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The Word
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.”
~John 1:14
A Monthly Newsletter
Notes From the Parish
Council
A new Parish Council
will be sworn in to
serve the Nativity
Community in 2015.
Pray for your peers who
have been uplifted by
you to this ministry.
Page 3
January 2015
Religious Education
Key changes are
taking place in the
curriculum of Adult
Education!
Preparation for the
Divine Liturgy & a
new look at old
themes. Be a part of
a learning
community.
Page 4
“Greek Orthodox”
Have you ever
wondered why we have
the title, “Greek”
Orthodox? Could it be
more than ethnicity?
Page 5
Philoptochos
See the many exciting
philanthropic
happenings here at
Nativity and beyond.
Join this month!
Page 6
Beyond the Backyard
Opportunities exist in the
Orthodox world to develop
yourself as a steward, and
grow closer to God.
Starting in the local parish,
the Orthodox world offers
numerous and diverse
experiences for you to
grow closer to the Lord.
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grumble, or negativity. If we do, we miss out
on the heavenly reward that awaits a virtuous
life…and it is easily recognizable to those who
are receiving our offering.
Community:
How Do We Teach
the Infant?!
Truly, a community must be a wellspring of
warmth and hospitality if we are to teach that
infant child how to praise God and what it is
to be Church.
by Father Luke
In the midst of the congregation, I shall sing
praises unto Your Holy Name.
~ from the 40-day Churching Service
Offer hospitality to one another without
grumbling.
The Biblical messaging of the Church at the
40-day Churching Service (Psalm 22:22,
Hebrews 2:12) assumes that a community
exists through which the infant will be reared
to praise God. Yes, not only is the infant being
introduced to the community, but the
community’s responsibility toward the infant
is recognized — to show, teach and be Church!
God first offered hospitality when he offered
to mankind the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2). It
was pleasing to God when Abraham offered
hospitality to three strangers (Genesis 18:1-8),
and this central virtue of Christian behavior is
still pleasing to Him this day! When you offer
yourself to a fellow parishioner, a friend of the
community, or any stranger — you develop a
core tenet of Church. This offering can be in
the form of a welcoming exchange, an
invitation to fellowship, or even simply the
purity of an authentic smile.
Without a community, no Church exists!
The Christian Church is manifest when a
group of two, three or more gather together
with a shared faith in our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. But once we are gathered
together, what makes us a community?
Through our experience of Church, how are
we teaching that infant to praise God? To know
Him? To love Him?
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Stewardship Goal
We are asked to be
stewards, but have we
taken the time to
reflect on what that
really means?
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~ 1 Peter 4:9
The offering of hospitality is pleasing to God,
and that in and of itself suffices as motivation
for a community that strives to be Church. As
Saint Peter articulates, we must not offer
hospitality out of a sense of burden, a
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another, and the
blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all
sin.
~ 1 John 1:7
Being welcoming is the beginning of
community experience, but what then? What
connects us to one another and maintains us
as community? Jesus Christ.
When you actively engage a life connected to
Jesus Christ, through committed adherence to
the teachings of Scripture and participation in
the liturgical life of His Church, you not only
grow closer to Him, you also grow closer to
the others in the community who are also
attempting to live connected to Christ. In the
shape of the Cross — our vertical relationship
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“No act of kindness, no
matter how small, is
ever wasted.
~ Aesop
with God edifies our horizontal relationships
with one another… and vice versa!
A close-knit community, growing closer to one
another by growing in Christ, is a community
that will teach the path toward salvation to
that infant!
Live in harmony with one another.
~ Romans 12:16
When our Heavenly Father created the world,
it was a great experience of diversity. We
often hear through the voice of progressivism
that we may find unity in diversity, and this is
true. We may find unity in our diversity when
all diverse entities are in accord with the
experience of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Logos
of God (John 1:1-3). In the Garden of Eden,
the diversity of the heavens, the earth, land,
sea, vegetation, animals and even mankind,
are in perfect union with one another without
compromising their individually diverse
identities, as they were created by and in
union with God Himself. It was not until sin
— a voluntary separation from God — that
disunity entered into the diversity of God’s
creation.
You can be different from the other people in
Church! God gave you a distinct personality
and a set of circumstances through which it
was to develop. Imagine for a minute how
utterly boring church, or any other
community for that matter, would be if
everyone was the same. You are allowed to be
different, and even at times perhaps disagree
— so long as your diversity is connected with
a lifestyle that is guided by Christ, you will
still be in harmony with your brothers and
sisters in the Church community.
Are you a guy or a girl? Old or young?
Outgoing or reserved? American? GreekAmerican? American-Greek? Any other
cultural identity? Californian? Midwesterner?
East-Coaster? Happy? Depressed? Rich? Poor?
New to the community? A life-long member?
Conservative? Liberal? Married? Single? Etc,
etc, etc…
No matter who you are, where you come
from, or what you are currently experiencing
in this chapter of your life — you can be in
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harmony with everyone else in the Church
community if you are striving to be in union
with Christ!
