This year we will be electing three (3) parishioners to the Parish Council to serve a three (3) – year term. Elections will be held on Sunday, December 15, 2019, after the Divine Liturgy, from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. in the fellowship/kitchen area. Nomination of candidates will begin on Sunday, November 24, at the General Parish Assembly. For those who are not present and wish to be nominated, he or she can use the attached form until Sunday, December 1 at 12:00 p.m. The fully signed form must be received by this deadline by one of the Board of Elections members to be elected on Sunday, November 24, at the General Parish Assembly. Their names will be announced at the meeting and posted on the website after our GPA Meeting.
As part of his sermon at our Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Presentation of the Theotokos into the Temple, Fr. George witnessed the divine and providential mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ in the life of one of our beloved parishes, Athena. Parishioners gathered for a group photo to share with her as she continues her recovery the promise of our Good Shepherd: "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:32)
St. Christopher is participating in an Open House this Saturday, Nov. 2 from 10:00 – 2:00. The Open House is sponsored by the businesses located at 313 Dividend Dr. We will be grilling up hot dogs and hamburgers. A bounce house will be going on for the kids. Plan to stop by & have lunch with us.
We thank God for our rich fall harvest... worshiping with our own chantors and choir as opposed to importing a chantor 16 years ago when we had no choir or chantors, offering a memorial and remembering the beloved parents of our parishioners, passing the torch to our present generation of the bravery of the Greeks standing up to Fascism during WW2 (Oxi Day), learning about our faith in Religious Education classes for our youth and adults, witnessing the progress of our parish family through our colorful and informative monthly newsletter, and enjoying fellowship at our unique monthly “Let’s EAT!” Gathering at Broadway Diner. Our parish welcomes everyone into our midst... with 16 years passing since our founding, we thank God for our new families, our active families, and the “children of our children” visiting us for the first time. Glory to God for His blessings these past 16 years; we pray for many more anniversaries to share together with you. These events are illustrated in the photos taken on Sunday, October 27, 2019. In reflecting about our 16th anniversary, I call to mind how God's Holy Spirit has been guiding us for 16+ years, supported by our collective prayers and presence. Your active participation ensures our St. Christopher Parish Family is both unique and growing. Without your help, we offer God less than He deserves from us. Although it may seem like we are just a handful of men, women and children, if we commit ourselves to serving our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we will experience the miracle of growth as the Holy Spirit brings others into His service to help us build His new church in the Peachtree City, Georgia area for the glory of God!
On the 16th anniversary of our parish’s founding, our Philoptochos pulled together parishioners to fulfill orders for our Fall Pastry Sale. Having exceeded making our target of 200 dozen Spanakopites two weeks ago, in just five hours our talented members made just shy of 200 dozen Tiropites... ensuring we have more than enough for our patrons. All proceeds of our fundraiser pastry sale will benefit our local, Metropolis, and Archdiocese charities. Thanks to parishioners who assisted.
Glory to God and Thanksgiving to Him always for the countless blessings our Saint Christopher parish family has received since its founding on this day 16 years ago. During his sermon, Fr. George noted that 1/2 of those present (8 persons) helped establish our parish. 1/2 more (or 8) have joined us since then. Each of our 16 represent one year of our outreach ministry. Indeed, as we witness the Good News of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, our efforts are bearing harvest... a sign that God has multiplied our efforts. For those who have fallen asleep since our founding, we pray for their eternal memory. For those who have moved due to family and jobs, we send our warmest greetings. To those who are part of us (including those unable to join us today), we thank you for your ongoing commitment and service to God.
With the excitement for online ordering of Philoptochos Bake Sales underway, our orders are coming in strong. Our first battalion of co-workers just prepared the special spinach and cheese mixture for the rolling of spanakopites this Saturday. With a goal of 250 dozen in anticipated sales, our prep team realized rolling will be a two-day task! To accommodate this demand, we just scheduled a full second day of rolling tomorrow, Friday, October 11th, eginning at 9:00 a.m.
Join us this Saturday to roll Spanakopites for GREEKFEST. We will begin at 10:30 a.m., following church services commemorating the Prophet Elijah (Elias).
Fr. George is pleased to announce that His Grace Bishop Sevastianos of Zelon will visit our parish for the first time on Sunday, August 4th. What a glorious Sunday it will be, as His Grace presides at the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy. Afterwards, Fr. George will assist His Grace to celebrate the Blessing of the Five Loaves and bless those celebrating August birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and Name Days. Bishop Sevastianos will offer the Agiasmos (Blessing of Water) for the new academic year of religious education and public and private studies of our parish youth and youth adults. All students as well as our youth and young adult ministry chairs and religious educators will receive His blessing, along with our faithful. Our parish will host a special luncheon in Bishop Sevastianos' honor. Our luncheon chair, Faye Georgeo, will be working with our Parish Council and Philoptochos Society to offer a delicious lenten meal (August Fast) and fellowship. We hope you will respond to her efforts to include your helping hands. As we anticipate His Grace's visit, let us prepare ourselves with prayers and mutual encouragement for the many opportunities we have to prepare to welcome His Grace and one another on this joyous day. As we anticipate the month of August and the Bishop's visit, a time when we are preparing to celebrate the Transfiguration of our Lord and the Dormition of the Theotokos, let us remember that both His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios and His Grace Bishop Sevastianos love and support us. May we pray that God grant both of them "many more years" of good health, joy, and Spirit-filled life. I thank you in advance for your prayer and assistance, and look forward to Sunday, August 4th - please save the date!
In spite of terrible rain on Saturday, June 7th, all 20 of our volunteers showed up to sort various food types to be distributed to community food shelters. We had a ball!
Join Fr. George and Presbytera Marinda for our annual Memorial Day Observance and Trisagion Service at the National Cemetery in Canton, GA on Monday, May 27th. We will depart from the Visitors Center promptly at 10:30 a.m. and visit the graves as in previous years. Afterwards, we will share lunch fellowship at the Marietta Fish Market (Dutch treat). Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering and honoring people who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
Christ is risen! Through God’s grace, St. Christopher parishioners experienced a spiritually uplifting Great Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha. We are deeply grateful for your countless gifts of time, talents, and contributions during this time and throughout the year. Let us pray that we continue to grow even stronger in our journey to our Risen Lord. During this Bight Week and beyond, Fr. George encourages us to continue to seek daily strength and sustenance from Him through personal prayer, reading Holy Scripture, serving others, and communing with His Holy Body. Let us join together and continue to pray for peace and healing for all those who are sick and in need and let us offer ourselves as God’s co-workers as opportunities arise. Thank you for your support and encouragement. Our Risen Lord “thirsts” for us to stop and take in His “water of eternal life” each day. What great mercy our Savior Jesus Christ has been offering us during Great Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha. Please do not let it end! Amen!