COMMUNITY NEWS
December 13, 2016
Holiday
Office Hours
Our administration office will be
closed for the holidays from Monday, December 26th re-opening on Monday,
January 9th. It has been a privilege serving our community for 2016 and we are
looking forward to exciting things to come in 2017. Wishing everyone a
peaceful, safe and meaningful Christmas with family and friends!
Sunday School
Upcoming Sunday School
dates:
· December 18 (Sunday School Christmas Play)
· January 8
· January 22
Christmas Play: If your child would like to participate in the Christmas Play, please have them come to church by 11:00 on December 18th.
If you haven't brought your child to Sunday school as of yet, please make it a New Year's resolution to attend church with your family at least once a month. Our third group (12-18 yrs) is in need of participants. Please encourage your teenagers to come to our older group starting up again in January. As our children get older, it is that much more important that they stay connected to God. Matthew 19:14 "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven"
Did you know?
www.goarch.org is a wonderful resource for those who would
like to search out information on the Greek Orthodox faith. Also, you can
easily download the Greek Orthodox Study Bible app on your phone or other
devices at this link. Merry Christmas to all!!
Beat the Rush and pay
your 2017 Membership Now!
Make your 2017
community membership payment and avoid the crowds in January. Please be
patient with us as we work on the best way to expedite the payment process
after church services. Alternatively, renew your membership from the comfort of
your (warm) home. Just log in to your Wild Apricot Account at www.helleniccommunityofcalgary.wildapricot.org
Message from Greek School
We wish you and your
families a wonderful holiday season. Merry Christmas and may 2017 bring you all
much health and happiness.
Classes will resume on January 7th.
Rana Argiris - Principal
Thanks for Making a
Difference
Thank you to the Greek
Community for making this year's Pancake Breakfast and Raffle another success.
We raised just over $6,400 for the Greek school to put towards the purchase of
new iPads for the students.
2017 Festival
Committee Needed!
There are still
several posts in need of volunteers for our 2017 Greek Festival. Please find it
in your heart to donate your time to this amazing display of our Greek
heritage! Please contact admin@calgaryhellenic.com to volunteer.
Holy Lands Pilgrimage
Join our community members and embark on the trip
of a lifetime! See attachment for details: Holy Lands Pilgrimage.pdf
Philoptochos Christmas
Party
Join the Greek Ladies
Philoptochos Society for their annual potluck Christmas party - December 20th
at 6:00 at the community hall. Everyone's invited! Donations in kind to help
those in need will be accepted at the door.
Short on Time?
Get your Christmas
baking at the community hall following church services or drop by the community
office Monday - Thursday 9-2. Baklava, Diples and frozen spanakopites and
tiropites available.
Who Will Get the Flouri?
Join our community following church
services on January 1st in our annual tradition on cutting the Vasilopita. All
welcome.... who will get the flouri??
New Year's Eve
Thank you to everyone who purchased NYE tickets. We are officially completely
SOLD OUT for dinner however will have late entrance available after 10 pm for
$20.
Did You Notice?
That our church seems to sparkle
just a bit brighter? Thank you to all the ladies of Philoptochos who came and
cleaned our beautiful church last week. It is efforts such as these that make a
huge difference in our community and often go unnoticed - Thank you
ladies!
Concerns for Kiddos and Community
It is a pleasure to see our
community bustling with families and children after fellowship on Sunday. We
love all of our children and it is a joy to watch them connect with each other
during coffee time. There is some concern, however, over the children playing
on stage and not properly respecting the property on the stage and attached to
the stage. We ask that parents and grandparents please adequately monitor
their children, firstly for their own safety, and secondly to maintain respect
for the building and property.
Did You Know?
Greece has more than 2,000 islands,
of which approximately 170 are populated. Greece’s largest island is
Crete (3,189 sq. miles) (8,260 sq. km.).f
November 29, 2016
Greek School Pancake Breakfast
Visit from His Eminence
On Saturday, December 3rd, His Eminence Metropolitan Sotirios will be visiting our community. Everyone is welcome to attend:
9:00 - 10:30 - Divine Liturgy - His Eminence Metropolitan Sotirios celebrating
10:30 - 11:15 - Buffet Brunch
11:15 - 12:30 - Presentation by His Eminence Metropolitan Sotirios on the theme "Let the Children Come to Me"
12:30 - 1:00 - Coffee Break
1:00 - 1:15 - Presentation by Father Peter "The sanctity of the body: are transplants permitted?"
