Mission Newsletter: September/October 2009

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Reflections of Our Mission
by Rev. Fr. Andrew J. Lesko

Now that we have settled into our new building, I thought it appropriate to take some time to reflect on where we have been, where we are, and most importantly, where we our headed.

Six short years ago a group of devout Greek Orthodox Christians came together with one goal in mind: to establish a Greek Orthodox Church in South Orange County. This proved to be no easy task. Undaunted by the odds and various obstacles that would challenge the fledgling community of obtaining this goal, the intrepid group went forward and established what is now called the Greek Orthodox Mission of South Orange County.
Soon after a group of organizational meetings, a temporary home was found at Aliso Viejo Christian School, and Divine Liturgy was on every other Saturday. After the first year, the community moved to Mission Hospital for a year in the conference center, with Sunday School being held upstairs in the same building. The third year saw the community holding services at J. Serra High School. At this location the remaining organizations associated
with a church were established, which included Greek School, two Greek dance groups, GOYA, YAL, Ladies Auxiliary and the Prime Timers. It became evident that the mission was indeed real, and it had a bright future.

Last fall we had our General Assembly and our first Parish Council was established. Under the new leadership, our spirit grew and we decided it was time to move to a new location, a move would help establish a sanctuary that would be available to all Orthodox Christians seven days a week. We were honored by having the Metropolitan bless our facility and preside at the first Orthros and Divine Liturgy.

We should be pleased with our accomplishments; however, this is just the beginning of our journey. As we enter into our most crucial year, we can’t afford to rest on our laurels. Now that the groundwork has been started, we must work even harder to attract more families and establish the permanent church that was only a dream six years ago. God has blessed our community with a tremendous amount of talent. As His servants we have an obligation to use our talents to build His kingdom on Earth. We must be examples of true Greek Orthodox Christians who love and serve the Lord.

I praise the spirit that exists in our community, a spirit that grows each day and has transformed a dream into a reality. A mission has become a functioning church. This spirit comes not from us individually but from all of us collectively. It is a spirit and a desire to serve our Lord and His Vineyard. Because of our willingness to focus on His will for us we have been able to overcome adversity and negative obstacles that have been placed in our path.

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
Ephesians 3:16 - 19

Christian Stewardship Program
by Rev. Fr. Andrew J. Lesko

What is Stewardship? Stewardship comes from the Greek word "oikonomia", or economy, which means management of the house or household. In the New Testament, it means man's management of his whole life in response to God's love.

Man is a steward, a manager of the "time", "talents" and "treasures" that God has given to him. God as Creator gives us time by granting us life, our very existence. God as Giver of all gifts, grants us our abilities and talents. God as Maintainer provides for our needs by affording us opportunities to earn a living.

If I believe that God is the Giver, the Owner and I the manager, then it follows that a Steward trusts the Bible's directions on how to manage God's gifts. God expects us to give Him thanks by managing our gifts of time, talent and treasure according to His will.

In 2 Corinthians 8:3-5 St. Paul writes: "they gave according to their means as I can testify and beyond their means, of their own free will...but first they gave of themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God."

The essence of Stewardship is that we first give ourselves to God and then seek to do His will as his servants. Unless our hearts are in Christ, then we will find it difficult to do His will. We can only become His servants, by accepting His lordship over our lives.

We can give our "time" to the Lord by our daily devotion, reading his Word, by at tending Church services and by assisting others in need. We can use our "talents' in response to God's love by serving God as a Sunday School teacher, a Choir member, a Parish Councilman, a member of Ladies Auxiliary, by cooking, cleaning and responding to the call of service to others.

We use our "treasures", our income, and God’s gift to us to glorify his name. A percentage of our income, according to the Bible, is to be used for the work of God on earth. By sharing our "treasures" with the Lord, we become co-workers with Him in His work of salvation.

Stewardship, as the management of God's gifts to us, is the method by which Christians should support their Church. We are to return a portion of what God has given to us back again to God. The parish obligation or dues system limits our giving, because it has a fixed fee.

Stewardship is used by 80% of the parishes of our Archdiocese, with overwhelming responses. Proportional giving is much more equitable, for each person gives according to his or her means. Those who receive more may give more and those who receive less may give less and still be active parishioners of the Church.

The decision of "how much" to give rests with the individual's conscience and love for God.

Stewardship has been the Christian or Biblical method of Church support through the centuries. During November, you will be asked to endorse the Parish Council's recommendation to adopt the Christian Stewardship program for our parish. Further information will be provided before the meeting in order to inform you of more details concerning the program.

Stewardship is putting our faith into action. Stewardship is bringing Christ into our entire life, including our finances. Through our Stewardship pledge, we will support the programs of our parish and our Archdiocesan National Ministries.

Stewardship provides us with the opportunity to contribute on a weekly basis, thus making it easier to increase our capability of giving. If Stewardship has succeeded throughout our Archdiocese, we are confident that it will succeed at our parish, because "Christ is among us" at our mission. Our love for Christ and His Church will find expression in our free will, proportionate giving to our parish.

Stewardship is a matter of our personal faith in God and He keeps his promises. Listen to what St. Paul writes: "He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:6-8).

Greek Folk Dance Groups
The traditions of culture and heritage in the Greek Orthodox Mission of South Orange County include Greek Dance. Our youth ages 6 through 18 experiences their unique heritage through the beauty of learning customs and dances passed down from various villages on the Mainland of Greece and the spectacular movements of the many islands that bring their own special element and excitement to numerous dances.

