KUDOS TO OUR STEWARDS: HOORAY!

The Annunciation Cathedral salutes its stewards for 2010. The four-week long campaign, which began on November 15, 2009, concluded on December 6, with the collection of the 2010 stewardship pledge cards. We thank the following for pledging to support the Cathedral and its ministries for 2010 by making their financial commitment. (This list reflects 2010 Pledge Cards received as of December 20, 2009.)

If you have not yet submitted your 2010 Stewardship pledge card, we invite you to do so during the month of January. We invite you to “get on board” with all your other fellow parishioners who want to support the work being done by the Cathedral. At the end of January, we office will automatically “roll over” those who were active in 2009, but for whom we did not receive a 2010 card, as outlined in the letter sent to the Cathedral’s parishioners at the start of our 2010 Stewardship campaign.

PARISH COUNCIL ELECTION RESULTS

Elections to the Parish Council for the 2010 calendar year were held on Sunday, December 13. The following eight were elected to the Parish Council for a two-year term: John Coundouris, Thomas A. Nuris, Perri Tsougarakis Nager, Nikolas Stathopoulos, Nicholas Svetcoff, George Vlahos, James D. Vorrises, and Gus Vouchilas.

Upon ratification by His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos, the eight newly elected members will receive their oath of office on Sunday, January 3, at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy. Immediately following, they will convene, together with the seven who were elected to a two-year term in December, 2008 to elect Parish Council officers for 2010. The Parish Council consists of the Dean and fifteen lay members, seven of whom are elected one year, and eight the following year, both for a two-year term.

ARCHITECT, CONTRACTORS, CONSULTANTS WORKING OUT A COST FOR THE NEW CATHEDRAL

As noted in our December Herald, the Cathedral’s architect, contractor and consultants (primarily structural, mechanical and electrical) have been working feverishly to come up with a cost for the building of the new Cathedral. The cost will enable us to put forth a proposal for adoption at a Parish Assembly, as required by our Archdiocese Regulations. The job is easier said than done, however. It’s not as though one takes square footage and multiplies it by an average cost, as one does when building a house. The soil, structural, mechanical, and electrical requirements, among others, are major factors in determining what it will cost to build.

As noted in December, the project consists of constructing two levels of below grade parking on the Cathedral’s site at 245 Valencia Street, with a Cathedral above. The Cathedral will be at the level of the Cathedral’s present buildings. It will feature a worship space on the ground level, accommodating approximately 550, a balcony for the choir, and an adult baptistery. We expect to have a cost for this project this month, so that we can proceed, at long last, to rebuild the Cathedral, lost to the Loma Prieta Earthquake twenty years ago.

PUTTING TOGETHER A FINANCE
COMMITTEE TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE NEW CATHEDRAL

At its December meeting, the Parish Council heard from Stefani Roumeliotes, who offered some thoughts about fund raising for the Cathedral’s project. Among other things, Stefani noted that the San Francisco Metropolis is the only Metropolis in the Archdiocese that does not have a Cathedral church, suggesting we need to begin thinking about raising money from three sources: 1. the Cathedral’s parishioners and friends, 2. parishes and individuals from throughout the Metropolis (the seven Western States), 3. individuals from throughout the country. Accordingly, a finance committee is in the process of being formed with a view to developing a plan to raise the money needed to build the Cathedral and, by doing so, to perpetuate the important legacy of our Faith. Stefani has had considerable experience with fund raising in political campaigns, as well as various charity events.

LOOKING FOR A NEW OFFICE MANAGER

There is currently a Cathedral Office Manager position available, which we hope will be filled in the very near future. The job description and qualifications will be posted on the Cathedral website (www.annunciation.org), Craig’s List, and Monster.com. just as soon as it becomes available. Parishioners who are interested in applying may do so, as per the instructions on the web sites.

ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE CATHEDRAL’S WEB SITE

Currently, the Cathedral’s web site (www.annunciation.org) is in need of some loving redesign. (You may have noticed our recent attempts to update its look.) We envision the web site to assist our parishioners, and also be a useful tool to communicate information about the Annunciation Cathedral experience to the Bay Area and, eventually, beyond. As such, we are looking for creative, energetic individuals who would like to participate in enhancing the Annunciation Cathedral experience by devoting time to brainstorm the design. This would require a time commitment of several weeks. If you are interested in becoming a part of the design team, please call the Cathedral at 415 864-8000.

STEWARDSHIP INSPIRES US

As noted above, the Cathedral’s 2010 Stewardship campaign, with the theme Come and See (Cf. John 1:46), lasted four weeks, from Sunday, November 15 until December 6. The homily each Sunday was offered by a different member of the Cathedral’s Stewardship Committee. On November 15, the homily was offered by Gus Vouchilas, chairman of the committee; Nick Svetcoff spoke on November 22; Dr. Nikolas Stathopoulos spoke on November 29, and Pauline Zakis Smith spoke on December 6th. Below are the remarks of Dr. Stathopoulos and Pauline Zakis (Gus’ remarks were reprinted in the December Herald.)

