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St. George Greek Orthodox Church Fresno, CA

Rev. Fr. James C. Pappas, Presbyter

Ron Burkhard, Pastoral Assistant

Sunday Church School

Holy Friday Kids Retreat

April 26, 2019 11:00am-4:00pm

A Lenten lunch will be provided

Activities for ages 5 and up.

Youth team leaders (14-18)

needed to assist adult leaders

COMMUNION BREAKFAST &

PALM CROSS MAKING

For Kids & Adults of all ages!!

Saturday, April 20, 2019 Following Divine Liturgy

in the Social Hall

Orthros at 9:00am Divine Liturgy at 9:45am

Sunday Church School Lessons in April

April 7th is Family Sunday Join us on Sunday, April 7th following service in the social hall for a fun Lenten activity for St. John Climacus (John of the Ladder).

April 14th: The 2-5 year olds will be learning about Lent. We will focus on Mary of Egypt.

Grades 1st-6th: We will learn about Mary of Egypt with teacher Vicky. See you in room 9 following communion.

April 21st: The 2-5 year olds will be learning about Lent. We will focus on Palm Sunday.

Grades 1st-6th: We will learn about Palm Sunday with teacher Madelyn. See you in room 9 following communion.

April 28th: Resurrection Sunday- No Church School

Lenten Project 2019 Tidying Up Our Spiritual Lives

As part of our Lenten Project we invite the community to come down to St. George to help us ‘tidy up’ and beautify the facilities. This project includes beautifying our grounds by planting flowers and sprucing up our buildings by moving

along items that are no longer useful. We will organize the kitchen, storage buildings and closets.

*Join us on Saturday, April 6th at 9:00am. There will be projects and activities for the kids, so bring the entire family!

A Lenten lunch will be provided.

As part of the Lenten Project, each week during Lent, we will supply you with helpful hints and ideas for “Tidying Up Our Spiritual Life”. These meditations are available on Sunday

when you pick up your Sunday bulletin. In case you missed any of them, here are the meditations from weeks 1, 2 and 3 of Lent.

Lenten Project Week One: Forgiveness Sunday The Lenten Spring has come!

The light of repentance; Let us, brothers, cleanse ourselves from all evil,

Crying out to the Giver of Light: Glory to Thee, O Lover of man.

-Vespers hymn from Wednesday of Meatfare Week

Today marks the last day before Great and Holy Lent officially begins. This day is called Forgiveness Sunday but is known liturgically as The Expulsion of Adam From Paradise. We commemorate this event because the Church teaches us that we were not created for this world but for that paradise which was lost, for knowledge of and communion with God. In his classic book, Great Lent: Journey to Pascha, Fr. Alexander Schmemann writes, “Man’s sin has deprived him of that blessed life and his existence on earth is exile.” This certainly is a tragedy of our reality however all is not lost, as he con-tinues, “Christ, The Savior of the world, opens the door of paradise to everyone who follows Him, and the Church, by revealing to us the beauty of the Kingdom, makes our life a pilgrimage toward our heavenly fatherland.” As you may have seen outlined in the March newsletter, this Lenten project will offer tips on Lenten Spring cleaning of the spiritual (the soul), physical (the home) and charitable (the church) that we might return to our Fathers Home as did the Prodigal Son. (Luke 15:11-32) For the Soul: The Church in its wisdom equips us with tools to help us draw near to Christ, however it is up to us to use them. These include prayer, fasting, almsgiving and the sacrament of confession and each of these tools compliments the next. Prayer helps one keep the fast. Fasting saves food and money. Extra food and money can begiven as alms. All this softens the heart towards confession. Confession results in repentance, the U-turn back towards communion with God. For the home: If we follow the prescribed fast, we find that a certain purge of the pantry and refrigerator will take place as we switch to the Lenten diet. But why should this cleanse stop in the kitchen? Look at all the things that clutter our homes and ask, ‘Do I really need this?’ or ‘Do I even want this?’ If not, then seize the moment as an opportunity give it to some-one else who does need it. In doing this we can both tidy up our home and at the same time give alms to those in need. For the Church: As we tidy up the home we can do the same for the church. Tidying up the church is about being good stewards of the things with which we have been entrusted. Sunday School classrooms can collect unused items and trans-form into storage rooms, closets fill up with miscellaneous items that would be utilized if we could only find them. In this sense organization and stewardship go hand in hand.