When we strive to live a life together with
Christ we grow closer to one another, and it is
witnessed in the ways that we treat one
another.
A community that is loving to one another
despite our diversity, that is a harmonious
community — that is the community that will
embrace and teach that infant about a life in
Christ.
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will
fulfill the law of Christ.
~ Galatians 6:2
There will be times that members of the
Church will not be acting “100% Christian!”
What then?
Well, have you never been in the wrong? We
must begin from a position of empathy. When
one of our brothers or sisters is not running at
100% Christian capacity, we must empathize
with them, remembering that our own life is
peppered with those same moments — after
all, only Jesus Christ is perfect! If we can
empathize with others in the community,
recognizing that some form of burden is
tempting them away from a life in Christ, then
we may engage them at one level or another,
offering to share their burden and together
return to a life pleasing to our Lord.
Perhaps you are uncomfortable talking to
them about it, but can you pray for them? Not
that “they get fixed,” but rather that “as you
are striving to be connected to Christ, that
they too may be relieved of any burden that
hinders their connection to Christ.”
A community whose members empathize
with one another — this is a community that
grows closer and in Christ. This is a
community that will show that infant the love
of the Lord.
A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy
reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness
gathers love.
~ St Basil the Great
If we could boil down the responsibility of
each Christian entrusted to teach that infant
child at the 40-day Churching Service… we
would come to the understanding that each
and every one of us is responsible to be not
only courteous, but also kind to one another.
Jesus taught that, “in everything, do to others
what you would have them do to you, for this
sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew
7:12). I can think of no general expectation, let
alone hope, in relationships beyond the desire
to be treated with courtesy and kindness.
Saint Basil the Great assures us that when we
proactively engage our brothers and sisters in
Christ in these same ways that we would
desire to be approached, we will cultivate the
experiences of friendship and love. Through
the ways that we treat one another we may
actually gather love!
Remembering that God is Love (1 John 4:8),
we connect to God and each other when we
first and foremost are simply kind to each
other!
In order to rear that infant to sing praises to
God, to know God, and to love God — we
must be kind to one another!
There is no exception to kindness. As
kindness gathers love, if we choose not to be
kind, then we choose not to love, and
“whoever does not love does not know
God” (1 John 4:8).
As a community and the individuals who
comprise her (that means you and me), let us
focus this year on the most basic principles
that gather us as a community, and define us
as Church.
Be hospitable. Be welcoming.
Be connected. Be empathetic.
And at the root of these experiences,
Be kind!
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Notes from the
Parish Council
The Reality of Budgets
The Fall Parish Assembly included a sobering
budget presentation centering on deficit
spending for the 2014 budget and an even
more unsettling projection for the 2015
calendar year. Both the 2014 and 2015 budgets
are significantly impacted by the precipitous
reduction in revenue from stewardship and
increasing fixed expenses.
The 2014 budget may be closed with the
spending of as much as $20,000 in deficit
operational costs. Leading the reasons for
deficit expenditures is the inability of
parishioners to meet their pledged amounts.
A contribution shortfall of over 20% will put a
major hole in the 2014 balance sheet.
Our budget woes are being compounded by a
reduction in the number of members in good
standing by approximately 10%. A trend line
including increased operational expenses,
possible major maintenance issues (with little
left in the Paponis Fund), and reduced income
led to the Parish Assembly approval of a
hopefully one-time budget with as much as
$50,000 in deficit spending.
With the specter of the depletion of the
operational reserve fund within a few years,
the Parish Council began looking at program
reductions for immediate implementation.
Consequently, the annual donations to
charitable causes for 2014 were reduced by
two-thirds to save $12,000. While all of the
council members felt remorseful about this
elimination of funds for needy causes, the
majority of the council determined that
program reductions must occur unless new
revenues are realized, rather than further
jeopardize the immediate future of our
community.
Not All Is a Lump of Coal
Parishioners came together this holiday
season to provide significant support to less
fortunate area families. The Marin Food Bank
will benefit from the donation of several
barrels of food products and over $500, which
will result in the equivalent of more than
$3,000 in food purchases.
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Thanks to all who participated in this holiday
drive. Hopefully, we will all remain vigilant
of the food needs of less fortunate citizens
throughout the year.
(parishcouncil@nativityofchrist.org) to book
your facility needs. We want to make sure
your events receive the proper attention to
detail.
Positive Minds Create Positive Futures
A Great Super Bowl Alternative Weekend
Event
A response trend of the recently conducted
parishioner survey is that positive planning
for and implementation of new and revised
goals is essential for an enlightened path for
our community. The positive voices of the
responding parishioners are truly heartening
in a tough budget time.
Hopefully, this positive spirit will be present
at the two community meetings scheduled for
January. After church services on January 11,
a survey data review session will be held in
the social hall. Parishioners will be given the
opportunity to collaboratively analyze the
observations presented in the survey.
