St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral 650 Hanover Street • Manchester, New Hampshire 03104-5306 Tel. 603.622.9113 • Fax. 603.622.2266 • [email protected] • www.stgeorge.nh.goarch.org O CTOBER 2 0 1 3 FATHER ANDREw’S MESSAgE PRESIDENT’S MESSAgE THE SEASONS OF OUR LIFE Dear Fellow Parishioners, My heart is bursting with joy and pride at the great job ALL We have now entered the Fall season. It gives us a moment to reflect on the seasons of our lives. of YOU did over Glendi weekend and in the months leading Here at Saint George Cathedral, many of us have passed up to our 34th GLENDI! You have proven once more that through many seasons of our lives. I thought I would share we can do anything if we set our minds to it! Bravo sas! some reflections on the seasons of our lives. How ironic life can be! When we are young, we can’t wait God answered our prayers for good weather in a big way. to grow up and enjoy what we perceive to be the privileges The weather was perfect—sunny, warm and at times of adulthood. When we grow older, we look back with long- breezy. So I will begin my thanks with thanks to Him for ing nostalgia to the days of our youth. It is my impression, blessing us not only with good weather but also with good however, that God intends for us to joyfully embrace each health so that we were able to complete our tasks. of the seasons of our life. We can do this when we live with the assurance that God offers what we need so that we can I would like to extend heartfelt thanks to all of the volun- realize our fullest potential, no matter what our age might teers who turned out to help on this huge endeavor. It was be. If this is to happen in our lives, however, it requires our wonderful to see so many new faces working with us this commitment to faith, as well as our acceptance of what God year. You can be certain that we will be calling on all of you allows of struggle and what He provides of strength. again next year. Like all of us, I too have often wondered why God allows us As I watched men and women working throughout the to get old and weak. In struggling with this issue, I have con- summer I was amazed at their fortitude and commitment. cluded that the wise author of Ecclesiastes was right when As the days wore on it would have been very easy to say he wrote, “Everything that happens in this world happens “That’s it. I’m tired. I’m done.” Instead, they dug in their at the time God chooses.” (3:1). It is a part of the divine plan heels and persevered. It was like watching a finely re- that the strength and beauty of youth is primarily physical, hearsed musical. Everyone knew what they had to do and while the strength and beauty of advancing years is mostly did it. Newcomers were eagerly trained by the experi- spiritual. As life advances, God has ordained that we lose enced. We showed each other what it is to work together the strength and beauty that is physical and temporary, so that we can acquire the strength and beauty that is spiritual as a Christian community—helping, nurturing, and loving. and eternal. As the years advance, we find that they confer We went home tired (o.k. very tired) but happy. their gifts of maturity, wisdom, and perspective. At the same We welcomed everyone who came through our gates and time, our physical nature declines, making us less eager to amazed them with our good food, good times and outright go on at all cost, and preparing us to enter our eternal home. That is exactly why older people are so much at joy at working together. I hope that we will continue to peace, and find it so easy to let go, when their time arrives. build on this positive experience. If we were forever young, strong, and beautiful, we might After checking the extended weather forecast—the predic- never want to leave. tion is for sunny and cool not a blizzard—we have sched- Are you in the spring time of your life? Trust that God will uled the Glendi Appreciation Night for Monday, October 28 offer you every opportunity to realize your dreams. Are you at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Center. I hope that all of in life’s summer or autumn? Face your many challenges in our helpers will be able to attend so that we can celebrate the assurance of God’s sustaining graces. And if you are in the end of this glorious Glendi Season. the winter of your life, cultivate your relationship with God, so that together with the psalmist you too will be able to We are back in the swing of things once more with the reg- say, “I have relied on you all my life; you have protected me ularity of our fall schedules. All of our Youth Programs are since the day I was born. I will always praise you.” (71:6) up and running. Sunday School began on September 29 Father Andrew under the direction of Athena Bevan. St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral Little Lambs will meet in the Annex on Fridays from 11 a.m. gLENDI to 2 p.m. This is for children from infancy to age 4. This is the feeder group for all of our other youth programs. Chil- Dear Fellow Parishioners, dren have a chance to play together and parents/grandpar- THANK YOU ! THANK YOU ! THANK YOU ! ents have a chance to socialize, too. They do crafts, have Thank you for your time, your commitment, your energy, story time and share snacks. and your total dedication to GLENDI 2013 and this commu- Sia Cote is overseeing our HOPE/JOY program which is for nity we all love. Although we don't have complete financial children aged 4-11. By the time you receive this notice they numbers yet, we can assure you all that the effort you put will have had their first meeting. They will meet the last Friday of the month in the Annex. Their time together in- forth over the summer cooking and the long three-day cludes a lesson, a craft and dinner. weekend in which you volunteered your time and energy, will be rewarded once the final GLENDI numbers are real- Jason Cote is our contact person for our Scouting Program ized. As you all know we have a significant number of bills which will include not only Cub Scouts but Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts this year. They have already begun their pro- associated with GLENDI and some of these bills have not gram. I’m certain that you saw them at Glendi. been received as of this date. The turnout for this year's GLENDI was outstanding and all of our media sponsors, in- Kathy Koutroubas and Ginny Tsirimokos are the advisors of GOYA which is for youth from 12-18 years old. Among cluding WMUR, Union Leader, HIPPO Press, WGIR, and other activities they are planning to attend the Pumpkin WZID gave us tremendous coverage before, and during the Festival in Keene. three-day weekend. Thanks to all our media sponsors. We are blessed to have volunteers who are ready, willing, Thanks also to the generous contributions received from and able to work with our youth. They provide meaningful our paid sponsors including Manchester Harley, AutoFair, activities for all of our children and keep them involved in Anagnost Companies, Bedford Ambulatory, Apple Therapy, the church. On behalf of the entire community, I would like Spectrum Marketing, Cross Insurance, New Hampshire to thank ALL of our volunteers who work with our youth Motor Speedway, and Phaneuf Funeral Home. Thanks also for their continued devotion to teaching the youth of our to all those that purchased full page, half page, quarter community about our faith. I was delighted to see so many page,and patron ads. All of these donations helped to make of our youth helping at Glendi! The older group was off to help wherever they were needed—serving beverages, cart- this year's 116 page ad book one of the most successful of ing food to the tent, washing floors—and some without all time. This year we will be having a GLENDI Appreciation even being asked to perform those tasks. They saw a need Dinner which will be held in the Community Center on and stepped right in to take care of business. God bless Monday October 28th at 6:30 pm. Please join us that their parents for bringing them to church. evening so we can salute all you have done this year in The implementation of a Stewardship Program to address making GLENDI the premier event in our great city. At that the needs of our community using the time, talents and time we will also be celebrating and sharing the financial treasures of our parishioners needs to be finalized before success that we achieved at GLENDI 2013 ! Again our deep- 2014. Such a program will set us on the path to success est thanks and sleep well, get some rest so we can all cel- not only financially but as a healthy operating Christian Community. I hope that many of you will volunteer to ebrate on the evening of October 28th ! serve on the Stewardship Committee.