Lenten Project Week Two: Tidying Up Our Spiri-tual Lives It’s week two of ‘Tidying Up Our Spiritual Lives’ There are a number of themes for this second week of Lent and one added Feastday.

For the Souls: March 17th is St. Patrick's Day. Who was St. Patrick: Patrick was the effective founder of the Christian Church in Ireland. He was consecrated bishop and came to Ireland in 432. He stayed in Ireland until his death, about 30 years later, and was the first Christian to make any substantial num-ber of converts, and to leave behind him a lasting organized church. One of St. Patrick’s well known sayings: Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me. I would like to have us reflect on Jesus’ parable of the Talents lo-cated in Matthew 25: 14– 30.“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had re-ceived five bags of gold brought the other five.‘ Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ “His master replied, ‘ Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ “His mas-ter replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “His master replied, You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where ‘I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant

outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Jesus asked us through this parable to take our God given gifts and multiply the blessings. We are to share these gifts without reserva-tion. The more we share, the more we give, the more we love, the more benefit to others and to ourselves as well. As promised in scripture, as we give, our Lord will return the blessings 10 fold (10 times over). For the Home: I would like to share a book recently read about de-cluttering our lives. ‘The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up’ by Marie Kondo. Marie has spent a lifetime learning and teaching how to organize our hectic lives. She offers tools for getting rid of un-needed items and organizing our living spaces. The remarkable aspect of her ‘tidying up’ experience is how we can bring more sta-bility and structure into our otherwise cluttered and hectic lives. For the Church: (the body of Christ) This week we suggest going through your kitchen and taking stock of all the items you have. What do you truly use and what can we pass on for others to use. We chose the kitchen first because we took on the Lenten fast and we are to decide what foods we were to do without during Great Lent. Food items you do not need can be donated to our food pan-try for distribution. Additionally, do you have household kitchen utensils etc that can be donated to a local charity? Begin to de-clutter your kitchen area by choosing a charity that can use your “unused” items. Happy “Tidying”!

Studies In The Faith Studies in the Faith will meet on Sundays, following Divine Liturgy. Join us in the journey of our Orthodox faith.

Young Adult Bible Study Young Adult Bible Study meets every Wednesday at 7:30pm. Contact Rondal Burkhard at 233-0397 for more information.

Thursday Morning Bible Study Join us for Morning Bible Study Thursdays at 9:30am in Room 7.

We look forward to studying God’s word together.

Growing Together in God’s Love Join us as we continue our Wellness Ministry

Led by Fr. Jim and Pres. Donna Pappas, Ron and Maria Burkhard

*Family Night is open to ALL parishioners. You do not have to be married or have children to attend.*

We will take a break in April. See you again on Thursday, May 30th: Prayer Service at 5:30pm followed by Wellness Ministry at 6:00pm

The evening will include: -Dinner -Fellowship -Activities for children

“Connecting individuals, couples, families and clergy through the heart toward healthy Christ-centered

Lenten Project Week Three: Tidying Up Our Spiritual Lives (and our closets) Saint Basil the Great wrote, “When someone steals another's clothes, we

call them a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and does not? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat unused in your closet belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rot-ting in your closet belong to the one who has no shoes; the money which you hoard up belongs to the poor.” The words of this great saint give us a lot to think about, especially when we open our closets and see the excess within. For the Home in week three of our Lenten Project, we want to focus on clothing. Take a moment to reflect on just how much you really have. In the previously mentioned show Tidying Up, the host recommends placing every arti-cle of clothing from the closet in a pile in order to see the mass of what we have collected. From there we can begin to sort the clothing into two piles: those which spark joy and those which don’t. Return the clothing that sparks joy to their hangers and drawers. Those which do not bring joy