Stewardship Sermon delivered by Dr. Nikolas Stathopoulos on November 29

Good morning Father Stephen, Father Gregory, Deacon Niko and fellow parishioners and happy belated-Thanksgiving Day! I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak to you all and express my thanksgiving for all of the wonderful experiences and memories growing up in this parish.

Thanksgiving day is a perfect time to commemorate corporately how good God has been to us. Yes, holidays can sometimes be wrought with sad memories and longing nostalgia but let's choose to focus on the positive. Every one of us here has a roof over our head and has enough food to eat. Many people have so much less so God has really been good to us.

Today I want to talk about not giving out of our excess or surplus but giving from the depths of our heart. The gospel reading for today from Luke 18, which we just heard, dealt with a rich young ruler— a very nice guy, extremely wealthy, a man of status and no doubt very educated. He followed all the rules to the T. He was very "filotimos", "ena olikliro palikari", “a chip off the old block”...but something was missing. The sheer fact that this rich young man, who had everything, asked Jesus "what must I do to inherit eternal life" shows us that the rich young man was still searching. All of his riches and fame could not satisfy him; he knew there was something missing. Jesus challenged him to go the extra mile: to sell everything he had and give it to the poor. This would require above and beyond the sacrifice the young man had made thus far; it required total, and utter OBEDIENCE. That's a hard word for most of us, not only as kids but also as adults. What Jesus does here is test the man's heart and attachments. It reminds me of the verse “Where your heart is there will be your treasure also.” Is God placed ahead of worldly possessions in our own lives?

I remember those days as a boy growing up in this wonderful parish.

This was my safe haven, my home away from home. Our weeks were jam-packed with church activities, I was involved in Sunday school, Greek school, altar service, basketball, Greek dancing, GOYA, YAL and more. All of my involvement was not always voluntary or optional but I can honestly say that I am grateful to my parents for encouraging me to participate and I believe that these were pivotal in making me who I am today. I have such fond memories, such as GOYA sleep-overs at the cathedral choir loft, summer camp in Yosemite, and practicing relentlessly for FDF, just to name a few. We were just a community of people sharing a common language, a common culture with the foundation of a common faith, multiple parts forming one unified body in Christ— and we can not allow that to slip away.

My involvement in "church life" gave me and gives me to this day a sense of pride and security that many children and adults do not experience. I want the same for our son Marios, our godson Vlasis, and all the children in the community as they face an increasingly challenging and complicated world.

In closing, an expression my father Marios always told me comes to mind, "Kounise ta heria sou na sothis.” I've extrapolated this metaphorically speaking to mean "strive to give your best, in everything you do, and that will make you free!! Or in other words, "Faith without works (or Praxis) is dead". In all you do, do as unto God. That nugget of wisdom from Messinia can be applied to all avenues of our lives.

God has blessed many of us in different ways--some are wealthy, others are gifted musically, spiritually, academically, culinarily, etc, etc. All can serve and give according to their gifts. We are all part of the same body of Christ. I want to encourage you today to give not only of your wealth but to give of yourselves — from your heart, cheerfully. The Apostle Paul teaches us in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, "Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

I will leave you with the Webster’s Dictionary definition of stewardship:

The careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care.

God has left His Church and its congregation in OUR care. The time is NOW to show our community’s true backbone.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

Happy Hollidays!!
Kala Chriistougenna kai Eutichismenos o Kainourgios Chronos!!

Stewardship Sermon offered by Pauline Smith on December 6

Good Morning,

First off I would like to thank our Sunday school kids for a great job done in their performance. I want to take a moment this morning and explain a few things about stewardship and what I believe it means. But first I want to give you a little bit of background information. My family has been members here at Annunciation since my parents came to America. This church has always been a part of my life. Not only has this church been part of our lives but the people here have been part of our lives as well. The community we have here is like no other. We are a family, and the older I get the more I need that family.

When I was a child coming to church meant coming to Sunday school, or dance practice to see my friends, but as I grew the meaning grew as well you see the first person who taught me about stewardship was my mother. As a child I remember my mom coming to the church to help in the kitchen and those of you who know my mother know some things never change. It was never an option for her. It was always just something that HAD to be done. I never understood why she went I just know she HAD to go. When I was old enough to help the women in the kitchen put me to work right next to them, Cutting onions or peeling potatoes whatever I could do to help. The older I got the more my mother insisted that I help with our church and our community but by that time it was already part of me. My mother and the women in that kitchen had already instilled it in me. I even remember getting a phone call when I lived in Nevada saying “Panayiota, don’t forget the festival is next month and you’re needed” Needless to say I came home so that I could volunteer at our festival. I couldn’t say no I was needed here in my home. Annunciation has always been home for my family. When it was time to baptize my nephews we never had to ask what church we were going to because even though my brother lives in another state he comes home to Annunciation. We always come home. Even though we always came home over the years I still didn’t fully understand that what were doing was for God or that God wanted us to give something back.

