PARISH LEADERSHIP
REV. FR. JON MAGOULIAS
PARISH PRIEST

NICK FAKLIS
PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT



UPCOMING SERVICES
Saturday, February 16th
Great Vespers 5:00 p.m.

Sunday, February 17th
SUNDAY OF THE PUBLICAN AND PHARISEE
THE TRIODION BEGINS
Epistle 2 Tim. 3:10-15
Gospel Luke 18:29-14
Sunday Divine Services 9:00 a.m.

Saturday, February 23rd
Great Vespers 5:00 p.m.

Sunday, February 24th
SUNDAY OF THE PRODIGAL SON
FINDING OF THE HEAD OF
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST
Epistle 2 Cor. 4:6-15
Gospel Luke 15:11-32
Sunday Divine Services 9:00 a.m.





WELCOME
It is an honor to welcome the Very Rev. Fr. Makarios Mannos to our Church this Sunday. Fr. Makarios is visiting our Parish while Fr. Jon is attending the Greek Orthodox Folk Dance & Choral Festival 2008 in Ontario, CA.





PARISH COUNCIL
Sunday, February 17th– Team 3:George Simvoulakis, Nick Faklis, Andrew Georgiou, & Steve Pallios.

Sunday, February 24th– Team 4:Michael Jaureguy, Chris Christie, Nick Pallios, Jim Sarros, & Peter Stavrianoudakis.



ALTAR BOYS
ALL ALTAR BOYS ARE EXPECTED TO:

* Dress properly, wearing light colored shirt, tie, and dress shoes.
* The Sunday Church School Program now enables an Altar Boy to serve on Sundays when he may not be scheduled. If you wish to put in extra service on days when it is not your group day, you may do so, but following Holy Communion, you must attend Sunday Church School.
* If unable to participate at your scheduled time, please contact your team captain. Please be on time for all services.

SENIOR ALTAR BOYS

John Kocolas,
Manoli Rodarakis

Sunday, February 17th– Team A: Captain: Mena Ghali, John Galas, Michael Hillas, Jonathan Gomez, John Normoyle, Anthony Stavrianoudakis, & Andreas Alexander.

Sunday, February 24th– Team B: Captain: Andoni Kocolas, George Borden, Vasili Giahos, Andrew Gomez, Christopher Pallios, George Parisis, & Stefan Word.




STEWARDSHIP 2008
Christian Stewardship is the very essence of living our precious Faith that teaches each of us to return to the Lord a portion of our earnings so that the Church may continue to grow. Every person baptized and/or chrismated into the Orthodox Christian Faith may be a parishioner but a steward is something more! A steward is a baptized and/or chrismated person who understands his responsibility to God and His Church. This understanding directs him to live his life according to the teachings of our Faith and at the same time, offers Time, Talents and Treasure to the sacred work of the Church.

Our Holy Church emphasizes the truth found in Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition that we must give cheerfully and without reluctance to the sacred work of God’s Holy Church. We encourage you to prayerfully evaluate your budget to make a new commitment this year. We give thanks to God as we have had a number of our stewards increasing their commitment to the Church each year. Last year, we had a number of stewards that increased their contribution above the 10% we hoped for with some increasing their previous year offering by as much as 25%! Please consider increasing your Stewardship obligation in accordance with the blessings you receive from God.

It is important to understand that our Stewardship obligations determine a family (husband, wife, & children) or an individual as stewards of our Parish. Young adults (18 years and older) that have completed their schooling and/or find themselves in the workplace are expected to become stewards of the Parish. These individuals are not included in one’s “Family Stewardship” obligation. Please remember: "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." If you have any questions regarding your offering please contact Fr. Jon.



A REMINDER FROM FR. JON
Please remember that our Parish Office is open Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Anyone needing assistance from the Parish Office must do so during the scheduled weekday times. The Office is not open on Sundays; this is the Lord’s Day in which we gather to worship God in Christian Orthodox fellowship. Thank you!



SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
We are very blessed to have a wonderful church complex. This has only been accomplished by the generosity of the stewards of our Parish that understand the importance of gathering for Christian Orthodox Fellowship. We are grateful to everyone that has contributed over the years and we commit ourselves to be responsible to maintain our facilities to the best of our abilities.

For this to happen, we need YOUR support too! This is why we must remind parishioners that church property is not to be removed from our complex. Please do not remove plates, pans or other utensils from our facilities for any reason unless approved by the Parish Priest and Parish Council. If you have any items from the Cultural Center please return them this week. In addition, we would like to remind parishioners that we rely on volunteers to serve the meals at our luncheons. During meals that are served in our Church Hall please do not enter the kitchen unless you are volunteering to help! We thank you for your understanding and support!




TRIP TO GREECE
A tour of Greece is being planned for this summer: June 17 – 28, 2008. This is a trip of a lifetime…Athens, Thessalonica, Meteora, Delphi, Patras and Sparta to name a few of the sites we will visit.

Fr. Jon will be guiding this tour to some of the most beautiful sites of the world. Walk in the footsteps of St. Paul and St. Andrew.

Plane reservations are presently being made and must be confirmed within 10 days. Any reservations made after that date may be subject to a fare increase. If you would like further information contact Fr. Jon by email or by calling the Church Office.



PARISH HERITAGE
The 75th Anniversary Album may be picked up from our Church Office, Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Stewards of our Parish are entitled to one "free" album. Additional books may be purchased by stewards of the Parish for $25.00.



PARISH EDUCATION MINISTRY
The regular Sunday Church School Program has begun. Our young people are to be in attendance at 10:00 a.m.; they will then proceed into the church to participate in the Divine Liturgy. The young people are to sit in the front pews so that they may be able to receive the Holy Eucharist first; following the Holy Eucharist, the young people go into the Classroom Building for their lesson. Parents are encouraged to bring their children to church on time EVERY SUNDAY MORNING so that our young people may “Grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

A.R.E. YOU READY?

The Adult Religious Education (A.R.E.) study group has resumed in our Parish! A.R.E. YOU ready to participate and join in the study of our precious Christian Orthodox Faith? We gather at 7:00 p.m. in the Classroom building the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. Our next gathering is on Thursday, February 21st at 7:00 p.m. We recently began discussing the prayers and hymns of Great Lent and Holy Week.



YOUTH NEWS
We urge the parents to support our Parish Youth Ministry. This ministry is designed to teach our Faith through fellowship and service. It is comprised of young people in:

HOPE - Grade 3-5;
JOY - Grades 6-8;
GOYA - High School;
YAL – College.

It is important for our young people to participate in this ministry so that they may develop the skills necessary to live our Christian Orthodox teachings in today's world.

Recently, elections were held for the officers of these three groups. They are:

H.O.P.E.
President: Calli Johnson
Vice President: Emma Letson
Secretary: Megan Shaw

J.O.Y.
President: Christopher Letson
Vice President: Jimmy Pallios
Secretary: Stefan Word
Treasurer: Katie Hatton
Corresponding Sec.: Emily Davis

G.O.Y.A.
President: Nikki Simvoulakis
Vice President: Mena Ghali
Secretary: Marina Ghali
Treasurer: Yianni Magoulias
Corresponding Sec.: Andoni Kocolas

We wish to thank Chris & Patra Lambros for hosting the JOY Fireside Chat last Monday evening.



CHURCH MUSIC MINISTRY
The ministry of our choir members is to represent YOU and to serve as volunteers by using the gift of music to sing praises to our Lord is a true act of Christian Orthodox Stewardship. Parishioners, who may be interested in of our Church, and especially our young people, are invited to join the choir. St. Augustine wrote: “What better thing can the people do than sing. I know of no better thing than this!” Please contact Irene Jaureguy, 667-1299, to find out more about our Church Choir.



ANNUNCIATION GREEK DANCE GROUP NEWS
The Annual Greek Folk Dance Festival, sponsored by the Holy Metropolis of San Francisco, will gather in Ontario, California on the weekend of February 14-18. We pray that the dancers, directors and their families will have a safe journey to FDF2008 and a safe return home.

Over the years families that have been involved in our Greek Folk Dance ministry have been gracious to loan their costumes for other young dancers. We appreciate the generosity and kindness of those families that have been willing to share the costumes that they may have made or purchased. We would like to remind the families that may have borrowed costumes in the past to please return them as quickly as possible. This includes all parts of the costume including jewelry. No matter when someone may have borrowed a costume, please make sure it is returned clean and complete! Thank you!

For further information regarding our award winning Greek Folk dancers please visit our website at: www.greekfolkdancers.com.



PARISH BOOKSTORE
It has been said: “The more you read…the more you know!” We have a great selection of books, icons, music and other items that every Orthodox Christian can use! Our bookstore is brimming with new arrivals that also make excellent gifts for every occasion.

We wish to thank Linda Fostinis for volunteering to coordinate the functioning of our Parish Bookstore. Her efforts, and the efforts of those who support this sacred ministry, provide us with the opportunity to purchase Orthodox Christian materials for our spiritual edification.



SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
The demands on each individual and family are great. In an effort to understand this we would like to remind our parishioners that before anyone plans on selling items in our church complex or during Parish activities, they must have the approval of the Parish Priest. We also understand that organizations within our Community, as well as, organizations we may support, have a need to raise funds for their activities. We do not want times of fellowship to become a time when parishioners may be bombarded to purchase items.

We would also like to remind everyone that the placement of flyers on our cars is prohibited! Flyers that you
wish to have distributed may be brought by the Church Office for approval and then included in either our Monthly and/or Weekly bulletins.



ATTENTION PARENTS & STUDENTS
We would like to obtain the e-mail addresses of parents and students for our Parish records. In addition, we ask that you please submit the names, addresses and e-mails for college students attending school away from home.




IN TIMES OF ILLNESS
“Come, O blessed of my father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;…for I was sick and you visited me…” (Matt. 25:31-46). When a member of our Parish is ill and has been hospitalized or may be recuperating at home, the immediate family of the ill person should contact the Church Office, 522-7694. It is beneficial to both the body and the soul when our priest prays for us when we are healthy or ill. The local hospitals will not notify us when an Orthodox Christian has been admitted to the hospital, so it is imperative that the immediate family accept this responsibility.



CHURCH BEHAVIOR
Divine Services on Sunday morning begin at 9:00 a.m. There is no set time as to when the Divine Liturgy actually begins since the hymns of the Matins vary from week to week. According to actual Church Service procedures, each and every member of the congregation is required to be seated in the pews by the beginning of the Divine Liturgy. It is only through leniency that anyone is allowed to enter the Church once the Service has begun. Thus it behooves us not to take undue advantage of this leniency. Also, unnecessary noise is extremely distracting during worship, especially when it comes from the adults talking; in addition, our nursery is equipped with all the conveniences for young children and a parent to participate in the Liturgy. Please remember to prepare yourself properly to attend the Divine Liturgy; dress accordingly; do not chew gum; turn off your cell phone; and please do not create a disturbance. Please remember that the Parish Council members are required to see to the order during Church Services and everyone should follow their directions at all times.

“The Lord has given us many counsels and commandments to help us toward salvation. He has even given us a pattern of prayer, instructing us on how we are to pray. He has given us life, and with His accustomed generosity, He has also taught us how to pray. He has made it easy for us to be heard, as we pray to the Father in words taught us by the Son…Let us pray as God our Master has taught us. To ask the Father in words His Son has given us, to let Him hear the words of Christ ringing in our ears, is to make our prayer one of friendship, a family prayer.” St. Cyprian, martyred Bishop of Carthage (+258)



OBLATION OFFERING
The Divine Liturgy begins with the offering of the faithful people of God. The gifts we bring forth are an expression of our faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Holy Communion makes us one with the Holy Trinity and is given for "remission of sins and life everlasting". The people are invited to bring forth their offering, i.e. "Prosforon", for the Divine Liturgy to be celebrated. We use 4 prosfora on a regular Sunday and they may be given through our Philoptochos for a donation of $5.00 per loaf. The Eucharist Bread may be offered in memory of a loved one or for someone's health and well-being. Anyone wishing to donate the Eucharist Bread ("Prosphoron") on a particular Sunday may contact Anna Petrulakis, 522-0298.

In addition to contributing the Eucharist Bread it is customary to bring a bottle of olive oil for the vigil lights and a bottle of wine for Holy Communion. The preferred wines for Holy Communion are: 1.) Coumantaria St. John or St. Nicholas; 2.) Ekklesiastikos Oinos; and if one of these two are not available 3.) Mavrodaphne.