Wait foPromise WaiTheholytrinitywestfield.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/... · 12/12/2015 · “Christ Jesus, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with

Wait for the promise of the Father 1

“Joy to the world, the Lord has come, let earth receive her King!”

“Joy to the World” is a jubilant Christ-mas carol that pro-claims an awesome message – the joy that Christ brings to the world. But did you know that this hymn does not men-tion shepherds, wise men, a manger, or the Holy Family?

T h is ca rol wa s written in 1719 A.D. by Isaac Watts, a not-ed author of many English hymns, and was intended to be an expression of praise. It references the last part of Psalm 97, “He shall judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with uprightness.”

The days leading up to Christmas fill our calendars with many things such as: shop-ping, baking, sending cards to family and friends, decorating the house and tree with an assortment of ornaments and lights, and attending festive parties, to name but a few. As the great and ineffable mystery of the birth of Christ approaches on December 25, the busybody, still rushing from here to there attending to material preparations

in such a “religiously” ritualistic manner, suddenly finds him-self stressed, anxious, and weary of the ap-proaching holiday. And even when rec-ognition is given to the fact that such preparation is ex-hausting and often-times “over-the-top” we persist in our ex-cess never asking, “to what gain or at what loss”? From this, a true dichotomy and disconnect forms. We mistakenly rea-son that materia l objects should bring happiness. Both the

secular and the Christian constantly re-mind us that Christmas is a joyous and ju-bilant celebration, so why is my joy limited to the few short hours of gift opening?

Happiness quickly fades when we believe that a “thing,” or an object, or an article of clothing can fill the inner person with joy. The soul knows that aside from the physical there is also a spiritual necessity and component that only God can fill. If there has been no spiritual preparation

Joy WorldtotheLiturgical Schedule For Christmas & Theophany

12/20 Sunday Before the Nativity8:15 AM Orthros9:30 AM Divine Liturgy

12/22 St. Anastasia the Great Martyrof whose relics are held in the Altar of Holy Trinity8:45 AM Orthros9:30 AM Divine Liturgy

12/24 Paramoni of the Nativity8:30 AM Orthros9:15 AM Imperial Hours of the NativityCHRISTMAS EVE CANDELLIGHT SERVICE7:00 PM Vesperal Divine LiturgyChristmas Program

12/25 THE NATIVITY OF OUR SAVIOUR8:30 AM Orthros9:30 AM Divine Liturgy

12/27 SUNDAY AFTER THE NATIVITYSt. Stephen the Proto-martyr8:15 AM Orthros9:30 AM Divine Liturgy

12/31 ST. BASIL/NEW YEAR6:00 PM Divine Liturgy

01/03 Sunday before Theophany8:15 AM Orthros9:30 AM Divine Liturgy

01/05 PARAMONI OF THEOPHANY8:30 AM Orthros and Imperial Hours10:00 AM Divine Liturgy with the Lesser Blessing of Waters

01/06 HOLY THEOPHANY8:30 AM Orthros9:30 AM Divine Liturgy with Greater Blessing of Waters

01/07 St. John the Baptist8:30 AM Orthros9:30 AM Divine Liturgy

continued pg. 4

v

December–January 2016 ^ Volume 39, Issue 10 [email protected] 908-233-8533 holytrinitywestfield.org

PromiseThePromiseThe

December–January 2016

Dates in the Life of Our Church

DECEMBER

1 4:00 PM Greek School


7:30 PM Choir

4 St. Barbara the Great Martyr

8:30 AM Orthros

9:30 AM Divine Liturgy

5 6:30 PM Joy/Hope Christmas Party

6 St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

8:15 AM Orthros


11:45 AM Parish Council Elections


7:30 PM Parish Council

9 7:30 PM Philoptochos Christmas Party

10 10:00 AM TOTS

4:00 PM Greek School

7:30 PM Choir

12 St. Spyridon the Wonderworker

8:30 AM Orthros


13 8:15 AM Orthros


12:00 PM Sunday School Christmas Party

5:00 PM Metropolis of NJ Christmas Tree Lighting

15 12:00 PM Trinity Circle


17 4:00 PM Greek School Christmas Program

7:30 PM Choir

20 Sunday before the Nativity

8:15 AM Orthros


22 St. Anastasia of Rome

8:45 AM Orthros


24 Paramoni of the Nativity

8:30 AM Orthros

9:15 AM Imperial Hours

7:00 PM Christmas Eve Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil the Great