1:15 - Closing prayer
Sunday School
Thank you for bringing your child to Sunday School. We are so excited for this year. Below is the Sunday School schedule from now until the end of January. We will add the dates for January to June soon. Sunday School Dates thus far:
- December 4
- December 18 ( Sunday School Christmas Play)
- January 8
- January 22
We are hoping to put on a very simple yet meaningful Christmas play where we have narrators read a script (older children) and the younger children act out the play. If your child would like to participate, please have them come to church by 11:00 on December 18th.
A reminder to all parents that there is a discussion group for youth ages 12 - 18 during our Sunday School times. We talk about our faith and how that might look in today's world. Please encourage your child, your nieces or nephews, and grandchildren of that age to come join us!
God bless you all,
Tina Liaridis
Skating Fun
The Membership Committee would like to thank everyone who came out to our skating party on November 20. We had a great time and are looking forward to doing it again in the new year - stay tuned for dates.
2017 Festival Committee is Needed!
The 2017 Greek Festival Organizing Committee is needed. The main roles to be filled are as follows:
- Chair of 2017 Greek Festival
- Volunteer Coordinator
- Kids Zone Coordinator
- Social Media Relations Coordinator
- Sponsorship Coordinator
- Vendor Table Coordinator
- Food Service Coordinator
- Entertainment Coordinator
The 2017 Greek Festival is scheduled for August 25, 26, and 27th. In the event that no community members put forth their names to assume the responsibility of Festival Coordinators, by January 31, 2017, the festival may not be able to take place. Needless to say this would be a huge stigma in terms of community relations within Calgary and financial ramifications for our Hellenic Community.
We are confident in our community’s spirit and know that among the thousands of talented community members, proficient in every aspect required to run this Festival, there will be 8 members who will come forth and help make the 2017 Greek Festival more vibrant, and successful than ever.
We look forward to accepting all applicants and working together in the spirit of cooperation and community mindedness. Please contact admin@calgaryhellenic.com to volunteer.
Christmas Movie Night
All members of the Greek community are invited to join us for a movie night to help get in the Christmas spirit on Friday, December 9. Bring your pillows and blankets and join us for the family friendly "Elf". Parents are responsible for the supervision of their children and a small concession will be available with snacks and drinks for sale. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and showtime is promptly at 6:30 p.m. To register, click here or contact dimfoto403@gmail.com for more information.
NIATA & Purdy's Chocolates
Thank you to all participants in the Purdy's Fundraiser.
Orders will be available for pick up on Monday, December 5.
Holy Lands Pilgrimage
Join our community members and embark on the trip of a lifetime! See attachment for details: Holy Lands Pilgrimage.pdf
Bible Study
Bible Study Nov 30th @6pm: Topic will be ‘The Life of Jesus Christ – from His Birth to the Ascension’
New Year's Eve
Apricot Open 24/7
Congratulations to the 54 community members who have chosen to actively participate in our new Apricot system! The successful integration of our new system depends on everyone's participation. We encourage everyone to log on and engage in this exciting new system which houses our membership database, website, an interactive calendar and much more!! Having trouble? We encourage you to email any questions or concerns toadmin@calgaryhellenic.com.
There are estimated to be around 120,000,000 olive trees in Greece, and some of the olive trees from the 13th century are still producing olives today.
November 15, 2016
Holy Lands Pilgrimage
Join our community members and embark on the trip of a lifetime! Click here for details.
Family Skate at Westside Recreation Centre!
The Membership Committee invites all members of the Community to join us for a FREE family skate in the hockey arena at Westside Recreation Centre (2000 69 Street SW) on Sunday, November 20th at 1:30PM - 2:45PM.
FREE for members of the Greek Community
$10/family for non-members of the Greek Community
Sticks and pucks are allowed on the ice; EVERYONE on the ice must have skates and a helmet. Parents are responsible for the supervision of their children.
To register, click here!