The evening meeting on Saturday, January 24,
will mark the beginning of the short-term
goals planning process. Based on the analysis
of the data from the January 11 meeting,
parishioners will develop preliminary goals,
which can be achieved within a maximum of
18 months. After a couple of weeks to allow
for consideration of the proposed goals, a
meeting will be held to finalize the goals and
begin steps to implement them. A process to
establish 3-5 year goals will begin shortly after
the implementation of the short-term goals.
Throughout these meetings, parishioners
should always keep in mind our church is a
special place, which requires people to be
accepting of the visions of others and allow all
present to politely engage in the planning
process. While we all care about the future of
our parish, emotions should never dominate
the thought process needed for positive
community planning.
A New Year, a New Calendar, and a New
Coordinator
When planning any event utilizing campus
facilities, please take a small step to guarantee
you are the only group celebrating on that
date. Please contact Rose Hunter via the
parish council email account
Are you upset that the Raiders and 49ers will
not be playing in this year’s Super Bowl?
Don’t take it so hard because the best event
you could participate in is happening at the
Nativity of Christ Church on Saturday,
January 31 (the night before the Super Bowl).
The annual Community Crab Feed sponsored
by the Pancretan Association Polirinia Chapter
of Marin County, which generously
contributes funding to the needs of our
religious experience. Additionally, it is a great
way to catch up with friends, share some tasty
food, dance, win some prizes and support our
Minoan Dancers.
Rather than being a couch potato watching the
pre, pre, pre-Super Bowl chatter, spend a
festive evening enjoying this season’s crab
catch. If you really must talk about football,
reserve a table with your favorite 49er or
Raider fans, commiserate about what could
have happened this season, and dream about
next season.
Changing Faces
The Parish Council is sincerely thankful for
the devoted service provided by the five
members whose terms have expired. Pete
Gikkas, Matina Seremetis, George Sotiras,
Spiro Stratigos, and Scott Walters have added
diverse insights and wisdom to the Parish
Council throughout over 25 years of combined
service.
We look forward to the energy and thoughts
of our new members, who bring a variety of
experiences to the table. Welcome to our
recently selected members – Leo Haginicols,
Tiffany Haginicols, Ed Keller, Cathy Selmi,
and George Tacticos.
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NATIVITY YOUTH EDUCATION
“SUNDAY SCHOOL”
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Bible Study: A Way to
Prepare for Sunday’s
Divine Liturgy
Angel Tree - Special Thanks
Each Tuesday morning (10am) Bible Study is
The Angel Tree was overflowing with gifts last taught to all Nativity Stewards & friends who
month to be delivered to children and adults wish to grow in their understanding of God’s
of all ages to brighten their Christmas holiday.
Word and the Orthodox Church. Visitors are
By the first Sunday in December, all Angel
always welcomed!
Tags had been removed from the tree, and by
the second Sunday the Narthex was filled with
In the Divine Liturgy, two
bags and bags of wonderful donations, that
distinct New Testament
extended out beyond the Angel Tree, with
Scriptural Readings are read
Angel Tags for a very special delivery. Our
parish community fulfilled the wishes of many
aloud to the congregation.
by purchasing special items written on the
These readings are not chosen at
Angel tags. In partnership with the Salvation
random; they have been
Army, the Angel Tree gifts were delivered in
time for Christmas. Special thanks to Christina prayerfully and purposefully prescribed by
the Church for all Orthodox faithful to hear
Foster, Elaine Chyrklund and Bonnie
Alexander, who, year after year, make it
on that specific Sunday! Did you ever stop
possible for our Nativity family to fill
someone's wish.
to think… why those readings?
Beginning this January, through the Bible
Study we will examine the Epistle & Gospel
Christmas Pageant
readings prescribed by the Church for the
The Christmas Pageant held on December 21st upcoming Sunday. Not only will this
recreated the Christmas Story with a new
exercise help participants grow in their
script and song. The students from Greek
knowledge of God’s Word, but it will
School joined in as Katarina Siefkas, Jenny
provide insight into the wisdom of the
Walters and our Greek School Teachers, Dafni
Dedopoulou, Eirini Karatzaferi Yatrakis, and Church, and prepare those involved for a
Lena Kokalis, led the children and parish in more in-depth participation in Sunday’s
joyful song. A very special thanks to Gigi
Divine Liturgy.
Medan for her ongoing commitment to
coordinate this joyful pageant and celebration All are welcome to join us Tuesday
with the children and to Marina Medan for her mornings! Feel free to bring a snack, bring
amazing assistance.
a friend, and bring your Bible!
Activity Sunday:
The Blessings of the Antidoron
Our Activity Sunday that took place on
December 4th was a great success. The
students and teachers came together to learn
about prosforon and antidoron. The children
saw the bread up close as well as the stamp
with its sections for the 9 ranks of the Saints
and Angels, Panagia, the living, the dead, our
local authorities and our local bishop, and the
IC/XC/NI/KA in five sections forming a cross
to show that Jesus Christ is Victorious. The
students also learned the the prosforon is more
than bread...that it is an offering we give back
to God in thanks for all He bestows on us each
day. Special thanks to Paraskevi Catel for
taking time to make a prosforon for us to use
in our discussion! A Saturday workshop is
being planned for either January or February
for all students, parents and teachers who
wish to learn to make the prosforon. 4
Adult Education: A
New Series for the
Faithful
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January 21: Biblical Foundations of
Orthodoxy
January 28: Prayer: Individual & Communal
February 4: Ecclesiastical Roles
February 11: Ecclesiastical Structures
February 18: What’s Modern About Church?