9:00 PM Christmas Pageant

25 NATIVITY OF OUR SAVIOUR

8:30 AM Orthros


27 St. Stephen the Protomartyr

8:15 AM Orthros


3:30 PM Wedding

30 3:00 PM Wedding

JANUARY

3 8:15 AM Orthros


5 Paramoni of Theophany

8:30 AM Orthros

9:00 AM Imperial Hours

10:00 AM Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great

11:00 AM Lesser Blessing of the Waters

6 HOLY THEOPHANY

8:30 AM Orthros


10:30 AM Great Blessing of the Waters

7 St. John the Baptist

8:30 AM Orthros


4:00 PM Greek School Vasilopita

7:30 PM Choir

9 11:00 AM Baptism

1:00 PM Wedding

10 St. Gregory of Nyssa

8:15 AM Orthros



4:00 PM Greek School Vasilopita

7:00 PM Philoptochos Board Meeting

7:30 PM Parish Council

14 10:00 AM TOTS


7:30 PM Choir

16 Venerable Chains of St. Peter

8:30 AM Orthros


Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church ^ Westfield, New Jersey2

The Nativity of our Lord 2015

The Very Reverend and Reverend ClergyHonorable Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,Esteemed Members of the Metropolitan Council,Esteemed Members of the Parish Councils, Philoptochos Sisterhood, Faculty and Students of the Catechetical and Greek Afternoon Schools, Directors and Participants of all Youth Organizations, and all devout Orthodox Christians of the Greek Orthodox Communities of ourHoly Metropolis of New Jersey

My Beloved,

“Christ Jesus, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant,

and coming in the likeness of men.”(Php 2:6-7)

God has entered time and history through the divine incarnation. Almighty God has invited Himself into our lives in a state of absolute weakness and vulnerability. The newborn lying in the manger holds in His hands the secrets of the universe, the secret of creation, the secret of absolute love. In the cold night of Bethlehem, the one who carries within her the treasure of the world, the Virgin Mary, the Theotokos, travels across the city in search of a place to give birth to the One who will change the course of the history of mankind. Today, we still count the years from this glorious moment when time and space were sanctified, merging in a divine kairos, an instant of the Kingdom in which still echoes the alleluia of the angels. As we contemplate this glorious miracle, we experience a sense of mingled wonder and awe that our Church expresses in its hymns for the feast: “Heaven called the Magi by a star, and thus it brought the first-fruits of the Gentiles to You, the infant lying in the manger. And they were amazed, not by scepters and thrones, but by utter poverty. For what is more shabby than a cave? And what is more humble than swaddling clothes? But it was through these that the riches of your divinity shone forth. Lord, glory to You!” (Hypakoe of the Nativity)

Our joy today contrasts with the humility and simplicity of the event that the Church commemorates. By His Divine Nativ-ity, Christ has made all of creation a sacrament. He has reestablished the image of God in mankind by restoring its original light. He has made tangible his Divine Energies in a creation that bears the mark of His presence through its harmony, its beauty, and its structure. He has transformed the course of the personal vocation of humanity by bringing us into the gates of eternal life. St. Peter wrote: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power was given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature...” (2 Pt 1:2-4)

In the midst of our busy and stressful lives, we are called to rediscover the spirit of wonder. We must be able to hear the cry of the newborn child, to listen to the teaching that comes from the humble cave of Bethlehem. Now God has a face, He has acquired a voice that all can hear, and His words of peace echo throughout the world. As Saint Gregory Palamas wrote: “Brethren, let us preserve this peace in ourselves, as far as we can, for we have received it as an inheritance from our Savior who has now been born, who gives us the Spirit of adoption, through which we have become heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ”. (Homily 58, on the Holy Nativity).

May the Joy of Christmas, the Hope of the New Year 2016 and the Grace and Blessings of our Incarnate Lord be with all of you and your beloved families.

With Paternal Love in the New-Born King and God,

†E V A N G E L O S Metropolitan of New Jersey

The Promise ^ December–January 2016 ^ Volume 39, Issue 10 3

“What keeps you, now, from giving? Isn’t the poor man there? Aren’t your own ware-houses full? Isn’t the reward promised? The command is clear. The hungry man is dying now, the naked man is freezing now, the man in debt is beaten now – and you want to wait till tomorrow?

“I’m not doing any harm,” you say, “I just want to keep what I own, that’s all.”

Which things, tell me, are yours? Whence have you brought them into being? You are like someone who sits down in a theater, and would prohibit everyone else from entering, saying that what is there for everyone to enjoy is for himself alone.”

