TSN1125

4 THE SHEPHERD • NOVEMBER 2025 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO November’s quick tip for families: find time to eat together. As we enter November, we are reminded of the big family meal of Thanks- giving. But the Family Meal does not have to be only onThanksgiving, and it does not only have to be dinner. Research abounds with in- formation on the benefits of families eating together (check out www.thefamilydinner- project.org) . Yet, in the real lives of families, the Family Dinner can seem like an elusive activity that only happens once every cou- ple months, if at all. To make eating together more achievable, try expanding the Family Meal to other meals. Try a Breakfast Family Meal, which may be a little more rushed, but might give your family a time to be togeth- er over a couple bowls of cereal, especially if backpacks are packed the night before. Fam- ily Dessert can happen after the teens get home from late night practices, rehearsals, or games. Sunday Family Lunch can be right af- ter Divine Liturgy or dance practice, heading to a bagel or coffee shop or having sandwich- es at home. The Family Wellness Ministry of our Metropolis offers some great resources for starting or improving the Family Meal in your own family, www.familywellnessminis- try.org/family-dinner-challenge I encourage you to use November as a Family Meal kick- off month! Set a goal of increasing the fre- quency of your family meals each week this month! If you have questions about Youth Minis- tries at St. Spyridon, call or text Julie Den- nis, Youth Ministries Director, 619-618-5116 or email youthministries@stspyridon.org Learn more about St. Spyridon Youth Min- istries on our website: https://tinyurl.com/ stspyridonyouth Follow us on social media: Facebook - St. Spyridon GOC San Diego and Instagram - @youthstspyridon Little Angels Playgroup Our Playgroup meets each week on Wednes- days, from 9:45am-11:00am, in the Lower Ed- ucation Building. We play, read Bible Stories, sing Bible songs, and have lots and lots of fun! We hope parents and children under age 4 will come and join the fun! Sunday School It is a joy to see the students each week! Thank you for faithfully bringing your chil- dren every Sunday! Here is a glimpse of what each Sunday School class is learning right now: High School is learning about the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives as well as the his- tory of the early Church through our beliefs and traditions. Middle School is delving into the Sacra- ments and how they are the pathway through which the Holy Spirit grants God’s grace. Grades 4-5 are learning the Creed: learning to recite it and what it means to be Orthodox Christians. Grades 2-3 are focusing on the weekly Gospel lessons and how to be good people, friends, and Christians. TK - 1st Grade are exploring the Gospel les- sons by using a hands-on approach using art, nature, and songs. Preschool is learning about God’s love through stories, play, and crafts. Sunday School will be having a canned food drive starting November 2 through Novem- ber 30 , benefiting St. Innocent Orphanage and Project Mexico. Please encourage your children to bring in canned goods such as: fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, pastas, tuna fish, rice, and beans during the month of November. The class that brings in the most cans will win a prize! Thank you, Ms. Tina, Sunday School Director GOYA (Greek Orthodox Youth Association) Our St. Spyridon GOYA has been growing exponentially in recent years! This year, to accommodate our large number of partic- ipants and to provide more age-focused activities, we are adding activities that are specific to middle schoolers, called Junior GOYA (6th grade - 8th grade, Junior GOYA), and high schoolers, called Senior GOYA (9th - 12th grade). For our first focused youth group activities, the Junior GOYA went fish- ing at Santee Lakes and Senior GOYA had a bonfire at North Beach in Coronado. They were both great activities that sparked fun and discussions! Save the date for the All GOYA Friendsgiving , on November 16th at 3pm in the Youth Room. Meráki Young Orthodox Service Group Meraki met in October to bake Kourabie- des for Fellowship! We baked cookies and learned about Saint Honoratus (St. Hon- oré) of Amiens, the Compassionate Bishop and Patron Saint of bakers, pastry chefs and confectioners, who was a French Orthodox Bishop in the 6th century. He is celebrated on May 16th each year. The delicious cookies that Meraki baked will be put out at the Fall General Assembly Fellowship on November 16th. Stop by and have a cookie, and stay for the General Assembly to hear about all of the updates at our Parish! Our next activity is a Scavenger Hunt and Canned Food Drive service project on November 8th from 5pm - 7pm. Dinner provided. Meraki is for chil- dren in elementary school. Preschoolers are encouraged to join with an adult. For more information, reach out to Julie Dennis 619- 618-5116. YOUTH MINISTRIES