This 7-week series will run up to the
beginning of Great Lent.
Please join your brothers and sisters in
Christ to learn more about the Church, and
in turn, your relationship with God.
All are invited to participate in the Adult
Education experience at Nativity — bring
questions, bring a snack, bring a friend!
Interested in a Book
Club at Nativity?
Book clubs are popular forums to grow in
knowledge while growing the experience of
fellowship. What greater arena to grow in
knowledge than Spirituality, and what
better group to grow fellowship than with
your brothers and sisters in Christ?
If you are interested in participating in a
book club at Nativity, please contact Cathy
Selmi who is exploring this experience for
our Nativity family.
Sunday School News
Continued
January Class Schedule
January 4: Youth Activity Sunday
Nativity Adult Education classes take place each
Wednesday evening (6pm), preceded by a short
prayer service, Akathist to the Nativity of Christ
(5:30pm).
January 11: Youth Education Sunday
In the effort to engage a greater number of
the faithful, we will break from our system
of offering monthly themed classes, and
offer a 7-week introductory series on the
Orthodox Church. Classes will focus on the
following:
Book for the Month:
January 7:
January 18: Youth Education Sunday
January 25: Youth Education Sunday
“Children’s Bible Reader” from our own
Archdiocese! Interactive, audio, and an
illustrated version can be found on the
website:
www.cbr:goarch.org
Who is God?
January 14: What is Church?
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Why “Greek”
Orthodox?
Have you ever wondered why we have the
title, “Greek Orthodox?” Of the roughly
500,000 Greek Orthodox Christians in
America, a declining number have ancestry
from Greece, let alone are from there.
Perhaps it is a reference to something else?
Something bigger and much different than an
ethnic identifier? The article below engages
the reality of Hellenism and its relationship to
Christianity.
Of Plato and
Plowshares: What
is Hellenism?
~ Father B. Mark Sietsema
We all know the Parable of the Sower. The
sower casts seeds everywhere, but only in the
good soil does the seed flourish. Of course,
good soil isn’t good by accident! Something
happened to prepare the earth for the seed. In
this parable the seed is the Gospel, the sower is
the evangelist, and the soil is the human heart.
But what is the plow? What prepares hearts to
accept the Truth of Christ?
Historically it is a fact that in the ancient world
the Gospel fared best where Hellenism was the
strongest. Hellenic culture was the plow that
prepared hearts for Christianity. When the
Gospel seed fell in areas not well-Hellenized—
among the Germanic tribes, throughout Persia,
in Jerusalem, in Arabia—the seed sprouted only
to yield bitter fruit: Arianism, iconoclasm,
legalism, and Islam. But wherever Hellenic
values were accepted and celebrated—there,
historically, the churches planted by the
Apostles stayed Orthodox in their worship and
theology, century upon century.
And so it is worth thinking about what
Hellenism is and how Hellenism prepared
hearts for the Word of God. Hellenism is not
about olives in our salad and line dancing in
costumes. Hellenism is above all a frame of
mind, an outlook on the world that shapes every
experience. To understand Hellenism, you have
to know something about the ancient world in
which it developed.
There were two kinds of societies. There was
the tribal way of life, where people lived with
their clan, and religion was a form of nature
worship. Humans lived in fear of the spirits all
around them, and worship was placating these
spirits. Then there was the life of the ancient
city-state, where people were organized into a
society of different classes—the merchants, the
artisans, the priests, the rulers, and the serfs and
slaves. Fear of nature was replaced by fear of
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the king, who received worship as a kind of
god, with absolute power of life and death over
his subjects. And so whether you lived in the
wilderness or in civilization, the operative
principle of your world was fear—fear of
“divinities” who menaced mankind either as
natural elements or as tyrants.
Not so among the ancient Hellenic people. For
them fear was replaced by wonder. Yes, they
worshipped many gods. But when they looked
up at the sky and watched the movements of the
stars, they did not just see supernatural forces at
play. They saw mathematics at work. They saw
geometry and physics and chemistry. And
seeing this, they did not cower in fear. They
rose up in wonderment, and in delight. And
they explored and experimented and examined
this wonderful world.
To be sure, other ancient peoples, like the
Egyptians and the Babylonians, had some
knowledge of astronomy—but they always used
this power to suppress the masses with fear of
the king’s divinity—as if Pharoah or
Nebuchadnezzar were the ones controlling
comets and eclipses. The Greeks would have
none of that! Their kings were revered, but not
as gods. For the Greeks, science—and the
sense of wonder that inspired it—were tools for
progress, not weapons of enslavement.