– St. Basil the Great

Save the Dateoct 2, 2016

In celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of Holy Trinity.

Book Signing Karaoke


for the celebration of Christmas, then this celebration cannot be fully complete. Think of the many arduous hours spent with ma-terial preparations and how some of those hours could have been spent in prayer and confession.

The secular elements that seek to pro-mote the material aspects of Christmas-time are powerfully intoxicating precisely because they have succeeded in shifting the holiday’s focus away from the Child born in the manger of Bethlehem to the greed that is born in the hearts of those desiring a material, rather than, a spiritual gift. In the secular world, Advent’s meaning is lost because of misplaced routine void of feeling and meaning.

For a moment there is a need to recognize the importance of the Advent season, not to become a routine without feeling but to become a genuine path of personal connec-tion with the Christ child.

The Advent season should be filled with solemn rejoicing as we contemplate God’s gift to mankind. Hearing the Good News inspires the whole person to engage in the

sense of harmony, peace and love for one another. In other words, the Gospel mes-sage is pure “joy to the world.”

The words of this English writer were meant to be a hymn glorifying Christ’s re-turn at the end of the ages, not to celebrate the Nativity. Isaac Watts was not describing a past event but rather the coming again to earth, or the Second Advent, and the Saviour’s eternal reign.

In any event, the lyrics spell out the won-ders of Christ’s presence with us, whether by His birth or His return. This carol reminds us that Emmanuel is "God with us", and for this reason there is joy in the world.

Whether the Second Coming is just around the corner, we do not know. But we do know that our daily and weekly worship is a foretaste of eternal worship before His throne.

May the words of this carol bring comfort to you and encourage you in your celebra-tion of the Nativity. Merry Christmas!

“Joy to the world, the Saviour reigns, let men their songs employ!”

Continued from pg. 1 (Joy to the World)

BY ANASTASIOS DELVIZIS

Parish CouncilStewardship is a way of life, delivers on our beliefs and offers an inheritance for our families

BY PETER TARHANIDIS, PARISH COUNCIL PRESIDENT

We bring up Stewardship during Novem-ber because it is just after the start of the Ecclesiastical year, a time of the renewal of seasons and just before Thanksgiving and Christmas. More importantly, it is to raise awareness that Stewardship is a way of life, it is a journey. Today is a day to recognize our bond to each other as stewards. It is to understand our mission, to accept the Gospel as our foundation and to re-commit to build Christ centered homes. In addition, it is to extend those values to our children and those in need of help. Each year you consider how to participate and donate your Stewardship to the church. You evaluate what your impact is on the church and each year you make a dif-ference because you believe in our mission. Highlights of our Holy Trinity impacts that deliver on our beliefs include:

Serving with our time. Time is a precious resource. It is the most important resource. We are free to choose how to allocate it. I know we all give a considerable amount of time to our church. Giving of our precious time establishes Christ centered homes. This community, established 49 years ago, by a group of founders inspired by the Holy Spirit were intent, to serve as a model for contemporary Greek and Christian Orthodox families. Because of that, we sit inside the body of Christ, this church. Today we have over 300 sacraments performed each year through this Church. That is almost one a day! Close to 500 parishioners are in attendance year round participating in the sacrament of Divine Liturgy.

Serving with our talents. God provides to

each of us skills, abilities and knowledge that we hone into our talents. We are blessed as we put our talents each year to re-create the experience of each of our 11 ministries. By putting our talents to work on our ministries we sustain our Christ centered values and we pass them onto our children. We are commit-ted to living within our 11 ministries. We are Christ’s life on earth. High engagement with 42% of stewards and their families support-ing the Divine Liturgy and ministries; 225+ children attend religious, cultural & youth programs; and 200+ Philoptochos women who serve those in need through our local and national charities. There are over 43 social fellowship activities almost 2 a month!

Serving with our treasures. Our current financial situation is underpinned by the generosity provided by many of you to support the ministries in addition to your pledge, the amount I have noted is a lot! We sponsor many people in need through our outreach pro-grams across the Archdiocese, Metropolis and local communities like St. Basil’s Academy, Camp Good Shepard, Children’s Specialized Hospital, YMCA and many others. Yet, you should know that 58% of our pledges cover the budget. The remaining 42% is covered by extraordinary stewardship, Festivals and Golf outings. I want to bring to your atten-tion our four challenges in continuing to meet our budget:

1. Basic economics of rising costs & hard winters cost added $64,000.00 this year;

2. An aging facility that requires $1.2M Capital improvements beginning now

and through next four years;3. Less stewards that drive up desired

pledge amounts and less volunteerism; and

4. Successfully staffing and attending annual festivals and fund drivers.

What is powerful is how we bring it together. These Christian values are the keys to our inheritance.

