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8 THE SHEPHERD • MAY 2024 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO Christos Anesti! Our heartfelt thanks to our devoted volun- teers under the direction of Niki Dougenis and her team who so lovingly prepared and baked Koulourakia Cookies and more than 100 loaves of Tsoureki Bread for our Annual Pascha Bake Sale and Homebound Baskets. Thank you to the St. Spyridon community for supporting our fundraising effort ben- efitting our chapter ministries and those in need. Anthousa Chapter Members attended the Agape Celebration of Love on Sunday, April 14th at the Newport Beach Country Club. This special event benefited the Greek Or- thodox Metropolis of San Francisco Ladies Philoptochos Kids ‘n’ Cancer Ministry. Our Anthousa Chapter proudly presented a check in the amount of $10,000 on behalf of the St. Spyridon Community and Anthousa Chap- ter. Thank you for continuing to embrace the good works of Philoptochos. SUNDAY FELLOWSHIP: Please consider sponsoring a Sunday Fellowship Hour with your friends and family by providing simple refreshments (donuts or bagels, fruit and juice). You can honor family members or cel- ebrate special occasions. To sign up, please contact Christina Frangos at christinafran- gos1@gmail.com . AGAPE MEALS: Philoptochos continues to provide meals to St. Spyridon community members in need following hospitalizations, the death of a family member, or the birth of a child. Please reach out to Marian Dougenis (619) 520-3660 if you or someone you know is in need. COLLEGE CONNECTION: Do you have a college-aged student in your family? Our St. Spyridon Anthousa keeps your child con- nected with their faith and home church. Please send contact information to Bill Navrides at Bill.Navrides@sharp.com. We invite you to join our Anthousa Philop- tochos Chapter. We welcome all – ladies and gentlemen – to help us make a difference in the lives of many. If you cannot actively par- ticipate, your membership pledge helps to enable us to continue to support many char- itable endeavors within our parish as well as local, national, and international commu- nities. To join, please visit www.Anthousa. org and click Membership. (The National and Metropolis Philoptochos treasuries each receive $15 of every membership donation; any amount over $30 remains in our local chapter’s treasury.) Please contact Melanie Anastopulos at melanieanastopulos@gmail. com or Kalliopi Samouris at nyckelly@cox. net with any questions. May the grace of our Risen Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the Commu- nion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Sofia Samouris Anthousa Chapter President 619.518.4537 ssamouris22@gmail.com PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS Having entered another Lenten Season we are asked to stop, pause, and consider our “spiritual walk” with Jesus Christ and what it implies for each of us as we enter Great and Holy Week and the celebration of Pascha. You may remember Father Andrew, in one of his recent sermons, pondering what 500 families could do if they put their energy, time, talent and resources into facing the many challenges we face today, with the clear implication that we could do much (much like the apostles), and might I say, my favor- ite, Saint John the Baptist, who had a very simple but transformational message, “Re- pent, for the Lord is upon you”. That opened the door to the heavens! And what could we do as a church community of believers if we put all our energies, talents, and resources together? One wonders. As chairperson of the Stewardship Commit- tee, I ask you again today to be the “one”, the primary one, in assisting our/your St. Spyr- idon parish, our church, to “Build the Body of Christ” through our/your honorable and generous pledge to the 39 ministries of the church that tangibly and deeply touch us all whether we/you are celebrating the Sac- raments of the Church, or attending to the needs of our youth and seniors of the parish who need our assistance with the challenges of daily living. Have we done well so far this year: yes, we have done well! Could we do better in the remainder of this year? Yes, WE CAN! The Stewardship Committee is reminding you that no matter how busy you are, please do not forget to fulfill your honorable pledge to St. Spyridon so that we may in fact always meet you at your “moment of need.” Call the church office for a pledge card if you have not yet completed one, continue to fulfill your pledged commitment if you have, and act as though you have the power to transform others through your efforts toward our many ministries. Thank you and God bless you and your ef- forts! Your Stewardship Committee John Kalas, Chair Fr. Andrew Scordalakis Ben De La Riva, Jim Gilpin, Stephen Thiros, Spero Tzathas STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE SUPPORT OUR GREEK FESTIVAL! PLACE A PERSONAL, CONGRATULATORY, OR COMMEMORATIVE MESSAGE IN THE FESTIVAL BROCHURE TODAY! • Congratulate our festival and our community! • Honor and commemorate loved ones with photos and dedications! Personal Messages are reserved for individuals and families only, and must not contain any business references, logos, offers, etc., otherwise messages will be considered business ads and business ad rates will apply. m Full Page (3.5”W x 8.375”H) ... $400 (text and photos or graphics as space allows) m Half Page (3.5”W x 4.125”H) ... $200 (text and photos or graphics as space allows) m Text listing ... $75 (150 characters maximum including spaces; no photos or graphics allowed) More sponsorship opportunities available! Call or email the Church Office for a sponsorship form. Congratulations to Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church for over 5 great decades of Greek Festival. Looking forward to the next 5! The Panigyrakis Family SAMPLE