HOLY TRINITY NEWS February 2014 The individual depicted in the center icon is Seraphim of Sarov, a famous 18th century Russian saint who achieved a lifelong intimacy with God. It was St. Seraphim who said that the whole purpose of the Christian life was to acquire the Holy Spirit. What a very beautiful and very Orthodox thing to say. As you have heard me say many times before, the goal of Orthodoxy has always been the deification of man, or to put it in the words of the Apostle Peter, to become “partakers of Divine Nature.” As St. Athanasios further stated, “God became man so that man might become god.” With this in mind, the aim of prayer for the pious and Orthodox Christian is first and foremost to achieve intimacy and even union with Christ. Again and again, Christ is not the answer to our needs— He is our need. He is that which is truly sought for. If we are proceeding from this phronema (paradigm or mindset) then that which we pray for will revolve around heavenly things and not earthly things. It will not revolve around the fulfilling of our passions and lusts, but rather for the healing of those passions, because it is these very passions that prevent us from attaining the goal of Orthodoxy, which again is ‘theosis’ or union with Christ. St. Cyprian, a third century Bishop of the Early Church said, “I used to be held down by the errors of my previous life, from which I did not believe I could possibly be delivered. I used to think my passions were actually parts of me, and belonged to me!” What are the passions? By the “passions,” Orthodox writers do not mean simply lust and anger. Traditionally the passions are classified into eight “demons” or evil thoughts: gluttony, lust, avarice, sorrow, anger, listlessness (or depression), vainglory and pride. All eight spring from the same root: selflove. Bishop Kallistos Ware writes, “No one can hope to ascend the ladder of prayer unless he engages in a bitter and persistent struggle against the passions.” It’s almost pitiful, because we often not only fail to acknowledge our passions (let alone go to battle against them) but we often even use prayer as a means to fulfill them! St. James the Adelfotheos (brother of the Lord) wrote in his Epistle, “Where do all the fights and quarrels among you come from? They come from your desires for pleasure, which are constantly fighting within you. You lust and do not have, so you are ready to kill; you strongly desire things, but you cannot get them, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” Most passions begin as normal, ordinary feelings which soon get out of control. One Orthodox Christian psychologist wrote, “loving yourself...is normal and given to us by God...but when that normal self-love becomes excessive, it gets completely unreasonable and uncontrollable.” Let me give you one example: rather than enjoying a simple meal, we instead will eat until we get sick or fat, and drink until we get drunk. St. Clement of Alexandria put it beautifully, “passion is an excessive feeling or appetite, going beyond what is reasonable. Passions are a disturbance of our soul contrary to our nature, in disobedience to reason. Passion is not natural, and it ruins our nature instead of fulfilling it.” The passions keep us from being our true selves, and unfortunately we have become masters at avoiding a confrontation with the real person that we are. This is why the pious and Orthodox Christian must busy himself not so much with the blessings of God, but rather with the acquisition of God; not for the fulfillment of his passions, but rather for the release from their tyranny over him, and finally not so much in rejoicing over ‘answered prayer’ for perceived earthly delights, but rather in finding joy in the heavenly delight and fulfillment in the simple pleasures of life. Let me conclude with some examples of prayer that demonstrate the phronema or mind of the Church concerning itself with the appropriate aim of our prayer—one from the Lord, one from a saint and another from a blind beggar: First let us consider the greatest prayer of all, the Lord’s Prayer, in it, besides giving due glory to God (“hallowed be Thy name’), we are –continued on page 2 Winter Youth Rally 2013 proved to be another BIG success for Holy Trinity Raleigh. With 41 GOYAN youths attending, the largest group in the history of Holy Trinity Raleigh, we were also able to field two girls volleyball teams, two boys basketball teams and two bible bowl teams. In typical Raleigh fashion, Holy Trinity was well represented on and off the courts with a great group of Goyans (and advisors) while also bringing home some more hardware for the trophy case. Arriving on a Friday, there were ice breaker socials that night, games all day Saturday, Bible Bowl and a dance featuring American music. Sunday was followed by more games during the day, Bible Bowl finals and a Glendi dance that Our