Today we increasingly rely on our Church and ministries to prepare our families to confront a society that further test our Christian values such as Interfaith marriages and a commitment to Christian Orthodoxy; Use of Christian values to navigate a secular world; religious freedoms and the universal basic human right to exist; and Christian values systematically curtailed legislatively by many governments. Now, I encourage you to view the pledge card beyond your financial commitment but to recommit yourself to the whole journey. The opportunity exists to increase both your participation in the ministries and your financial pledge by an added 10%. This will ensure our ministries are staffed appropriately; cover the current $64,000.00 deficit; and drive pledges to 80% of the budget and rely less on other income.

My hope and prayer for the future is that we continue to inspire each other, prepare ourselves and advocate for our children by finding comfort and resurgence within our foundation. I am personally proud of our par-ish that consistently bonds together to share our faith, a faith that began 2000 years ago when Christ came to serve us and taught us to serve.

How Jean Jullien’s simple doodle spread around the worldThe first thing Jean Jullien did when he

heard about the Paris attacks was reach for paper and his paintbrush, and sketch a simple image on his lap. Late on Friday evening, he posted it on to his Instagram and Twitter pages: a quick doodle of the Eiffel tower inside a circle, in an adaption of the peace symbol originally used by the nuclear disarmament movement.

Jullien is a graphic designer originally from Nantes but based in London. It wasn’t particularly an illustrator’s response, he said, “more an instinctive, human reaction”.

But the simplicity of his design, rendered in just a few brush strokes, did not diminish its power. In the days since the atrocities of the Paris terrorist attacks, his arresting im-age, captioned “Peace for Paris”, has been shared many thou-sands of times on social media world-wide, becoming a global expression of solidarity, resis-tance and hope for peace.


Philoptochos ReportThe Gift of Christ’s Birth

Christmas, the feast of joy, and light, is a day of jubilation. God took our humanity upon Himself because of His great love for us. He entered our human condition. Of all the gifts we cherish or possess, we celebrate God’s gift to us centuries ago as foretold by the Prophet Isaiah: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Child is given” (Isaiah 9:5). The Virgin Birth fits the Oxford English Dictionary’s very definition of a miracle: “a remarkable and welcome event that seems impossible to explain by means of the known laws of nature.”

We celebrate this wondrous gift and feast at a time when many are in need of compassion and hope, for hope truly sums up the solemnity of this holy day as it continues to perpetuate us into the

future. Yet, the human race continues to be confronted with enormously trou-bling agonies, natural disasters, violent tragedies, crimes, the devaluation of human dignity, victims who are abused in a variety of ways, and the struggles of those economically repressed through-out the world.

Through His Incarnation, God has given Himself to us all as His grace is revealed through Jesus Christ that we might have hope and true life. The Gospel of Luke tells us that as the shep-herds came on that first Holy Night to witness what the multitude of angels had praised, they made known abroad the saying that was told them concern-ing this Child. However, “…Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in

her heart” (Luke 2:19).With her exemplary humility, the

Theotokos fulfilled the prophecy, filling our hearts with joy, giving us the gift of love to share with everyone.

Through the outreach of Philopto-chos, please join us, and give from your abundance so that others may receive the gifts of kindness, caring, and suste-nance in their time of need.

As we too ponder in our hearts on this miracle, ref lect on God’s grace, and be the vehicle that allows it to shine brightly in every place where it is needed, I wish you a happy and most merry Christmas.

Christ is born. Glorify H im!

Save the date!Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016Religious Education’sGodparent/GodchildBreakfast

Save the Dateoct 2, 2016

In celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of Holy Trinity.


In the fullness of time, God sent into the world His Son born of a woman. The Son of God became the Son of the Virgin. Here is the assurance and the beginning of salvation, the guarantee and source of eternal life. This is the reason for both, those on earth and those in heaven, to rejoice, for the mys-tery of the Godmanhood and the glory of the divine Incarnation is revealed. The star of the eternal covenant stopped and shone over the cavern in Bethlehem. The humiliation of the cavern testifies that the kingdom that is revealed is not of this world.