NIATA and Purdy's Chocolates
Purdy's Chocolates are a great gift for Christmas and should prove to be an easy sell to friends, neighbours, co-workers and family. Orders will be available for pickup on Monday, December 5th. Please submit all order forms by November 24. Orders can also be placed online following these steps:
- Visit www.purdysgpp.com
- Create an account
- Enter your NIATA customer number: 26872
- Click 'join this group'
- Congratulations! Shop online!
Thank you for all your support in making the NIATA program a success!
2016 Community Elections
We have found five eager and enthusiastic community members to fill the spots required for our council. As such, there will be NO ELECTIONS on December 4th.
Please join us in welcoming Demetrios Nicolaides and Antigone Kollias to the council. We would like to welcome back Nick Vassilakos, Sam Kaketsis and Mike Sinesios. We are looking forward to great things ahead!
Philoptochos Bazaar a Success!
Congratulations to the ladies of the Philoptochos Society for putting on another successful bazaar. The winner's of this year's raffle are:
Trip for two to Greece: Strata A.
$200 Cash Prize: Albert P.
$150 Cash Prize: Janice W.
Daughters of Penelope cordially invite you to...
Katerina Mertikas art show and sale November 20th. Doors open at 12:00PM - all are invited to see some beautiful artrwork during fellowship after church!
Sunday School
Thank you for bringing your kid(s) to Sunday School. We are so excited for this year. Below is the schedule from now until the end of January. Dates for January to June will be provided soon and will be added to the monthly calendar on the main web page.
November 20th
December 4th
December 18th (Sunday School Christmas Play)
January 8th
January 22nd
Christmas Play
We are hoping to put on a very simple yet meaningful Christmas play where we have narrators read a script (older children) and the younger children act out the play. If your child is able to come on November 20th, December 4th and December 18th to Sunday school and you would like him/her to participate in the play, please email Tina Liaridis at: matina1@hotmail.com so that we know which children to expect. We will assign the children, who have committed, their parts and will practice with them for 15-20 minutes during a portion of our Sunday School time on November 20th, December 4th and again shortly on December 18th before the performance. I will send out another letter by email with a few more details as we get closer to the performance date.
Please maker sure to email Tina before November 19th with your child's name and age and let me know if he/she will be able to attend the practice and performance dates above.
A reminder to all parents that there is a discussion group for youth ages 12-18 during our Sunday School times. We talk about our faith and how that might look in today's world. Please encourage your child, nieces/nephews and grandchildren of that age to come join us!
God Bless you all,
Tina Liaridis
Bible Study
This month, Bible Study will be held on Wednesday, November 30th at 6PM. The topic will cover the Life of Jesus Christ - from His birth to the Ascension.
Visit from His Eminence
His Eminence, Metropolitan Sotirios will be here on December 3rd for a Spiritual Retreat. He will celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the morning, followed by brunch and then we will begin with the presentations. An agenda with specific times will be sent out shortly and this retreat is open to everyone in the community.
Did someone say football?
The membership committee invites you to participate in this special offer for the Western Final on Sunday, November 20th!
Plus applicable fees
SPECIAL OFFER CODE:
STA260
code is case sensitive
To purchase tickets, click "Buy Now" below and use the exclusive code in the box on the Ticketmaster page.
Did you know:
The Greek flag includes nine blue and white horizontal stripes, which stands for the Greek motto "Eleftheria I Thanatos!" or "Freedom or Death". Blue represents Greece's sea and sky, while the white stand for the purity of the struggle for freedom. In the upper left-hand corner is the traditional cross of the Greek Orthodox Church.
November 1, 2016
Interim General Meeting of the Hellenic Community & Society
Scheduled for Sunday, November 6th at 1PM at the Hellenic Community Hall. In the event a quorum is not achieved on November 6th, the IGM will take place at the Hellenic Community Hall on Sunday, November 13th at 6PM.
All community members are invited to participate in this years Interim General Meeting. Please remember that members in good standing (those which have paid their community membership for 2016) are entitled to actively participate in the meeting. Everyone is encouraged to participate so please ensure that your membership is up to date!
Philoptochos Elections
Please come out to the meeting on November 15th at 7PM at the Hellenic Community Hall to vote for a new executive!