Jr. Boys team won one game then lost two games; night. Both Boys Basketball teams played hard. The Sr. Boys won one game as well, an overwhelmingly big win over Birmingham which fielded a team with 7 seniors, and lost two games, including a close game that was lost at the buzzer. Girls Volleyball fielded a Jr. Team and Sr. team both playing well, with our Sr. Girls going completely undefeated and winning the Championship in Volleyball; Bible Bowl team as well fielded two talented teams, with one team going all the way to the finals and coming home with a 2nd Place finish. We did have to say good bye to four seniors this year as they completed their last Goya WYR. Overall another wonderful Winter Youth Rally and we are looking forward to next year being even better and bigger! -cont’d from page 1 asking on our behalf nothing that involves or stirs up the passions within us, only our ‘daily bread’ -in other words that which is needful to sustain ourselves. We are also asking for the forgiveness of our sins (‘forgive us our trespasses’) and for the avoidance of the passions that are too strong for us (‘lead us not into temptation’). The second prayer I would like for you to consider is the great Lenten Prayer of St. Ephraim: O Lord and Master of my life, cast away from me a spirit of laziness, despair, love of power and idle talk. (Prostration) But grant unto me, Your servant, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love (Prostration) Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own faults and not to judge my brothers and sister. For You are blessed unto ages of ages. Amen. (Prostration) This prayer only asks for the things that will make him more pleasing and bring him closer to the Lord, which is what he desires. A third prayer that the Church, in her wisdom, has lifted up for all to consider, comes from the lips of a poor, old, blind beggarman who cries out to the Lord, “Jesus...have mercy on me.” This ‘Jesus Prayer’ (Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner) is a prayer used by Orthodox monks, nuns and lay people alike to achieve unceasing prayer of the heart and intimacy with the Savior of the world. The point, my friends, is that the very notion of the ancient Christian faith has deceptively been altered; man, not God, has become the center of all things. Prayer has become self-serving and even worship services have come to resemble the Tonight Show. Modern Christianity has sought to make heaven on earth. But this is not our true home. This life is nothing but a preparation for the next life. The Saints fled from wealth and riches and the adoration of men. They did not want their reward on this side of life. Let us not become so attached or impressed with all the earthly delights, “where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.” Let us instead seek for and pray for the heavenly delights, “seeking first the Kingdom of God.” What is our hearts deepest desire? St. Theophan the Recluse has said it well” ‘the greatest and most perfect thing a man may desire to attain is to come near to God and dwell in union with Him.” May He be the true aim of all of our prayers for He is surely the heart’s deepest desire. - Father Paul Christy January 17 - 20, 2014—Orlando, FL We made the best of our VERY long bus ride by sewing and embroidering their newly made Macedonian costumes as well as making custom shoes out of leather. On Saturday, the Owls performed a semifinal suite from the village of Flambouro in Serres, Macedonia followed by their final suite from the island of Naxos. Saturday night we enjoyed a Glendi at Hard Rock Live followed by the Awards Banquet on Sunday. On Monday, we took advantage of our close proximity to Universal Studios and made a bits to the islands of Adventure Park - our bus ride home was much appreciated as we had plenty of time to sleep and recuperate from a very busy HDF weekend. Next year's HDF will be hosted in Charlotte, NC and the Athenian Owls are very excited to attend - especially without a 10-hour bus ride! Super Bowl Sunday, February 2 Please bring your donation of nonperishable food items to church. SUNDAY, February 9 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9 5:00 PM FELLOWSHIP HALL If you wish to compete in the Chili Cook-Off, please contact John Demos at [email protected] or at 919.847.5335. If you are not competing, please bring a side dish and/or some drinks and enjoy a great evening of fellowship. Treat your valentine with a sweet treat home made by the Ladies’ Philoptochos. Items will be available for purchase in the Hall during coffee hour. *Please wear RED to increase awareness about heart disease. Happy New Year! Before we look to 2014, we thank you, our entire Parish Family, for sharing your love and support with us as we touched so many lives in 2013. Our commitments to the National and Metropolis Philoptochos helped them to give over $600,000 and $250,000 respectively to those in need and our own Chapter gave over $13,000 to local organizations and individuals. February 9 March 8 March 9 March 21-23 DATES TO REMEMBER: Sweets for your Sweet during coffee hour; General Meeting following; “GO-RED” Sunday in support of Heart Disease Philoptochos Area Meeting General Meeting following Liturgy Guest speaker: Metropolis President, Dee Nicolaou Diakonia Retreat Presenter: Presbytera, Mary Christy Capital Campaign Update: Fr. Christodoulos enjoying a conversation with Pota Vallas at the Philoptochos Christmas party 2013 was a good year financially for our Capital Campaign for Phase 1 of our Master Plan. New pledges were made, pledge payments came in and we received the beautiful gift from Ms. Tooze’s estate so that our cash total reached $2,900,091.90 on December 31. We have received 123 pledges for $2,508,069.66 and $1,427,105.92 has been paid toward the pledged amount. At our February 16 General Assembly we will have an update from the Capital Campaign and building committee, discussing overall progress and next steps. This will be a meeting to inform the community on where we are, and to address any questions there may be. We will cover status from discussions with the City of Raleigh and NC Dept. of Transportation, and the opportunities these discussions have opened up for us. We will be calling for a vote of support for the next steps which will be proposed Ladies Philoptochos Society 2014 Membership Drive Going on Now Love of Church St. Basil Academy International Orthodox Christian Charities Holy Cross Theological School Clergy Education Orthodox Christian Mission Center Orthodox Christian Little Marie-Neige Idoura enjoys a refreshing drink of Holy water, as Father Paul, blesses their home. Fellowship St Michael’s Home for the Elderly Lenten Lectures Love of Neighbor Pretty In Pink Foundation Children’s Medical Fund Alliance Medical Ministry Interact of Wake County Duke and UNC Children’s Hospitals Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Needy Family Funds NC Autism Society Disaster Relief Raleigh Rescue Mission We are thankful to serve a growing number of students in the Sunday School. Religious instruction is an extension of Liturgical Worship. It deepens our knowledge of the Orthodox faith and prepares us to become active participants in the Church. We continue to refine and broaden our curriculum and, along with this, are adding new teachers, new materials, and increasing the use of technology in the classroom. A Hymnology musical program for the elementary grade students was introduced this year. Under the direction of Maria and Elia Nicholas, we have assembled a Youth Choir to perform during the Christmas Pageant and eventually to begin singing along with the Adult Choir during the Liturgy on Youth Sundays. The Paschal season is upon us and related programs are underway starting with the 2014 St John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival (Junior and Senior Divisions grades 7-12) scheduled for March 2. The Elementary Division Oratorical for students in grades 4 – 6 and special presentations by the students in PreK through third grade will take place beginning mid-March. In addition, several initiatives are being planned to involve parents and students directly in Lenten and Holy Week worship. Students in grades 6 through 12 will be assigned to read or otherwise participate directly in Lenten and Holy Week worship and students in grades 3 through 6 will be issued “passports” to record their participation in these services. Parent volunteers will be solicited to help plan a retreat for Good Friday and assemble our students for Palm making on the Saturday of Lazarus. Registration for the 2014/15 Sunday year will begin on March 3. Registration for the remainder of this year and for the 2014-15 school year are underway. We have several families in the parish whose children are eligible to enroll in our program. The goal is to serve every preschool aged child in the parish If you plan to enroll your child in Preschool, consider who you wish to have teach and lead your child, the values that will be imparted, and the relationships that will be forged. Every child of this parish should have the opportunity to grow and develop under the care and direction of their own Orthodox parish family. There will be an Open House daily from 9:30 am -11:30 am, February 3-6, 2014. **Register early for preferred classroom assignment and rate.