The divine descent is not only divine condescension, but at the same time it is the revelation of glory. Then was human nature healed through the ineffable di-vine assumption, and was reintroduced into communion with everlasting life. The action of grace reentered the world where it had been stopped by human sin. “Christ is born and earth and heaven are united: today God came down to earth, and man ascended into heaven.” From now on, human nature is inseparably united with the Godhead in the indi-visible unity of the hypostasis [Person] of the Incarnate Word. Everything be-came new. Thus was accomplished the pre-eternal mystery and council of love divine. “He, who established the being of every creature, visible and invisible, by a sole act of will, before all ages and before the existence of the creaturely world, determined ineffably that He Himself should truly become united with human nature in the true unity of His hypostasis [Person], thus making man God through union with Him.” So spoke St. Maximos the Confessor about the pre-eternal council of God. God creates the world and reveals Himself in order that God may become man and it is by this union that man is deified. Or as St. Irenaeus of Lyons expressed

it: “The Son of God became the Son of man in order that man would become the Son of God.” This purpose was re-alized in the mystery of Christ’s birth, when the foundation of the Church was already prefigured.

But the road from Bethlehem to Sion is long, and is leading us through Gethsemane and Golgotha. Already in Bethlehem the newborn Godchild is presented with funeral offerings by the Wise Men from the East. “Today, God leads the Wise Men to worship through the star, prefiguring His three-day burial in gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” The very doors of the Bethle-hem cavern are nearly stained with the innocent blood of the children who were killed for Christ’s sake. The way of the Cross is mysteriously foreshown. The Lord is born for this very hour of the Cross. “For this cause came I unto this hour.” (John 12:27) The Lord is born for death and crucifixion: “He had a body that he might take death upon

Himself.” So wrote St. Athanasios the Great. Through the voluntary passion and death is the Christmas joy transfig-ured into Resurrection joy. This is the second and higher victory of life. In the very birth of Christ the order of nature is overcome. It is not so much that the natural birth is sanctified as that the higher is prefigured and revealed.

If one asks what we are worshipping during Christmas, we answer with the words of St. Gregory the Theologian (of Nazianzus); “We are worshipping and adoring and honoring love.” “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” (John 3:16). This is the mystery of Christmas – and now in the days of sacred memories we sing and solemnize it. We are remembering not only what has already happened and passed, but that which was fulfilled. We are now reckoning the years of grace, the years of our Lord. For so has God loved the world.

A Christmas Message BY PROTOPRESBYTER GEORGE FLOROVSKY


Our GOYA year has had a promising start, and I am looking forward to 2016 to be just as wonderful for our GOYA members. This is true when I think back to some of the state and parish events we have attended or participated in over the last few months.

First, the Mr. and Miss GOYA Pageant was held on October 11 at the Pines Manor. Our two representatives, Christina Karsos and Yanni Angelides, represented Holy Trinity GOYA with dignity, pride, and love for our Orthodox faith. They both spoke eloquently as the final question of the evening was posed to them. Congratula-tions to Christina Karsos who was named Miss GOYA 2015!! and congratulations

to Yanni who earned 1st runner up Mr. GOYA! We are so proud of both Christina and Yanni for representing Holy Trinity so well! Thank you also to Father Peter, and our coaches, Mrs. Boutsikaris and Mrs. Conti, who worked with our representatives to prepare them for this memorable event.

Next, some of our GOYA members attended the Bowling Tournament and dance hosted in Fairview on October 24. The tournament was a great time for our GOYAns who participated.

Also, on October 28, members of our GOYA joined with members of Philopto-chos to serve an evening meal to the home-less at the Plainfield YMCA. Service is an integral part of GOYA; it is one of the basic

foundations of our GOYA ministry. Thank you to Nicole Boutsikaris, Evan Koniaris, Caroline Maglaras, and Christina Karsos, who supported our first Outreach event of the year.

November 8 was Youth Sunday. Many of our GOYA members assisted the Parish Council during the church service and later hosted the Coffee Hour. It was a positive way to thank our Holy Trinity community for their continued support. Thank you to Mrs. Karsos and Mrs. Kallinosis for preparing the delicious loukoumades that day! Also, thank you to all of the members of the Holy Trin-ity family who supported us with our bread sale; the entire proceeds benefitted one of our charities this year, St. Basil’s.

GOYA BY CHRISTOPHER BOUTSIKARIS, GOYA PRESIDENT

DECEMBER 18Christmas Caroling and Lock-In

Back by popular demand, The Lock-In has returned! Save the date! This year we will begin the evening by visiting the members of our Holy Trinity family as well as the elderly to spread some holiday cheer. Afterwards, we will gather in the Bouras Center for our Lock-In. You don’t want to miss this event!