The Daughters of Penelope Cordially Invite You to...
The Katerina Mertikas Art Show + Sale
The Membership Committee invites all members of the Greek Community to join us for a FREE family skate in the hockey arena at Westside Recreation Center. Sticks and pucks are allowed on the ice; EVERYONE on the ice must have their skates and a helmet. Parents are responsible for the supervision of their children. To register, please click here.
Date: Sunday, November 20
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
Location: Westside Recreation Center - 2000 69 Street SW
FREE for members of the Greek Community
$10.00/family for non-members of the Greek Community
What's Going On at NIATA
- Registration is ongoing. If you have children in Grades 1-12 that would like to join us Monday nights from 6-7PM, please email calgaryniata@gmail.com.
NIATA & Purdy's Chocolates Fundraiser
The time for our 5th Annual Purdy's Fundraiser is here again!
Please help Niata with its fundraising goal of $1500.00 to help offset the cost of Greek Night 2017. We are hopeful that your contribution will help make this a reality. Purdy’s Chocolates are a great gift for Christmas and should prove to be an easy sell to friends, neighbours, co-workers and family. Please submit all order forms by November, 24. Orders will be available for pick up on Monday, December 5.
Orders can also be placed online following these steps:
- Visit www.purdysgpp.com
- Create an account
- Enter your NIATA customer number: 26872
- Click “join this group”
- Congratulations! Shop online!
The End of an Era
To all recipients of this Newsletter, please note that this will be the last time that our Community Newsletter is distributed using "MailChimp" our current email distribution server. Beginning with the next Newsletter, distribution will now take place using Wild Apricot. If you do not receive the November 15th Newsletter, please contact the office so that your email within Apricot can be changed to reflect where you would like further emails to be sent. Please note that each record within Apricot can house only 2 email addresses. Managing where you would like your Newsletters to be sent is also at your fingertips - just log into your Apricot account to manage which email you would like your newsletters sent!
Click Below to Learn About the Holy Lands Pilgrimage
Join our community for our inaugural pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Please click here for the full brochure and more details!
Have You Discovered Wild Apricot?
We hope everyone with an email within our community has now received their activation email from Wild Apricot. If you have an active email account and have not yet been sent one of these activation emails, please contact the office at admin@calgaryhellenic.com We encourage all community members to create their unique password and hop onto Wild Apricot at www.helleniccommunityofcalgary.wildapricot.organd discover how easy it is to manage your own account!
Apricot Help Desk
We are here to help - Find us each Sunday after church for the month of November!
October 18, 2016
Family Halloween Party
Please join us for a costume party on Friday, October 28 at the Greek Community. The Membership Committee invites all members of the community to join us for a fun, family event with dancing, games, prizes and activities. The cost is $10.00 per family. Please register here.
Winter Club
Need something to keep your K-6 kiddos occupied for winter break? Look no more - The Hellenic Community is offering Winter camp the weeks of Dec. 19-23, and 26-30. Please contact Dimitri Kotopoulos for further details via our community email at admin@calgaryhellenic.com.
Bible Study
Wednesday, October 19 at 6:00. Our topic of discussion will be Women in Orthodoxy. Looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible there!
Wild Apricot
Our highly anticipated on-line Community Management System is here. On Monday, October 24th, all active members with a valid email address will receive an activation email from Wild Apricot, the on-line system which houses our membership management and new website. This activation email will give you a user name and a chance to create a password. From there, you will then be able to manage your profile within Wild Apricot including managing your membership, and paying for it on-line.
All members in good standing will have been manually imported into the new system. If you are a member in good standing, with a valid email address and have not received an activation email by Monday evening, October 24th, please contact the office for clarification. All newly imported members have automatically been entered into the recurring payment option, making membership renewal each January 1st effortless. It is important to note, however, that this option is completely at your discretion. If you would like to change this membership level option to a manual renewal you may do so by simply editing your profile after you have gained access into the system.
