Journey to Bethlehem (James Tissot) | |
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THE SUNDAY LITURGY at 10:00 AM
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SAINT GEORGE
GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF KINGSTON
All are Welcome at Saint George
Location: 294 Greenkill Avenue, Kingston, NY 12401
Mail: PO Box 3062, Kingston, NY 12402
Fr Jim Kordaris, Pastor
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Feel the Presence of God in Worship.
Grow in Faith and Knowledge.
Participate as we serve our Greater Community.
Join us in Fellowship.
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THIS SUNDAY!
Sunday School
Christmas Pageant & Festivities
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Pageant after church upstairs with Christmas Carols to follow
Coffee hour / Fellowship by the Sunday School parents
Visit from Santa
(Please bring a present valued under $20 for your child to be given)
Gifts are to be placed under the Christmas Tree downstairs in the hall. If you need assistance with a gift for your child please contact Eleni at dedovichcrew@gmail.com
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CHRISTMAS MORNING
DIVINE LITURGY
10:30 AM
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we will celebrate the Divine Liturgy
of Saint Basil the Great
on Christmas Morning at 10:30
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Thank you to all who supported our
Christmas Outreach Program
Collecting Games and Crafts for Children
to be Distributed through People's Place of Kingston
OUR DECEMBER-FEBRUARY
OUTREACH PROJECT
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Cold Weather Supply Drive
to Benefit Seniors in the Ulster County
Adult Protective Services Program
WE ARE COLLECTING:
Hoodies (with Zippers)
Sweatpants
Socks
Winter Hats & Gloves
Blankets
Outerwear: Vests & Jackets
Sizes Needed: S, M & L
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CHESS WEDNESDAYS
Join us!
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Thank You to All
who helped, worked, supported and attended the Bazaar!
TEAMWORK, GENEROSITY & HOSPITALITY
PHILOXENIA AND PHILOTIMO
Philotimo is about goodness and generosity of spirit.
It's an innate way of life for Greeks,
and it represents open-arms hospitality
and authentic giving to people.
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from 47 followers in 2018 to 1004 followers in 2022
Like/Follow us on Facebook
| CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO GO TO OUR FACEBOOK PAGE |
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TUITION IS $300 FOR THE YEAR AND INCLUDES BOOKS
CONTACT CHRISTINA KRZYWONOS WITH QUESTIONS
kristinaky@aol.com or 845-853-9067
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Thank you to all who prepare or donate
Prosphora/Offering Bread for Holy Communion
If you would like to provide Prosphora/Offering Bread,
they may be purchased or ordered from Victory Sweet Shop in Astoria:
2169 Steinway St Astoria, NY 11105 (718) 274-2087
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CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO SUPPORT UKRAINE
through International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese
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Please sign up for a Sunday to host fellowship.
Sign-up sheet is in the coffee area.
Your support provides for our ministries.
Thank you.
Click HERE to go to our Online Giving Page.
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Come and See!
We have completed installation
of the first four
MURAL ICONS OF THE LIFE OF JESUS
on the south wall of the church
Filling the entire space between the upper beams.
Our Iconographer is Miltiadis Afentoulis (afentoulis.com)
The Icons for the North side will be completed after Christmas.
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THANK YOU TO THESE MURAL ICON DONORS!
Annunciation: Kariolis Family
Nativity: Mary Matthews
Presentation: Eliana Papaleonardos, Diane, and George
Epiphany: Maria Philippis
Transfiguration: Helen Thomas James
and Kathryn Maouris Quigley & Nicholas Maouris
Crucifixion: Nicos and Eugenia Hadjiangelis
Resurrection: Nick & Anna Serras
Ascension: Anonymous
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Saint George Church
BUDGET
Our annual expenses are approximately $135,000.
Stewardship donations in 2021 were approximately $50,000.
Fr Jim and your Parish Council, in order to lead by example,
are contributing $1,000 or more per year.
Please consider your giving level:
$1000 is $19.23 per week
$750 is $14.42 per week
$500 is $9.61 per week
$400 is $7.69 per week
Are you giving back to God as you have been blessed?
The average pledge at our church for 2022 is $697
When was the last time you increased your giving to your church?
Could you give $20 each week?
It is important to give our treasure as well as our time and talent.
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Is a Member of our St George Family in the Hospital or Extended Care?
Please contact Fr Jim with the name and location of any members of our Saint George family that may be in the hospital, Rehab or Nursing Home. Please indicate whether the need is urgent. Call Fr Jim's office 646-519-6760 or email FrJimK@goarch.org. Leave a clear message and a contact number in case additional information is needed.
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No tray will be passed.
Please place your offering directly in the slot on top of the candle stand
or in the basket as you leave the church
OR give by text to 833-396-0633.
Thank you for your continued support of our church.
We have been touched by your generosity.
Please remember the church in your will or estate plan.
| We have set up a LIGHT-A-CANDLE option on our online giving page. You may choose a candle type and submit names for prayers. Click HERE to go to our Online Giving Page. |
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Our Parish Council meets once per month.
Meetings run approximately 60 minutes.
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“The most basic task of the Church leader is to discern the spiritual gifts of all those under his authority, and to encourage those gifts to be used to the full for the benefit of all.”
~ Saint John Chrysostom ~
Your 2022 Parish Council
Fr Jim, Priest
Phil Lettre, President
Xenakis Loizou, Vice President
Mary Matthews, Treasurer
George Kotzias, Secretary
Stavros Kariolis
Steve Kotzias
Dennis Larios
Nick Maouris
Anthony Moustakas
Ephie Trataros
John Zacharia
from the Regulations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese:
CHAPTER TWO PARISH COUNCIL - ARTICLE 24 PARISH COUNCIL Section 1
"To serve on a Parish Council is a ministry and all those who serve are called to represent Christ and the Orthodox Faith to all whom they meet in all aspects of life."
