ISSUE

52
OCT
2015

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 Franquiera
ICONOGRAPHY
Fr. Mark Muoz
BUILDING
Tim Kelly- Chair
Ari Kolas
BUDGET
Jacob Petersen
Fr. Mark Muoz
AUDIT
Jacob Peterson
Amy Franqueira
John Maragos
PHILOXENIA HOUSE
Brad Holman Chair
ST. PHILOTHEI
Trevor Hamlen Chair
GREEK FESTIVAL
Erline Holman
Johnny Mangouras
Denise Mangouras

Aylan Kurdi and Our Failure to Act

By Dean Argiris published in Orthodox Christian Network.
There are few photos that capture the human
condition. The firefighters raising the American
flag over the rubble of the World Trade Center,
the man staring down the tanks at Tiananmen
Square, mans first step on the moon. These
photos
capture
moments
of
hope,
determination, and progress in human history.
Other pictures reveal the darkness and
desperation of humankind. The grieving
Cambodian woman kneeling over the body of a
Khmer Rouge victim, the malnourished
survivors of Nazi concentration camps
shrouded in wool blankets, the Greek husband
defeated by the economic crisis, crying against
the wall.
This past Thursday, a new image was burned
into our consciousness. The body of a Syrian
toddler boy, washed up on the shores of Turkey,
sheds new light on the international and moral
crisis riddling the world. It is the snapshot of
inaction and avoidance.
According to the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),
348,540 Syrians have applied for asylum in
Europe, over 4 million have left their
homelands, and over 6.5 million are internally
displaced by the continued conflict in Syria.
This crisis has reached the borders of Europe,
and these states have responded with mixed
results. Many of these states, like Bulgaria,
Cyprus, Greece, and Serbia, are Orthodox
nations. They are Orthodox in the sense that the
majority of their populations adhere to the

Orthodox Christian Faith. Therefore, I think it is

wise that we meet this with an Orthodox
response.
We, as Orthodox Christians, should be asking
ourselves Are we living up to the commands of
our Lord when it comes to dealing with this
crisis?
We know of Matthew 25:31-46. The Gospel tells
us that all the nations will come before the Lord,
and He shall separate the goats from the sheep,
and He will decide their fate. We know He will
say that we did not feed Him when He was
hungry, or give Him drink when He was thirsty.
He will tell us we failed to cloth His naked body
or visit Him when He was in prison. He then
tells us that whatever we do unto our brethren,
we do unto Him.
The Syrian refugees are our brethren. The Syrian
boy was our brethren, and by failing him, we
have, in a spiritual sense, failed Christ.
I fully understand that this crisis is where the
secular world and the religious world can be in
conflict. Economic crises and budget deficits
compel us to be calloused towards this suffering,
wishing we could help, but using finances as an
easy excuse to do nothing. However, what is the
human cost to inaction? Weve learned from
previous tragedies that history never lets us
forget the blemishes on our souls.
Perhaps we can look to the tiny Greek island of

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Oct 21st
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Kos, which rests just off of Turkey. Greece is in the midst of a crippling economic crisis. With 25% unemployment, reduced
salaries, and higher taxes, one would think that the Greeks would force the refugees elsewhere. Yet, on this tiny island, the
Mayor was moved by the actions of the Greek people. Here, on the island of Kos, the Syrian refugees were embraced and given
water and food. The Syrian refugees found momentary sanctuary and help with the paperwork for refugee status in Greece. This
was a perfect example of a Christian response to the crisis. The residents of Kos demonstrated a Christian love required in 1
Peter 4:9, which asks us to show hospitality to one another without grumbling.
The Syrian toddler is a tough image to swallow. In a previous OCN writing, I detailed the joys of a child and what children
represent. The photo of Aylan Kurdis body on the shore of Turkey represents the opposite. It represents shattered dreams and
extinguished hope. The photo tears into our souls and forces us to weep over the context: a child, just starting his life, who could
not even fully comprehend the situation he and his family were thrown into; a situation created by men he never met who were
compelled by motives he didnt even know existed.
It is an image of innocence lost. Of humanitys failure, of our failure. Its a symbol of how man can even find profit in disaster.
The cost was $4500 (US) to be on an overcrowded boat, avoiding a rubber raft but not having enough money to secure life vests.
This is the most appalling aspect of the ordeal, not being able to afford a chance at life in the event of something going wrong.
The pained father said his son slipped through his hands, but the truth is Aylan, his brother Galip, and their mother Rehan,
slipped through all our hands. Sadly, more refugees will slip through our hands as the European nations try to figure out how to
uniformly deal with this situation. Our Faith asks for action, our conscience demands it, and our souls require it. Fences may
create barriers to reinforce lines on a map, to protect states from being impacted by the Syrian crisis, but fences cant stop our
conscious from being impacted.
In 2015, more than 2,600 refugees have died trying to reach a better life in Europe, and they make up nearly 75% of the total
migrant deaths throughout the world. We can continue to draw attention to the crisis in Syria, we can write and keep ISIS at the
forefront of conversation. But there is an urgent matter at hand, one which requires our Orthodox charity. We must help those
wanting a chance at life, a chance at happiness, a chance at hope.
It should not take the image of Aylan Kurdi to force us into action, and the least we do unto our brethren, we do unto the Lord.

