Fr. George’s Pastoral Message for Friday, August 28, 2020

2020 National Philoptochos Biennial Convention

Thanks to our Philoptochos Chapter Delegates to the 2020 National Philoptochos Biennial

Convention last weekend. They met via Zoom videoconference for much of Friday and

Saturday with more than 500 of their sister delegates... We commend Helen Psihountas,

Cynthia Cromartie, Presbytera Marinda Tsahakis, and Julie Torres (observer).

2

3

Did You Spot It?

This past Monday I joined golfers playing in St.

Christopher Outreach Ministry’s golf fundraiser and

spotted a young deer at the beautiful Flat Creek Country

Club in Peachtree City, Georgia. Its gaze welcomed our 64

golfers stepping past its natural home during the South Atlanta Golf Classic.

4

The event’s net proceeds support two scholarships each

at the Joseph Sams School and the Bedford School, with

the remainder helping fund St. Christopher Church’s first

building phase. Whether you spotted the deer or not, I

offer my deepest thanks to the golfers, together with the

sponsors and volunteers helping our event planners, Maria

Cahill, Tom Farmakis, Stephen Sarantis, and Steve

Theodorakis. Congratulations!

5

[Informal photos are from Fr. George. Jackie Sarantis’ official photos will be on Golf Facebook.]

Community Highlight of Our Parishioner

6

Fayetteville Woman Magazine highlights the creative teaching efforts of our

parishioner, Holly Longino as she incorporates hands-on learning experience for

her students at Freebird Farm. In its August 10th issue, the magazine features

Holly's creative hybrid homeschool approach as experienced by her former student

in her article, "A Fresh Look at Homeschooling - Finding the Best Fit for Your

Family".

Fr. George shares this informative article to reinforce our current adult religious

education's emphasis on preserving and sharing God's creation. "By incorporating

farm chores and time with the animals into the school day, Freebird Farm has

become a great hands-on learning experience for all of Holly’s students. The kids

look forward to hearing the weekly 'Farm News' and seeing all of the animals on

the days they go to school."[Read Article]

An Important Letter from His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios

7

August 26, 2020 To the Clergy of the Metropolis of Atlanta, our 2020 Archangel Michael Honorees, the Parish Council Presidents, Philoptochos Presidents, our beloved Youth: My beloved children in the Lord, I greet you with love and joy in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! As we prepare for the coming Ecclesiastical New Year, I pray that we continue to receive His mercy, as well as his blessings of health, peace and safety. Approaching a new year, my thoughts turn to our annual Archangel Michael Feast and Honors Weekend in November, when we gather together, personally greeting those individuals who uplift our parishes and our Metropolis. Truly, our honorees are worthy of celebration, and are in fact the highlight of this weekend when our Metropolis family comes together. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution, the Metropolis has postponed this year's gathering in the hope of having a special convocation here in Atlanta after the New Year. Though I understand how disappointing this news may be, our Metropolis acts only out of loving concern for the health and safety of all our parishioners. God willing, we will be able to resume our traditional Festal celebration, with a new set of Honorees in November of 2021. Thanking you for your understanding, and uplifting our collective prayers for peace in this world. I remain, Paternally yours with love and blessings in the Lord,

+ A L E X I O S Metropolitan of Atlanta

8

9

Webinar (9/1/20) in Honor of the Protection of the Environment Featuring Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis & Dr. Lee Ann Clements

Covid-19 and the Renewal of the Earth

The Saint Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine, located in Saint Augustine,

Florida, is delighted to present a special webinar presentation with Rev. Dr. John

Chryssavgis and Dr. Lee Ann Clements entitled “Covid-19 and the Renewal of the

Earth,” on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, the Feast of the Indiction. The event is

hosted online by The Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical and Interfaith

Relations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. The free broadcast will

be live-streamed and open to all (pre-registration required).

Registration for the live event may be completed at https://goarch.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LjdoDIFnR-a9l8sqX9R10w.

10

Do you need an “Air Hug” or to be “Wrapped in Love”?

On Sunday, August 16th, Fr. George blessed 17 beautiful Prayer Shawls. These

shawls were created through the time and talents of Faye Georgeo, Julie

Skouteris, and Susan Kleto. Faye and Julie amazingly created seven shawls

each! These 17 shawls will be added to the other shawls we already have in

reserve.

While many of these shawls are designated for OCMC and

CTCA, please remember that we also make shawls available to our parishioners,

their family members, or their friends when there is a need. So, do you know of

someone who is sick or experiencing difficult times? Do you want to give them

hugs but you know that you should not? Let one of our shawls be that hug! Please

contact Susan Kleto, Prayer Shawl Ministry Leader (678) 877-9115 or Helen

Psihountas, Philoptochos President (770) 298-4493. Let us help you pick the

perfect hug.

11

“and the greatest of these is love…”

2020 National Philoptochos Biennial Virtual Convention convened on Friday,

August 21-22 with more than 500 participants! We reviewed minutes, approved the

budget, were educated by several passionate speakers, and shared ideas and

concerns. Saturday evening we approved $25,000 be sent to assist with the

devastating fires in the Metropolis of San Francisco that were raging over the

weekend!

Who is Philoptochos? Take a few minutes to view this fabulous video! This video

and more is found at the newly updated National Philoptochos Website. Take a look

and explore this gem! You can access all of the informative video and live

presentations from the convention. I highly recommend it!

Presentations included:

• Updates on Hagia Sophia and the Monastery of Chora

• Operation Classroom

• Covid 19: What to expect this fall- presented by Ekaterina Gladysheva

Kehl,MD

• Opioid Addiction & Recovery presented by Tony Hoffman

• Prevalence and Dangers of Vaping presented by Katina Nicolacakis, MD,

• Impact of COVID-19 on Education and the Family – Randa Karadsheh

Anderson, PhD, LCP

The Kindness Counts Initiative was announced and we will share more in the

coming months. Do you have ideas on acts of kindness? Does your family

participate in random acts of kindness? What do you do to bring a smile to

someone’s face?

12

Your sister in Christ,

Helen Psihountas

Philoptochos President

13

14

Church Re-Opening Guidelines

During the first phase of the re-opening of St. Christopher Church, a limited number of households will be permitted at each worship service by following two simple steps.

Extra services will be offered to accommodate our St. Christopher Parish Family if your first choice is not available.

Step 1: Click here to Read and Agree to "Returning to Worship: Important Information"

Step 2: Click here to "Pre-Register for Services"

*Please note that unless you pre-register, you will not be permitted to enter into the Church. We cannot accommodate walk-ins at this time.

15

Click Image for Online Giving

For questions, please email communicatios@sainchristopherhoc.org

or call the church office at (770) 347-7729.

Click here for Online Giving Instructions

Click here to view online calendar

16

Copyright © 2020 St. Christopher Hellenic Orthodox Church, All rights reserved.

You are receiving this email because you are a Parishioner or Friend of St. Christopher

Our mailing address is: St. Christopher Hellenic Orthodox Church

313 Dividend Dr.

Ste. 210

Peachtree City, GA 30269

Add us to your address book

Want to change how you receive these emails?

You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.