can then be moved along to a charity or to someone who needs them. Today the Church commemorates Saint Gregory Palamas. This divine Father, probably born in Constantinople in 1296, was attracted to monas-ticism from early on and left for Mount Athos at age of about twenty. For most of his life he was involved in the defense of hesychasm, one of the most significant developments in Orthodox theol-ogy after the Ecumenical Councils. In essence, hesychasm (from the Greek hesychia, “inner stillness”) developed from the mysti-cal theology of people like St. Gregory of Nyssa. Accepting the “unknowability” of God, the hesychasts believed that, by the perfect quieting of the body and mind through asceticism, bod-ily exercises, and constant prayer, it was possible to draw closer to God. Central to this discipline was the Jesus Prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy on me.” However, the value of this prayer goes far beyond its use in meditation. It is of value to all Christians: “The prayer of the heart is the source of all good, which refreshes the soul as if it were a garden.” This prayer of the heart is one which can be done through out the day. While brushing our teeth, driving to work, cooking dinner and even when tidying up our closets.

Athena Philoptochos Society

Upcoming Calendar: Friday, April 5: Kids 'n Cancer Luncheon Prep and Set Up Sunday, April 7: Kids 'n Cancer Luncheon: Support, Help Serve, and Clean Up Monday, April 8: Meeting at 10:00 am with Fun & Fellowship to follow Saturday, April 13: Hinds Hospice Angel Babies Walk-Run at Woodward Park Thursday, April 25: Pascha Egg Dying following morning Liturgy Friday, April 26: Good Friday Retreat and Epitafio

*There is no Angel Babies work day in April due to the lateness of Pascha.

Athena Philoptochos made a delivery to Hinds Hospice in March for our Angel Baby Project and have now donated more than 1,300 Angel Baby gowns for use in three counties. This is

the fifth year of this project and we are still receiving gowns from across the country which we are repurposing with love. We have also expanded our production to include tiny pillows for tiny foot-prints, and pocket wraps for babies too small to be dressed in a gown, because, to

quote the great Dr. Seuss, "A person's a person no matter how small."

In March, we provided a tasty Lenten meal following a Pre-sanctified Liturgy. In April, we will dye the traditional red Pascha eggs on Holy Thursday following the morning Liturgy under the chairmanship of Cindi Boukidis and Irma Hill.

Kids 'n Cancer Luncheon supporting Camp Agape Beginning in 1985, under the leadership of Presvytera Jennie Makredes (of blessed memory), Athena Philoptochos Society held a luncheon to support families of children with cancer for a time of respite and fun at St. Nicholas Ranch. This tradition continues on Sunday, April 7 follow-ing our Divine Liturgy. This is a free-will donation lunch-eon. Whether you can attend or not, please make a dona-tion so that we can continue our many years of support to families facing the worst diagnosis.

Have you considered joining Philoptochos?

Please accept our invitation to join! We love working together and

having fun together for the good of our parish and community.

Greek Community of Fresno, Inc.

St. George Greek Orthodox Church

Spring General Assembly

April 14, 2019

AGENDA

1. Determination of Quorum and Call to Order - President Ashley Hyatt

2. Opening Prayer and Father Jim’s Remarks

3. Election of General Assembly Chairperson

4. President’s Comments: Ashley Hyatt

5. Approval of the previous General Assembly meeting minutes

6. Treasurer’s Report: Michael Osborn

Audit Committee Report (Ernie Sopp, Rick Kazanjian and Dee White)

7. Old Business

A. Strategic Planning Implementation

Building Facilities Committee

Outreach Ministry Committee

Stewardship Committee

Retreat Committee

Welcome Ministry Committee

Youth Committee

8. New Business

9. Good of Community/Georgie Award

10. Adjournment and Closing Prayer

Committee reports will be given in written form.

Fall 2018 General Assembly minutes will be emailed via Listserve. Copies will be available in the Narthex.

St. George Greek Orthodox Church Pascha Picnic

GAMES/FAMILY FUN/ EGG HUNT

Resurrection Sunday, April 28th

ON THE CHURCH GROUNDS 1:00 PM AGAPE (LOVE) SERVICE

2:00 PM PICNIC

COST: $15.00 80 years and above & 8 years and below are FREE!!

MENU: Lamb Chops/ Steak/ Fries

No pre-sale tickets.

RSVP with the church

office at 233-0397.