TAKE ACTION: Make a financial donation to a non-governmental organization

(NGO) that is doing related humanitarian work overseas. These could include:

International Orthodox Christian Charities: (http://www.iocc.org/

countries/countries_syria.aspx)
Save the Children: (http://www.savethechildren.org/)
Distributing essential items such as diapers, hygiene kits and food
Migrant Offshore Aid Station: (http://www.moas.eu/donate/)
Dedicated to preventing migrant deaths at sea
International Rescue Committee: (https://
engage.rescue.org/donate/donate-now-here-humanity-alt)
Improving living conditions by setting up camps
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR): (http://
donate.unhcr.org/gbr/general/)
Providing water, mosquito nets, tents, healthcare

Glorious wonderworking physicians, having received the grace of healing, reach out and restore health to those in need. SS. Kosmas & Damianos, Nov 1

Calendar for October 2015

Wednesday
Friday
Tuesday
Wednesday

Oct. 7th
Oct. 9th
Oct. 13th
Oct. 14th

Thursday
Sunday
Wednesday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday

Oct. 15th
Oct. 18th
Oct. 21st
Oct. 24th
Oct. 25th
Oct. 26th

Tues-Wed
Saturday
Sunday

Paraklesis of Healing to St Nektarios

Tableside with Johnny Mango (Philoxenia Fundrasier)
Philoptochos Meeting in Church Library
GOYA Faith Night

St. Philothei Project

GOYA Event after Church - Details TBD
Parish Council Meeting
St. George's 75th Anniversary, St. Paul, MN
Last day of IOCC collection
St. Demetrios the Great Martyr
Orthros/Divine Liturgy
Oct. 27th-28th Metropolitan's Name Day Banquet, Fr Mark away
Oct. 31st
Patronal Feast Day: SS Kosmas & Damianos
Great Vespers
Nov. 1st
Patronal Feast Day: SS Kosmas & Damianos
Orthros/Divine Liturgy

6pm
6:30pm
6pm
7pm
6pm
6:30pm
6pm
8:30am

5pm
8:30am

IOCC Health Kits

Our church school students are participating in a collection for IOCC to distribute
emergency hygiene kits to victims of disaster. Our collection will proceed through
Sunday, October 25th. Please leave your donation in the orange tub in the
narthex.
We welcome donation of complete kits in a gallon-sized ziplock bag or any
number of individual items. A monetary donation is certainly welcome, as well.
Kit Contents:

One hand towel

One washcloth
One comb
One metal nail file or nail clipper
One bar of soap (bath size)
Six Band-Aids
All of the above in a gallon-sized ziplock bag

The world has found in you a great champion, Great Martyr Demetrius, invoke Christ God for His great mercy. St. Demetrius Myrrh-streamer

Oct 26th

Youth Team
The school year has begun! Our Church School
teachers have convened another year of
catechetical instruction. We are embracing our
parish motto of flexibility in managing our
classroom size and location this school year as
construction of our new educational wing and
fellowship hall proceeds. Thanks to all for your
commitment to this ministry!

This year, we have divided the students into two groups to best utilize our available space. Grades 1-5
are taught by Loredana Jerghiuta and Kathy Lytle; Grades 6-12 are taught by Mike Brekke and
Halina Woroncow. There is much we will learn from each other!
Our youth completed the last highway cleanup of the year in association with the MN DOT Adopt a
Highway Program. This is a valuable exercise in environmental stewardship which our Ecumenical
Patriarchate reminds us is our responsibility as Orthodox Christians. We will be back at it next spring.
Families are welcome and encouraged!

GOYA then met for our traditional Students vs Parents Volleyball match to start out our year. As
always, good fun was the winner!

Glorious wonderworking physicians, having received the grace of healing, reach out and restore health to those in need. SS. Kosmas & Damianos, Nov 1

Youth Team
~ continued ~

JOY first Faith Night for the school year will be on October 1st at 5:30 PM in the church library.
GOYA will meet for their first Faith Night on October 14th at 7 pm. Please save the dates!
Our church school students are participating in a collection for IOCC to distribute emergency hygiene
kits to victims of disaster. Our collection will proceed through Sunday, October 25th. The entire
parish is invited to join in! Please leave your donation in the orange tub in the narthex. We welcome
donation of complete kits in a gallon-sized ziplock bag or any number of individual items. We
already have the toothbrushes thank you! A monetary donation is certainly welcome, as well.
Thank you for your help this worthy project!