We’re still building our program and the way the children’s faces light up when we go to competition every year in February is priceless. This year, the older team “Methorios” is traveling through the island of Samothraki or Samothrace. The younger team, “Helidonia” is still perfecting their Thracian, mainland suites. We pride ourselves on trying to maintain a high level of authenticity as we research all the regions.

FDF
FDF held every year in February unites the many communities of Greeks nationwide into a forum of fellowship and competition. Our youth are proud to participate in this fascinating festival year after year. The children spend countless hours perfecting their skills and learning about the region of Greece that their particular group is representing.

We hope that through dance we can express the true meaning of Greek Culture and instill values in our youth that will be with them for a life time. For more information, visit the dance groups’ official website at www.greekdanceoc.org

Ladies Auxiliary
The Greek Orthodox Ladies Auxiliary was created to promote participation among the women of our parish in the life and activities of our Mission. We are the right hand of the church offering aid to anyone who may need the assistance from the Mission and supporting our community in any way possible. Events sponsored by Ladies Auxiliary include: The Vasilopeta, Annual Tea, Palm Sunday Luncheon, Decoration of Epitafion, Christmas Card, Coffee Hour and Mission Directory.

Mission Directory 2010
The Ladies Auxiliary is selling ads for the 2010 Mission Directory as a fund raiser for our group. A business card is $25.00, a half page ad is $50.00 and a full page is $100.00. Application forms are available in the church office.
Coffee Hour Hosts & Hostesses
If you would like to sponsor a coffee hour please check with Melissa Kaffen for available dates at 949.661.6006 or mkaffen@cox.net.

Sunday School
Educating our children in our Greek Orthodox faith is the most important job we have as parents and as a church community. With our director Irene Travis along with a dedicated group of teachers, our children receive instruction on the important fundamentals of our religion. Last year, 68 children reaped the rewards of our religious education program. By following closely to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese curriculum, each student is given their own book that they take with them at the end of the year to continue to study.

Our goal is to teach our children to use their faith to direct them and guide towards the truth of God’s word and to develop a close relationship with Jesus. As they bond together, their spiritually growth is also strengthened by offering each other support and accountability throughout the teen years and into adulthood.

Christmas Program
On Sunday, October 18 the vision for the Christmas program was discussed for our children, and a sign up sheet for the different positions was passed around. At this time, the Sunday School staff is looking for the program director to be filled. Please note the following parishioners who have graciously stepped in to help make the program a memorable one:

• Program Director Assistant: Mary Constantine
• Costume Director: Maria Kraft
• Costume Director Assistant: Mary Constantine
• Stage Manager: Sam Konugres
• Stage Manager Assistant: JoAnna Wilson
• Choir Director: Arica Dadjou

Y.A.L.: Young Adult League
The mission of the Young Adult Ministry (or League, as it's most commonly referred to) is to cultivate and educate our young adults, leading them to the fullness of the Faith and likeness of God; while embracing the variety of cultural & ethnic traditions that we all share, not only from our Hellenic heritage, but also from the melting pot of backgrounds here in America that have integrated into our Orthodox Christian faith today.

With the many demands forced upon a young adult's life, it is an important time for him/her to be actively involved in the life of the church and community, especially when they are away from home. Often times, just the opposite occurs. Church is replaced with school, careers, relationships, and money. Y.A.L. provides an opportunity to stay involved, to become part of our family, and to reintroduce the church to those young adults whose lives have taken them away.

In the past our Y.A.L. leaders have organized: Monthly Evening Bible Study and Discussion Groups to reinforce our faith, Social Events to cultivate ties amongst our youth such as Weekend Nights Out / Greek Nights, Athletic Activities such as Volleyball, Cycling, Hiking and Horseback riding, Outdoor Activities such as Picnics, Bonfires, Whale-watching, or exploring local attractions

To embrace more cultural activities & support Hellenism we've attended: Local & Nationwide Y.A.L. Conferences, Greek Festivals at surrounding Greek Orthodox Churches, Lectures & Seminars put on by local university Hellenic Studies Programs, Literary Events exploring the roots of our Greek Language put on by the Hellenic Library, Hellenic Art and/or Cultural Events: Galleries & Museum Showings honoring Greek Artists

For more information, contact Joanna Xipa at jxipa@yahoo.com

Stewardship
November has been dedicated to Stewardship Month for our church community! Please join us at the Greek Orthodox Mission in South Orange County during this very special time when we will celebrate special Sundays dedicated to our Stewardship.

Fall Open House
Be sure to keep an eye on your mail box looking for your invitation to one of our Fall Open Houses that will be held in your area. This will be a wonderful time for Fall Fellowship and the opportunity to bring a friend or relative to learn more about our community. Please take a moment to RSVP so we can notify the hosts that have generously donated their homes for these events. These events only happen because of you, and we look forward to seeing you!

Ladies Auxiliary Light Luncheon
On Sunday, November 8, the Ladies Auxiliary will be hosting a light luncheon after church to kick off this very special time of the year. During this very special month we will worship together as we do every Sunday. In addition, you will have an opportunity to learn more about our stewardship goals for the year, our major fundraising event identified for 2010 and how you can help by volunteering your time and talents, the financial requirements of operating our church and our vision for the future.

Participating Stewards
We would like to thank the following families who are Stewards of our Parish. Your stewardship provides the foundation for our Parish ministries and our efforts in meeting the formidable challenges that promote the spreading of Christ's words and our Orthodox Faith.