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December-January, 2017-’18 Volume 8, Issue 1 HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH 330 LAKESIDE DR. NE GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49503 OFFICE: 616-454-6563; PRIEST: (616) 454-2749 WWW.HOLYTRINITYGOC.ORG E-MAIL: [email protected] HIS EMINENCE NICHOLAS, HOLY METROPOLIS OF DETROIT REV. FR. JAMES BERENDS, PARISH PRIEST REV. DEACON GEORGE CASSIS REV. PROTOPREZBYTER JAMES BOGDAN, EMERITUS INSIDE THIS ISSUE Christmas mes- sage……………………..1 Agiasmos……………..2 Ministries…………….3 Stewardship………….4 Adult Altar Boys…...5 Our parishioners…..6 Philoptochos…………7 Christmas Concert..8 New Years Eve……..9 PC President….……10 Religious Ed………..11 GOYA………………...11 CrossRoads…………12 Friends of the Metropolis……….….13 Calendars……………14 Christmas-Theophany NEWSLETTER Those who have walked in darkness, have seen a Great LightAll of us have walked in darkness. The above reference is too humanity. Created by God, our ancestors were placed in a Garden. The ideal circumstances and perfect conditions for an individual to become the likeness of their Creator. Not to point the finger, but we messed up. It was perhaps the ultimate error in judgmentwere it not for the second chance all of us are given. That an all-knowing God would proceed with creating humans with a free choice, is a further testament to His Abundant Love. His plans for us were that great! Every illness, funeral, war, argument, murder or act of animosity toward a fellow human being is a reminder of just how bad we blew it. Of course, we are not responsible for Adam nor Eves sin; its just that we got their DNA. Unlike them, our conditions are less than ideal. Yet we are without an excuse. Why? Those who have walked in darkness, have seen a Great LightChristmas. The name says it all. Christ. The Anointed One. The Messiah as understood by His Chosen People. Just asking one question, we can be on our way to a more complete understanding of this season. Who is Christ? Or who was Christ? Within a few more questions for those interested, and you would be hearing about God so loved His world that He gave His Only Begotten Son…” Further evidence of Gods Love! = continues on page 2 = MESSAGE FROM FR. JAMES BERENDS

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Page 1: HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH · AGIASMOS -BLESSING OF THE WATERS Again this year, the parish priest will be blessing all the homes of the parish with the Blessed Holy Water

December-January, 2017-’18 Volume 8, Issue 1

HOLY TRINITY GREEK O RTHODOX CHURCH 330 LAKESIDE DR. NE GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49503

OFFICE: 616 -454 -6563; PRIEST: (616) 454 -2749 WWW.HOLYTRINITYGOC.O RG

E-MAIL: [email protected]

HIS EMINENCE NICHOLAS, HOLY METROPOLIS OF DETROIT

REV. FR. JAMES BERENDS, PARISH PRIEST REV. DEACON GEORGE C ASSIS

REV. PROTOPREZBYTER JAMES BOGDAN, EMERIT US

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Christmas mes-

sage……………………..1

Agiasmos……………..2

Ministries…………….3

Stewardship………….4

Adult Altar Boys…...5

Our parishioners…..6

Philoptochos…………7

Christmas Concert..8

New Year’s Eve……..9

PC President….……10

Religious Ed………..11

GOYA………………...11

CrossRoads…………12

Friends of the

Metropolis……….….13

Calendars……………14

Christmas-Theophany NEWSLETTER

“Those who have walked in darkness, have seen a Great Light” All of us have walked in darkness. The above reference is too humanity. Created by God, our ancestors were placed in a Garden. The ideal circumstances and perfect conditions for an individual to become the likeness of their Creator. Not to point the finger, but we messed up. It was perhaps the ultimate error in judgment…were it not for the second chance all of us are given. That an all-knowing God would proceed with creating humans with a free choice, is a further testament to His Abundant Love. His plans for us were that great! Every illness, funeral, war, argument, murder or act of animosity toward a fellow human being is a reminder of just how bad we blew it. Of course, we are not responsible for Adam nor Eve’s sin; it’s just that we got their DNA. Unlike them, our conditions are less than ideal. Yet we are without an excuse. Why? “Those who have walked in darkness, have seen a Great Light” Christmas. The name says it all. Christ. The Anointed One. The Messiah as understood by His Chosen People. Just asking one question, we can be on our way to a more complete understanding of this season. Who is Christ? Or who was Christ? Within a few more questions for those interested, and you would be hearing about “God so loved His world that He gave His Only Begotten Son…” Further evidence of God’s Love!