When I met my husband, one of the first things we talked about was religion. Fairly early on in our relationship I told him “I want to get married in my church, Annunciation, and I want our children to grow up the way I grew up.” You see he didn’t fully understand. He had never been part of a community like ours. So my husband being the man that he is packed us up and moved us back to California so we could get married in my home, and although it took him a little while he now understands what I meant by My church and My community or why everyone here is a Theia or Theo because we are all a family.

LET US THANK NANCY PELOSI

During his recent visit to the United States, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was welcomed to Washington, D.C. in a way reserved for very few individuals, thanks to the efforts of our member of Congress Nancy Pelosi. Speaker Pelosi co-hosted, with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a luncheon in the U.S. Capitol. It is only once a year, at most, that the Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader come together to honor a visiting dignitary in such a manner as they did the Ecumenical Patriarch. For us, it was most gratifying to know that during this time of important legislative activity, Speaker Pelosi would take the time to host this event, as it speaks volumes about our Patriarch’s leadership on issues, environment and peace. Should you wish, it would be nice to send a note to Speaker Pelosi, as informally or formally as you wish, and to say Efharisto! Her address is: The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, 235 Cannon HOB, Washington, DC 20515.

PHILOPTOCHOS NEWS

PARISH VASILOPITA TO TAKE PLACE ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 10

We invite all of the parishioners and friends of the Cathedral to attend our annual Vasilopita and Brunch to be held Sunday, January 10, 2010 after services. This year’s event will be chaired by Pope Zakis.

The vasilopita celebration is one of the most beautiful traditions of the Greek Orthodox Church. This ancient tradition began in the fourth century, when Saint Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea, wanted to distribute money to the poor in his area. He commissioned some women to bake sweetened bread in which he secretly placed gold coins. The breads were distributed to poor families. Upon cutting the bread, they were pleasantly surprised to find the gold coins.

This event is still practiced today in our Orthodox homes and in the life of our Parish in the service of the cutting of the vasilopita. The donations and monies raised from the sale of these vasilopitas are sent to St. Basil’s Academy to help pay for its operating costs. St. Basil’s Academy is an orphanage located in Garrison, NY and is the sole property of the National Philoptochos Society. For the last 50 years St. Basil’s has provided “a home away from home” for the Church’s less fortunate children.

As noted, the vasilopita tradition began by providing for the hungry and the destitute and yet, after all of these centuries, it is amazing to see how the vasilopita celebration is still very much alive. All this points to the timeless need to continue the path of charity and love that Saint Basil the Great began so many years ago.

CRAB FEED, FRIDAY, JANUARY 29

The 28th Annual Crabfeed this year will be co-chaired by Mike Canellos and by Patricia Destein and will take place on Friday, January 29, beginning with a reception at 6:00 p.m. with dinner following, at 7:30 p.m. Fliers were sent out recently. Since the crab feed is a very popular event, and is often sold out, we invite you make your reservations as soon as possible. For your convenience, the flier is reproduced, below.

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING MEETING DATES
Please note that the Cathedral Ladies Philoptochos will hold general meetings on January 7, February 11, March 11, and April 8, all Thursdays, at 1 p.m. You are cordially invited to attend, and to participate in the decision making process of the women of the Annunciation Cathedral parish.

NEXT COMMUNITY LINK JANUARY 16
Join us for first Community Link of 2010 on January 16!

We meet at the Cathedral at 9 am for prayer and visit assignments, begin our visits by 10 am (usually in pairs), and conclude before lunch time.

Our Community Link visitations are an excellent way for all of us -- children and adults -- to share God's love and joy with seniors who are experiencing isolation from their community due to illness, loss or hardship. Would you be willing to make a visit, write a note or drive someone to a doctor's appointment? If so, please contact Caroline Pappajohn: cpappajohn@yahoo.com.

Hope to see you on the 16th!

SACRAMENTS AND SERVICES

WEDDING
Monoli (Mike) Fanourgiakis and Demetra (Mia) Kosmas were married at the Holy Trinity Church on November 21. Their koumbaros is Christopher Carlos Doukakis.

Na mas Zisoun! (Long life!)

ENGAGED
Congratulations to two of our young adults, Jenica Rangos and Jason Welch, who were recently engaged last month!

I Ora i Kali!

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Jan 2010 Herald
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral.