Dear St. Nicholas Family,
The new Ecclesiastical year is off to a great start. Our fall General Assembly will take place on November 20th. Please make every effort to attend!
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Archdiocese and Metropolis News
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New Youth Director
Metropolitan Methodios Appoints Ioannis Michaelidis as the New Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries. Read the full story
here.
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Metropolis of Boston Fall Camp
Fall camp will take place on October 7-9. To register your child, please visit their
website.
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His Grace Bishop Neofitos will be leading The Divine Services on Sunday, October 23rd. Please be with us and invite loved ones and friends to meet His Grace, the first Native Kenyan Bishop. His Grace will also inform us on the Orthodox Church in Kenya and the Faithful He serves.
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Festival Update
The tent is down, the band has long gone home, and the remaining baklava ice cream was eaten at fellowship hour the following Sunday.
We are all tired, yet happy, that our "Taste of Greece" festival for 2016 seemed to be great fun for all. Comments from "do you do weddings?" to a Yahoo Lexington Group stating "everyone is either Greek or wishes they were Greek" makes the festival committee feel like we successfully brought a little bit of Greece to one of our country's oldest towns.
As we continue to process the final tally from the festival, we're reaching out to those who signed up on the Donation Board in the hall. If you sent in your contribution, THANK YOU! If you haven't gotten around to sending it, there's still time. All incoming donations will continue to offset the festival expenses!
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Sunday Worship
Orthros 8:15am
Divine Liturgy 9:30am
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Did you know EFT and credit card payments can be made online to
St. Nicholas?
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Dionysios the Areopagite
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The Holy & Glorious Apostle Thomas
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Carpus, Papylus, Agathodorus & Agathonica, Martyrs of Pergamus
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Artemius the Great Martyr of Antioch
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The Holy Great Martyr Demetrius the Myrrh-streamer
October 26 |
The Holy Protection of the Theotokos
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The Passages that are found in the Liturgical Cycle for today REALLY SPEAKS TO OUR ST NICHOLAS PARISH FAMILY. Fr. Demetri speaks on what happened with the break-in and theft this past week and the question is asked: "What is in the core of our very soul?" Is it vengeance, payback, or is it what God wants us to have, which is His Love. Listen to his sermon here.
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Children's Word
Written by Presbytera Alexandra Houck
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Dear St. Nicholas Family,
On Sunday or early Monday, (September 25th weekend, one week after the festival) the church was broken into. They entered into the church proper through one of the stainless glass windows near the outside entrance to St. Irene's Hall. (The stained glass window panel damaged is a famed Charles Connick piece so we have reached out to the Connick Foundation to ensure its proper repair.) No Liturgical items or anything else of value (iPad, laptop, computers) were taken. The safe that was located in the office was dragged out but found by the police in the neighbor's yard and we successfully removed all our items. The police continue to investigate. A new security committee is in place looking at the various options to secure the property - cameras, alarm systems, etc. in a timely and cost-efficient manner.
Many media outlets were at the church to cover the story and interview Father Demetri. Here is one story with good coverage:
http://www.fox25boston.com/news/police-investigating-after-400-lb-safe-stolen-from-church_20160927231325/451114013.
It's not too early to remind you to please make an effort to join the fall general assembly on Sunday, November 20th, following the Divine Liturgy!
Agenda items that benefit from your input:
2017 Budget
2017 Parish Council Elections
2016 "A Taste of Greece" Festival Update
Status of Break-in to church
Parish Development
Make a difference and bring your ideas. Hope to see you on the 20th of November!
Thank you,
Maria Decoulos
madecoulos@gmail.com
617-645-1684
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CHURCH SCHOOL
Welcome to the Church School Year! We would like to welcome our returning teachers and new assistants. Joining us for the first time this year are: George Papayannis, Ghada Massabni, Dora Tamer, and two seminarians: Steve Tussing and Zachary Swanson. Our returning instructors are: Amantha Tsaros, Patricia DiOrio, Mandy Zervoglos, Ellen Schubert, Gloria Costarakis, Judithanne Gray, Lariza Panagiotou, Deirdre Heisler, and Nector Ritzakis.
This year we have 77 registered students! Due to demands on space, we have two classrooms Preschool/Pre-K and Grades 4/5 attend their lessons in St. Irene's Hall. Please be respectful of their need for a quiet study space while class is in session.
Please contact us if you have any questions about Church School.
Lariza Panagiotou: larizap@earthlink.net
Amantha Tsaros: amanthatsaros@gmail.com
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GREEK SCHOOL
The first day of Greek School was on Saturday, September 24. It was so nice seeing bright, happy faces coming back to school. It is amazing how much they grow in four months. We would also like to welcome three new students this year.
