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One challenge of most church communities isfinding the means in order to support the operatingbudget of the church. There is much education to beaccomplished on the theme of tithing, pledging or join-ing a church through membership. First, the church isan expression of the community of the faithful wholove God, who believe in His crucifixion and resurrec-tion, who want this Gospel to be shared with the worldand who want to participate in the salvation that Jesusoffers through His body, the church, through the HolySacraments.

Second, there is a double meaning to the wordmember. Any Orthodox Christian who is baptized inthe Orthodox Church and is living according to theteachings of Jesus Christ is a member who can receivethe Holy Sacraments. A financial commitmentthrough pledging, tithing, paying a membership orstewardship helps to support financially the ministriesof the church. Some of these ministries are the DivineLiturgy, Youth Programs, Lectures and Bible Studies,ministries to the elderly and to the Young Adults,

teaching through Sunday School and the ParochialSchool, visitations to those in hospitals or nursinghomes, counseling and adult education programsthrough bulletins, newsletters and the website.

Fortunately or unfortunately there are nomagic formulas to creating a cash stream that pay billssuch as remunerations, insurance, utilities and pro-grams that are linked to the work of the church. Theoperating budget of the Cathedral is approximately$600,000 and the A. Fantis Parochial School is$1,000,057. Most of the school budget is raisedthrough tuition. For the operating of the Cathedralthere is a wide disparity between the membership andthe actual cost per family to meet the operating budg-et of the Church. For this reason many members ofthe community work tirelessly with fundraisers suchas the Greek Festival, the Dinner Dance and the jour-nal to help make up this difference. If for any reason,there would be horrible weather for the Festival, howwould the church make up for the losses?

The best way to support a church is for each

faithful member to do his or hers best to lay aside thefirst fruits of their work for God. For this reason theCathedral created the pledge program to give theopportunity for each person to set aside what they canon a weekly, monthly or yearly basis. This allows theperson to give with a glad heart and without the pres-sure of attending one fundraiser after another. Thepurpose of the envelope for the pledge program is toallow a person who might not be able to fulfill theirpledge all at once to set aside certain amounts eachweek that will be earmarked towards their pledge.

The Cathedral of SS. Constantine and Helen“thanks!” all the members and those who have pledgedfor their financial support and above all for theirprayers and participating on the Divine Liturgy. As theCathedral approaches the 100th Anniversary, it is eachfaithful person’s responsibility to be a servant and asteward of God’s grace..

ANTONAROS, PIA & DEMETRIOSBLADES, ALEXANDERBRAVAKIS, ANASTASIACLISSURAS, PATRICIA & ALICECOFFINAS, ELENIDESETA, BEN & STACEYDUKAS, HELENECONOMOS, KATHYEKONOMAKOS, EFROSINIFR. JOHN LARDASGERLING, MICHAELGRILLOS, ANDREW & LENIJAMES PHYLLIS

KANELLAKIS, STAMATI AND STELLALEKAS, PAULMADIAS, JAMES & LIDIAMEARES, DEMETRIOS & KIMBEMELIZOU, PANAYIPAPADAKOS, EVANGELOS & FOTINIPAPADAKOS, GEORGEPAPANTONIOU, APHRODITEPATTERSON, CHARLESPosner, LaraPOULAKAKOS, HARRYPOULOS, ANDREW G.POULOS, PAUL

RAMOUNDOS, AUGOUSTISSKARVELIS, CONSTANTINESPELIOTIS, ISMENESUNDAY SCHOOLTONINO, SOPHIAVACCARI, NICK & TINAVASSILAKOS, CONSTANTINEVATSIKAS, SOPHIAVAYOS, NICHOLASVOLANDES, PETERYATRAKIS, PETER and KATHRYNYIANNAKOS, ANDREW/THALIA

MEMBERSHIP AND PLEDGE PROGRAM

These lists are of October 30, 2009. If there are any mistakes, please accept our apologies and contact the church office in order to rectify any discrepancies.