Please bring: A dessert to share Your own drinks

Parish Council Ashley Hyatt —President

Peter Vallis-Vice-President Amanda Sopp – Secretary

Michael Osborn-– Treasurer Dio Stefanopoulos—Past President Advisor

Mark Archon, Marean Bechara, Lorraine Bukilica, James Daniel Burkdoll, Tony Kokalis Jr., Ramzy

Khoury, George Papangellin & Elena Stefanopoulos

Ministries and Organizations A.H.E.P.A. & DOP Dr. Ted Nassar, Aida Nassar

Athena Philoptochos Society Elaine Sotiropulos

Bible Study & Studies In The Faith Fr. Jim Pappas 233-0397

Bookstore Cindi Boukidis, Madelyn Jones

Choir Themis Michailides 233-0397

Coffee Hour Pam Sopp at 209-986-5273

Cretan Club Edward Crossman

Dance Ministries Maria Burkhard 233-0397

“Friends of St. George” Eve Taylor & Ron Burkhard

Greek School Helen Sexton 325-7528

Stewardship Committee Parish Council

Sunday School, Youth & Young Adult Minis-tries, Altar Boys Ron Burkhard 233-0397 rondalburkhard@gmail.com

Youth Choir Pres. Donna Pappas 233-0397

Sunday Duties for April 2019

PC Members April 7th Peter Vallis Dio Stefanopoulos Tony Kokalis George Papangellin

April 14th Michael Osborn Mark Archon Lorraine Bukilica James Daniel Burkdoll

April 21st Ashley Hyatt Marean Bechara Amanda Sopp Elena Stefanopoulos

April 28th All Parish Council Members

Epistle Readers April 7th English: Michael Makredes Greek: Phyllis Makredes

April 14th English: Ed Crossman Greek: Themis Michailides

April 21st English: Tony Kokalis Arabic: Aida Nassar

April 28th English: Pres. Donna Pappas Romanian: Cristian Panoff

Lord’s Prayer April 7th Romanian Cristian Panoff

April 14th Eritrean Tesfai Family

April 21st Spanish Angelica Terlikas

April 28th Russian Luda Guibor

Prosforo April 7th Melissa Kokalis

April 14th Mia Papangellin & Voula Xenos

April 21st Onna Mehas, Demi Mehas, Phyllis Makredes, Ramzi Khachadourian & Widad Bechara

April 28th Angie Hyatt, Elaine Sotiropulos, Pam Sopp & Ernie Sopp

Angie Hyatt Helen Sexton Kara Zografos Phyllis Makredes

Coffee Hour Brew Crew April 7th Nick Svigos

April 14th Ramzi Khachadourian

April 21st Ramzy Khoury

April 28th Dr. Ted Nassar

Sacraments

Baby Blessing March 31st: Christos Verros, son of Jim and Brittney. Memorials in April April 7th: George and Vicky (2 year) Kokalis. May their memory be eternal. Condolences Condolences to Michael and Lorraine Bukilica on the passing of Lorraines’ brother Allan Scharf. May his memory be eternal.

Host a Sunday Coffee/Social Hour Dates to host a Coffee Hour are open. Hosting a Coffee Hour is a great way to celebrate any occasion. You can choose to host the entire

Coffee Hour or partner with other families. For info please contact Pam Sopp at 209-986-5273. Coffee Hour Dates for April April 7th: Kids ‘n Cancer April 14th: Spring General Assembly/Georgie Award April 21st: The Antoniou, Papangellin and Sotiropulos families April 28th: Pascha Picnic—Call Church office for reservations 233-0397.

Special Private Screening Benefiting the St. George Special Projects Fund Join us for a of Faith, Hope and Love by Greek filmmaker Robert Krantz (producer of Christmas with the Karount-

zoses) at Maya Cinemas Fresno 16 on Sunday, April 7th at 3:00pm. A portion of each ticket goes directly to the St. George Church Special Projects Fund. See Fr. Jim or call the church office at 233-0397 for tick-ets. You can view the trailer at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbiVRYDCKDU.

Flowers for Lent and Pascha Donation are still needed for Lent and Pascha flowers. If you would like to make a donation towards a specific item, please contact the church office, 233-0397. If you would like to donate to-

wards the total cost of the remaining items, please write ‘Pascha Flowers’ in the memo line and return your check to the church office.

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Graduates If someone you know from our parish is graduating

from high school or college this year, please contact the church office at 233-0397 or sggoc@comcast.net.

