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2 THE SHEPHERD • SEPTEMBER 2022 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO We are approaching the end of summer, our kids are going back to school and we are about to begin the New Ecclesiastical Year. As we enter the new year, there is much to be grateful for. As you may know, thanks to a generous donation, we were able to for the first time retain a Youth Ministry Director. Julie Dennis started in July and in short or- der pulled off an amazing Vacation Church School experience for our Parish kids. e Program was a huge success and we are ex- cited to see what Julie has in store for the rest of the year. We are also saying “thank you” to Maria Terris who recently announced that she is stepping down from her role as the Dance & Choral Ministry Director. Maria has done a tremendous job with the program over the recent trying years. I have no doubt that Ma- ria will continue to share her talents with other ministries in the Church. To parrot Maria’s own words “It’s been a great ride and we are truly grateful for all the wonderful memories…!” is month we also welcomed Anthony Kyriakidis back to the Parish Council. We are thrilled that he’s back. We still have two open positions and with the upcoming Par- ish Council Elections, we hope some of you will consider serving. If you are interested, contact the Office or talk to Father Andrew. My summer ended with my family on va- cation. While away, we attended services at Saints Constantine and Helen in Honolulu. It’s a small but very faithful parish. Father Alexander Leong, gave an insightful sermon based upon Matthew 14:22-34. He recounted the story of Christ walking on the water and how Jesus called to Peter who got out of the boat and begin to walk to Him. As we know, Peter became afraid and began to sink. Peter cried out, “Lord, save me” and Jesus immedi- ately reached out His hand and caught him, saying “O man of little faith, why did you doubt?” As Father Alex reflected on the story, he introduced us/me to the Greek word αναλαμβάνω [“analamváno”: undertake, take over, take up, resume] which he said meant “take me by the hand.” He talked about how difficult it is for man to truly surrender to the will of God, but how simple it is to just reach out and ask Christ to “take us by the hand.” As we move forward, I pray that we will all reach out and let Him guide us. Many Blessings, Jim Gilpin Parish Council President FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT On behalf of our Anthousa Board, I hope you have enjoyed a wonderful summer! We are excited to embark on another year of philanthropic endeavors, compassionate giv- ing and fellowship through our Philoptochos ministries. Philoptochos has been the phil- anthropic arm of the Orthodox Church for over 80 years. It is a testament to our Ortho- dox faith and community members that our past is so rich, our present so dynamic, and our future so bright. Christine Tradas and I represented our chapter this summer at the National Philop- tochos Convention in New York City where we celebrated 90 Years of Philanthropy. We were inspired by the amazing work that our organization does in the United States and around the world. I look forward to sharing more with you at our Munchies and Mimo- sas event on October 2nd . Please join us and meet our board members, learn about our upcoming events, and the various oppor- tunities for you to volunteer your time and talents! Our heartfelt and special thanks to An- dreas Capetanakis for continuing to feed the homeless this summer while Jenny Ca- petenakis was away! is year more than ever, our Anthousa Chapter will continue to focus on “Feeding the Homeless”. Please con- tact Jenny at jennycapetanakis@gmail.com if you would like to help or make a donation toward these efforts. e Anthousa Chapter of Philoptochos in- vites, welcomes and encourages all commu- nity members to make a difference in the lives of others by joining our dynamic chap- ter. Even if you cannot actively participate at this time, we still hope you will be part of our membership. Your pledge enables us to sup- port many charitable ministries and endeav- ors in our parish as well as local, national and international communities. Please consider sponsoring a Sunday Fellow- ship Hour with your friends and family by providing simple refreshments (donuts or bagels, fruit and juice). You can honor family members or celebrate special occasions. To sign up, please contact Anne Zouvas at (619) 248-6644. Here are some exciting upcoming events. PLEASE SAVE THESE DATES! Sun. Oct. 2: Munchies & Mimosas Sun. Nov. 13: anksgiving Luncheon Sun. Dec. 4: Philoptochos Christmas Luncheon Sun. Dec. 18: Christmas Bake Sale We sincerely look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events and your participation in our ongoing Philoptochos efforts. Because of the love and generosity of our members and volunteers, we are able to make a im- pactful difference in the lives of others. Yours in Christ, So a Samouris, Anthousa Chapter President 619.518.4537 | ssamouris22@gmail.com PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS Dear Seniors, Please join us for our Seniors’ meeting on Tuesday, September 13th at 11:00. We will discuss possible future activities, so feel free to come with any ideas or suggestions. Food and drinks will be provided. RSVP to Cynthia Samarkos at (619) 582-4109 or tedcynsam@cox.net by September 9th so we can plan accordingly. We are all looking for- ward to this long awaited gathering! Seniors meetings will continue every second Tuesday of each month at 11am, unless oth- erwise noted. Please reach out to friends and other Seniors in our community and spread the word. St. Spyridon Seniors are due for a fun and exciting year! With love, Sophia Mellos SENIORS AHEPA Chapter 223 San Diego will be meeting ursday, September 1 at 7:30pm to discuss the organization of the 4th Annual <<Όχι>> Day Glendi on Saturday, October 29, 2022 . Please meet us at the church hall if you would like to explore ways to contribute to this important community event. John A Frangos President, AHEPA Chapter #223 A.H.E.P.A.