DECEMBER 27Alumni Games

Our annual Alumni Games will be held on December 27 in the Bouras Center. We are looking forward to a really fun night with an exciting game against our alumni.

DECEMBER 28Christmas Dance Tenafly

The second state-sponsored dance will be held in Tenafly this year. This is a great way to spend some time over the holidays with other GOYAns from across New Jersey.

Outreach: On October 28, a small group of GOYANS and Philoptochos members donated their time and efforts to several displaced families in Plainfield. In collabo-ration, the two groups spent Wednesday night feeding the families and distributing care packages. We all went in with open minds, not knowing what exactly to expect. After serving the families for some time, and seeing the wide smiles that spread across their faces, and seeing the immense gratitude in their eyes, it confirmed our desires to hopefully return in the future. Sometimes in our daily lives we take for granted the small things we have and abuse our wealth and good fortune. It is impor-tant to set aside time to help others who are

less privileged than we may be. Some-times the simplest of acts, like spoon-ing vegetables on a plate, can completely alter someone else's life in a way that is completely not un-derstandable to us. After speaking to the GOYAns who vol-unteered, I reached the conclusion that it is not us who are necessarily helping them, but they who are helping us. This experience brought these GOYAns closer together with a better sense of reality. It has opened our hearts and eyes and made

us realize that we must use the gifts God has given us to help our brothers and sisters in Christ. Any GOYAn who may not have been able to volunteer this time is strongly encouraged to sign up for a future date. It is a truly rewarding activity that brings you closer to your fellow GOYAns, your local community, and Christ.

A Message from Christina KarsosSenior Outreach Coordinator and Miss GOYA 2015


BY CHRISTINA KARSOS, MISS GOYA 2015As a new, young, and timid GOYAn, my first impression of

GOYA came from my Mr. and Miss experience. I remember thinking to myself how amazing it would be if I could one day be honored with the amazing opportunity of representing my church in this competition. This past May, my fellow GOYAns gave me that exact opportunity. Working with the most amazing coaches for weeks in preparation was a rewarding experience in its own. Mrs. Conti and Mrs. Boutsikaris are the most supportive and en-couraging coaches I've had the opportunity to be taught by. I can honestly say that without their help and the loving support of our parish, I would have been at a loss.

At the competition, Yanni and I were graced with the compan-ionship of eight other finalists. Sitting in the room together all of our nerves were diminished, and we made eight new friends. We shared stories and bonded, completely putting aside the fact that these other people were our competitors. While the advisor led us one by one out of the room, the nerves slowly started creeping back in. Remembering the lessons I had with Father Peter and my coaches, I began to formulate my answer. It was through their lessons and teachings and the immense support from my fellow GOYANS and parish, that I was able to receive the honor and title of Miss GOYA 2015. I strongly encourage any GOYAns who are given the honor to represent their church in this pageant to jump at the opportunity and do so with pride and an open mind. It has truly been one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and I am truly grateful I was able to seize this opportunity.

BY YANNI ANGELIDES, MR. WESTFIELD 2015There are moments in life that are remembered for a lifetime

and there are people that without them these moments would have floated by…

Mrs. Boutsikaris and Mrs. Conti, I am so very grateful for your dedication, love and guidance throughout the pageant. And to my Holy Trinity family: thank you for bestowing on me the honor to represent our parish. Being selected to represent our youth gave me the opportunity to share my enthusiasm and love for GOYA and our Christian faith. For me, the church is my second home and GOYA my second family!

Being in the company of such exceptional Greek Orthodox youth at the pageant revitalized my pride for who I am and where I should be headed. My favorite moment during the pageant was hanging out and having fun in the basement with the other contestants and meeting other Greek Orthodox teens that have similar goals: a love for God through faith and hope, a love and an acceptance for all people and a will to serve those less fortunate.

To the next Mr. GOYA, be yourself, lead with confidence and be proud of your role representing our youth. When I walked onto that stage as Mr. Westfield a humbling serge of emotions and pride filled my heart looking down at my family, friends and fellow Orthodox Christians. Therefore, hold steadfast to your beliefs; bear your cross with reverence and have faith in your abilities…God has your back!