In October, we will be busy learning the usual grammar, reading, and writing. We will make a special effort as always, to carry on basic conversation.
Enjoy the Fall weather. Καλό Φθινόπωρο και Καλή Σχολική Χρονιά!
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PHILOPTOCHOS
Our Festival was very successful and our Pastry Table was a favorite spot. Thanks to our efforts, we contributed about $5,000 to the total proceeds, setting a new record. All of you were kind to offer your personal efforts by working in our booth, the Baklava workshop, making delicious desserts and offering other donations. It seems that our efforts were greatly appreciated, and as of early Sunday, we sold out the last piece of Baklava.
Since our last meeting, we collected $300 for Hellenic College/Holy Cross from the tray and we will soon send it in. Thank you very much! Our other National commitment for September was to the Retired Clergy and Widowed Presvyteres Fund to which we will send $100. At our October 3rd meeting, we can decide if we would like to have a mini fundraiser by the end of this year, to benefit our treasury.
I would like to remind all that our St. Nicholas Parish is still collecting food items for the Lexington Food Pantry. The needs are constant so please bring a few items as you come to Church on Sunday. Children are especially happy to add items in the designated boxes located in the Hall. During the Festival, a couple came to our booth to buy sweets and thanked us for our generosity to the Food Pantry.
Our next meeting will be on Monday, October 3 at 7 PM, and I hope to see you there.
God Bless,
Lela Digenis
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STEWARDSHIP REPORT
Time and Talent:
What a beautiful expression of love demonstrated by our parish family at the festival last month! There were so many hands, so many hours, so many smiles, kind words and gestures in the days leading up to the festival and during the three busy days of the festival itself. These are the memories many of us will take with us from Taste of Greece Festival 2016. The love of our parish family was, I'm sure, felt also by those who came to visit from the Lexington area... and around the country! Truly a beautiful gift of time and talent from all!
Treasure: 2016 Stewardship Goal: $175,000
2016 Amount Pledged...$149,668
2016 Contributions...$129,490 (73.99%)
Number of Families Pledging: 160 (additional pledge cards continue to be received)
Number of Families Contributing: 153
Average Pledge per family: $935.43
With love in Christ,
Tony Gray
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HEALTH & WELLNESS
Starting on October 16th, we will have a table set up at Fellowship hour for parishioners to get a hands-on education regarding our new Automated External Defibrillator (AED) located in the church hall.
We would love to restart our parish family walks. Please bring sneakers on any Sunday before winter, and let Judy know you would like to walk!
Please contact Judy Gray with any ideas for this ministry at: jgray1321@gmail.com or 978-266-1409!
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PRAYER LIST
Pondering on the words of St. Paul, "Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's wellbeing. (I Cor. 10:24). Give rest to the weary, visit the sick, support the poor, for this is also worship. Aphahat
For any prayer concern (salvation, health, employment, stress and anxieties, etc.) please send baptismal names only to:
st.nicholas.lex@verizon.net
We may not be able to help others materially or medically, but God does hear our prayers and always asks us to pray for each other and so build up the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:11-16).
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Messages
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St. Nicholas JOY Basketball
Are you between the ages of 8 and 13? Are you interested in playing on a St. Nicholas JOY basketball team that will play against JOY teams from other area churches? Games will be
played on Saturday afternoons (2pm, 3pm or 4pm) at Hellenic College in Brookline or St. Demetrios church in Weston. The season will run from mid November to early March. If you are interested please contact
Nicholas Zervoglos. Please include your name and age as of September 1, 2016. Girls and boys are welcome to play on the team.
A gentle reminder to all Fellowship hosts: Please keep in mind that families hosting coffee hour (children's table and main table) are responsible for clean up after completion. We appreciate your help with keeping our parish clean and treating it as your own home...because it is! Thank you.
Not Receiving Church Material?
If you have not been receiving church material/mailing or emails, please contact the church office at
781-862-6453 or email st.nicholaslex@verizon.net Thank you.
Monthly Bulletin Personal or Business Ad
If you are interested in placing a personal or business ad,
please contact the church office at 781-862-6453 or email st.nicholaslex@verizon.net
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Baptism Falling Asleep
On August 13th, 2016, the son of Michael and Amanda Kachinski was baptized and given the name Chase Michael. The Godmother was Maria Kachinski.
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On September 11th, 2016, Constantine Kitras, husband of Elena Kitras and father of Maria Decoulos passed away at his residence in Panama. Funeral service and burial were held in Panama.
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