Alexiou ChristinaAlexiou BillAlgeri RobertAlikakos EffiAntonaros DimitriosApostolakos EvangeliaArgyriou HerculesAthanitis JohnBacas SteveBacas ContantineBellivan AnthonyBlades AlexanderBravakis AnastasiaBravakis AnastasiaBrisimitzakis AngeloCarabases StevenCharalabidou MariaChristakos DemetriosChrysostomou AndreasClissuras PatClissuras AliceDaitsis GregoryDeSeta BenjaminDiamantakis EmmanuelDiamantakis GeorgeDiamantakis JohnDikeakos TeddyDikeakos MariaDukas ConstnatineDukas HelenEconomakis Evelpidis AlisterEconomos HarrietEconomos-Krickellas KathyEkonomakos EfrosiniEkonomakos EleniEkonomakos EfrosiniEugenis FotiusExarhakos AnthoulaFanourakis GeorgeFrangos ConstantinosGaliouras NickGavales ZenoGavales PopiGementzopoulos AnastasiosGlava Ioanna SteinmannGraham, Jr. PattersonGregos MaryGrigorakos Helen

Grillos AndrewGrillos-Yenna DebbieHaliotis GeorgeHaramis GeorgiaHios MaryHios PauletteHobson JessicaHotzoglou NickJuvelis Georgia JoanneKampessis GenevieveKaparos TheofanisKaparos DemetriosKaparos GeorgeKaralekas GeorgeKaravias IoannisKastanis MariaKastanis JohnKastanis JohnKastanis KostantinosKataras SpyridonKatehis ChristosKatopodis TommyKatopodis TommyKatsenis NikolaosKingsley Georgia & Robert S.Kite RichardKokaliaris AnastasiosKokkoros ParaskeviKostopoulos DanayeKoutsidis AngeloKrantz KatherineLage AngieLage MarthaLambrakis, PeterLambros NickLekas PaulLoparnos ElpidaLoukakos PanayotaMafredas DemisMagoulakis EmmanuelManguravdos DimitriMasouridis GeorgeMatiatos JerryMatiatos EvangelosMavrogeorgis PantelisMcCann JohnMichael GerlingMiral Mosley Nadine

Mirones MatthewNevradakis MinosNieves HelenNikitopoulos VasiliosNikolaou SophiaNikolaou IgnatiosNisirios NikolaosPaloumbis HaralambosPantazatos EvangelosPapadakos GeorgePapadakos AngeloPapadopoulos PanagiotisPapaioannou Mary VickyPapaioannou JohnPapantoniou AphroditeParavalos ConstantinosPavleros ChrisPaxos MariaPerperis FlorencePeter DimitriosAthan Nick & SophiaPiskopanis FrankPitsikalis John E.Plevritis MariaPosner LaraPoulakakos HarryPoulon GeorgePoulos Andrew G.Poulos SpiroPoulos Andrew W.Poulos PaulPoulos Andrew S.Poulos WilliamPrimis TheodoreRamoundos AugoustisRogakos PeterRozakis VasilikiRozakis StellaSantoro GaryfaliaScourby AngelaSeremetis EliasSheha GustasSheha MariaSheha OlympiaSirigos Presbytera CatherineSiskopoulos KalypsoSkarvelis KonstantinosSklitsis Demetra

Skouras JohnSocrates CharlesSofronis ChrisSotiropoulos MichaelSoulakis NicholasSouliotis AlexSoumakis StavrosSoures AlexanderSpintzos ApostolisStathakis KathyStefas EleftheriosStetz Jessica AdelineStratigakis PeterTampakis PitsaTavoulareas LouisThanopoulos BillyTomaras PeterTonino SophiaTsamasiros ThomasTshulos LydiaTsirigotis VasiliosTsoukalas EvdokiaVaccari Nick & TinaVames ConstaneVandoros HaralambosVarelis NikolaosVarvitsiotes OrestesVassilakos CatherineVassilakos ConstantineVayos ThomasVayos NicholasVidalis EvangelosVlachos JohnVlahavas StellaVlahavas ConstantineVlitas RenaVolandes StelleneWinterbottom LisaWright JoanXanthos BettyXerakias GeorgeYiannakos Andrew E. K.Yiannakos EugeniaZaharakos AntoinetteZanetos ChristinaZiakos MeropiZoulis SophiaZoupanos Demetrios