= continues on page 2 =

MESSAGE FROM FR. JAMES BERENDS

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MESSAGE FROM FR. JAMES BERENDS

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AGIASMOS - BLESSING OF THE WATERS

Again this year, the parish priest will be blessing all the homes of the

parish with the Blessed Holy Water of Epiphany during the month of

January. Watch for the schedule in the weekly bulletin and in this

newsletter and plan to have your home blessed to begin the new year.

The parish priest should also be invited any time during the year to bless

your new home or your new business.

= continues from page 1 = We blow it. Our relationship with God is severed and He loves us so much that He gives us a second chance. As in the case the first time, being an all-knowing God, He knew that His Son was going to be crucified…and lay in the tomb for three-days, rise from the dead, ascend to Heaven, be enthroned at the Father’s right hand and come again. He tipped His hand many a time in the Hebrew Scriptures through the prophets. Especially Isaiah. George Fredric Handel captured it in The Messiah. Suppose someone asking the aforementioned question is a child and the adult answering gives them the Santa Claus answer. You know where this is going; Santa Claus is St. Nicholas; gifts are given because Nicholas, Bishop of Myra was known for giving generous gifts, etc. Xmas? I figure that is the first letter in Greek of Christos, Chi or X. The point of all is that was a GREAT LIGHT! God could not have made His Love, or His Plan of Salvation any clearer! There is nothing subtle about it. You cannot miss it. It is as plan as if God wrote it all out in the clouds for all to see. Being that we were in darkness, He did it with light. The Light of the World. Having walked in darkness are we now walking in denial? This is easier to understand than any iphone, DVD player or any other electronic device that I have in my possession. And it’s not just because I’m a priest and went to seminary. Very intelligent people have figured it out and so have the very young. It’s all about following the light.

Oh, Glorious Light!

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2017-2018 Parish Council

Lynn Afendoulis '18 James Christopoulos '18

Ronald Crosser '17 – Treasurer James Dimitriou '18 - Vice President

Michael Keller '17 Milan Milivojevic '17 Stephen Missler '18

Sam Nicholas '17 Lili Petricevic '18 - Secretary

Paul Skentzos '18 - President Linda Triant '17

MINISTRIES

Adult Greek School - Terry Monoyios Altar Boys - Ted Liberski Bible Study/Orthodox Life - Fr. Jim Berends Building committee - Steve Missler Chanters - Protopsalti Terry Monoyios, Brian Phipps, Ted Liberski, Patrick Armano, Anna Kroondyk Choir - Cynthia Kay Afendoulis Facilities (Hall Rentals, Cleaning) - Ginger Lange General Endowment - George Orphan Gift Shop - Ron Crosser GOYA - Christy Buck, Esther Koukios, and Jim Koukios Greek Dancing - Katerina Bichay, Patrina Stark, and Vasiliki Christopoulos Greek School - Tasha Espinosa Greeters - Vicki Cassis

Home Bible Study groups - Marilyn VanKuiken HOPE & JOY - Shelly Sinas Housekeeping - Linda Triant, Terry Monoyios Hymnology - Elena Afendoulis, Dasha Everse and Georgia Everse Internet Ministry - Anamaria Fiorenzo and Paul Skentzos Maintenance Committee - Tom Turner Mommy and Me - Anastasia & Arianna Wiese Orthodox Readers - Connie Vander Schel Philoptochos - Becky Trierweiler REAL - Cassie Espinosa, Nicolas Bichay, Marina Monoyios Religious Education - Phyllis Afendoulis And Ann Lapham Stewardship - Sam Nicholas Tuesday Group - Jane Patsakos Youth Basketball - Jim Koukios, Connor Koukios, and Haben Fitwi Youth Endowment - Jim Gorant

Welcoming Ministry

If you are interested in being a Greeter, please notify Vicki Cassis; [email protected]

New Newsletter Format

In our desire to enhance the experience of

our newsletter readers, we were planning a

variety of changes. The most significant

alteration is the reduction in the number of

issues to seven. Each issue will be associated

with a Major Festal period of the Church.

