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The Cross+RoadsSaints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthoox Church
| 60 Traverse Road | Newport News VA 23606
October 2019Volume 21, Issue #2
† From Father GeorgeThe Choices We Make or Choose Not to
Make
Deacon Noah Ordained - AXIOS
How often do we sit back and considerthe amount of choices that
are ahead of usin a typical day? Just off the bat, what wewill
wear, what to have for breakfast cameto mind. Both of these might
be simplechoices but, in most cases, need to be donebefore going
out the door.Irenaeus, one of the Fathers of the
Church was placed between an idol and across and was required to
choose betweenthe two. Choosing the idol would bringofficial
protection. Choosing the cross wouldmean renouncing the world and
to die forChrist. Irenaeus did not need much time tomake his choice
for he chose the cross andwas honored by suffering death upon it
justas our Lord did.
Irenaeus made a reasonable choice,acted upon his reason, gave
himself to Godand was blessed. Do we make the rightchoices when it
comes to our service to ourchurch and to the greater community?
Weare encouraged to do the right thing, yet,sometimes a little push
in the right directionis needed. What slows us down? Whatholds us
back from doing what is needed?In the Gospel of Mark 5:28 we hear
the
woman who had a flow of blood for twelveyears say, “If only I
may touch His clothes, Ishall be made well.” We know what
wouldeventually occur. The miracle of health isaccomplished by the
power of Jesusdemonstrating His power over sickness and
(Continued on Page 8)
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
GreekFestival:FallEdition -October17 - 19PleaseVolunteerSee Page
10
HIGHLIGHTS
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The Cross+Roads Page 2
OCTOBER 6 & 27Team AYianni TsimplekisChristopher
MyersMichael DaoudGabriel DaoudChristopher MichaValandi
TsimplekisOCTOBER 13Team BJames St. MartinCris CampbellSoterios
TofalliKyprianos TofalliKonstantin GarofalisCarlos BritosOCTOBER
20Team CChristos KonstantinouDean PeriNolan KrisikLandon KrisikWill
EstesAlexandros BaxevanisManuel Garcia
Glory Be To GodSaints Constantine & HelenGreek Orthodox
Church60 Traverse RoadNewport News VA 23606
www.schgochurch.va.goarch.orgPhone (757) 596-6151Fax (757)
596-2967
Email
Addresses:priest@office@parishcouncil@youthdirector@[email protected]
Office HoursMonday Through Friday9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
PriestFather George ChiorosWork 596-6152Home 597-7786Mobile
288-4487Email [email protected]
Parish CouncilFrank Peri, PresidentJohn Dermanis, Vice Pres.Bob
Demson, TreasurerZena Mageras, Asst. Treas.Kent Paumier,
SecretaryGreg BicouvarisElias DoulgerakisBobby GarofalisMike
Kokorelis IIGary NichollsAnastasia Theodorogiannis
ChantersTim SofisHarry FotiouJohn WilliamsBrian FinkGeorge
Petrakos
Church SecretaryRebecca Pietronuto
Archdiocese on the Webwww.goarch.org
PhiloptochosStavroula Gailey, PresidentReligious EducationViola
Allen, Frances TsimplekisCo-DirectorsGreek SchoolPaula Tofalli,
Katerina SanbarChoirJackie Anas, Alexa Garrison, Gary
Nicholls,Joanna VallasYouth MinistryMariam Canavos, Youth
DirectorStephanie Peri, Kent Paumier, AdvisorsAcolytesBarry
Hendricks, DirectorJOY/HOPEMariam Canavos,
DirectorBookstoreElizabeth Puckett
Weekly BulletinRebecca PietronutoCross+RoadsNick VlattasGreek
Orthodox Youth AssociationJames St. Martin, President;
MariaStuebner, Vice President; YianniTsimplekis, Treasurer; Dean
Peri, SecretaryYoung Adult League (YAL)Anastasia Theodorogiannis,
PresidentGolden HeartsZoe Marcopoulos, PresidentOrder of AHEPANick
Matthews, PresidentDaughters of PenelopeHelen Dennie,
PresidentHellenic Woman’s Penelope SocietyZena Mageras
(September)Hellenic Youth DancersBobby Garofalis, Director
Parish Ministries and Organizations
ACOLYTES
Apolytikion for SaintsConstantine & Helen, Equal-to-the
Apostles in the Plagalof the Fourth ToneHaving seen the image
of
Thy Cross in Heaven, and likePaul, having received the callnot
from men, Thine apostleamong kings entrusted thecommonwealth to Thy
hand, OLord. Keep us always in peace,by the intercessions of
theTheotokos, O only Friend ofman.Τοῦ Σταυροῦ σου τὸν
τύπον ἐν οὐρανῷθεασάμενος, καὶ ὡς ὁΠαῦλος τὴν κλήσιν οὐκ
ἐξἀνθρώπων δεξάμενος, ὁ ἐνβασιλεύσιν, Ἀπόστολός σουΚύριε,
Βασιλεύουσαν πόλιντὴ χειρί σου παρέθετο ἣνπερίσωζε διὰ παντὸς
ἐνεἰρήνῃ, πρεσβείαις τῆςΘεοτόκου, μόνε Φιλάνθρωπε.OCTOBER 6EPISTLE
READING2 Corinthians 6:1-10Brethren, working together
with him, we entreat you not toaccept the grace of God in
vain.For he says, "At the acceptabletime I have listened to you,
andhelped you on the day ofsalvation." Behold, now is theacceptable
time; behold, now isthe day of salvation. We put no
obstacle in any one's way, sothat no fault may be found withour
ministry, but as servants ofGod we commend ourselves inevery way:
through greatendurance, in afflictions,hardships, calamities,
beatings,imprisonments, tumults, labors,watching, hunger; by
purity,knowledge, forbearance,kindness, the Holy Spirit,genuine
love, truthful speech,and the power of God; with theweapons of
righteousness forthe right hand and for the left; inhonor and
dishonor, in ill reputeand good repute. We aretreated as impostors,
and yetare true; as unknown, and yetwell known; as dying, andbehold
we live; as punished,and yet not killed; as sorrowful,yet always
rejoicing; as poor,yet making many rich; ashaving nothing, and
yetpossessing everything.GOSPEL READINGLuke 7:11-16At that time,
Jesus went to a
city called Nain, and hisdisciples and a great crowdwent with
him. As he drew nearto the gate of the city, behold, aman who had
died was beingcarried out, the only son of hismother, and she was a
widow;and a large crowd from the citywas with her. And when the
October Sundays
EPISTLE READERSPlease contact Barry Hendricksif you are
interested in readingthe Epistle during the SundayLiturgy.
[email protected]
OCTOBER06: Tim Sofis13: Yianni Tsimplekis (GOYA)20: Joe Saur27:
Sylvia Marcin
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Lord saw her, he hadcompassion on her and said toher, "Do not
weep." And hecame and touched the bier, andthe bearers stood still.
And hesaid, "Young man, I say to you,arise." And the dead man sat
up,and began to speak. And hegave him to his mother. Fearseized
them all; and theyglorified God, saying, "A greatprophet has arisen
among us!"and "God has visited hispeople!"HYMNS OF THE
DAYResurrectional Apolytikion
in the Grave ModeThou didst abolish death by
Thy Cross; Thou didst openParadise to the thief; Thou
didsttransform the myrrh-bearers'lamentation, and didst bid
ThineApostles to preach that Thou artrisen, O Christ God,
grantinggreat mercy to the world.Apolytikion for Apostle
Thomas in the Third ModeO Holy Apostle Thomas,
intercede with the merciful Godthat He grant unto our
soulsforgiveness of offences.Seasonal Kontakion in the
Second ModeO Protection of Christians that
cannot be put to shame,mediation unto the creator mostconstant:
O despise not thevoices of those who havesinned; but be quick, O
goodone, to come unto our aid, whoin faith cry unto thee: Hasten
tointercession and speed thou tomake supplication, O thou whodost
ever protect, O Theotokos,them that honor thee.WISDOM OF
THEFATHERS
The virgin's son met thewidow's son. He became like asponge for
her tears and as lifefor the death of her son. Deathturned about in
its den andturned its back on the victoriousone. - St. Ephrem the
SyrianSAINTS AND FEASTSCOMMEMORATED3rd Sunday of LukeMakarios the
Righteous of
ChiosEroteis the Martyr of
CappadociaThe Holy and Glorious
Apostle ThomasSergius & Bacchus the Great
Martyrs of Syria
OCTOBER 13EPISTLE READINGTitus 3:8-15Titus, my son, the saying
is
sure. I desire you to insist onthese things, so that those
whohave believed in God may becareful to apply themselves togood
deeds; these are excellentand profitable to men. But avoidstupid
controversies,genealogies, dissensions, andquarrels over the law,
for theyare unprofitable and futile. Asfor a man who is factious,
afteradmonishing him once or twice,have nothing more to do withhim,
knowing that such a personis perverted and sinful; he
isself-condemned.When I sendArtemas or Tychicos to you, doyour best
to come to me atNicopolis, for I have decided tospend the winter
there. Do yourbest to speed Zenas the lawyerand Apollos on their
way; seethat they lack nothing. And letour people learn to
applythemselves to good deeds, soas to help cases of urgent
need,and not to be unfruitful.All whoare with me send greeting
toyou. Greet those who love us inthe faith. Grace be with you
all.Amen.GOSPEL READINGLuke 8:5-15The Lord said this parable:
"A
sower went out to sow his seed;and as he sowed, some fellalong
the path, and was troddenunder foot, and the birds of theair
devoured it. And some fell onthe rock; and as it grew up,
itwithered away, because it hadno moisture. And some fell
among thorns; and the thornsgrew with it and choked it. Andsome
fell into good soil andgrew, and yielded ahundredfold." And when
hisdisciples asked him what thisparable meant, he said, "To youit
has been given to know thesecrets of the kingdom of God;but for
others they are inparables, so that seeing theymay not see, and
hearing theymay not understand. Now theparable is this: The seed is
theword of God. The ones along thepath are those who have
heard;then the devil comes and takesaway the word from their
hearts,that they may not believe and besaved. And the ones on the
rockare those who, when they hearthe word, receive it with joy;
butthese have no root, they believefor a while and in time
oftemptation fall away. And as forwhat fell among the thorns,
theyare those who hear, but as theygo on their way they are
chokedby the cares and riches andpleasures of life, and their
fruitdoes not mature. And as for thatin the good soil, they are
thosewho, hearing the word, hold itfast in an honest and goodheart,
and bring forth fruit withpatience." As he said thesethings, he
cried out "He who hasears to hear, let him hear."HYMNS OF THE
DAYResurrectional Apolytikion
in the Plagal Fourth ModeFrom on high didst Thou
descend, O CompassionateOne; to burial of three days hastThou
submitted that Thoumightest free us from ourpassions. O our Life
andResurrection, Lord, glory be toThee.Apolytikion for Sun. of
the
7th Ecumenical Council in thePlagal Fourth ModeMost glorified
art Thou, O
Christ our God, Who hastestablished our Fathers asluminous stars
upon the earth,and through them didst guide usall to the true
Faith. O MostMerciful One, glory be to Thee.Seasonal Kontakion in
the
Second ModeO Protection of Christians that
cannot be put to shame,mediation unto the creator mostconstant:
O despise not thevoices of those who have
sinned; but be quick, O goodone, to come unto our aid, whoin
faith cry unto thee: Hasten tointercession and speed thou tomake
supplication, O thou whodost ever protect, O Theotokos,them that
honor thee.WISDOM OF THEFATHERSFor by seed here He means
His doctrine, and by land, thesouls of men, and by the
sower,Himself .... For as the sowermakes no distinction in the
landsubmitted to him, but simply andindifferently casts his seed;
soHe Himself too makes nodistinction of rich and poor, ofwise and
unwise, of slothful ordiligent, of brave or cowardly;but He
discourses unto all,fulfilling His part, althoughforeknowing the
results. - St.John Chrysostom, Homily 44 onMatthew 12, 4th
CenturySAINTS AND FEASTSCOMMEMORATEDSunday of the 7th
Ecumenical
CouncilCarpus, Papylus,
Agathodorus, & Agathonica, theMartyrs of PergamusBenjamin
the DeaconChryssi the New Martyr of
GreeceFlorentios the Martyr of
ThessalonikiOCTOBER 20EPISTLE READING2 Corinthians 9:6-11GOSPEL
READINGLuke 8:26-39At that time, as Jesus arrived
at the country of the Gadarenes,there met him a man from thecity
who had demons; for a longtime he had worn no clothes andhe lived
not in a house butamong the tombs. When he sawJesus, he cried out
and fell downbefore him, and said with a loudvoice, "What have you
to do withme, Jesus, Son of the Most HighGod? I beseech you, do
nottorment me." For he hadcommanded the unclean spirit tocome out
of the man. (For manya time it had seized him; he waskept under
guard, and boundwith chains and fetters, but hebroke the bonds and
was drivenby the demon into the desert.)Jesus then asked him, "What
isyour name?" And he said,(Continued on Page 9)
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ATTENDANCE
Cross+RoadsCHURCH EMAIL LIST
Subscribe to the church email listfor monthly links to the
Cross+Roads and important churchannouncements
at:www.schgochurch.va.goarch.org
DEADLINEPlease email information no laterthan the 20th day of
the month toNick Vlattas
[email protected]
KOLIVAIf you would like to purchaseKoliva for memorials, you
maycontact:
Mary Graham andChristine Fulmore 595-7871Helen Nicholls
817-8215Anastasia Savrides 595-1581Athena Savvas 589-1484
Church Registry / Announcements
BIRTHS:Our sincere congratulations and best wishes
to Alexa & Braxton Vinson on the birth of theirson, August
27. Proud maternal grandparentsJohn & Becky Karatsikis.Our
sincere congratulations and best wishes
to Platon Argyropoulos and Dr. AlexandraKatsantonis on the birth
of their daughter,September 4.NA SAS ZISOUN !!!!!!!!
BAPTISMS:The infant son of Alexander & Maria
Feldman was baptized in our Church onSeptember 7 and given the
name George by hisgodmother, Gina Mantis.Our best wishes to the
newly-baptized infant,
his parents, grandparents, godparents and hisentire family. NA
SAS ZIZI!!!!!
ILL AND NEEDING OURPRAYERS:We pray for a quick recovery for our
friend
and fellow parishioner, James Woodbury whowas hospitalized
recently. Hope to see you backin Church very soon, James.Please
pray for healing from cancer for Nick
Vlattas.
DEATHS:Our sincere condolences to the family of
Steven Barnes who died August 29. The lateSteven Barnes was the
father of our parishioner,Ellen Velissarios.Our sincere condolences
to the family of
Phoebe Campbell who died September 12 andwhose funeral service
was held in our ChurchSeptember 19.Our sincere condolences to the
family of Paul
Ostinelli who died in London, England August29. The late Paul
Ostinelli was the brother of ourown parishioner Maggie Thompson.
MAYTHEIR MEMORY BE ETERNAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
EXPRESSION OF GRATITUDE:My most sincere and heartfelt thanks to
all my
good friends and fellow parishioners for theirmany Get-Well
Cards. Phone Calls and Prayersfor my quick and complete recovery
following myrecent illness and hospitalization. Please,continue to
keep me in your prayers, and againthanks to all so very much. LOULA
MAURAKIS
CONGRATULATIONSCongratulations to Dr. Vicky Mignogna- Smith
who completed her Doctorate of Education inEducational
Leadership with a specialization inCurriculum and Instruction.
REFRESHMENTS.We thank all our generous
members who served as hostsfor the month of September.The hosts
for October are:Oct. 6: M/M T. Gouletas, Ms.
Helen Siokis, M/M B. Georgas,M/M T. GeorgasOct. 13: M/M T.
Grepiotis,
M/M G. Ikonomou, M/M S.IkonomouOct. 20: Ms. Angela Gionis,
Ms. Christine St. Martin, M/M C.JansenOct. 27: General
Assembly
There is no better way to launch a prayeror praise for the Lord
than with the Sound ofMusic. Julie Andrews brought the hills tolife
with the sound of it. Music calms oursouls and touches our hearts
which happento have their own rhythmic beat. Athousand years before
Christ, King Davidplayed his lyre and worshipped the Lordwith
psalms. Our ears and hearts are tunedto the sound of music and thus
our entireliturgy is chanted. Our worship for the Lordis not
whispered. NO, it issues forth inmelodious, harmonious and bold
tones thatare very likely heard by all the Saints thatcame
before.Our choir is an integral part of our
devotion to the Lord. For years I havelistened to them without
fully hearing them.Lately I have been following along in ournew
green book that outlines the DivineLiturgy complete with the
prayers andhymns sung by the choir, and for the firsttime I have
become a participant in thegreat devotional that is our liturgy. I
follow
the prayers offered by our Priest and readthe messages within
the beautiful melodiesof our choir. It is a spiritual experience
tobe enveloped by the sound of their music.For me the choir has
become a cluster of
angels with the only thing missing being theflutter of wings.
Their songs of praise driftfrom the choir loft and fill the church.
Theirmusic echoes in the pews and floats aroundthe altar. It drifts
upwards into the dome ofthe church to caress the face of Christ
wholooks down upon us along with His fourAngels and four Seraphim.
If one listens, itwill be a pleasurable sound. If one trulyhears,
it will tug at your soul.Thus I urge you to join us in church
to
listen to the choir and further challenge youto actually "hear"
the choir. Perhaps onemight consider joining the choir in order
togive more breadth and depth to one's faith.If you do this, it is
very likely that your ownheart, too, will be blessed by the Sound
ofMusic.Nick Vrettos, Chairman, Stewardship
STEWARDSHIP - The Sound of Music
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PHILOPTOCHOSOur traditional covered dish
meeting for the new bi-annualterm of Philoptochos was
heldMonday, September 9 with 25members attending and with avariety
of delicious foods beingenjoyed by everyone. Onceagain, many, many
thanks to allof you.Also, a big THANK YOU to
our executive board fororganizing the receptionfollowing the
Divine Liturgy andOrdination of Barry Hendricks tothe Diaconate, in
honor of hisEminence, MetropolitanEvangelos. And, of course,many
thanks to all thePhiloptochos members and toall those who provided
thevariety of foods for thatreception.We are pleased to report
that
our Disaster Relief Committeemoved and the membershipunanimously
voted that adonation of $500.00 be sent tothe National Disaster
Reliefearmarked for assistance to thevictims of the Bahamas
toaugment the National'scontribution to this relief
effort.Continuing our philanthropic
endeavors, our AOK PROJECTunder the leadership of DianneSun, is
continuing to grow in thenumber of volunteersparticipating in this
effort.
These wonderful individualshave joined us, volunteeringtheir
services. They are:Caryl MacGregor, Jayne
Mayer, Becky Pietronuto andAnneliese & John Wilson.Welcome
and our thanks to
all of you. We hope thatothers within and without ourCommunity
will find the time tojoin us. Please, do call DianneSun, (H)
868-8411, (C)870-1252 , and offer yourservices. Be assured that
youwill find it a most rewardingexperience.One more
Philoptochos
member whom we need tothank is Trish Demson. Trishhas done a
tremendous jobleading our Community's PORTproject devoting many
hours ofwork in organizing andexecuting it. Trish, weunderstand and
appreciate themany hours of work you haveput and are putting into
thisproject and we sincerely thankyou and are proud of the factthat
your are a member of ourSociety.Our obligations to the
National for October is acontribution to the
NationalPhiloptochos Emergency Fundwhich enables Philoptochos
torespond immediately to nationaland international disasters.The
October meeting of
Philoptochos will be October 7.Mr. Nick Vrettos will address
themembership with a briefstatement on the Community'sStewardship
program.Please, make every effort to
attend. The meeting will start at6:30 p.m. with
refreshmentsprovided by hostesses ChristineMignogna and Vicky
MignognaSmith.
AHEPAAHEPA will be holding their
monthly meeting on Sunday,October 13 at noon in theAHEPA Center.
We lookforward to seeing you there!
DAUGHTERS OFPENELOPEDaughters are looking
forward to hosting the 4 thAnnual Fashion Show onSaturday,
October 5, at 10:00a.m. with Women’s fashions byTalbots and
Children’s fashionsby Perfect Settings. Tickets are$25 each for the
champagnebrunch. Tickets will be on saleeach Sunday after church
andproceeds support scholarshipsand charities . Please join us fora
morning of fun, food,fellowship and fashions!Our next meeting will
be
Thursday , October 24 th @6:30. Our 2 nd Annual Craftshow which
will be Saturday,November 23, starting at10:00am.
HELLENIC WOMAN'SPENELOPE SOCIETYThe Hellenic Woman’s
Penelope Society (HWPS) willmeet on Thursday, October 3,2019 at
6:00 PM at the HellenicCenter. Kathy Vretos will serveas hostess,
and Maria Vidakiswill preside. A short programwill precede the
businessmeeting.Our Fall Bake Sale (Order
Pickup) will take place onFriday, November 22nd at theHellenic
Center from 10:00 AM
to 12:00 noon. Pastrypreparation will take place onTuesday,
November 19th(baklava, koulourakia, finikia),November 20th
(kourabiedesand finikia dipping), November21st (bagging of orders).
All ofour pastries are made locally. Ifinterested, we urge you to
placean advanced order by callingMarika Anthony
at757-596-6909.November 17th will mark the
90th Anniversary of the HellenicWoman’s Penelope Society. Onthat
date in 1929 four dedicatedwomen, Mesdames HelenCritzos, Anna
Kumas, OlgaOrphanidys, and Mary Rentsos,established the first
Hellenicwoman’s organization on theVirginia Peninsula.
Thesecourageous women identified allGreek families who lived on
thePeninsula and who wereunknown to one another. Theneed for
promoting love andsolidarity among the membersof the then
unorganized Helleniccommunity was foremost in theirminds as well as
thepreservation of their Hellenicheritage.On Thursday, December
5th
we will have a joint celebrationof our 90th Anniversary
andChristmas Party at Angelo’sRestaurant on J. Clyde
MorrisBoulevard. Please mark yourcalendars for this
memorableoccasion.We extend our best wishes
and Axios to Deacon Noah whowas ordained to Dioconate onSunday.
October 22nd.Our prayers and thoughts are
with the family of PhoebeCampbell who recently passedaway. May
her memory beeternal.
Church, Club, and Community News
NewMemberWelcomeSunday took place onSeptember 29.We are happy to
welcome all of you to our Church Family!
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The Cross+Roads Page 6
Testimony of Deacon Noah from his OrdinationOn Sunday, September
22,
the Parish of SaintsConstantine and Helen GreekOrthodox Church
witnessed itsfirst ordination as parishionerBarry Hendricks was
elevatedto the Holy Diaconate duringthe Heirarchial Divine
Liturgyofficiated by His EmminenceEvangelos of New Jersey.
Following is the testimony ofDeacon Noah Hendricks readduring
his Ordination to theHoly Diaconate:
Your Eminence,Today I present myself for
ordination to the HolyDiaconate and receive the HolySpirit
through your hands. Thisis something I never thought Iwould say,
but it is where I’vebeen led and now find myself.In fact, Ruth and
I were talkingduring dinner the other night,and she asked, almost
as alast-minute check, why Iwanted to be ordained. Isimply said,
“It is where Ibelong”.Your Eminence, everything I
am is because of God. I havebeen blessed and enrichedbeyond my
ability to describeby so many people. Pleaseallow a few minutes to
thankthose that helped andinfluenced me and then reflecton events
that impacted myjourney.Last September 27th, almost
exactly one year ago, I traveledto Westfield, New Jersey for
anaudience with you, YourEminence, to present you withmy petition
for ordination. In aday and age where things
move quickly and we expectthings to happen when we wantthem to,
your advice to me thatday has stuck with me this pastyear while
waiting for this day,it simply was “be patient”.There were times I
didn’t thinkthis day would come, but itcame when God decided it
wastime. Your Eminence, I’d liketo first offer my sincere thanksto
you for your guidance andexample as our spiritualshepherd in the
Metropolis ofNew Jersey. And for yourpaternal blessings
insupporting not only myapplication to the DiaconateProgram, but my
petition forordination.Next, my spiritual father,
Father George Chioros.Shortly after we joined thiscommunity in
April 2000, hesaw something special in me.If I remember correctly,
thewords he used were somethinglike, “I’ve got big plans for you”.I
don’t think either of usimagined what those planswere when he
paired me upwith Mike Kokorelis to co-chairour stewardship
committee,which eventually led to servingon Parish Council,
thenFestival Committee, thenadded adult assistant with ourAltar
Boys, then organizing andscheduling weekly Epistlereaders, then
teaching SundaySchool, just to name a few.Father George, thank you
foryour service as our spiritualfather and for your patience
inguiding me as my clergymentor leading to this moment.And please
accept, on behalf ofthe entire community, my
sincere appreciation toeveryone here who helped inmaking this
day possible.Thanks to Dr. Jim Skedros,
Archdeacon Vasilios Smith,Deacon Sal Fazio, and the restof the
faculty, staff, andmentors in the DiaconateProgram at Hellenic
CollegeHoly Cross.My God-Parents, Mary (of
blessed memory) and JackAmmons in Morgantown, WestVirginia, who
stood beside meon the day of my Chrismationon September 4th, 1994.
Theirexample of strength, love, andfaith, even when personaltragedy
and loss weighedheavy on their lives, remainsan inspiration.Both
sets of our parents,
Ruth’s and mine, all of blessedmemory. Each, in their ownway,
taught me lessons that Icontinue to reflect on and useevery day.
One of the things Ithought of while standing infront of you earlier
in theservice was what they arethinking as they are watchingtoday –
I’d like to think all ofthem are proud.My brother Jimmie. I
don’t
think any two people could beas different as my brother andme,
and we had our challengesgrowing up, but as we havegrown, we have
developed adeep admiration and respectfor each other, grounded
inbrotherly love.Our children, Whitney,
Hannah (and our son in lawShane), and Hayden. All ofthem have
grown up to beamazing adults, Ruth and Icouldn’t be more proud
of
them. And they havesupported and encouraged methroughout this
journey.My wife Ruth – where do I
start? Like any marriage,we’ve had our ups and downs,our share
of loss, and anabundance of wonderful timestogether with our kids,
family,and friends. Meeting andmarrying her opened the doorto the
Orthodox faith to me.These last few weeks, I’ve
had the opportunity to reflecton the events that have led meto
this day, it became veryclear that it was not onespecific event or
person thatinfluenced or directed me, farfrom it, but it has been
alifetime of encounters withpeople and events thatcollectively got
me to this point.As I thought about one event orperson, it would
remind me ofsomething that happenedbefore that would haveinfluenced
that encounter.There was my experience
growing up at Peachtree RoadUnited Methodist Church inAtlanta
that showed me thechurch was much more than aSunday service. We
wereinvolved in all aspects of parishlife, but it was the
counselingmy mother, brother, and Ireceived from Pastor LarryAdams
when my parents weregoing through their divorce thatstuck with
me.My time in college. I’ve
often told people that I wasborn and raised in Atlanta, butgrew
up at North GeorgiaCollege. The four years I spentin college
changed my life – Itwas there where I first put on
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Page 7
an Army uniform and felt atremendous feeling of pridewearing it,
and it opened a doorfor me for a lifetime of serviceto the country
and now thechurch.Then there was the time in
late August 1987, during myassignment in El Paso, Texas,a fellow
lieutenant and his wife,Scott and AnneMarie Allison,invited me to
come over afterwork one Friday and meet theirneighbor’s sister who
wasvisiting from Alabama. Tenmonths later, Ruth and I wewere
married.It was a priest at the time,
Father Sebastian Skordallos,now Bishop Sevastianos, who,on the
eve of the first Gulf War,wrote me a note letting meknow our church
family inHuntsville, Alabama wasthinking us and praying forpeace.
This same priestbaptized our two daughters,
then, as a bishop traveled toNewport News, where heserved at the
funeral service formy mother in law, and he wasthere to hand me
mycompletion certificate when Ifinished the Diaconate Programat
Hellenic College Holy Cross.certificate.I still remember the
feeling
when we walked into SaintsConstantine and Helen for thefirst
time. I was struck by thesheer beauty and feeling ofspiritually
here, I knew we werein a scared space and that wehad found a home.I
was invited by Nick Vlattas
to attend a men’s bible study.Not only was it an intense
eight-month study of Matthew’sGospel, but it gave a smallglimce of
the depth of Nick’sspirituality and what guides hislife.The dinner
I had with my
stewardship mentor, Bill
Marianes, in March 2011, whowas in town facilitating
astewardship seminar in ourcommunity. After dinner, andduring our
conversation, hestopped and asked me, “Barry,are you willing to
give upeverything and devote your lifeto serving the church”. I
wasscared to answer, but a seedwas planted.There are so many
other
events and people that havehelped and influenced myjourney –
other familymembers, close friends,members of this
community,neighbors, and co-workers allplayed an important
andmeaningful role in getting mehere.Your Eminence, one of the
first things I did once I receivednotification that this day
wasconfirmed was to check theEpistle and Gospel readings fortoday
and once I read them, I
knew why you advised me to“be patient”. Both readingswere
perfect for today,particularly the Gospel lesson inLuke, Chapter 5
where we seethat after Simon Peter and theothers pulled the nets
full of fishinto the boat and were amazedand afraid at what they
justwitnessed. Christ didn’t stopthere and admire the catch,
heessentially told them there ismore work to do, telling them,“Do
not be afraid; henceforthyou will be catching men." Andwhen they
had brought theirboats to land, they lefteverything and followed
him.”Your Eminence, I stand
before you today a humble,unworthy man, seekingordination as a
Deacon inChrist’s Church, and much likethose early disciples, I’m
readyto follow and do some fishing.
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The Cross+Roads Page 8
Charita Stavrou Steward of the Year2019 Nomination Form
On November 24th, during Stewardship Commitment Sunday, we will
recognize afaithful member of our community who most epitomizes the
ideals of Stewardshipby their offering of time and talents towards
the work and ministries of ourChurch. If you know of a member of
our parish who deserves recognitionbecause of his or her selfless
offerings of time and talent, please nominate thatperson by filling
out the information below (if more space is needed, please usethe
back of this form or a separate sheet).
NOMINEE:__________________________________________________________________
Offering of
TIME:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Offering of
TALENT:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What characteristic or trait inspires you the most about this
person?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Nominated
by:_________________________________________________________________
Email or
Phone:__________________________________________________________________
Please return your completed nomination form by the end of the
day, Sunday,October 27th, to the Church Office (attention Nick
Vrettos).
(Continued from Page 1)death. The simple
choice of touching thegarments of Christ
made the woman well.The work of Christ is all
around us, waiting to beviewed and cultivated. Thepages of Holy
Scriptureclearly describe the realityof the light that
shinesthrough darkness. Thislight will become strongerand clearer
when our faithbecomes stronger andclearer when works of loveare in
motion. The longestjourney cannot beginwithout taking the first
step,after the first step is taken,then our journey will beginto
occur.As we find ourselves in
the season of fall, changeswill occur. The trees of ourarea will
begin to shedtheir leaves, temperatureswill drop and the darknessof
the day will commenceearlier. Adjustments thatwill be made for
thechange in seasons is notsomething new. We expectthis and must
make theproper adjustments.At the conclusion of a
typical day, set some timeaside and reflect on thechoices that
you made,ponder the thoughtprocess that went intomaking these
choices. Theresult of these choicesmight take some time to beviewed
as being positive ornegative, it is what it is. Letus put our trust
in Him whoknows us and will embraceus no matter what choiceswe have
made or notmade.
From FatherGeorge
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Page 9
(Continued from Page 3)"Legion"; for many demons had entered
him. And
they begged him not to command them to depart intothe abyss. Now
a large herd of swine was feedingthere on the hillside; and they
begged him to let thementer these. So he gave them leave. Then
thedemons came out of the man and entered the swine,and the herd
rushed down the steep bank into thelake and were drowned. When the
herdsmen sawwhat happened, they fled, and told it in the city and
inthe country. Then people went out to see what hadhappened, and
they came to Jesus, and found theman from whom the demons had gone,
sitting at thefeet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and
theywere afraid. And those who had seen it told them howhe who had
been possessed with demons washealed. Then all the people of the
surroundingcountry of the Gadarenes asked him to depart fromthem;
for they were seized with great fear; so he gotinto the boat and
returned. The man from whom thedemons had gone begged that he might
be with him;but he sent him away, saying, "Return to your home,and
declare how much God has done for you." Andhe went away,
proclaiming throughout the whole cityhow much Jesus had done for
him.HYMNS OF THE DAYResurrectional Apolytikion in the First
ModeWhen the stone had been sealed by the Jews and
the soldiers were guarding Thine immaculate Body,Thou didst
arise on the third day, O Saviour, grantinglife unto the world.
Wherefore, the powers of theHeavens cried out to Thee, O Lifegiver:
Glory to ThyResurrection, O Christ. Glory to Thy Kingdom. Gloryto
Thy dispensation, O only Friend of man.Apolytikion for Great Martyr
Artemius in the
Fourth ModeThy Martyr, O Lord, in his courageous contest for
Thee received the prize of the crowns of incorruptionand life
from Thee, our immortal God. For since hepossessed Thy strength, he
cast down the tyrantsand wholly destroyed the demons'
strengthlesspresumption. O Christ God, by his prayers, save
oursouls, since Thou art merciful.Seasonal Kontakion in the Second
ModeO Protection of Christians that cannot be put to
shame, mediation unto the creator most constant: Odespise not
the voices of those who have sinned; butbe quick, O good one, to
come unto our aid, who infaith cry unto thee: Hasten to
intercession and speedthou to make supplication, O thou who dost
everprotect, O Theotokos, them that honor thee.WISDOM OF
THEFATHERSFor if we, going about on the earth which is familiar
and well known to us, being encompassed with abody, when we are
journeying in a strange road,know not which way to go unless we
have some oneto lead us; how should the soul, being rent away
fromthe body, and having gone out from all heraccustomed region,
know where to walk without one
(Continued on Page 11)
October Sundays
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The Cross+Roads Page 10
Thursday: 4 PM– 9 PM
Friday: and Saturday: 11 AM—10 PM
Please retain this half for your records
Please return this half to the Church Office
Preferred Area You Would Like To Volunteer
Retain for your
records
A
R
E
A
VOLUNTEER FORM
(Family Name)
(Telephone)
SERVICE / QUALITY / CLEANLINESS
Volunteers park behind the Hellenic Center.
Arrive 15 minutes early and report to the information desk to
pickup a nametag and an apron.
Smile and share our rich culture and religion, treat our
customers with respect, be
helpful, courteous. Have fun.
Serve consistent portions to all customers, present food in a
pleasing manner. Servers
wear plastic gloves, wash hands before serving, maintain a good
appearance
Please return completed form to church office as soon as
possible. Thank you for your
willingness to serve.
Family
Members Please fill in name
below and check times to
volunteer to the right
A
R
E
A
Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church 60 Traverse
Road Newport News VA 23606596-6151
A B C D E F G H
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10/16 WedSet Up
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10/18FridayEvening 430 PM 10 PM
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10/19Saturday Evening430 PM10 PM
10/21Monday Clean
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10/16 WedSet Up
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10/18FridayEvening 430 PM to10 PM
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10/19Saturday Evening430 PMto10 PM
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Page 11
1 Tuesday5:00/8:00 pm Greek School
2 Wednesday6:00 pm Paraclesis7:00 pm Adult Education7:15 pm
Choir3 Thursday6:45 pm HWPS5 Saturday11:00 am Baptism6 Sunday3rd
Sunday of LukeNational Church MusicSunday8:45 am Orthros10:00 am
Divine Liturgy7 Monday6:30 pm Philoptochos Meeting8 Tuesday12:00 pm
Senior Citizens’Luncheon with Norfolk5:00 pm/8:00 pm Greek School9
Wednesday6:00 pm Paraclesis7:00 pm Adult Education7:15 pm Choir
11&12 Friday/SaturdayGoya Virginia Beach Lock-in13 Sunday7th
Ecumenical Council8:45 am Orthros10:00 am Divine Liturgy1-Year
Memorial - AlexanderMichalos12:00 Noon AHEPA/DOP15 Tuesday5:00
pm/8:00 pm Greek School16 Wednesday6:00 pm Paraclesis7:00 pm Adult
Education7:15 pm Choir
17 ThursdayFall Festival (4pm-9pm)18 FridaySaint Luke the
Evangelist9:00am Orthros10:00am Divine LiturgyFall Festival (11am –
10pm)19 SaturdayFall Festival (11am – 10pm)20 Sunday6th Sunday of
Luke8:45 am Orthros10:00 am Divine Liturgy40-Day Memorial –
PhoebeCampbell21 Monday6:30 pm Parish Council22 Tuesday5:00 pm/8:00
pm Greek School23 Wednesday6:00 pm Paraclesis7:00 pm Adult
Education7:15 pm Choir25 Friday6:00 pm Great Vespers atSt.
Demetrios, Williamsburg26 SaturdaySt. Demetrios9:00am
Orthros10:00am Divine Liturgy27 Sunday7th Sunday of Luke8:45am
Orthros10:00am Divine LiturgyGeneral Assembly followingDivine
Liturgy29 Tuesday5:00 pm/8:00 pm Greek School30 Wednesday7:15 pm
Choir
October 17, 18, 19Thursday 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Friday & Saturday 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
(Continued from Page 9)to show her the way? - St.
John Chrysostom, Homily 28 onMatthew 8, 4th CenturySAINTS AND
FEASTSCOMMEMORATEDGerasimus of Cephalonia6th Sunday of LukeArtemius
the Great Martyr of
AntiochAndronicus the Righteous
MartyrMatrona the Righteous of
ChiosOCTOBER 27EPISTLE READING2 Corinthians 11:31-33;
12:1-9GOSPEL READINGLuke 8:41-56HYMNS OF THE DAYResurrectional
Apolytikion
in the Second ModeWhen Thou didst descend
unto death, O Life Immortal,then didst Thou slay Hades withthe
lightning of Thy Divinity.And when Thou didst also raisethe dead
out of the nethermostdepths, all the powers in theHeavens cried
out: O Life-giver,Christ our God, glory be toThee.Seasonal
Kontakion in the
Second ModeO Protection of Christians
that cannot be put to shame,mediation unto the creator
mostconstant: O despise not thevoices of those who havesinned; but
be quick, O goodone, to come unto our aid, whoin faith cry unto
thee: Hasten tointercession and speed thou tomake supplication, O
thou whodost ever protect, O Theotokos,them that honor thee.WISDOM
OF THEFATHERSHe puts an end to the
woman's fear ... He sets herright, in respect of her thinkingto
be hid ... He exhibits her faithto all, so as to provoke the
restalso to emulation ... St. JohnChrysostom, Homily 31 onMatthew
9, 4th CenturySAINTS AND FEASTSCOMMEMORATEDProcla, wife of Pontius
Pilate7th Sunday of LukeKyriakos, Patriarch of
ConstantinopleNestor the Martyr of
Thessaloniki
October Sundays
-
Sunday Services8:45 a.m. Matins10:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy
Religious Education(Following Holy Communion, Sep-May)Christian
Fellowship(Following Divine Liturgy in Hellenic Center)
Mission StatementThe mission of Saints Constantine &
HelenGreek Orthodox Church in Newport News,Virginia is to keep,
practice, and proclaimthe Orthodox Christian Faith. The work
andministry of our Parish will includeproclaiming the Gospel,
sanctifying thefaithful through God's grace in worship, theDivine
Liturgy and the Sacraments, andenhancing their spiritual life. We
will fulfill thegreat commission of our Lord and SaviorJesus Christ
by inviting others into theChurch through Baptism and/or
Chrismation,educating them in the Orthodox Faiththrough the
establishment of programs,schools and philanthropic activities,
andimplementing Christian ministries.
Saints Constantine & HelenGreek Orthodox Church60 Traverse
RoadNewport News VA 23606
Return Address Requested
Non-Profit Org.U.S. POSTAGE
PAIDPermit No. 50Newport News
Virginia
Come Worship the Glory of God
www.schgochurch.va.goarch.org
Phone: (757) 596-6151Fax: (757) 596-2967