The Dr. Peter Scamagas Memorial Scholarship (St. George Community Scholarship) The 2019 Dr. Peter Scamagas Memorial Scholarship applica-

tion will be available soon. Check upcoming Sunday bulletins

for more information. *If you would like to support this schol-

arship fund by making a donation, please make write

Scholarship Fund on the memo line. Checks can be placed in

the liturgy offering tray or given to the church office.

AHEPA Scholarships Local AHEPA Chapter #151 will be providing scholar-ships to qualified college students and graduate stu-dents. For an application, please email Steve Alfieris at salfieris@gmail.com.

Eleni Stratigos in Concert As part of her school requirement, Eleni Stratigos will present her Senior Recital on Saturday, April 13th at 4:30pm at Pepperdine University, with a reception to follow. Please contact the church office to be added to the reservation list if you are interested in attending. The only fee associated with this event will be the charter bus.

This past year we developed Vision 100, part of our Strategic Plan. In the coming year we are implementing this

plan to grow our church and its ministries. Copies of Vision 100 are available in the Narthex or on our website at:

http://stgeorgefresno.org/st.-george-strategic-plan.

We invite you to be part of this vision by becoming a Financial Steward of St. George Church. By becoming a Fi-

nancial Steward of St. George Church, you will insure the success of the many current and future ministries we

provide.

Become a Financial Steward of St. George Church:

Fill out a confidential 2019 Stewardship Commitment Form below and return it to the church office or place it

in the offering basket on Sunday.

Fulfill your stewardship commitment in numerous ways:

Setup automatic monthly payments from your bank to the church.

(Mailing Address: 2219 N. Orchard St.; Fresno, CA 93703)

Make a one time Stewardship payment or setup automatic monthly payments with your credit card through

the church website: http://www.stgeorgefresno.org/giving/treasure OR fill out the credit card information on

the Commitment Form below and we will set up payments for you.

Mail monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual stewardship checks to the church office.

(Mailing Address: 2219 N. Orchard St.; Fresno, CA 93703)

Place monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual stewardship checks in the Sunday offering

tray.

Stewards Stewards of the of the Faith Faith All Things Are Possible To

The One Who Believes In Christ

Would you like more information about the following? ___ Sunday Church School ___ Youth Activities ___ Young Adults (OCF) ___ Morning Bible Study ___ Evening Bible Study ___ Friends of St. George ___ Philoptochos ___ Prison Ministry ___ Choir/Chant ___ Studies In The Faith

St. George Greek Orthodox Church 2019 Confidential Stewardship Commitment Form St. George Greek Orthodox Church 2019 Confidential Stewardship Commitment Form

Please fill out this form and return it to the church office or place in the offering tray on Sunday.Please fill out this form and return it to the church office or place in the offering tray on Sunday. Did you know that out of the 400+ families that our church ministers to, only 220 families are stewards? Of those 220 families, 78 families give less than $500 per year. If each of these 220 families gave at least $2,075 per year, we would be able to fulfill the financial obligations of our church. This would free up income from fundraisers, like the Food Festival, to use on property improvements and future growth. We ask

that if you have the means, please consider giving at least $2,075 per year in stewardship. If you already give at least $2,075 per year, we ask that you consider increasing your stewardship by 10% for 2019.

No matter what you are financially able to give, you are a valued member of St. George Church.

In gratitude and thanksgiving for God’s blessings, I/we offer Him through His Church the following Annual Tithe

An annual amount of: _____$2,075_____$2,400 _____$3,000 _____$3,600 _____$4,800 Other:______________

($173/mo) ($200/mo) ($250/mo) ($300/mo) ($400/mo)

Name: (first/last) __________________________________Cell Phone: _________________Home Phone: _____________

Spouse: (first/last) ____________________________Cell Phone: ______________Address: _________________________

___________________________City/State: _________________ Zip: _________

Please fill out the information below if you would like to make your stewardship donation using your credit card.

Name on card:__________________________________________________________ Card number: __________________________________ Expires: ________________ CSC#: __________ Billing address:_________________________________________________________________ Email Address: ____________________________________(Required) Monthly amount: _____________ Or One time donation amount:_____________

Thank you to the following people who Thank you to the following people who have donated in 2019.have donated in 2019.