Beginning with the new Ecclesiastical New

Year, we plan on publishing the following

issues with the dates in parenthesis and the

deadlines for article submissions:

Holy Cross (September 14th)

Advent (November 15th)

Christmas/Theophany (December 25th)

deadline 12/11

Great Lent (February 19th)

deadline 2/6

Holy Week/Pascha (April 1st)

deadline 3/19

Pentecost (May 27th)

deadline 5/14

Dormition (August 1st)

deadline 7/21

We love to hear from you. Drop us a note with your ideas, thoughts, and suggestions.

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PARISH NEWS

Stewardship Summary – December 2017

2017 Annual Goal: $306,800

Through November we have received $234,787 from 152 of our members. This puts us $26,613 below our goal this year and $4,492 below 2016 contributions. December is usually a big donations month at Holy Trinity and my hopes are that we will close the gap to goal during the month. At the Fall General Assembly the 2018 budget was approved. The Parish Council has done a good job in controlling costs and for 2018 we budgeted the same amount needed from operational giving as we did in 2017. This figure is $ 306,800 and based on historical giving, I am estimating that we will end up this year at approximately $284,000. To meet budget next year, we will need to increase our operational giving by 8%. Please consider filling out the stewardship cards that were mailed early in December and our request is to increase your contributions by 8% so we can meet the needs of Holy Trinity in 2018. Thank you for all your contributions to Holy Trinity. Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year!

Sam Nicholas

Stewardship Chair

616-340-6936

Mission: The mission of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church is to be a spiritual home

to all who enter; to be a Christ-like community active in worship, fellowship, service,

and witness, and through participation in the sacraments to come into union with God.

Number of Contributing

Stewards

Goal Through November,

2017

Actual Contributions

Through November,

2017

Actual 2017 vs. Goal

Through November,

2017

Actual 2017 vs. Actual 2016

Through November

152 $261,400 $234,787 - $26,613 - $4,492

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We are calling on all retired altar boys to serve in the altar with Father James during the

Divine Liturgy on Sunday, December 31st star ting at 10am.

We are also inviting those men who did not get a chance to be altar boys when you

were younger. As long as you are baptized Orthodox, you are welcome to join us and

we will show you what to do -- it is very easy. We especially would like to invite the

men who have sons who are currently altar boys -- what an honor to serve at the same

time as your son.

Please consider serving on Sunday, December 31st -- it's a blessing. That Sunday, Jim

Gorant will be leading the Altar boys. Please feel free to email him with any question:

[email protected]

Thank you.

Jimmy Christopoulos

ALUMNI/ADULT ALTAR BOY SUNDAY -- Sunday, December 31st

Holy Trinity Holiday Fundraiser

Don’t feel like baking? Need a present for your friend, a shut-in, neighbor, teacher, mailman, hair stylist, etc.?

Sunday, December 17, 2017, at the Church Hall

See Akrivi Monoyios

Desserts: Pastries Cookies

Koulourakia - $5/dozen Melomakarona- $8/dozen

Variety packages - $8/dozen Karithopita- $8 (also, gluten free) Ouzo cake- $10 (also, gluten free)

All proceeds made from the sale will be donated to

Holy Trinity Church.

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OUR PARISHIONERS We are very proud of our people! We continue to feature our parishioners with exceptional

accomplishments. Hard work pays off. Please submit these kind of good news and have the

opportunity to observe them and congratulate them.

