2016.01_boxandspoon.pdf

Monthly Newsletter for

Stewards of

Holy Anargyroi

Sts. Kosmas & Damianos

Greek Orthodox Church Box & Spoon

2015 Standing

Committees PARISH COUNCIL

Aaron Biedermann-President

Halina Woroncow-Vice Pres.

Tim Kelly Angie Rustad

Don Jenkins

Erline Holman Robert Lytle

Jacob Petersen– Treasurer

Ben Johnson

STEWARDSHIP /

OUTREACH

John Maragos – Chair Halina Woroncow

Ari Kolas

Andy Franqueira

ICONOGRAPHY

Fr. Mark Muñoz

BUILDING

Tim Kelly- Chair

Ari Kolas

BUDGET

Jacob Petersen

Fr. Mark Muñoz

AUDIT Amy Franqueira

John Maragos Salah Sedarous

PHILOXENIA HOUSE

Brad Holman– Chair

ST. PHILOTHEI

Trevor Hamlen– Chair

GREEK FESTIVAL

Erline Holman

Johnny Mangouras

Denise Mangouras

I S S U E

D E C ‘ 1 5 J A N ‘ 1 6

54

“Have you prepared your manger?” Have you ever wondered, why did

Christ choose to be born in a cave and

be placed, after His incarnation, in a

manger? Why wasn't He born in a

house, even if it was poor and humble?

God as man in the person of Christ

came and lived on earth humbly and

undetected. But what need did His

particular mode of birth serve? For, if

He was born in a house, He would still

be undetected and still humble.

There was no place worse than a cave

and a manger, for the newborn Messiah

to see the light of day, or the shimmer

of the stars. For any common man it

would be a shame to be born in a

stable, let alone God Himself.

Yet this is exactly what the Lord wanted

to emphasize from the beginning: that

although He was God, He humbled

Himself and took on a human

hypostasis, and this divine humbling is

much greater than simply a man being

born inside a cold stable.

He chose to be born in a cave and not

a normal stable, to show that God does

not dwell in temples made with hands,

but in the hearts of those who recognize

their unworthiness to receive Him and

live humbly, without boasting and self-

promotion.

He chose to be placed in a manger of

irrational animals, to show us that He

came to dwell in this irrational world, a

world that was dominated (and

unfortunately still dominated) by sin and

unbelief, which is foolishness in God's

eyes.

Amid the hubbub of the census,

accommodation for the newborn Christ

could not be found, except in the

embrace of the straw manger of

irrational animals.

And in the maelstrom of sin and

hypocrisy He was not accepted by His

chosen people, except for the few

humbled and crushed hearts of simple

fishermen, tax collectors and prostitutes,

who had the straw of humility and

embraced Him as Master and Savior.

He chose for all these things to take

place in this way, so that with the visit

from the Magi it would not be obvious

who the King was.

These distant visitors bypassed the person of Herod and every earthly glory and dignity and, these wise

men according to the world, came to offer their gifts to Him Who deserves all glory and honor and worship,

the obscure infant, the pre-eternal God.

In the modern hubbub, in the dizziness of the preparation of various dishes and sweets, in the irrationality

of worldly events, He will again remain outside of human activities.

He will look again for some dark cave of self-knowledge, which has a manger of humility with a little straw

of genuine love, and there He will rest in the hearts of certain people who will live once again this year in

the great Mystery of the Divine Incarnation, and they will secretly chant, along with the Angels, the "Glory to

God in the Highest...".

For two thousand years He is doing exactly the same thing, every day and every hour:

He is looking for a Manger!

When He locates it, He will remain there, and He is saddened when He sees that He is absent.

For several years, this is my anxiety, that is, if I have the required humility for a manger in the cave of my

heart, and if I have adorned it enough with the straw of true humility.

Really, have you prepared your Manger?

● by Fr. Cherubim Veletza, translated by John Sanidopoulos

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Feast of the Nativity Liturgical Schedule

Thursday, December 24th: Nativity Royal Hours with

theVesperal Liturgy of St. Basil– 8:00am

Thursday, December 24th: Nativity of Our Lord, God, &

Savior Jesus Christ–Orthros-9pm/Divine Liturgy– 10pm

Friday, December 25th: No Services!

“Today the Virgin gives birth to Him who is above all being, And the earth offers the Cave to Him

whom no one can approach; Angels with Shepherds give glory, And Ma-gi journey with a star; For us there has been born A little Child: God

before the ages.”

Merry Christmas! ά ύ

Рождеством Христовым!

جمل التهاني بمناسبة الميالد

Craciun Fericit!

Hristos de rodi! Feliz Navidad!

God Jul! Joyeux Noel!

“...They heard a host of Heavenly Powers praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men" (Luke 2:8-14)

“Today, the Virgin bears Him who is transcendent, and the earth presents the cave to Him who is beyond reach.” The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ

Calendar for December 2015 / January 2016 Wednesday Dec. 16th Parish Council Meeting 6:30pm

Thursday Dec. 17th St. Philothei Project 6pm

Friday Dec. 18th St. Sebastian the Martyr 8:30am

Orthros/Divine Liturgy

Saturday Dec. 19th Youth Christmas Pageant Rehearsal 12:30pm

Saturday Dec. 19th Christmas Caroling & Pizza Party 2pm

Thursday Dec. 24th Royal Hours and Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil 8am**

Thursday Dec. 24th FEAST OF THE NATIVITY 9pm**


Friday Dec. 25th NO SERVICES

Friday Jan. 1st St. Basil the Great 8:30am


Sunday Jan. 3rd Parish Wide Vasilopita Celebration after Divine Liturgy

Tuesday Jan. 5th Royal Hours/Vesperal Liturgy/Blessing of the

Waters

8:30am

**Strict Fast day**

Wednesday Jan. 6th HOLY THEOPHANY 8:30am

Orthros/Divine Liturgy/Great Blessing of the Waters

(Fast Free)

Thursday Jan. 7th JOY Faith Night 6pm

Wednesday Jan. 13th St. Nina Enlightener of Georgia and Equal to the

Apostles

8:30am


Wednesday Jan. 13th GOYA Faith Night 7pm

Monday Jan. 18th VIGIL for St. Mark of Ephesus,

Defender of Orthodoxy

6pm

Great Vespers, Orthros, Divine Liturgy celebrated

consecutively

Wednesday Jan. 20th Parish Council Meeting 6:30pm

Thursday Jan. 21st St. Philothei Project 6pm

Sunday Jan. 24th GOYA EVENT TBA


Parish Council Our Parish has much to be thankful for as we begin the New Year. We are making great progress on our building ad-

ditions. Our youth programs are thriving with activities despite temporary space constraints. Our parish was well rep-

resented at the Clergy Congress in November, both in attendance but also through numerous mentions of leading by

example.

We welcome two new members to the Parish Council for 2016. Although new to the council, both are already in-

volved and exemplify self-less dedication to our various ministries. Amy Franqueira comes to us with professional

experience in the banking industry and is already devoted to other activities of the church including the choir, Audit

Committee, Festival Committee and the Oratorical Festival with our youth. John Maragos also joins the Parish Coun-

cil this year sharing his business acumen in addition to his several other roles including the Stewardship Committee

Chair, the choir, and editor of this newsletter. The Parish Council starting the New Year consists of the following

members (2015 Executive Board noted):

Aaron Biedermann(President)

Halina Woroncow(Vice President)

Jacob Petersen(Treasurer)

Bob Lytle(Secretary)

Erline Holman

Angie Rustad

Ben Johnson

John Maragos

Amy Franqueira

Fr. Mark Munoz (Spiritual Advisor)

The Parish Council would like to collectively thank Tim Kelly for his years as service on the Parish Council including

several years as President. Tim concluded his final term in 2015 but will continue his critical role as Building Com-

mittee chair. His ongoing leadership in this role will be essential as we finalize construction on the additions to the

church in 2016.

We have been blessed with an unseasonably warm fall that has provid-

ed a productive few months of construction for our church additions.

The “Andrew & Anna Chafoulias Memorial Fellowship Hall and Edu-

cation Center” is taking shape as we witness the beginning of form

meeting function. The six classrooms will provide ample space for our

youth programs. The abundant storage area will allow us to clean up

and better organize our existing facilities including parish office, hall-

ways, and library. A walk through the fellowship hall brings an appre-

ciation for the expansive space that will meet the needs of our parish

gatherings for decades to come. The addition of these structures to the

east and west provides a complimentary balance to the church as the

focal point to our growing campus. We look forward to opening the

doors to these spaces sometime in March of 2016.

The Parish Council would like to thank everyone for your past, present and future contributions that you make to our

parish. We ask for your continued communication and collaboration with the Parish Council as we support you as a

Parish.

Oh behalf of the Parish Council,

Aaron Biedermann

Parish Council President


Youth Team

Today the Virgin comes to the cave, to give birth to the pre-eternal Word….

Our youth joyfully await the Nativity of our Lord in prayer, fellowship, and service.

JOY Faith Night was on December 3rd and we learned about The Root of Jesse or the Tree of Jesse.

It is an iconographic depiction of the Ancestors of Christ that shows in a tree which rises from Jesse of Bethlehem, the

father of King David. It originates in a passage in the Biblical Book of Isaiah which describes metaphorically the

descent of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The passage in Isaiah, 11:1 is :

"There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots."

The children got to create their own icon of the Root of Jesse by first placing in the center the Mother of God, and

adding a prophet while reading the Old Testament verses.

The tradition of this icon to be used especially at Christmas time while verses are weaved into the hymns of the

Orthodox Church and chanted during the Christmas services. The richness and depth of the season is remarkable!


Youth Team: continued GOYA met for Faith Night to review the Magi’s journey in search of the newborn king, considering the meaning and

relevance of their gifts. We contrasted their reverence and dedication to finding the Messiah with Herod’s jealousy and

anger at the news of a competitor for his power. Which king will each of us be in our lives: one who recognizes and

embraces Christ or one who keeps Him at arm’s length?

JOY and GOYA combined forces in service to assemble over 100 emergency hygiene kits for the IOCC to distribute

to suffering and needy people worldwide.

Many thanks to our parishioners for their generous donations to this cause.


Youth Team: continued

As we have the last several years, GOYA collected winter coats

and nonperishable food items for people in need and delivered

them to an urban soup kitchen where we also served a hot, early

Thanksgiving meal to nearly 200 guests. What a blessing and

privilege it was for us to offer ourselves as the hands of Christ.

Next week, our youth, families, and friends will

continue our tradition of Christmas caroling through

the halls of St. Mary’s Hospital to brighten those too

ill to be home his Christmas season. Through smiles

and tears, we shall join in song to declare that joy has

come to the world! The following day, the children

will present their annual Nativity program to the

parish. Cameras will be flashing!

With the amazing progress on our new adjacent buildings, our catechetical program has now been pared down to just

one available classroom within the church, accommodating Grades 6-12. The GOYAns got a sneak peak of the new

construction after Faith Night.

As we finish out 2015 and await our new space in the Spring, our younger children will continue to enjoy monthly

JOY Faith Nights, Father Mark’s sermons, and, most importantly, the consistent instruction of the Church. Come to

Liturgy and bring it home with you. Pick up the weekly Children's Bulletin to review as a family - it's right by the

candle box in the narthex. Read the Bible together. Look for online resources you might use at home. But, most

importantly, come to Church. It is here that we are nurtured in the Faith.

We rejoice in the knowledge that ‘God Is With Us’, and wish all a blessed Feast of the Nativity and a warm, healthy,

happy New Year!

Youth Team Coordinators,

Loredana Jerghiuta, Halina Woroncow and Mike Brekke


Philoptochos Society

Dear Parish family,

November 19, 2015 The Philoptochos donated the monies necessary to help with the St. Philothea Project. Several of

our members, along with members of Zumbro Lutheran Church were able to help out and make the meals that are sent

to the Women’s Shelter. This is a beautiful ministry of our Church and it was a blessing to be a part of. Zumbro

Lutheran Church has been very helpful to us during this time without a kitchen.

The month of December the Philoptochos members have been taking orders

and baking for our annual Christmas Bake Sale. Thank you to all members

and friends of Holy Anargyroi for supporting our Philoptochos so that we may

continue to support local and national charities.

In early January we will be passing our annual “Vasilopita” tray. All proceeds

will go to Saint Basil’s Academy. A home for displaced children.

January 14th the Philoptochos and the Goya (12 & older) will go to the Ronald McDonald house and do an activity

with the children. Our plan is to paint with the children and have some fun! It will give these children some time to

relax, play and hang out with other kids. This will be a great opportunity for both Goya and Philoptochos alike to

reach out to the sick and perhaps make them smile.

In Christ,

Kris Brekke

Philoptochos President


Philoxenia House

Dear Parish family,

If you have been reading the Box and Spoon over the last couple of months, you will have noticed the absence of a

Philoxenia House report. This does not mean that the houses have not been busy; in fact we have been shattering

occupancy records this year. So far through November we have had 69 guests and we have had to turn away 18 people

because we have lacked room for them. The reason for the lack of articles is because there has not been a lot of news

to share outside the normal routine, but I do have a couple of items that I would like to share with you this month.

First, in November Father Mark and Johnny Mangouras attended the Clergy-Laity and Philoptochos Conference in

Madison, Wisconsin where they presented information on the Philoxenia House Ministry. Johnny reported back that

the response to their presentation was very positive both in interest and financially. Thank you Father Mark and

Johnny.

Next, I would like to report a new, potentially large financial supporter of the ministry. The Kulis Foundation, located

in Chicago, has contacted us and informed us of their interest in supporting our ministry. We have just begun to

develop a relationship with this organization, so we will have to wait and see how things work out, but there are

indications that this could possibly develop into something extremely beneficial to the Philoxenia House Ministry.

Lastly, I am announcing my resignation as President of the Philoxenia House Ministry. I have held the position over

the past 3 years, and with retirement getting closer, it is time for me to step down. It has been a great pleasure and

honor to be able to serve in this wonderful ministry. I have met many wonderful people over the years and made many

new friends.

Before I close I would like to give a special thanks to Yiannis Kaloumenos and Anna Ryabova. I have to admit that

they are what make this ministry go.

When Yiannis was in Greece this summer, Johnny Mangouras filled in for him as administrator. Johnny came up to

me one day and said, “Man, the telephone for the Philoxenia House just doesn’t quit ringing. It’s just crazy.” I know

that Johnny was glad to have Yiannis return!

Anna does the cleaning of the houses which also includes doing

the laundry, so if you take into consideration the fact that we

have had 69 guests this year, that adds up to a lot of work and

time. I have always known that Yiannis and Anna spent a

tremendous amount of time working for the ministry, so I

wanted to give them special thanks and recognition.

Please pick up and enjoy this year’s edition of the Philoxenia

House newsletter that in now located in the narthex.

Thank you again for allowing me to serve Christ by serving

those in need through this ministry.

In Christ,

Bradley Holman


Andrew & Anna Chafoulias Memorial Fellowship Hall & Education Center

Building Progress Update


Stewardship 2016

Thank you, everyone, for a wonderful 2015 Stewardship year, and especially to the many people who

are currently using our online Church Management system! Even if you choose not to give

electronically, we still ask you to log-in and keep your profile up-to-date so that we have the latest

information for our church and tax records.

If you haven’t already signed up, it’s very easy to get things going. Please follow the tutorial on the

following pages, and if you have any questions, please email: stewardship-

[email protected]

We look forward to another great year as we’ve been given so much, and God willing, we will see the

opening of our new classrooms and fellowship hall.

2016 STEWARDSHIP THEME: "“FOR EVERYONE TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN, FROM HIM

MUCH WILL BE REQUIRED"

LUKE 12:48

2016 STEWARDSHIP FINANCIAL GOAL: TO BECOME INDEPENDENT OF FESTIVAL INCOME

If you haven’t already, it’ about….

$1.50/per day more from your 2014 daily giving amount.

$45/mo. more from your 2014 monthly giving amount.

$500/yr. more from your 2014 pledge.

$40k/yr. more from our current 2014 Stewardship level.

That’s just $10 per week!

mailto:[email protected]?subject=Question:%20my%20online%20stewardship%20account

mailto:[email protected]?subject=Question:%20my%20online%20stewardship%20account


Stewardship: Online Sign-up Tutorial

Step 1: Navigate to our website: www.rochesterorthodoxchurch.org,

then click GIVE ONLINE.

Step 2: click SIGN IN

http://www.rochesterorthodoxchurch.org



Step 3: click CLICK HERE next to ‘Need a Login?’

Step 4: Below is the Account Sign-Up page. Please fill in your email

address and name as we have it on file. Click FIND ME.

If there isn’t a match in our database, please contact us at stewardship-

[email protected] with your preferred email

address and name. We’ll email you back once our records are updated.

After this, navigate back to the Account Sign-Up page below, and type

in the email address and name you sent us, then click FIND ME.

mailto:[email protected]?subject=Stewardship%20Email%20&%20Name%20update%20for%20login%20purposes

mailto:[email protected]?subject=Stewardship%20Email%20&%20Name%20update%20for%20login%20purposes



Step 5: Once your record is found, a confirmation pop-up message

will appear. click CLOSE.

Step 6: Check your email account for the verification email.



Step 7: Click the link in the verification email to verify your account.

Step 8: Once verified, navigate back to our website, to GIVE

ONLINE, and click SIGN IN once again. This is the same thing we

did in Steps 1 and 2 of this tutorial.



Step 9: Welcome to the main page of your new online account!

From here you can:

● Update your church profile (click MY COMPLETE PROFILE).

● Create a pledge for the year (click PLEDGE NOW).

● Give a one-time or recurring donation (click GIVE NOW).

● View your giving history (click MY GIVING HISTORY).

● Manage your scheduled giving (click MANAGE SCHEDULED

GIVING)

● Manage your pledge history (click MY PLEDGE HISTORY).

For the purposes of this tutorial, click GIVE NOW to setup a new

giving donation!



Step 10: We encourage you to setup a recurring donation each year

according to your pledge. On this page, you decide how much to give

and whether it’s a one-time or recurring donation. You determine all

the details for your giving plan! If you’d like your recurring donations

to continue beyond one year, just navigate to that future end date.

Once finished, click CONTINUE.



Step 11: Here you designate which funds your money will go to.

For example, if you decided to give $100 every month, you now

designate how much of that $100 will go toward your Stewardship

Pledge, or our Building & Iconography Funds, or our Philoxenia

House ministry.

Once finished, click CONTINUE.



Step 12: This is where you designate the payment method you’d like

to use for your giving plan.

We incur a 3% transaction fee for credit cards; therefore, we prefer

checking or debit account transfers. That being said, we’re thrilled to

accept donations regardless of the payment method you choose!

Once finished filling in your details, click CONTINUE!

You may change your giving amount or frequency anytime by clicking

on MANAGE MY SCHEDULED GIVING from the home page!

Stewardship of your time, talent, and treasure is a way of life. We

THANK YOU for giving your financial treasure for the glory of God

and for the building up of His church.

2016.01_boxandspoon.pdf

Documents

manger of humility

irrational world

straw of humility

person of christ

newborn christ

preeternal god

common man

dark cave of selfknowledge