One hand towel

One washcloth
One comb
One metal nail file or nail clipper
One bar of soap (bath size)
Six Band-Aids
All of the above in a gallon-sized ziplock bag

We welcome each and every student to our classrooms and invite you to our youth fellowship events.
Together, we pray: Help the children of this age, O Almighty One, so that they may grow up and
mature to Divine sonship and heavenly citizenship, for their eternal salvation and for Thy glory
and praise. Amen. (Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich)
Youth Team Coordinators,
Loredana Jerghiuta, Halina Woroncow and Mike Brekke

The world has found in you a great champion, Great Martyr Demetrius, invoke Christ God for His great mercy. St. Demetrius Myrrh-streamer

Oct 26th

Philoptochos Society
Dear Parish Family,
September has been a wonderful time of giving. The Philoptochos along with George Yogi
Kereakos served a luncheon to celebrate the first day of our Catechetical classes for our children.
This is a long standing tradition for his family and we thank him for supporting our children's
spiritual education.
Philoptochos asked once again of our Parish to help support Holy Cross Hellenic College. We passed
a second tray on September 27th and collected money to be sent to Hellenic College for seminarians
at Holy Cross to assist with tuition expenses. Thank you for your donations.
October is our Stewardship drive and our time to recruit new members. If you are interested at all in
being a member of our Philoptochos Society, or ever wondered what we do. Please do not hesitate to
contact any member or myself personally. We would love to have you!
October we will be doing a new and unique fundraiser for Philoptochos. We are going to
be selling soap. I have done a lot of research and have found a company that offers an all
natural product, that only uses essential oils and no chemicals. They make great gifts for
Christmas, a hostess gift or for that one person who has everything. Everyone needs soap, why not
make it a special one. We will have samples for people to see and smell, I promise you will not be
disappointed. If this is not something you want to purchase for yourself, might I suggest a donation to
our Philoxenia house for our guests or to the Dorothy Day House.
This fundraiser will begin in October. We will have a table in the back every Sunday through the
month of October. Stop by and take a look at what we have.
During October the Philoptochos donates cookies every year to the Ronald McDonald house, as part
of our charity work, this year at our first meeting, it was decided to expand our work for the house.
We decided not to donate cookies, but to look at other ways to help the families. More news to come
on this ministry.
We thank you, our Parish of Holy Anargyroi, for supporting our ongoing Philanthropic work.
Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, October 13th at 6pm in our Church Library.
In Christ,
Kris Brekke
Philoptochos President

Glorious wonderworking physicians, having received the grace of healing, reach out and restore health to those in need. SS. Kosmas & Damianos, Nov 1

2015 Choir Conference in Minneapolis!

October 9th 11th
The 58th Annual Choir Conference of the Federation of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians - Metropolis of Chicago
will be held in Minneapolis the weekend of October 8 11, 2015. The Choir and congregation of St. Marys are eager
to welcome you to fun-filled weekend of song and fellowship.
Our host hotel is the Hilton Bloomington, 3900 American Boulevard, Bloomington, MN. We have secured an
excellent room rate of $89 per night. Room choices include a King bed or two Queen beds.
Here are some highlights of the weekend:
On Thursday evening, October 7, St. Marys choir members will host a reception at the hotel for our conference
attendees. A variety of hors doeuvres and adult beverages will be served. A good time to reconnect with friends from
across the Metropolis. And, of course, we know you are interested in our other activities for the weekend.
Friday Fun Night will feature Karaoke with Christini (our own Christine Gresser!) The action will be in St. Marys
beautiful social hall and Terrace room. (Did I mention that our Terrace Room overlooks scenic Lake Calhoun?) We
will be serving pizza and other finger foods. The selection of sing-along favorites is the best in the Midwest. We also
have a GREEK Karaoke CD with such favorites as Sameotessa, Maria Me Ta Ketrena, Never on Sunday and
Agapame. Start channeling your inner Nana Mouskouri or practice a song with your choir to perform (theres safety in
numbers!)
After rehearsals on Saturday we will go to downtown St. Paul for the social highlight of the weekend. We will board
the Jonathan Padelford for a 3 hour gourmet cruise (see article on the Jonathon Padelford). This is not to be missed!
On Sunday morning we will worship together, singing the beautiful Liturgy of Hope directed by its composer,
Christopher Kypros. Following the liturgy we will enjoy a delicious Greek roast chicken dinner with the congregation
of St. Marys before its time to say goodbye to friends and head for home.
Please plan on joining us in Minneapolis!