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As I prepared for my first son to go on his first GOYA trip,

it struck me that he has the same GOYA advisor that I

did. I find that more than a little amazing. Christy Buck

has been serving this community's kids with her time,

talent, passion, faith, love and energy for over 30 years! I

just wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU from

Christos, from me, and from the hundreds of kids she has

helped along their spiritual journeys. I think I am the first

of Christy's Alumni GOYANS to produce another GOYA

member under her

leadership. Pretty special.

Christa Panopulos-Bird

Artist-in-Residence Program

The Forest Hills Fine Arts Center Artist-in-Residence (AIR) program offers selected local and regional artists a unique opportunity to share their work and talent with students and art-lovers in the Forest Hills area through short term residencies. Each residency will be launched with a public reception to introduce the artist to the community and unveil an exhibition of their work in the Center gallery. During the period “in residence,” each artist will enjoy use of the resources of the Fine Arts Center studio and provide a variety of interactive presentations and demonstrations for Forest Hills students and/or adults. Each year, a committee of art educators, local artists and community members will identify potential artists in a variety of media and invite them to apply to the program. Five or six

residencies will be awarded annually and presented to the community as a series. Selections are made based on the art form and the artist’s scope of experience, body of work, and demonstrated ability to work effectively with community members and students. Information about the AIR Program can be obtained by contacting the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center.

Anne Berends January 10 - February 2, 2018 Reception: Thursday, January 18, 2018, 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. in the lobby. Everyone is welcome! Working freelance as a fine artist and a teaching artist with a concentration in works on paper, Anne Berends frequently uses gouache, charcoal, conté, ink, and pastels. Her work is process oriented, an approach that results in both abstraction and representational imagery. The subject matter is often a bowl, a vessel, or a landscape that evolves into large cavernous holes, an abyss, or an ellipse of some sort. The work focuses on expressive multi-layered lines in an attempt to make the purpose more visible and illuminated. By working with the inherently pure form, Anne is looking to show what speaks beyond the subject itself.

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PHILOPTOCHOS

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Food Sale We are pleased to report that our Annual Greek Food sale had sales over 10K! Our dedicated team of members came out to help make over 3000 Spinach Pies and 100 small pans of Pastitsio! Blessings and Thanks for all your support and time. Funeral Ministry Over the past few months our Funeral Ministry decorated the hall, prepared and served food for three funerals for our beloved sisters in Christ. It was our blessing to be able to honor Tina Afendoulis, Keke Agrafiotis and Marina Zazakis memories in this way. May their memories be eternal and my our Lord continue to bless their families with peace and healing. Events We had a wonderful time of fellowship at the Meijer Gardens to kick off the season as a church family. Thank you to those of you who came out to enjoy the beauty of the holiday displays, good food and drink. WE have no events in January! Look for email announcements in February for our winter outing and another opportunity for fellowship and fun! The Philoptochos Board wishes everyone a blessed Christmas and happy, healthy New Year!

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Ευλογημἐνο (το) Νἐο Ἐτος και Καλἀ Θεοφἀνια! Blessed New Year and Blessed Feast of Theophany!

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A special thanks to all who sang on Sunday, November 19, 2017 for the

concert and to all who supported us. It took a lot of effort and the choir

hopes you think it was worth it and enjoyed singing with the others. May

you have a Blessed Christmas and very prosperous and Happy New Year.

Songs of the Faithful Thanksgiving

Christmas Concert

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Message from Parish Council President