Stewardship donations from January 1-March 25, 2019 Anonymous Donors Randy and Litsa Acedo Donald and Nariman Ajluni Steve and Fotini Alfieris Michael and Kathy Angelos Tony and Marie Antoniou Joan Arabatzis Mark and Holly Archon Vi Archon Christine Bagetakos John and Maria Barbis Fadi and Marean Bedoush Keith and Vassi Boone Bill Booras Danny and Amalia Booras David Boosalis Evelyn N. Boosalis Evelyn T. Boosalis James Boosalis Alexander T. Borgeas Kelly Bottcher Jim and Cindi Boukidis Georgia Brandon Michael and Lorraine Bukilica Daniel and Mina Burkdoll Ron and Maria Burkhard John and Terese Caire Paul and Anita Chiames Jim and Tulla Chrisman Niccolina Clements Marie Papulias Cook John and Marina Crowe Merel Dagher Dr. Zaid Dagher and Fairoz Moussa Aaron and Elena Edwards Bill and Rebecca Farray Angela Foanehe Nora George George and Dorothea Gianopulos Art and Christine Gonos Elisa Gonzales Thomas and Darlene Goumas Efi Gregory Alex and Kristin Guirguis Yesmane Haile Dr. Harry G. Harris Tina Heliotes

Mavra Patropulos Chris and Gina Potzernitz Michael and Marcia Philippou Petre Pitulice Alice Ramirez Chris and Helen Rockas Joy Rose The Samaan Family Dr. Saul Jimenez-Sandoval and Dr. Mariana Anag-nostopoulos Kay Schlotthauer Bob and Helen Sexton Dr. and Mrs. Jervy Smith Charles and Cathy Snow Eleftheria Sofianides Amanda Sopp Ernie and Pam Sopp Melissa Sopp Kopi and Elaine Sotiropulos Vaili and Crystal Sotiropulos Bessie Stalis Yannis and Alicia Stavropoulos Dio and Katie Stefanopoulos Elena Stefanopoulos Spero and Lauren Stefanopoulos Tom and Peggy Stefanopoulos Dee Stonebraker Wilson and Rowida Tadros Gigi Tahan Gabriela Tarau Deeb and Fahda Tayar Dan and Eve Taylor Marcia Taylor Saki and Angelica Terlikas Aristides Tsikoudakis and Dr. Sabrina Nassar Jim and Thekla Tousounis Peter and Demitra Vallis Alexandra Valos Carl Waddle Bill and Joanne Weaver Ben and Clio Weber William and Georgeanne White Penny Wills Michael and Georgette Winton Mark and Ellen Wolfshorndl Voula Xenos James and Tracy Zografos Kara Zografos Paul and Nickie Zografos Matthew and Julie Zoolakis

Hisham and Dida Hemaidan Tom and Irma Hill Ashley Hyatt & Brandon Weis Tom and Angie Hyatt Mary Katherine Jones Nathan and Alexis Jones Robert and Madelyn Jones Zoe Kaffen Husam and Najwa Kaileh Tom and Katie Kallos Nabil and Pauline Karam Jim Karas Andione Karastathas Rick and Gina Kazanjian Ramzi and Ellie Khachadorian Raed and Karen Khoury Ramzy and Doris Khoury Ioannis Kokkinidis Adolphe and Shahira Korkis Elaine Kourafas Raymond and Christine Kulina Mina Lighthall Nick and Jennifer Linneman Nicki Livanis Steve Loforti Elaine Long Constantine and Voula Makredes Michael and Tiffany Makredes S. Michael and Phyllis Makredes Gloria Mas Greg and Dorie Mas Andrew Mastoras Michael and Alice McClelland Alexandra McGrady Demi Mehas George and Cheryl Mehas Dr. Paul Michaelides Philip Michaelides Cris and Amanda Moradian Christna Nasrawi Mr. and Mrs. Peter Nassar Dr. Ted and Aida Nassar Janet Natsues Nicholas Nomicos Jason Obenauf Penny Pacheco Dean Paleologos Mary Jane Papadapoulos George and Mia Papangellin George and Barbara Pappas Fr. Jim and Pres. Donna Pappas

Strategic Plan - Next Steps On Sunday, October 28, 2018 the St. George Community of Fresno formally approved "St. George Greek Ortho-dox Church Vision 100" as our strategic plan for the next five years. In order to help make all of our improvement plans come to fruition we need community support and involvement in the form of committees to help guide the implementation of our expected outcomes. We are seeking signups for the following committees:

Youth Committee: This committee will create a thriving, engaged and connected youth pro-gram for all children in the parish including high levels of spirituality, engaging activities, oppor-tunities and events to inspire acceptance and development within the program. To sign up for

this committee please go to: bit.ly/stgeorgesignup2

Stewardship Committee - This committee will help foster wide spread financial support to help all community ini-tiatives succeed.

Outreach Committee - This committee will help create a strong and large network of community volunteers to share in completing our many activities and tasks (food festival, service work, food drives, etc.) and will include encourag-ing attendance on Sunday at church as well as other church activities.

Welcome Ministry Committee - This committee will help new comers to our church feel welcome and connected to our community by reaching out to them.

Retreat Committee - This committee will help select, support and organize retreats for a variety of church members.

Building Facilities Committee - This committee will help in the planning, budgeting, and city approval process of the proposed new building for the St. George property.

We will limit the number of people who can sign up to the first 12 people for each committee. Even if you can only help out a little bit, please sign up. We can use all the help you can offer. If you can help out please sign up at this web link: bit.ly/stgeorgesignup. If you do not have Internet access you can find a Sign Up sheet in the Church and Narthex Office. Go to this website ( http://www.stgeorgefresno.org/) if you are interested in reading our Vision 100 Strategic Plan. Once again you can find extra copies of the Vision 100 Strategic Plan in the Church and Nar-thex Office.

St. George Greek Orthodox Church 559-233-0397 sggoc@comcast.net www.stgeorgefresno.org

APRIL 2019 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 Strategic Plan-ning- Youth Committee mtg at 6:30pm

3 No Confessions Presanctified at St. Peter’s 6pm

4 No Bible Study

5 No Presancti-fied Salutations 6pm

6 Lenten Project Day at church 9:00am

7 Orthros at 8:30am, Divine Liturgy at 9:30am Kids n Cancer

8 Philoptochos meeting 10:00am

9 10 Confessions 3:00pm-5:00pm Presanctified at St. George 6pm

11 Bible Study at 9:30am FOSG Deliver food donations to FCC 11:30am AHEPA/DOP 7pm

12 Presanctified at 8am Salutations 6pm

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14 Orthros at 8:30am, Divine Liturgy at 9:30am Spring General Assembly /Georgie Award

15 16 PC Meeting 6:30pm

17 Confessions 3:00pm-5:00pm Presanctified at St. Peter’s 6pm

18 Bible Study at 9:30am

19 Presanctified at 8am

20 Saturday of Lazarus Orthros at 9:00am, Di-vine Lit at 9:45am Break-fast & palm cross making to follow

21 Orthros at 8:30am, Divine Liturgy at 9:30am Palm Sunday

22 Presancti-fied at 9:00am Confessions 3:00pm Bridegroom at 6:00pm

23 Presancti-fied at 9:00am Confessions 3:00pm Bridegroom at 6:00pm

24 Presancti-fied at 9:00am Holy Unction 3:00pm Bridegroom at 6:00pm

25 Liturgy of St. Basil 9:00am Egg Dying to follow Crucifixion service at 6:00pm

26 Holy Friday Royal hours 9:00am Kids Retreat 11:00am-4:00pm Burial service at 3:00pm Lamentations at 7:00pm

27 Liturgy of St. Basil 9:00am Great Canon 11:00pm Resurrection service 12:00am

28 Holy Pascha Agape service at 1:00pm Picnic at 2:00pm

29 Bright (Clean) Monday Office Closed

30

St. George Greek Orthodox Church 559-233-0397 sggoc@comcast.net www.stgeorgefresno.org

MAY 2019 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 Young Adult Bible Study 7:30pm

2 Bible Study at 9:30am

3 4

5 Orthros at 8:30am, Divine Liturgy at 9:30am

6 FOSG Lunch Mtg 11:30am

7 8 Young Adult Bible Study 7:30pm

9 Bible Study at 9:30am AHEPA/DOP Mtg 7:00pm

10 11

12 Orthros at 8:30am, Divine Liturgy at 9:30am

13 Philoptochos meeting at 6:30pm

14 15 Food Fest mtg 6:30pm Young Adult Bible Study 7:30pm

16 17 18

19 Orthros at 8:30am, Divine Liturgy at 9:30am

20 Angel Babies from 2:00-8:00pm

21 22 Young Adult Bible Study 7:30pm

23 Bible Study at 9:30am

24 25

26 Orthros at 8:30am, Divine Liturgy at 9:30am

27 Church office

closed in observance of Memorial Day

28 29 Young Adult Bible Study 7:30pm

30 Bible Study at 9:30am Prayer Service at 5:30pm Wellness Min-istry Night at 6:00pm

31

Angels Daisy Addicott and Cynthia Radoumis Joan Arabatzis John and Demetria Kallas Licouris–Wills families in m/o Robert Wills, Patricia, Tom, Pete & James Licouris Mina Lighthall in m/o beloved husband David R. Lighthall Andrew Mastoras Melinda Mastoras Cynthia and Jerry Stiavelli Dan and Eve Taylor Marcia Taylor in m/o Bud Taylor

Communications Outreach Supporters: Our Angels and Archangels The Angel and Archangel Supporters no longer just support the St. George Monthly Newsletter. This ministry will now support the Communication Outreach program. Through this new multi faceted approach to communication, information will reach parishioners more effectively. If you would like to help offset the cost of the communication outreach ministry, which includes the monthly newsletter, parish website, text messaging system and list serve, we ask that you consider contributing $30.00 a year to become an Angel Booster, or $60.00 a year to become a Archangel Booster. Your name or the name of a loved one who’s memory you wish to commemorate, will be printed in The

Voice of St. George Newsletter for the calendar year of 2019. We thank you for your support which enables us to better inform the parishioners of St. George.

Archangel Supporter: $60.00 for 2019 Calendar Year (Per Family Name of Individual) Angel Supporter: $30.00 for 2019 Calendar Year (Per Family Name or Individual)

All donations towards the Archangel/Angel Supporter are for the Calendar year 2019. All names will run through Jan. 2020

Please print clearly the name or names exactly as you wish them to appear in the Newsletter. Name or Names: ______________________________________________________________________________________

And / Or In Memory of: ________________________________________________________________________________________

Archangels

In m/o John, Bessie & George Antonaros Cathy and Tom Armstrong in m/o Arthur and Muriel Chimiklis of Stockton, CA Steve and Deborah Brandt in loving memory Anne Simonian Deborah Brandt in loving memory Leon and Louise Geneses Bill and Joanne Dau in m/o Gus and Anne Kossaras George Efthemon & Elizabeth Wellington in m/o Sam & Helen Eft-hemon Mary Gavrilis in m/o Byron Gavrilis and Stella Vlahotis Nora George in m/o William George Wayne Gomes Thomas Goumas/Denise Jordan in m/o Gust and Betty Goumas John and Demetria Kallas in m/o Demetrios and Vasiliki Vergon John and Demetria Kallas in m/o Pauline Kallas Jim and Toni Kalogrides in m/o Nick and Eleni Paleologos Elaine Kourafas and family in m/o Nick Tom Kourafas Charlie and Elaine Long in m/o Viola and Richard Abrahamian Judie Moradian in m/o Marvin and Marge Kootz Irene Mabry in m/o Dennis Mabry, and George and Vicky Kokalis

H.N and L. K. Papadakis In m/o Alexander “Pappy” Papulias Kay Schlotthauer Frank, Dena, Stephanie & Laura Siskey in m/o Bill & Anthie Kourafas John and Susan Stockton In m/o Spiro Xenos Paul and Nickie Zografos

St. George Greek Community of Fresno

2219 N. Orchard St.

Fresno, CA 93703

Return Service Requested

www.facebook.com/ stgeorgegreekorthodoxchurch

@412fouronetwo sggoc@comcast.net

www.stgeorgefresno.org

559-233-0397

559-233-0564

Non-Profit Organization

U.S. Postage

PAID

Fresno, California

Permit No. 1978

Orthros at 8:30am and Divine Liturgy at 9:30am