PLEDGES 2009

MEMBERSHIP 2009

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Unfortunately, when most of us hear or read the word“Stewardship,” we instinctively think of it spelled as “$tewardship,”a code word for giving money to church. It may be politely askedfor. It may be clothed in pious language. It may be linked to givingof time and talents. But, in the end, stewardship still means, for mostof us: “I must give some of my money so that we can operate thechurch.”

However, we may have not yet learned to spell this key word as“S+ewardship.” The Bible from beginning to end identifies whatwe now call stewardship as a way of life centered on God. And forChristians, this means discipleship centered on Jesus Christ asCrucified and Risen Lord. The cross thus dramatically signifiesboth our identity as disciples of Christ and our calling to a life ofsacrificial giving directed toward God, others, and all creation.

Many people know how to raise money. There are professionalexperts who work full time. There are more opinions and ideas thanparishes know what to do with. And, in fact, raising funds hasbecome a favorite American pastime for public and private schools,political parties, charitable organizations, and legions of athletic andrecreational activities. Who needs another fund-raising campaignwhen we are already inundated with them!

But while there are legions of experts, opinions, and efforts, howmany of us are genuinely committed to Christ and the Church andhave learned a sound teaching about stewardship based upon HolyScripture?

In the Old Testament, our Hebrew ancestors based their very exis-tence upon what God had first done for them: through the promisesgiven to the patriarch Abraham, the sacred covenant at Sinai giventhrough Moses, and messianic kingship through David. Since Godwas their Creator, Savior, and King, ancient Israel worshiped himregularly and on special feast days. They considered the very landupon which they lived as a precious gift from God, and not the resultof their own hard work or of their pious virtue. This meant that allproducts of their livelihood ultimately belonged to God. The bibli-cal tithe (10%) meant that the first and best portion of these materi-al assets were to be returned to God for support of the sanctuary ortemple, the ordained ministers, and various human needs (includingcharity). The rest (90%) was not to be used as each person decided,but rather according to the will of God through each person’s fami-ly, home, and vocation. Further, as emphasized by the prophets likeAmos and Isaiah, the people of God were to seek justice and right-eousness in all their relationships –through business, commerce,legal courts, government, and society. In particular, ancient Israelwas to protect, support, and advocate for the poor, oppressed, andweakest members of society.

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ affirmed this Old Testamentstewardship as a way of life based upon God’s gracious salvationand his natural gifts through creation. He clearly approved of wor-ship, of tithing, of seeking justice and righteousness in all human

relationships, and of service especially to the poor, oppressed, andneedy. However, Jesus went way beyond these in offering himself asthe perfect steward of God’s gracious gifts by his voluntary suffer-ing and death on a cross. In this event, he exemplified that true sac-rifice for the sake of others has absolutely no limits. The one whotruly loves God and passionately seeks the truth is called to die toself, take up the cross of unjust suffering, and be prepared to live andeven die for others, especially those who are hardened in sin andblinded by ingratitude.

In the Church, everyone is called to be a disciple of Christ. Thisinvolves conversion – and inward turning of mind and heart towardChrist – and a conscious and deliberate commitment to follow theLord, no matter what the cost. And true Christian stewardshipsprings very naturally from such faith and obedience, since it rec-ognizes God as the origin of life, the giver of salvation, and thesource of all blessings, visible and invisible.The deeper the conversion and commitment to Christ, the deeper

the thanksgiving for these spiritual and material gifts that we havereceived, and the greater the readiness to use them to show our lovefor God and those around us.