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Saint George Church seeks to offer:
- A sense of Peace and the Presence of God in worship;
- Opportunities to Serve Others;
- Meaningful opportunities for Fellowship;
- Education in aspects of the Faith for all ages; and
- A well-maintained and inspiring place of worship & fellowship
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COMMEMORATED TODAY
Our Righteous Father Michael Syngellon the Confessor
Sebastian the Martyr & his Companions
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Dream of Saint Joseph ca. 1624–26 Valentin de Boulogne
New York Metropolitan Museum of Art
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Sunday Gospel and Epistle Readings
The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 11:9-10; 32-40
BRETHREN, by faith Abraham sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city which has foundation, whose builder and maker is God.
And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets - who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, ill-treated - of whom the world was not worthy - wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
The Gospel According to Matthew 1:1-25
The book of the Genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, and Aram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa, and Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.
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Pray, my brethren, to the Mother of God when the storm of enmity and malice bursts forth in your house. She, Who is all-merciful and all-powerful, can easily pacify the hearts of men. Peace and love proceed from the one God, as from their Source, and Our Lady - in God, as the Mother of Christ the Peace, is zealous, and prays for the peace of the whole world, and above all - of all Christians. --St. John of Kronstadt
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The Gifts of the Magi:
The Spirit of Stewardship
Fr. Luke A. Veronis
The Gifts of the Magi icon presents the Wise Men offering gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Christ Child. These wealthy scholars and priests of the East endured numerous dangers, and traveled great distances to offer their treasures to Christ, the newborn king. What a beautiful and meaningful example of stewardship they set for all future generations, helping us to understand the blessing of properly using and sharing God’s gifts.
To begin with, the Magi represent a sincere desire to seek after God, searching through science, nature, and their cultural traditions to communicate with their Creator and discover His will for them, even when it was something so unexpected. Imagine their long, arduous journey, possibly a 1500 mile expedition from Persia to Bethlehem, over mountains and deserts, a journey that took many months. Surely on such a trip they faced numerous dangers from nature, from bandits, and from the fear of the unknown.
What faith, determination and sacrifice they must have had. They surely faced questions and skepticism at the start. During their journey, unexpected challenges and discouraging setbacks would have been commonplace. Yet they persevered. They overcame the difficult trials and tests of their journey, and persisted in their search for God’s truth.
When they finally met the Christ Child, they bowed down in worship. They offered Jesus the most precious of their gifts. Although they were the “wise men” of their day, they didn’t allow their ego to interfere with their unexpected discovery. Even when the journey surprisingly took them beyond the king’s palace in Jerusalem to the insignificant village of Bethlehem, they went forward in faith. Everything seemed so astonishing, and yet in humility they approached the Christ Child to worship Him and offer the best of their gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The Story of the Magi is not simply a cute part of Christmas, but it represents central characters who model a path of faith and stewardship worthy of imitation. They offer an example of a sincere search for God using the intellectual gifts they possessed; a willingness to overcome any obstacles or challenging inconveniences in their journey towards God; and the witness of offering the best they had once they encounter the Christ Child.
In connection with this inspiring story of the Magi, we can also reflect on St. John Chrysostom’s words, “The rich man is not the one who has much, but the one who gives much. For what one gives away, he keeps for all eternity.” Both the Magi and Chrysostom offer a challenging perspective of Christian Stewardship. We are called to understand that all we have in life - from life itself, to our intellectual abilities and specific talents, as well as to our faith experiences and material possessions – all we have in life is a gift from God, and each of us is called to act as a proper and good steward of these gifts.
Think about how the Magi were conscientious stewards with their knowledge, experience and wisdom, as well as stewards of their time and effort, which culminated in their good stewardship of their treasure. St. John Chrysostom highlights that true wealth comes through sharing what we have first received from God Himself. Ultimately, whatever we have isn’t ours! All is God’s, and we are simply caretakers of His riches. As we learn to generously give of ourselves, of our time, talents and treasure, we only increase our wealth and make eternal investments.
Christian Stewardship is all about becoming good caretakers of all that God has given us. Think about all that God has given us – our health, our family, our opportunities in life, our intelligence, our talents. God has given each of us special and unique gifts. And through Holy Scripture He teaches us all that we have is a loan. He lends everything to us, and reminds us that one day He will ask us to give a detailed accounting of what we have done with the gifts He has given us. How have we used our time, our talents, and our treasure? Have we used them in a self-centered way or God-glorifying ways? Archbishop Anastasios of Albania has noted that “we find ourselves by offering ourselves.” Have we learned the blessedness of generously giving to others of all we have?
Everything we have is temporal. We don’t know for how long we have it. The fundamental question, though, is how will we use all that we have for the glory of God?
One day, a person complained to his priest that the Church and Christianity is one continual “give, give, give.” To which the priest replied, “Thank you very much for the finest definition of Christianity I have ever heard. Your right, Christianity is all about a constant “give, give, give.” God giving His only Son to the world to show His unconditional love. His Son Jesus giving His life on the cross to forgive our sins and destroy death. Then our Lord’s disciples giving all they had to make sure God’s Good News of love was preached to all people everywhere. They not only gave away their homes and businesses, but even gave up their lives as martyrs in gratitude to God! And after all that giving of God to the world, yes, God does ask His followers of today to imitate His own generosity by giving – by offering back from all that He ultimately has given each person! So, yes, the Church and Christianity is one continual “give, give, and give,” but from a good and holy perspective!
The Gifts of the Magi and the words of St. John Chrysostom help clarify our understanding of Christian Stewardship and what it means to act as a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.
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