In an effort to help in this rollout, we will also be setting up a Help Desk with Support People ready to help out with any questions or concerns. The Help Desk, manned with three Apricot Support people and their laptops, will be available to all community members on the following dates:
Wednesday, October 26: 5:30 - 8:30
Saturday, October 29: 9:00 - 12:00
Sunday, October 30: 11:30 - 1:00
Sunday, November 6:11:30 - 1:00
Sunday, November 13: 11:30 - 1:00
Sunday, November 20: 11:30 - 1:00
Sunday, November 27: 11:30 - 1:00
Please feel free to stop by the office or call with any questions or concerns 403.246.4553. Your patience while we transition to this new system is very much appreciated. Let's all work together to make this launch a success!
Trick or Treat!Bring your little ghosts and goblins by the community on Halloween between 9-2 for some sweet treats!
Adult Greek Dance - Opa!
Registration and start date for the Adult Greek Dance Group is Monday, October 24 at 6:00 in the gym of the Greek Community Hall. For more details please contact Kathy at kdesautels@shaw.ca
Did You Know....
Theophany Eystathioy is a children's book author. Her series 'Scout and Jet', teaches elementary school aged children, science and history through adventure story telling. Her first book, currently available on Amazon.ca, is called 'Scout and Jet: The Adventure Begins'. She has a PhD in cellular and molecular biology. Formerly an adjunct professor at the university of Calgary, her goal is to inspire the love of science in children. For more information please visit www.littlephds.com.
Decision 2016
Community Elections are fast approaching. Stay tuned for more information to come!Click Below to Learn About the Holy Lands Pilgrimage
Join our community for our inaugural pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Please click here for the full brochure and more details!
October 4, 2016
Did You Fill Out Your Survey?
A quick reminder that the festival survey is still available - we want to hear from you - Please click here to access your survey now!
Winter Club is Coming To Our Community!
Need something to keep your kindergarten to grade 6 kiddos occupied for winter break? Look no more - The Hellenic Community is offering Winter camp the weeks of December 19 - 23 and December 26 - 30th. Drop off at 8a.m. pick up at 4p.m - Offered by the wonderful Eirini Psaropoulou and Vasiliki Koutroubi. Please contact Dimitri Kotopoulos for further details via our community email at admin@calgaryhellenic.com
Did Someone say Party?
Our 2nd Annual Halloween Costume Party will be held on Friday, October 28 from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. Please join us for a fun family event, and don't forget to dress up! Register here.
Wild Apricot is Coming
.....It's more than a fruit! Stay tuned!
Annual Thanksgiving Lunch
Our generous Philoptochos ladies are once again putting on a Thanksgiving lunch after church on October 9th. Come out and enjoy some yummy turkey!
Adult Greek Dance - Opa!
Registration and start date for the Adult Greek Dance Group is Monday, October 24 at 6:00 in the gym of the Greek Community Hall. For more details please contact Kathy at kdesautels@shaw.ca.
Bible Study
Wednesday, October 19th at 6:00. Come and discuss women in Orthodoxy.
Sunday School
Thank you to all the parents who brought their children to Sunday school on Oct 2nd. It was great to see so many children come out! We will be having Sunday school on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month. Sunday School begins at 11:15. We have a started a third age group this year for Sunday school and that is for youth ages 12-18. Please encourage them to come and attend. See you on the 16th!
Join Our Community in Giving Back!
On Saturday, Father Peter spoke to the children of two wonderful charity events that we as a community (including our children at the school) will be taking part in.
First, the Calgary drop-in Center has teamed up with the Calgary police service and are collecting socks for the homeless. Our Greek school has agreed to help, and if you are able to, we ask that each family bring in one new package of adult socks. If you would like to bring more than that you are more than welcome to as it would greatly help those in need. This is completely voluntary but we would like to help as much as possible, especially with the winter months slowly creeping in. Please send your socks with your children to the Greek school when they come either onWednesday or Saturday.
Secondly, on October 15th after Greek school from 12-1:00pm we will be making sandwiches for the drop in center. Please note that all ingredients for the sandwiches will be provided and the students are not required to bring anything in. We simply encourage all the children to join us, including both Wednesday andSaturday students right after school onSaturday. This event will run for roughly an hour after Greek school.
We look forward to having the children participate and we thank you in advance for your sock donations!
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Copyright 2021
1 Tamarac Crescent SW, Calgary, AB T3C 3B7