** Our curriculum is aligned with North Carolina Early Childhood Education Standards and the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for Kindergarten/ First Grade. Holy Trinity Weekday School employs an exceptional staff of experienced, degreed teachers and early childhood development professionals and is licensed by the the State of North Carolina. For more information on Holy Trinity Weekday School contact Betsy Higgins at 919846-8171 or email [email protected] PARISH “SPECIAL” GENERAL ASSEMBLY, Sunday, February 16, 2014 AN OFFICIAL NOTICE to all Holy Trinity Parishioners. Everyone is invited to attend the next Parish “Special” General Assembly, Sunday, February 16, 2014. The Parish “Special” General Assembly will include: HTGOC CAPITAL CAMPAIGN AND MASTER PLAN DISCUSSION ON CAPITAL CAMPAIGN, MODIFYING BUILDING PLAN AND VOTE ON PROPOSAL FOR MOVING FORWARD VOTING ELIGIBILITY FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY According to Parish By-Laws, ARTICLE IV. MEMBERSHIP A person will be considered in good standing and eligible to vote in the first quarter of the calendar year if he or she has returned a completed stewardship pledge card and has completed his or her previous years pledge. TO VOTE IN THE February 16 SPECIAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY, you must complete a 2014 Stewardship Form and have completed your 2013 pledge. Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Minutes of the General Assembly Sunday, November 3, 2013 Those in attendance: Attendance sign-up sheet posted for parishioners in good standing to qualify for voting. Quorum is present. Meeting called to order at 12:20 pm by Meeting Chairman Mark Langford. Fr. Paul led us in an opening prayer. Approval of the Minutes: (posted in October HT Newsletter) from last General Assembly of Sunday, July 14 th, 2013. Minutes reported by Meg Economy. Motion to approve was made by John Demos, seconded by Harry Nicholos. Majority approved, motion carried. Treasurer’s Report presented by David Ford, referred to the overview P&L statement for September, and summary at the end of the third quarter (attached). He shared that the balance sheet included Festival funds prior to transfer, and that the YTD net income is slightly under $5,000.00. With the goal to finish the year in the black, Holy Trinity is in a good position to achieve that goal. David also reported that the operating fund remains in good shape so far. A motion to approve the Treasurer’s Report was made by Connie Kledaras, seconded by Emma Paradeses. Majority approved, motion carried. David Ford reported on the 2014 Proposed Budget, showing the Ministries inclusion going forward, as well as the reserve amount listed at the end of the document. There was some discussion on line items. A note was made that the Ministries funds are lower temporarily for 2014 in order to utilize the funds held in the liability account. Those numbers will be adjusted up for the 2015 budget. Questions were posed regarding line items for “Support a Mission Priest” and “Selective Ministries,” which should have been included at $600.00/annually. Elaine Noulis made a motion to amend the proposed budget, to include this line item of $600.00, seconded by Becky Raguzeos. Some discussion followed on stewardship numbers being reduced by 5%, though it is anticipated this number will continue to grow in the coming year. Some discussion also on lowering projected stewardship/budget numbers, but actual numbers were not available for the discussion. Enthusiastic comments were made in support of Father Paul, and he directed the focus toward growing the church. Although St. Anthony’s Ministry is self-sustaining, Toula made a motion to add a small line item of $500.00 for working capital, seconded by Rose Marie Connell. It was affirmed that unused funds would not carry over into the coming year. John Demos made a motion to approve the 2014 Budget with the 2 suggested amendments. Don McEnteer seconded the motion. Some discussion followed on staff raises based upon annual performance reviews, which are currently in place. Majority approved, and the motion carried. Harry Costa reported on the 2013 Festival, and included thanks to all the committees and volunteers for our 27 th year of successful festivals. He specifically thanked Penny Gallins for excellent support. The festival has been a tremendous fund raiser for Holy Trinity, and we should keep up the good work in the coming years. Harry was given a standing ovation for his leadership. John Demos reported positively on Stewardship, with notes showing 295 families pledging this year, for a total $366,607.00 pledged. This is an overall increase of 10% from 2012 ($338,969.00) and from 2011 ($314,543.00). The 2014 Stewardship kick-off, “A Rich Man is not one who has much, but one who gives much,” is scheduled for Sunday, November 24th. John requested that everyone pick up their stewardship packets today, to be submitted by the 24 th. The goal is 100% participation. Bylaws Review reported on by David Ford, stating that we will need a new chair to oversee the revision process, since our revised bylaws were not accepted by the Metropolis. This process will renew the first of 2014. David Ford reported on the status of the Tooze Estate. He reviewed the sale of the