Thank you for allowing my light to shine for you! Christina (Miss GOYA), you crushed it!With love always ~Yanni

Mr. & Miss GOYA Pageant


49th Annual Christ Encounter Ref lectionsThis year, being my first year in GOYA,

I was excited to get to know other kids in my church community through the retreat. Over the course of the weekend, I spoke with and got to know many girls, both older and around the same age as me. I made new friends and also got closer with the friends I already had. I especially liked when we had free time and were able to talk to people and get to know each other on our own time during the day. I also enjoyed learning in our sessions to love everyone in our lives, just as God unconditionally loves all of us. Overall, the trip really helped me learn more about myself and my GOYA family. I know from the experience that the remainder of the year is going to be great!

- Julia Love

This was my first time attending the Christ Encounter Retreat and I now plan on attending them in the years to come. I was first nervous because I did not have very strong bonds with anybody at church but that fear soon slipped away. I became better friends with many people there and learned a lot. We discussed many important and current topics such as terrorism, suicide and bullying. I learned so much and now fully understand the Christian viewpoints on these topics. Besides learning I also had a lot of fun! The many activities kept us busy and created stronger bonds with each other. I highly recommend attending this retreat for anyone who is unsure about attending!

- Nicole Dragoiu-Luca


This year the 39th annual Christ En-counter Retreat entitled Unity Together in Christ was held on November 13-15 at Camp Bernie. As a senior, it is my final year of attending. Personally, my favor-ite part of the retreat was when we broke up for sessions into different age groups and discussed topics pertaining to our theme. We talked about the personal characteristics that make us special and how others perceive us. We had a selec-tion of Bible readings and discussed parables such as The Good Samaritan and came to conclusions about what it is that makes us good Christians. This specia l t ime for reading scripture is called; Alone time with God. I think the most important conclusion was to love your neighbor as yourself , and love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and strength. This was most meaningful to me because it is the simplest way God guides us into being good Orthodox Christians. This is a lesson I will carry forward with me through all that I do which is the most valuable thing the retreat provided for me this year.

- Christian Kallinosis

Prior to the 2015 Christ Encounter Weekend, I didn’t necessarily know what to expect, due to the fact that I hadn’t attended it in over two years. Plus, all the academic pressures of high school were occupying my mind to a point that I was unable to focus on the upcoming weekend. However, as soon as the bus departed for YMCA Camp Bernie that Friday, all my worries disappeared and my spiritual journey began with my brothers and sisters in Christ. This retreat helped me rebuild my relationship with God, and made me remember that He is always with me, even through times of distress, especially with the help of the great advisors who conducted the religious sessions, such as Mr. John, Mr. Christodoulou, Mr. Kyritsis, and of course, Father Peter. Also, it brought me closer to my fellow GOYAns, both those whom I previously knew, as well as those I had not met until then. By the end of the weekend, I felt spiritually rejuvenated, and mentally prepared to handle future chal-lenges in everything I encounter. I sincerely recommend next year’s Christ Encounter Weekend to all GOYAns, especially those who have the same doubt that I had prior to the this retreat.

–Andrew Economides


Who are we? Trinity Circle consists of the faithful seniors (age 55+) of Holy Trinity. Where can you find us? You can find us in many places such as; helping at the festival, rummage sale, Sights & Sounds, baking for the shut-ins, and wherever the various organi-zations of our church need a helping hand. What do we do at our meetings? Our meetings, which are every third

Tuesday of the month, are full of fel-lowship with each other. The meetings always begin with a prayer offered by Father Peter. Lunch is served after a short business meeting or following the presentation of a speaker who enlightens us on various subjects. We discuss various outings suggested by members and have at least four bus trips a year to see plays, shows, and

attend special events. Trinity Circle hosts an end of the year luncheon in June and a Christmas party at a res-taurant in December for our members. We are a vibrant group of ladies and gentlemen who enjoy sharing together and we have lots of fun in doing so!

If you are 55+, please join us every third Tuesday of the month. We wel-come new members.

Trinity Circle BY HELLEN KIRIAKATIS, PRESIDENT

PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation - APPLY TODAY!The PanHellenic Foundation will again offer $250,000 in scholarship

awards to recognize students of high scholastic achievement for their accom-plishments, and to provide support to those in financial need. Undergraduate students of Hellenic descent who are enrolled in an accredited university in any of the 50 United States are eligible to apply. The application is available on the Foundation website www.panhellenicscholarships.org; the deadline to apply is February 1, 2016.

The Awards are offered at two levels: 20 Awards of $10,000 based on aca-demic achievement and financial need; 20 Awards of $2,500 based solely on academic achievement.


