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9 THE SHEPHERD • JANUARY 2024 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO ΝΕΑ ΤΗΣ ΦΙΛΟΠΤΩΧΟΥ PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS It was an extremely busy and memorable De- cember for our Anthousa Chapter of Philop- tochos! We kicked off the holidays with a festive and successful Christmas luncheon at Parc Bistro, enjoying good food and good friends. We then celebrated Saint Spyridon’s Feast Day by offering a Lenten reception fol- lowing Vespers with His Eminence Metro- politan Gerasimos . The following day, after Divine Liturgy, we hosted a delicious lun- cheon for 120 guests and parishioners in our Church Hall. Throughout the month, we col- lected gifts in support of the Salvation Army Kroc Center with our Angel Giving Tree . This was another big success, thanks to the gener- osity of our loving Saint Spyridon communi- ty. Impressively, between November 26 and December 10, we collected more than 100 gifts for needy San Diego children! On the heels of all of this, we baked “thousands” of Greek pastries for our Taste of Greek Christ- mas Bake Sale . This was a huge endeavor and wonderfully successful because of our parish community, neighbors, and friends. Then, to top it all off, we hosted our annual Angels Christmas Party for children and their families affected by cancer, part of our Kids- N-Cancer ministry. What a heart-warming and special event this is each year, and we are so proud to be part of it. With amazing teamwork and a willingness to serve, we came together to make it all happen… and we are still standing! Of course, we could not have achieved any of this without the assis- tance and leadership of our Anthousa board members, Anthousa chapter members, our loyal parishioners, and all who were willing and able to roll up their sleeves to help. We THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for your service, devotion, and loving sup- port of Philoptochos! Our annual Membership Event is sched- uled for Saturday, March 2nd . We have a fun morning planned for you! Come and re- new your membership and spend time with friends and family. We are looking forward to seeing you, and please bring a friend! It is our hope that the New Year brings you and your family health and prosperity in 2024! Please join us as we continue to put our faith into action through our many Philopto- chos ministries. There are several opportu- nities to serve your parish and community, make new friends, embrace and promote our faith, and feel a sense of gratification while strengthening our Orthodox beliefs. Yours in Christ, Sofia Samouris, Anthousa Chapter President 619.518.4537 | ssamouris22@gmail.com