And so in the ancient world, the Gospel of a
God Who is a heavenly Father, Who is
universal and is tied to no dynasty in particular,
Who loves us as children, and in Whose love
there is no fear, for “perfect love casts out
fear” (1 John 4:8)—this was a message that the
Hellenized world was ready to hear. This was a
God worthy to be worshipped as the Creator of
the “wonder”-full world which they inhabited
… the “kosmos,” as the Greeks named it,
meaning the thing of beauty and design. The
Greeks saw the world, not as the battlefield of a
hundred warring deities, but as the lovely
sculpted artwork of a wise and beneficent Mind.
And so in the teachings of Jesus Christ, they
recognized the loving Creator God of their
science.
But what about Greek religion, with its
polytheism and all those funny myths of gods
coupling with humans and turning out
demigods like Heracles? Indefensible, of
course, and yet . . . within the strict and absolute
monotheism of Judaism, there was no room for
the experience of God as Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. Hellenic thought, by contrast, was not
only ready for the message of only one God, but
it was also equipped to receive the revelation of
one God in three persons. Likewise, the
Incarnation made no sense in the mindset of
Judaism, where God was so apart from this
world that the thought of an eternal union of
human and divine in one person was utter
blasphemy. For the Hellenic mind, shaped by
the stories about Olympians interacting with
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mortals, the concept of the Incarnation was less
of a stumbling-block.
But it was not so much Hellenic religion that
prepared the soil as it was Hellenic philosophy.
And here we can speak of an achievement that
no other single culture before or after ever came
close to matching. The science of knowledge,
the discovery of the mind, the refinement of
human curiosity—and the recognition of its
limits!—these are some of the unique
accomplishments of Hellenic philosophy. And
so profound was the influence of that
philosophy in the ancient world, that it left
some noteworthy marks upon the young
religion of Christianity.
The first was in the fact that the early Christians
did not speak of their movement as a threskeia
(“religion”), but rather a philosophia. The
Church Fathers viewed Christianity as an
extension and perfection of Greek philosophy, a
complete way of life guided by wisdom. For
them, true faith was the application of Godgiven reason to the data of God-given revelation
in the Old and New Testaments. And the black
robe of the clergy in our Orthodox Church, the
exorasson, is nothing else but the early
Church’s adaptation of the plain, unadorned
garb of the philosopher, the uniform for those
who spurn outward ostentation for the inner
beauty of wisdom.
But perhaps the chief contribution of Hellenic
philosophy to the ancient world was the idea of
virtue, or arete, and of ideals that are greater
than life: truth, justice, integrity, liberty.
Elsewhere in the ancient world men fought and
died for gold, for cattle, perhaps even for love.
Rarely did one find a man laying down his life
for his ideals. But for the Hellenic mind this
was the height of virtue—as exemplified by
Socrates, by the Spartans at Thermopylae, and
by Pheidippides, who ran himself to death to
bring news of the battle of Marathon. To lay
down one’s life voluntarily for the common
good was one of the great themes of Hellenic
culture. The self-offering of Jesus Christ and
the voluntary sacrifice of the early martyrs were
not alien to Greek ideals. The Son of God who
lays down His life for His friends (John 15:13)
is to the Hellenic mind the consummate
possessor of virtue.
As Orthodox Christians, we give thanks both
for our Jewish roots and for our Hellenic
heritage. To disdain Hellenism, as do some
Orthodox in America, is to despise one’s
grandmother. It is a rejection of the heavenly
Father, who through the Greeks prepared the
world for His evangelion of a “perfect love that
casts out all fear” (1 John 4:18). Thanks be to
God for Greeks bearing gifts, ancient gifts of
wonder and wisdom that prepared our hearts to
receive the Gospel!
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Coffee Hour
Coffee Hour is such an important part of
our church community. You can be of
great support by bringing in fruit and
baked goods. Why not try something
new in 2015? Gather a few friends and
host a coffee hour. Please contact Debbie
Kokalis to sign up to a host a coffee hour.
If not you then who?
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to charities; it’s about using your Godgiven talents to enrich the lives of those
less fortunate. Make 2015 the year you
truly become a “friend of the poor.”
Joining Philoptochos really means
actively living and practicing
our Orthodox faith. All women and men
are invited to join this worthy ministry of
our church. Membership Forms will be
available during coffee hour each Sunday
in January. We look forward to having
you as a member of our parish
Philoptochos in 2015!
Light the Path
It was wonderful to see that our church
filled two tables to support such a worthy
cause. A fun time was had by all.
Christmas Card
organizing the blankets. A warm thank
you to all those who came out to help
make the blankets for the children in the
Pediatric Cardiac Care Unit at UCSF.
Great job! Thanks to Vicki Gikkas for
chairing this event.
Philoptochos
Membership
plenteous in goodness, the one who accepted
the gifts of the Wise Men in Bethlehem, the
Bread of life who came down from heaven…
Hear us as we beseech you on this auspicious
day of our entrance into the new year of your
goodness and bless this sweet bread which is
offered for your glory…
!
!
!