townhome, with the estate due to settle the end of 2013. To date, David reports our receipt of $831,124.02 from this most generous bequest. The Parish Council proposes that we transfer the funds entirely to the Capital Campaign. A motion was made by Harry Kledaras to direct the funds to Phase One of the Capital Minutes of the General Assembly Sunday, November 13, 2013 Page 2 Campaign, seconded by Katarina Knezevic. Some discussion followed on directing funds toward building a multi-purpose space to support our Ministries. Mark brought the discussion back to the status of our Capital Campaign, which was voted on by previous General Assembly. He called for a vote on the motion, the majority approved, and the motion carried. George Pappas spoke to the Master Plan of the Capital Campaign, and commented that the committees continue to work hard for our future. We’re seeing significant results in financial commitments, showing that we’re close to $3 million in cash received, with additional pledges of $1,600,000.00 committed to be paid in the coming years. So we have roughly $4 million now in funds available. The campaign executive committee had a due-diligence meeting with the city recently. George spoke to the role of the building oversight committee (consisting of Chairman Chris Pappas and members Harry Costa, Steve Serletis, Catherine Fallis, Jimmy Nixon, Dean Economy and John Fakiris). He discussed the relationship of the potential building site to the widening of Lead Mine Road and possible changes to French Drive, routing traffic through the Inman Park neighborhood. There was some discussion on the process of due diligence activity ahead, including borings for the entire site, and alternative building plans. Tamara Costa asked for Nominations for Parish Council for 2014. She explained the criteria for elections, and listed councilors who are going off this year, as well as those eligible to run again. The following names were submitted for election to the Parish Council: 1) Harry Nicholos, 2) John Fakiris, 3) George Pappas, 4) Joanna Biliouris, 5) Katerina Knezevic, 6) Frank Nixon, and 7) Sophia Myers. All accepted the nomination to run for election. Harry Costa made a motion to close the nominations, seconded by Ernest Charles. Majority approved, motion carried. Audit Committee members were solicited, to include Tom Mathes as Chairman, and members Dean Economy and Mary Wehbie. All approved, motion carried. Father Paul added thanks to all the committee chairs and volunteers for a tremendous effort this year. He shared that God will not forget the work that each one does for the Church. He encouraged everyone to attend the Tsar’s Cabinet exhibit at the Museum of History, with Vespers starting at 6:30 pm on Thursday night. Old Business: Toula Capetanos spoke briefly about Founder’s Day. New Business: Toula requested everyone support the upcoming Dessert & Dance Party scheduled for Saturday, February 1 st. The activity raised $5000.00 in 2012 for Holy Trinity. Mary Wehbie thanked Mark Langford for his years of service as Parish Council President, and he received a round of applause. Motion to Adjourn made by John Demos, seconded by Jason Kekas. Meeting adjourned at 2:30 pm. Closing Prayer by Father Paul. Respectfully submitted, Meg Economy ΨΥΧΟΣΑΒΒΑΤΑ SATURDAY OF THE SOULS This year's Saturday of the Souls Services will be February 22nd, February 29th & March 2nd, 2014. There will be Divine Liturgy ONLY starting at 9:00 am. Please use the form below and submit the names of your departed loved ones. Please print first (Baptismal) names clearly either in Greek or English. Return your list to the Church Office or give it to a Parish Council Member. The same form will be used for all three Saturdays. __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ HOLY TRINITY NEWS Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Phone: 919-781-4548 • Fax: 919-781-4568 www.holytrinityraleigh.org Father Paul Christy: Email: [email protected] Office: [email protected] Holy Trinity Church is a parish of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Atlanta (www.atlanta.goarch.org) and Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (www.goarch.org) under the Spiritual Jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 5000 LEAD MINE ROAD RALEIGH, NC 27612 Time Value Mail Please expedite handling Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Raleigh, N.C. Permit No. 143 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Clergy Rev. Fr. Paul Christy, Protopresbyter Deacon Gavrilo Milkovich Staff Kelly Barton, Office Manager Parish Council George Kapetanakis, President, Dr. Connie Kledaras, Vice President, Harry Nicholos, Treasurer, Joanna Biliouris, Secretary, Toula Capetanos, Greg Delage, Meg Economy, John Fakiris, Nik Kamilaris, Katerina Knezevic, Frances Mathes, Dr. Sophia Myers, Frank Nixon, George Pappas, Dr. Risa Poniros