PARISH COUNCIL
2 The Herald
A
s for God, all I can say is that my experience of who God
really is, how God actually works, and what God wants has led
me to change the ideas, assumptions, and fantasies that I col-
lected while growing up. I actually become more aware of real-
ity (instead of living on the surface) as I began to learn the
content of the Orthodox Christian Tradition (an amazing reser-
voir of truth & life), and more engaged in the ancient practices
of living a Christian life:
• Every worship service, especially Liturgy, is an encounter with
Jesus who invites us to be with him and his family (our church
community) for praise, thanksgiving, willingness to change,
hear his words (through hymn, Bible, sermon), and, above all,
share dinner with him as our Host and the Menu (Commu-
nion);
• Developing my own personal Rule of Prayer that fits my sta-
tion & circumstances in life, allows me to be fed spiritually
every day, and challenges me to grow up in Christ; a rule that
includes a prayer book, the Bible, meditation, time for silence,
and fasting;
•
Reading (or listening to) devotional material regularly, like
daily emails, periodic articles and books (such as Beginning to
Pray)
• Opening my heart to appreciate every single encounter with
people and nature as an encounter with the Living God who,
f
ar from being remotely “out there somewhere” as I thought as
a child, inhabits his awesome Creation, is present in people
(everyone is born with some finite expression of the infinite
God), and is particularly present as Christ in the Body of the
Church (us), above all through holy people (I’ve been blessed
to have encountered some living examples who are nothing
short of amazing).
Just as there was no comparison for me between hearing about
African-Americans and actually getting to know one, so there is
simply no comparison between hearing about God and actual
experience of God. It’s so easy to stick with indirect knowledge.
But I’ll take direct anytime now.
– Fr. Harry
Parish Council
Parish Council elections will be held December. Five of fifteen
seats are up for election or reelection. We very much want to
encourage new faces to join the leadership body of the parish.
Laura Lopez, our new part time bookkeeper, was introduced to
the Council at our most recent meeting. We look forward to
working with her. The recently formed Cultural Center Commit-
tee is comprised of Steven Georgeou (Chair), Stephen Forna-
ciari, Peter Hantes, John Karakadas, Elias Lolis, and Ismini
Naos. They will work closely with our athletic club’s manage-
ment to revisit the business model and identify revenue and cost
opportunities throughout. We recently voted to fund contribu-
tions to two organizations, totaling $1,500, from our budget’s
Mission & Philanthropy line item. They include support for St.
Michael’s Home for the Aged, and further IOCC emergency
relief of hurricane destruction in Florida, Georgia, and the Car-
Parish Council Elections – Sunday, December 9
Members in good standing in the Orthodox Church (18 years of
age & older) may submit their name for election (either at a
General Assembly or privately) if they meet the following
criteria:
1. regular attendance at worship services, acceptable moral
lifestyle, and up-to-date stewardship;
2. membership at our parish for at least one year prior to the
election;
3. attendance at a Seminar conducted by area clergy – nearest
ones are at
a. Annunciation here in Stamford on Tue, Nov 6, 6:30-9 pm
b. St. Barbara in Orange on Tue, Nov 13, 6:30-9 pm
c. Assumption in Danbury on Sat, Dec 1, 9 – 11:30 am
d. Annunciation in Manhattan on Sat, Dec 1, 9 – 11:30 am
Pastoral Question & Answer
Question: What will our new part time Administrator do?
Answer: Working under the supervision of Fr. Harry, and along-
side Steve & Laura (bookkeeper 10-12 hours/week), the new
Administrator, who succeeds Ritta, will be responsible for
answering the phone, greeting the public, maintaining the office
(equipment, files, copier, supplies, etc), general emails, all
non-financial data input for CCB (personal & family profiles,
ministries groups, communication, stewardship data & calen-
dar), Sunday & monthly bulletins, and letters. His or her works
hours will basically be Monday-Friday, from 9am – 2pm in the
main office at the Greek Cultural Center (SAC), opposite the
pool, and will report to the entire Parish Council, which
includes printing and copying all documents that they need (fine
for it to be in her job description, but not necessary as part of
this writeup).