~from the Cutting
of the Vasilopita Service
January 4th, following the Divine Liturgy,
we will gather once again in the
fellowship hall to celebrate the service of
December Social Was
A Special Occasion
December was a busy time for all, but it
was also a time to gather with friends and
family and to help those in need. We had
a wonderful calamari dinner thanks to
the hard work of the cooks Pete Gikkas
and John Hunter, Gigi and Dushan
Medan for the delicious salads and to all
the other women and men who helped
make the evening a success. We all had a
great time socializing while the blankets
were being tied, and we completed over
70 blankets! Thanks goes to Pat Destein
and Effie Fourakis for preparing and
S
The proceeds of the card will benefit the
RCA (Retired Clergy Association)
Benevolence Fund. This group is made
up of Retired Clergy and widowed
Presbyteres who are currently receiving
very minimal or no monthly pensions.
With your generous support we raised
over $2,700! Thank you to Rose Hunter
and Cathy Selmi for chairing this event.
the Cutting of the Vasilopita. Join your
spiritual family for this beautiful blessing
service, as we rely upon the Lord and
commemorate the Heaven-Revealer, Saint
Basil the Great!
Dates to Remember
January 4"
"
January TBA"
Vasilopita Service
Membership Coffee Hour
Board Meeting
Happy Birthday!!!
Joanne Kambur" "
Diane Kavantjas"
Debbie Kokalis" "
Evangelia Madias "
Patricia Rey"
"
Nicole Meehan" "
1/7
1/8
1/20
1/25
1/25
1/29
Turkey Bomb
Once again we were able to send over 30
turkeys to those less fortunate. Thank
you, Debbie Kokalis, for chairing this
worthy event.
Our membership drive will begin on
January 4th, 2015, and will continue
throughout the month of January.
Becoming a member of Philoptochos is an
excellent opportunity to become involved
with our community. It isn’t just about
“O Creator of everything and Lord and King
meetings, fundraising and writing checks of all ages, the one abundant in mercy and
Vasilopita Service
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My 2015 Stewardship offering is $______
O
Special gifts and interests to share (i.e., event planning, fundraising, publicity, baking/cooking,
decorating, visitations, leadership skills):
__________________________________________________________________________
Telephone: ___________________________ Email: ______________________________
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Address: __________________________________________________________________
Name: _____________________________________________Birthday(Mo/day) ________
C A H R O C S H
Membership forms will be available during Fellowship Brunch
Our goal is to have every member of the parish to be a member of Philoptochos.
• Grow the potential of Philoptochos to fulfill and expand its ministries
______ Gift Membership
Please complete a Gift Card.
______ Associate Member
Non-Orthodox Christian man or woman, married to an Orthodox Christian spouse, or
an Orthodox Christian man. An Associate Member enjoys all privileges of
membership except the right to vote or hold office.
O T P HT EO
• Witness your faith as an Orthodox Christian
• Active participation and/or financial support enables the Philoptochos Society to
effectively contribute to charitable organizations
• Assist in fulfilling the needs of the parish
We want you to join Philoptochos for the following reasons:
DL
______ Full Member
Women of the Orthodox Christian Faith, at least 18 years of age. Although we
welcome all to the General Meetings, attendance is not required for Membership.
Membership Form
OP UH NI
See you on January 4, 2015 as we celebrate and
share our special prepared
Vasilopita!!!
R
In addition to our philanthropic endeavors, we are committed to the preservation of the
sacredness of the Orthodox Family and promotion of the Orthodox Christian Faith.
A
WILL GROW THE WORK OF THE NATIVITY
PHILOPTOCHOS ESPECIALLY DURING THESE
CHALLENGING TIMES
The Philoptochos Society is the only official philanthropic organization of the Greek Orthodox
Church in America. We are also the largest women’s Christian Philanthropic Organization in
America. The name Philoptochos literally means friend of the poor. We help those who are
poor in financial and material resources, in spirit, in health, in companionship, in emotional
stability, and in whatever is needed to lead a fulfilling life.
M
YOUR GENEROUS MEMBERSHIP CONTRIBUTION
FROM BOTH MEN AND WOMEN
O
“Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8)
Philoptochos supports many charities while spiritually enriching its members through their
participation in its work.
Philoptochos Stewardship Form
PARTNERSHIP FOR SUCCESS
R
SPONSORS
OUR ANNUAL VASILOPITA FELLOWSHIP
GLORY TO GOD!
JANUARY IS
PHILOPTOCHOS MEMBERSHIP MONTH
JANUARY 4, 2015 THE PHILOPTOCHOS
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“PRE-
Who is
C O U R T Y A R D ” That?
Does seeing that old photo of
Nativity bring back some good
memories?
Remember how hard you worked,
and how much you saw others
dedicating themselves!
What can you do today to ensure
It’s not Willie Robertson from the
famed Duck Dynasty franchise!
It’s not Richard Simmons getting
people into shape!
