the Earth: $18 [Re: Psalm 103/104: Celebrate the Earth is a magnifi-cently beautiful book for both children and

“children at heart”!]Shepherding the Flock: $13.95, is part of

a 13 volume set: These are a few books we can order for

you: If you browse the Book Store table dur-ing the Fellowship hour and want to order anything else, let us know! We do, however wait until we have a substantial number of orders to place so that we can save on ship-ping!

The Book Store wishes everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

BY NITSA CONSTANTINIDES BRUNO

“But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?”

1 John 3:17-18

“You will eat the fruits of your labor; You are blessed, and it shall be well with you.”

Psalm 127:2

Why is November special?

Aid To Greece


5FINGERS FITTING5KEYSPHYLLIS A. VERENES

PIANO INSTRUCTOR & WEDDING ORGANIST

9 SAND HILL ROAD, MORRISTOWN, NJ 07960TEL: 973.538.2236 • CELL: 973.214.9222

Contact the Church Office if you would like to advertisein the next issue of The Promise!

hoLy trinity greek orthoDox ChurCh

CLaSSiFieDS


Ioanna Tsolaki, DDS, DMD, MSBoard Certified Periodontist

Rutgers School of Dental MedicineRutgers, The State University of New Jersey135 Somerset Street, Suite ANew Brunswick, NJ 08901

p. 732-235-5050 f. [email protected] Permit #: 6526


Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church

Non Profit Org.US postage

PAIDRahway, NJ

Permit No. 654

16

Metropolis ofNew Jersey

The Promise: Volume 41, Issue 8

10 issues published annually. No subscription fee.Article deadline - 10th of the preceding month

Schedule of Services

Sundays Weekdays

Orthros 8:15 AM 8:30 AM

Divine Liturgy 9:30 AM 9:30 AM

Ministries

Parish Council A.J. KaranikolasPhiloptochos Ellen Manos-Athenson

Religious Education Chris EconomidesGreek School Stavroula Mergoupis

Greek School PTO Alexis Kiriakatis

Youth (GOYA) Nicholas Savorgiannakis

JOY / HOPE Kathy DrivasTOTS Joanne Paras

Bookstore Sandy MouratoglouCultural Barbara Manos

Trinity Circle Helen CriaresFellowship Lauren Karanikolas

Worship

Lead Psaltis Pascalis KuvalakisChoir Director Kathryn Athanasoulas

Organist Phyllis VerenesHead Acolyte Andreas Economides

Office Staff

Office Manager Diana R. WaltsakAdmin. Assistant E. Joy Daniledes

Caretaker Ocione Nunes

Contact Information

Mailing Address 250 Gallows Hill Rd.Westfield, NJ 07090-1109

Phone 908-233-8533

Fax 908-233-0623

E-mail [email protected]

Web site holytrinitywestfield.org

Presiding Priest Rev. Fr. Peter Delvizis

E-mail [email protected]

Happy Thanksgiving Day -...

Documents

Transcript of Happy Thanksgiving Day -...