Conference Overview
Dates: October 8 11, 2015
Director: Chris Kypros
Conference site: St. Marys Greek Orthodox Church
Registration fee: $160
Federation stole: $5 to rent or $18 to purchase. Stole is required. See registration form to reserve stole.
Host Choir contact: Elena Biessener, elen2b0916@comcast.net (651) 337-0681
The Federation website is www.chicago.churchmusic.goarch.org. Click on
Annual Conference tab to download forms and for a link to make secure
on-line payments to St. Marys Church.
You may also go directly to www.stmarysgoc.org to make payments. Follow
the payment instructions explained on the page entitled To Pay for Choir
Registration On-line.

The world has found in you a great champion, Great Martyr Demetrius, invoke Christ God for His great mercy. St. Demetrius Myrrh-streamer

Andrew & Anna Chafoulias Memorial Fellowship Hall & Education Center

Building Progress Update

Oct 26th

Glorious wonderworking physicians, having received the grace of healing, reach out and restore health to those in need. SS. Kosmas & Damianos, Nov 1

The world has found in you a great champion, Great Martyr Demetrius, invoke Christ God for His great mercy. St. Demetrius Myrrh-streamer

Oct 26th

Glorious wonderworking physicians, having received the grace of healing, reach out and restore health to those in need. SS. Kosmas & Damianos, Nov 1

The world has found in you a great champion, Great Martyr Demetrius, invoke Christ God for His great mercy. St. Demetrius Myrrh-streamer

Oct 26th

PARISH BBQ SUCCESS!!!

A quick note of thanks to all who were able to

help or attend our annual Parish BBQ event!
The weather was perfect, the food was delicious, and the
fellowship with our church family was grand!

Glorious wonderworking physicians, having received the grace of healing, reach out and restore health to those in need. SS. Kosmas & Damianos, Nov 1

Stewardship
Reminder: Your Online Stewardship Accounts!
Thank you to the many people who are currently using our new
online Church Management & Stewardship 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.
In addition, you can view how much you've already given at any
time regardless of how you donated it, so its the best place to
check your Stewardship status, and its available to you 24/7.
If you havent already signed up, its very easy to get things
going. Please follow the tutorial below, and if you have any
further questions email:
stewardship-outreach@rochesterorthodoxchurch.org

2015 STEWARDSHIP THEME:

TO BECOME INDEPENDENT OF FESTIVAL INCOME
Thats 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.

Thats just $10 per week, or

Bringing lunch to work once a week.
Drinking a couple less lattes each week.

The world has found in you a great champion, Great Martyr Demetrius, invoke Christ God for His great mercy. St. Demetrius Myrrh-streamer

Oct 26th

Stewardship: Online Sign-up Tutorial

Step 1: Navigate to our website: www.rochesterorthodoxchurch.org,
then click GIVE ONLINE.

Step 2: click SIGN IN

Glorious wonderworking physicians, having received the grace of healing, reach out and restore health to those in need. SS. Kosmas & Damianos, Nov 1

Stewardship: Online Sign-up Tutorial

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 isnt a match in our database, please contact us at stewardshipoutreach@rochesterorthodoxchurch.org with your preferred email
address and name. Well 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.

The world has found in you a great champion, Great Martyr Demetrius, invoke Christ God for His great mercy. St. Demetrius Myrrh-streamer

Oct 26th

Stewardship: Online Sign-up Tutorial

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.

Glorious wonderworking physicians, having received the grace of healing, reach out and restore health to those in need. SS. Kosmas & Damianos, Nov 1

Stewardship: Online Sign-up Tutorial

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.

The world has found in you a great champion, Great Martyr Demetrius, invoke Christ God for His great mercy. St. Demetrius Myrrh-streamer

Stewardship: Online Sign-up 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!

Oct 26th

Glorious wonderworking physicians, having received the grace of healing, reach out and restore health to those in need. SS. Kosmas & Damianos, Nov 1

Stewardship: Online Sign-up Tutorial

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 its a one-time or recurring donation. You determine all
the details for your giving plan! If youd like your recurring donations
to continue beyond one year, just navigate to that future end date.
Once finished, click CONTINUE.

The world has found in you a great champion, Great Martyr Demetrius, invoke Christ God for His great mercy. St. Demetrius Myrrh-streamer

Stewardship: Online Sign-up Tutorial

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.

Oct 26th

Glorious wonderworking physicians, having received the grace of healing, reach out and restore health to those in need. SS. Kosmas & Damianos, Nov 1

Stewardship: Online Sign-up Tutorial

Step 12: This is where you designate the payment method youd 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, were 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.