And it’s not Rex-Quan-Do from
Napoleon Dynamite, or even
Uncle Sam!
beyond the
Backyard
Through Stewardship to
Metropolis, Archdiocesan, and
Patriarchal ministries — all
Orthodox Christians have the
opportunity to serve Christ
outside of “our own backyard,”
and cultivate relationships with
countless Orthodox Christians
who we would otherwise not have
met!
That is Nativity’s own, Mr. George
Every Christian is expected to first
Sotiras!
dedicate themselves and
history will be filled with good
George has served several times as continually be cultivated through
memories for you, your children,
a camp counselor (yes, that’s a
their local parish. Afterward,
grandchildren & friends!
camp photo and not on his
some feel called to offer more in
professional resume) at our own
addition to their local experience.
Start with joining us at the Divine
Metropolis of San Francisco - Saint
Liturgy on Sundays, and then
Nicholas Ranch Summer Youth
speak to Father Luke or a Parish Camp.
Council member about how you
that today’s chapter of Nativity
can “dive into Nativity!”
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Nativity’s December Social was a tremendous opportunity
for Nativity’s faithful and friends to grow closer together
while eating calamari, making Gingerbread Houses, and
forming blankets for the pediatric center at UCSF Medical
Center!
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CN L E U W B S
House Blessings
The Blessing of the Waters Service is commonly recognized at the Feast Day of Epiphany. Following the Blessing of the Waters in the Church, many of the faithful desire to
have their home, place of business, or even automobiles blessed with the Holy Water through the prayers of the Church.
If you are interested in having your home or place of business blessed following the Epiphany feast, Father Luke will be traveling to the multiple regions where
Nativity faithful live, from the early afternoon through the early evening, on the following days:
January 6 & 7:"
January 8:""
January 9:""
Marin County (Novato, San Rafael)
Marin County (South of San Rafael)
Sonoma County (Petaluma, Santa Rosa areas)
Please contact Father Luke directly by email or through the church office to be scheduled when he is in your area. Or if you are unavailable during these days
or live outside of these regions, please contact Father Luke to schedule a specific time.
Sacraments & Blessing
Services
Funerals
November 25
Peri Sarganis
Memorials
November 30
Christos Haginicols
Mike Ulysses Orologas
George Perivolaris
Gregory & Irene Pappas
Paul & Catherine Stockton
Panayiotis Peter Degaitis
John Gigounas
George Pantazes
December 7
December 14
December 28
The Holy Altar Table
The Holy Altar Table is the wellspring from which
comes all that maintains us in union as the
May their memories be eternal!
Body of Christ.
Nativity’s Altar Table was designed & constructed by
local stewards!
Well done good & faithful servants!
January Liturgical Services & Readings
Date/Time"
Jan 1
Jan 4
Jan 6
Jan 7
Jan 11
Jan 17
Jan 18
Jan 25
Jan 30
9:30 am"
9:30 am"
9:30 am"
9:30 am"
9:30 am"
9:30 am"
9:30 am"
9:30 am"
9:30 am"
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Service" "
"
Saint Basil the Great"
Sunday Before Epiphany"
Holy Epiphany"
Saint John the Baptist"
Sunday After Epiphany"
Saint Anthony the Great"
12th Sunday of Luke"
15th Sunday of Luke"
Three Hierarchs"
"
Epistle" "
Colossians 2:8-12"
2Timothy 4:5-8"
Titus 2:11-14, 3:4-7"
Acts 19:1-8"
Ephesians 4:7-13"
Hebrews 13:17-21"
Hebrews 13:7-16"
Hebrews 7:26-8:2"
Hebrews 13:7-16"
"
"
Gospel
Luke 2:20-21, 40-52
Mark 1:1-8
Matthew 3:13-17
John 1:29-34
Matthew 4:12-17
Luke 6:17-23
Luke 17:12-19
Luke 19:1-10
Matthew 5:14-19
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The Magi were deemed wise by God
because they recognized the star as their
guide to God, they committed to following
the star, and they made offering to God
when they arrived!
Nativity of Christ Greek Orthodox Church is
our star!
Be Wise As Magi
Begin or continue your Christian journey to
the experience of Jesus Christ!
Complete the Magi Commitment Card
below, and return it to the church office as
soon as possible to walk in the footsteps of
the Magi, and move that much closer to
salvation!
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Nativity of Christ Greek Orthodox
Church
2015 List of Stewards as of December 21, 2014
Palumbis, Fr. Luke & Pres. Eleni
Arango, Pat !
Taft, Kiki
Banks, Charles & Cathy!
Touras, Antoni & Antonia
Boosalis, Gus & Kari !
Vallis, James & Judith
Corcoran, Bruce & Fran!
Vassiliou, Maggie
Cordellos, Dennis & Anna! Wildermuth, Anna
Degaitis, Julia!
Yiakis, Joe
Destein, Pat!
Zaferiou, Paul & Phyllis
Diamantopoulos, George & Anna!
Economy, Carol!
Edrich, Alexandra!
Ferber, John & Pamela!
Fotinos, Vivian!
Garofalos, John!
George, Pete & Ann!