Jesus Christ sets the true standard of Christian stewardship bywhich we can measure ourselves. Our stewardship of the good newsof salvation should be shown in the following ways:

• Creation - joyful apprecia-tion for the wonder and beauty ofnature; protection and preservation of the environment; bringing thegifts of creation to the Church for blessing (altar bread, wine, fruits,oil, incense, etc.); development of the material world through holywork (physical labor, professions, arts and sciences); respect for andprotection of the sanctity of human life from conception to death.

• Vocation - fulfillment of our God-given calling in life as marriedor single people, adult or child, working or retired, clergy or laity, toextend the love and truth of God in Christ to those around us.

• Church - becoming active participants in working out our salvationas members of the Orthodox Church through the Christian nurtureof children, regular worship and fellowship; spiritual formationthrough on-going education; service to one another and to the poor,sick, and needy; cooperating to make our parish a vibrant source offaith and work; and supporting Metropolitan, Archdiocesan, andinternational ministries that link us to the worldwide Church.

In a culture that frequently encourages us to focus on ourselves,Jesus Christ challenges us to re orient our priorities according to theKingdom of God breaking into this world. The antidote to greed andselfishness, even when it is masked by religious piety, is genuinerepentance and conversion toward Christian steward-ship as a newway of living. And what joy there is now for those who turn towardGod, learning and living as stewards of the manifold grace that hasbeen offered to us through Christ in the Church!

Fr. Harry Pappas serves as Pastor of Archangels GreekOrthodox Church in Stamford, CT.

$tewardship or S+ewardship?ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP

by Father Harry Pappas

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Bible StudyJudgement Of Others, 7:1,5

"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For withwhat judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged;and with what measure ye mete, it shall bemeasured to you again. And why beholdestthou the mote that is in thy brother's eye,but considerest not the beam that is inthine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thybrother, 'Let me pull out the mote out ofthine eye,' and behold, a beam is in thineown eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out thebeam out of thine own eye, and then shaltthou see clearly to cast out the mote out ofthy brother's eye."

The devout Christian is aware of the finaljudgment which will take place at the sec-ond coming of the Lord. This judgment willconsider the activities of the Christian,especially in relation to his neighbor. "Judgenot", is both a warning for the Christian notto exercise judgment against his neighborand also an indication that by not judgingothers he may not be severely judged byGod. The Christian is urged not to compro-mise evil doings with the moral principles ofthe Gospel; he as a Christian is appointed aguardian of the Christian moral code tofunction in the everyday life of his society.

The Christian has no right to condemn hisneighbor; on the contrary, he should showkindness and sympathy. But he does havethe right to judge the wrong activity in itself.He does not have the right to judge thethief, but has the right to pronounce stealing

a crime against society and a sin towardGod's Will. By judging the wrong activity assuch, the Christian includes himself,because he is responsible for the poor edu-cation of the people which afflicts the mem-bers of society at large. The Christian isadvised to "cast out the beam from thineown eye", which means to provide means forgreater educationand sound guid-ance for all peo-ples, young andold, so that allpeople respectthe law and followthe sphere of theGospel of JesusChrist.

THE RIGHT WAYOF PRESENTINGTHE GOSPEL,7:6

"Give not thatwhich is holyunto the dogs,neither cast ye your pearls before swine,lest they trample them under their feet, andturn again and rend you."

The christian is an ambassador of the Will ofGod and the Gospel; his mission is to pres-ent the Message of Christ wherever he isand with whatever he has at his disposal.His example, his manner, his words andsympathy, according to his position andresponsibilities, are to be used for theexpansion of the kingdom of God. TheChristian should be careful of how to

approach people who are disrespectful andimpure; he is advised to use his friendshipand acquaintance in order to encouragethese people to follow the Christian way oflife and then to show them the holiness ofGod and the pearls of His Gospel.