As we progress into the waning days of the year, I wondered what to write for this newsletter that has not already been written. We have done a lot as a community. From major fixes on the structure of our building and appliance updates (we replaced our main boiler last year, right before the New Year’s Eve Party!), to successful Calder and Yassou festivals, to the many charitable events held by our Philoptochos chapter, to the day to day happenings that occur without many of us really noticing the good works and services they perform. We have accomplished much. So, I wanted to thank all of you for your help and your participation in our community and for making all our successes happen. Each and every one of you is immensely important to the vision and mission of Holy Trinity. If you have cleaned up someone else’s table after a coffee hour or made sure that your children arrived in time for Sunday School, I thank you for making Holy Trinity a better place to be. If you have talked with the Parish Council about a concern or idea, I thank you for making Holy Trinity a better place. If you have had a difference of opinion with someone at Holy Trinity or disagreed with a particular Parish Assembly vote and still worship with our community, I thank you for being the example to follow and reminding us why Holy Trinity really exists. Our ministries remind us every day why Holy Trinity has the rich history it does. We have memories from the past and images of our future possibilities working together in union, resulting in a spiritual oasis for our increasingly busy lifestyles. All of us work together to create a community, worshiping together that culminates in celebrating the Divine Liturgy. Lastly, I wanted to thank the Parish Council for all their work and time they have given to our community. Many of the positive changes around our community might not have happened without their support and love for Holy Trinity. As 2017 comes to a close and 2018 begins, I thank all of you for your hard work and support of our community. I look forward to our future and to continued improvements for Holy Trinity. I also look forward to seeing all of you at this year’s New Year’s Eve Party!

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Y * O * U * T * H YOUTH NEWS

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

RE would like to thank the Parish for their continued support of our Missions Projects. Manna Pantry was excited and thankful to receive our Thanksgiving donations. We are continuing our collection of non-perishable items for the Pantry and Monetary donations for Lainie’s Angels through Theophany. Please see the display by the parking lot entrance. December 24th-No Classes December 31st-No Classes January 7th-RE Classes Resume Have s Blessed 12 Days Of Christmas!! In His Service, Ann Phyllis

GOYAN's, Parents and HTGOC Members! Please mark your calendars for the following dates: December 17 - GOYA Meeting December 22 - Christmas Caroling January 21 - GOYA Meeting January 26 - 28th - GOYO IV (Greek Orthodox Youth Olympics #4) The next few weeks are super busy for GOYA - activities and annual fundraisers! Members of HTGOC can help in a couple of ways: Community Christmas Caroling event has been happening every year for over 60 years! When it was created ALL members of HTGOC were serenaded with Christmas Carols by GOYAN's! With such a large community, we now have a list of those who would like us to come by their homes. We will be taking names through December 17th and we will definitely be stopping by retirement communities where are parishioners are residing to treat them to some good ole fashioned caroling! Make this part of your holiday tradition! GOYO is set for Jan. 26 - 28! All hands on deck as we send out the call for volunteers! This event has made its way to one of the top activities for our Diocese and is based on meeting the four pillars all in one day! More information to come! For now, mark your calendar!

GOYA NEWS

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YOUTH NEWS CONTINUES...

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Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church

330 Lakeside Dr. NE Grand Rapids, MI 49503 Phone: (616) 454-6563 [email protected] www.holytrinitygoc.org

HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH GRAND RAPIDS, MI

Holy Trinity is home to a diverse community – descendants of our Greek founding families, but also parishioners from diverse cultural backgrounds: Eritrean, Ethiopian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, and Dutch. We are a unique church, a family, but first and foremost we are a worshiping community of Orthodox Christians. In every service celebrated as a community, we experience an encounter with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are a church with a long and full history – a history that stems back 2,000 years to the Apostle Andrew. It is a history of faithful, not just from bishop to bishop, but from community of faithful to community of faithful starting on the day of Pentecost (The Feast day of our Holy Trinity Church). We welcome you to worship with us. Whether you are an Orthodox Christian or this is your first visit to an Orthodox church, we are pleased to have you with us. "Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." - Romans 15:7 Mission: The mission of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church is to be a spiritual home to all who enter; to be a Christ-like community active in worship, fellowship, service, and witness, and through participation in the sacraments to come into union with God.

Regular Weekly Services (Sundays):

Orthros: 9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy: approximately 10:00 a.m. *Depending on the Saint of the Day celebrated, Orthros/Matins don’t have the same length and since they flow into the Divine Liturgy, the starting time of the Divine Liturgy may vary. Sunday School: (September-May): following Communion Holy Confession: By Appointment Please see our online calendar and bulletin for the latest schedule update: www.holytrinitygoc.org Also, visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/holytrinitygreekorthodoxchurchgrandrapids/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel