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2 THE SHEPHERD • FEBRUARY 2024 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO This past month has been a busy time in our Parish. The month began with another successful Epiphany event. Congratulations to George Capetanakis who retrieved the Cross this year and to Elaine Arapostathis who was honored with the Leon Balaban Award. A special thanks to the Epiphany Committee - Christoforos Savvides, Bill Navrides, and Marilyn Yeatts, for all their hard work in pulling the event together. During her acceptance speech, Elaine re- minded us that while things have changed, our concerns have remained the same. She told the story of coming to St. Spyridon in 1961; and while attending a baking event, one of the ladies said, “We’re getting older, who’s going to do this in the future?” Fast for- ward to last year, she attended a baking event and someone said, “We’re getting older, who’s going to do this in the future?” While it is hard to imagine how many of the people who do so much will be replaced, we pray God will continue to provide a new wave of people wanting to serve. As Father mentioned on Sunday, there is much to do in the community. This summer, San Di- ego will be hosting the Bi-Annual National Clergy-Laity Congress - June 30th through July 4th. The Eparchial Hierarchical Divine Liturgy will be held at St. Spyridon on June 30, 2024. If you are interested in serving as a volunteer during the Clergy-Laity Congress, please let the office know. The Parish Council recently elected officers and I am honored to serve as President in the coming year. The others officers are: S pero Tzathas, First Vice President; Jimmy Pap- pas, Second Vice President; Stephen Thiros, Treasurer; Ben De La Riva, Assistant Trea- surer; and Anthony Kyriakidis, Secretary. We have an outstanding group of dedicated people serving on the Parish Council. Over the coming months, we will be completing long overdue repairs and improvements to the Church, Hall and Education Building. There is always room for more people to share their time or talents. If you are inter- ested in helping, let me or any of the other PC members know. In closing, a reminder that February is offi- cially “Heart Month,” a time to focus on our heart health. It is also a time for us to have a “renewal” of heart. Deacon Michael recent- ly reminded us of the importance of repen- tance in renewing our hearts. Through re- pentance we can have a renewal of the heart directing our lives toward God. We are told over and over that the two most important commandments are to love God with all our heart and to love others as we love ourselves. Father Andrew recently emphasized the im- portance of love directing us to read 1 Corin- thians 13. For as is said, “Without love, we are nothing.” May love flow through our hearts and be shared through our words and our hands doing good works. Many Blessings, Jim Gilpin Parish Council President FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT We know it’s February, but with the celebra- tion of this month’s Feast of the Presentation (Ypapanti) of Christ in the Temple, we are still contemplating the Feasts of the Holy Nativity and the Theophany with their rev- elations of the Incarnation, Christ’s Divinity, and the implications for our own lives, what we believe, and how we practice our faith. Each year we find ourselves paying closer at- tention to the hymns – the Apolytikion and Kontakion of the feasts and forefeasts – so handily available on our devices through the Daily Readings app from the goarch.org web- site – everything you need for the day right at your fingertips. One thing we have noticed from the hymns for these three feasts are the many references to Adam and Eve: like this one from the Nativity which refers to the Holy Theotokos’ womb as the new “true spir- itual Paradise, wherein the divine and saving Tree is found, and as we eat thereof we shall all live, and shall not die as did Adam. For Christ is born now to raise the image that had fallen aforetime and shined the light of knowledge upon the world.” Or at the Theophany: “Adam, be thou glad with our first mother, Eve; hide not as ye did of old in Paradise. Seeing you naked, He has appeared now to clothe you in the first robe again. Christ has appeared, for He truly wills to renew all creation. I am come to save Adam, the first-formed man.” And in the hymn for this month’s feast of the Presentation: “Christ our God, the Sun of Righteousness, has dawned from you, granting light to those in darkness. And you, O Righ- teous Elder, rejoice, taking in your arms, the Deliverance of our souls, who grants us Res- urrection.” So, through hearing these hymns, we can see how the feasts are connected and show us a new way, a new life through and in Christ. They point us back to Eden and give us a new understanding – about our salvation through Christ, about the Theotokos as the new Eden and spiritual Paradise, about Christ as the Tree of Life, about how He restores our fall- en image, and gives us a new pathway of re- demption that we shall soon hear more about in the upcoming feasts and hymns about the Cross and the Resurrection. + The Women of the Word Bible Study Group WOMEN WORD OF THE be less likely to be led astray or away; and more likely to someday repeat the words of St. Symeon, Lord now let your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation. This year’s celebration for the feast day of the Presentation of the Lord into the Temple will be offered on Friday, February 2nd. The Or- thros service will start at 9:00 am followed by the Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am. +A 1 FR. ANDREW Parish Council being sworn in