THE ANSWER OF A TRUE PRAYER, 7:7-11

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek,and ye shall find; knock, and it shallbe opened unto you. For every onethat asketh receiveth; and he thatseeketh, findeth; and to him thatknocketh it shall be opened. Or whatman is there of you, whom if his sonask bread, will he give him a stone?Or if he ask a fish, will he give him aserpent? "If ye then, being evil, knowhow to give good gifts unto your chil-dren, how much more shall yourFather which is in heaven give goodthings to them that ask him"'

Ask, seek, knock. These wordsemphasize the persistence that afaithful Christian should use to

invoke God's mercy and enlightenment. Godknows what the faithful man needs, but thepersistence of the faithful one to invokeGod's mercy is for his own benefit, makinghim vigilant and bringing him nearer to Godby keeping the channel of communion openand clear. The Christian is urged to watchand pray ceaselessly with the immutableconfidence and conviction that GodAlmighty, his Father, will answer those peti-tions which are for his benefit, not only forthis life but also for the eternal life.

John was born in Antioch in the year354. His father, Secundus, was an imperialcommander and his mother's name was

A n t h u s a .S t u d y i n gGreek philos-ophy, Johnbecame dis-gusted withH e l l e n i cpaganism andadopted theC h r i s t i a nFaith as theone and all-e m b r a c i n gt r u t h .M e l e t i u s ,Patriarch ofAntioch, bap-tized John,and his par-ents also sub-

sequently received baptism. Following hisparents' repose, John was tonsured a monk

and lived a strict life of asceticism. He thenwrote a book, On the Priesthood, afterwhich the Holy Apostles John and Peterappeared to him, and prophesied that hewould have a life of great service, greatgrace and great suffering. When he was tobe ordained a priest, an angel of Godappeared simultaneously to John and toPatriarch Flavian (Meletius's successor).While the patriarch was ordaining John, ashining white dove was seen hovering overJohn's head. Glorified for his wisdom, ascet-icism and power of words, John was chosenas Patriarch of Constantinople at the behestof Emperor Arcadius. As patriarch, he gov-erned the Church for six years withunequalled zeal and wisdom. He sent mis-sionaries to the pagan Celts and Scythiansand eradicated simony in the Church,deposing many bishops guilty of this vice.He extended the charitable works of theChurch and wrote a special order of theDivine Liturgy. He shamed the heretics,denounced Empress Eudoxia, interpretedHoly Scripture with his golden mind and

tongue, and bequeathed the Church manyprecious books of his homilies. The peopleglorified him, the envious loathed him, andthe Empress, on two occasions, sent himinto exile. John spent three years in exile,and reposed as an exile on the Feast of theElevation of the Precious and Life-givingCross, September 14, 407, in the town ofComana in Georgia. Before his repose, theHoly Apostles John and Peter appeared tohim again, as did the Holy Martyr Basiliscus(May 22) in whose church he receivedCommunion for the last time. His last wordswere, ``Glory be to God for all things,'' andwith that, the soul of the golden-mouthedpatriarch was taken into Paradise.Chrysostom's head reposes in the Churchof the Dormition in Moscow, and his bodyreposes in the Vatican in Rome. In 2005,the relics of St. John Chyrsostom werereturned to their rightful resting place at theEcumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople.

Nov. 13 - Saint John Chrysostom, Patriarch of Constantinople

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Lookingfor coins?

Once when Jesus neededsome money, He gave Peterspecial instructions for how tofind it. Read this wonderfulaccount and remember thatwe can always trust God toprovide what we need.

"After Jesus and his disciplesarrived in Capernaum, the col-lectors of the two-drachma taxcame to Peter and asked,'Doesn't your teacher pay thetemple tax?' 'Yes, he does,' hereplied. When Peter came intothe house, Jesus was the firstto speak. 'What do you think,Simon?' he asked. 'Fromwhom do the kings of theearth collect duty and taxes—from their own sons or fromothers?' 'From others,' Peteranswered. 'Then the sons areexempt,' Jesus said to him.'But so that we may not offendthem, go to the lake and throwout your line. Take the firstfish you catch; open its mouthand you will find a four-drach-ma coin. Take it and give it tothem for my tax and yours.'"Matthew 17:24-27. (Menu)

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