Gigounas, Ann
Gikkas, Peter & Vickie!
Giusti, Bob & Nonie!
Grey, Richard & Connie!
Haginicols, Charles & Amalia!
Hanis, Stella!
Hundley, Courtney & Marilyn!
Iannios, Demetrios & Manulani!
Kanas, Nick & Carolynn!
54 Participating
Kozas, Anna!
Manesis, Alexandra
Stewards
Marsala, Joan!
Marshall, Phil & Kathy
$51,370 Pledged
Martin, Jason & Mia
Medan, Dushan & Gigi!
Niemcewicz, Roland & Bess
Orologas, Katerina!
Pappas, Angelo & Maria!
Pappas, Art!
Passaris, Theodore & Elaine!
Petrakis, Steve & Martha!
Rey, Patricia!
Roland, George & Doris
Rouman, Steve & Liz!
Russell, Chuck & Daphne!
Sideris, Milton & Stassie
Slenkin, Alex & Nancy
Soter, Sam & Stella
Sotiras, Maria!
Stockton, John & Susan!
Stratigos, Spiro & Mary Kay!
Tacticos, George
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Stewardship Goal
What is the goal of stewardship?
Before we may approach this question, we must
understand what stewardship is.
Stewardship is your response to God!
God has given to you. If you recognize that, you
then learn that He desires for you to oﬀer
something back to Him as a manifestation of
your faith.
Stewardship is a tangible reﬂection and
aﬃrmation of your faith in God!
Then…what is the goal of stewardship?
The goal of stewardship is thoughtful, prayerful
participation.
If you know that your oﬀering to God is an
“oﬀering back” of what He has given you…
If you know that in order to truly show God your
faith, part of that process is making oﬀering to
Him…
If you pray about what your oﬀering should be,
in terms of time, talents & treasure…
If you articulate & oﬀer your faith to God…
Then you truly are a steward of the Most High
and are taking substantive steps toward His
Kingdom!
Your participation is the goal of
stewardship!
As an Orthodox Christian Church, with the
responsibility of leading the faithful to a life
pleasing to God, we will continue to invite you to
the blessed experience of stewardship.
The Nativity Stewardship Goal will be measured
in participation. Will you help Nativity by
helping yourself?
Will you participate and become a
steward today?
Please cut out & complete the included 2015 Be
Wise As Magi Commitment Card, and return it to
the church oﬃce today.
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Coach Paul
“Bear”
Coach
Bryant
is
commonly
considered the greatest college
football coach of all time, and was
universally recognized as a great
leader of young men!
One seldom knows what to believe
on the internet; however, it has
been written that upon his death in
1982, a text titled, “The Magic Bank
Account,” was found in his
billfold.
Regardless of whether this text was
in Bear Bryant’s possession or not,
it is a reminder to each of us that
we have been given a precious gift
from God — our very life!
Be a good steward of what God has
given to you — live a Christian life
today!
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The Magic Bank Account
Imagine that you had won the following *PRIZE* in a
contest: Each morning your bank would deposit $86,400 in
your private account for your use. However, this prize
has rules:
The set of rules:
1. Everything that you didn't spend during each day would
be taken away from you.
2. You may not simply transfer money into some other
account.
3. You may only spend it.
4. Each morning upon awakening, the bank opens your
account with another $86,400 for that day.
5. The bank can end the game without warning; at any time
it can say, “Game Over!” It can close the account and you
will not receive a new one.
What would you personally do?
You would buy anything and everything you wanted, right?
Not only for yourself, but for all the people you love
and care for. Even for people you don't know, because you
couldn't possibly spend it all on yourself, right?
You would try to spend every penny, and use it all,
because you knew it would be replenished in the morning,
right?
ACTUALLY, This GAME is REAL ...
Shocked??? YES!
Each of us is already a winner of this *PRIZE*. We just
can't seem to see it.
The PRIZE is *TIME*
1. Each morning we awaken to receive 86,400 seconds as a
gift of life.
2. And when we go to sleep at night, any remaining time is
not credited to us.
3. What we haven't used up that day is forever lost.
4. Yesterday is forever gone.
5. Each morning the account is refilled, but the bank can
dissolve your account at any time WITHOUT WARNING...
SO, what will YOU do with your 86,400 seconds?
Those seconds are worth so much more than the same
amount in dollars. Think about it and remember to enjoy
every second of your life, because time races by so much
quicker than you think.
So take care of yourself, be happy, love deeply and enjoy
life!
Here's wishing you a wonderful and beautiful day. Start
“spending”....
"DON’T COMPLAIN ABOUT GROWING OLD…!"
SOME PEOPLE DON'T GET THE PRIVILEGE!'
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Orthros 8:30 am
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Christmas
Sunday before
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Divine Liturgy
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St. Basil the Great
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THURSDAY
¥GreekSchool4:15-5:45
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Nativity of Christ 5:30 pm
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Nativity of Christ Greek Orthodox Church
1110 Highland Drive
Novato, California 94949
www.nativityofchrist.org
Change Service Requested
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