12 Holy Trinity Scouts Earn Religious AwardsOur parish is especially proud of the 12 Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts

who worked throughout the last school year to earn the religious awards for their grade levels. On October 25, the Scouts and their families came up to the Solea to participate in a short prayer service and receive their awards from Father Peter and Scouting Advisor, Miriam Kotsonis. The group was specially honored to be joined by the National Chairman of the Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting, Mr. George Boulukos.

Our award recipients: St. George (grades 1-3): Michael Kobori, Kelly and Tia Shikar, Nadia Tarhanis; Chi Rho (grades 4-5): Richard Bagala, Molly Love, Kaysen Shikar; Alpha Omega (grades 6-12): Christine and William Arida, Chris and Demetrios Gianakis, Nicole Dragoiu Luca.

These 12 young disciples of Jesus Christ and their families have taken an active step towards God through reading our Gospels, praying, learning about our Church, and performing service to others. We challenge all our Holy Trinity Scouts to take that step. Contact Father Peter or Miriam ([email protected]) for more information and assistance.

The Mission of The Holy Trinity Young Adult Ministry is to create forums for young adults to connect on our Christian Orthodox Faith, fellowship events and guidance as they transition into higher education and career endeavors.

Holy Trinity will be initiating a Youth and Young Adult Ministry (Y2AM) to aid in keeping our young adults connected to our Church and their Faith as they graduate from GOYA and move on to higher education and career pursuits. The objective of this new ministry is to create a forum for young adults to communicate with each other and the church. We will create a net-work of mentorship where the vast knowledge and experience of our parish adults can help our young people with advice on careers, internships and job opportunities as they advance through their twenties. We ask all adults who feel they can offer mentorship to our youth in the form of advice, career opportunities or networking opportunities to please contact Ken or Jeannie Arida to be included in our database of mentors. Mentoring need not be an exorbitant time commitment; all who are interested are encouraged to reach out. We are all here to help our young people stay connected to their Orthodox faith in all of their pursuits in life. Please reach out to Ken and Jeannie Arida if you are:

• High school student looking for information about the college application process and specific schools, college life in general, etc.• College student willing to share what life is like at your school with younger members of the Church or looking for summer intern-

ships/job opportunities• College Graduate- interested in networking and mentoring • Professionals willing to network, mentor and/or provide internship opportunities as well as career advice to undergraduate and graduate-

age members of the Church

For more information on Y2AM at Holy Trinity, please contactKen and Jeannie Arida: [email protected].


5FINGERS FITTING5KEYSPHYLLIS A. VERENES

PIANO INSTRUCTOR & WEDDING ORGANIST

9 SAND HILL ROAD, MORRISTOWN, NJ 07960TEL: 973.538.2236 • CELL: 973.214.9222

Contact the Church Office if you would liketo advertise in the next issue of The Promise!

Holy trinity Greek ortHodox cHurcH

clASSiFiedS



Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church

Non Profit Org.US postage

PAIDRahway, NJ

Permit No. 654

16

Metropolis ofNew Jersey

The Promise: Volume 39, Issue 10

10 issues published annually. No subscription fee.Article deadline - 10th of the preceding month

Schedule of Services

Sundays Weekdays

Orthros 8:15 AM 8:30 AM

Divine Liturgy 9:30 AM 9:30 AM

Ministries

Parish Council Peter TarhanidisPhiloptochos Penny Pefanis

Religious Education Chris EconomidesGreek School Rita Fitanidis

Youth (GOYA) Chris BoutsikarisJOY / HOPE Iris Love

TOTS Joanne Paras & Jenny Stellakis

Bookstore Sandy MouratoglouCultural Barbara Manos

Greek School PTO Jenny StellakisTrinity Circle Hellen Kiriakatis

Worship

Lead Psaltis Pascalis KuvalakisChoir Director Kathryn Athanasoulas

Organist Phyllis VerenesHead Acolyte John Katsingris

Office Staff

Office Manager Diana R. WaltsakAdmin. Assistant E. Joy Daniledes

Caretaker Ocione Nunes

Contact Information

Mailing Address 250 Gallows Hill Rd.Westfield, NJ 07090-1109

Phone 908-233-8533

Fax 908-233-0623

E-mail [email protected]

Web site holytrinitywestfield.org

Presiding Priest Rev. Peter Delvizis

E-mail [email protected]

Documents

Wait foPromise WaiTheholytrinitywestfield.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/... · 12/12/2015 · “Christ Jesus, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with