The Parish Assembly will be held on Sunday, April 30, 2017.  The meeting will start promptly at 12:30pm and adjourn by 2:00pm.  Members present will constitute a quorum to carry out the business of the Parish, and those members who are pledged Stewards and current in their commitment may vote.  The agenda for the meeting is provided below.

AGENDA

1. Call to Order
2. Opening Prayer – Father Demosthenes
3. Elect Assembly Chairperson
4. Elect Assembly Secretary
5. Reading & Approval of Previous Assembly Minutes
6. Priest’s Report – Father Demosthenes
7. President and Treasurer Reports -  George Spilios & Terry Pries
1. General Updates
2. Real Estate – Existing Mortgages
3. Committee Reports
4. CY2016 Actuals vs. Budget
5. CY2017 Budget YTD
8. Old Business
9. New Business
10. Suggestions for the good of the Parish
11. Closing Prayer – Father Demosthenes

The St. Nicholas Dance Ministry presents An Elegant Wine Affaire on Friday, May 5, 2017 at 7pm at the Karamanos Residence, 14090 Shannon Road, Los Gatos, 95032. 

$65 per person, advanced tickets only;  Cocktail attire

Wine tasting, hors d'oeuvres, and live Greek music

For more info, contact Rita Argiris at 408-858-4335 or rzagas@yahoo.com

5th Annual Walk for Missions is happening Sunday, May 7th following the second liturgy.  All proceeds raised will be donated to the Theotokos Girls Orphanage in India through the nonprofit FILI Inc.  In honor of Mother's Day please consider a donation to this cause to show your appreciation to Sr. Nektaria for being the mother of 150 orphans for almost 20 years. 

Pledge sheets will be passed out in Sunday School to the children and available in the small hall and courtyard.  Your fundraising efforts for the orphans make a big difference in their lives.  It includes the instructions for how to setup your own crowdfunding page.  -Registration includes a free lunch and a lap card that entitles the participant to some great lap prizes. -We will have a bake sale with the coffee hour.  $5 hotdog or hamburger lunch as well as a Snack Shack. Face Painting & Henna.

Text to donate and get your tax deductible receipt from Fili Inc immediately.  Text this: walk57  to number: 41444

Attention Parents of Teens and Teens of St. Nicholas:  Are you interested in short term missions work, but don't know how to get started?  We are planning a short term mission trip with YOCAMA (www.yocama.com) to Browning, Montana, to serve the Native American Blackfeet Indians.  This is a great introductory to missions work without ever leaving the country.  The trip will be July 17th-24th.   Please see Presvytera Mindy Verginis or Rosa Deamant if you have any questions. 

Each year in the June issue of the Canon of Faith, we list graduating high school  seniors: 1) their name, 2) parents’ names, 3)their high school’s name, 4) college or university planning to attend and 5) their desired major.  Please submit this to churchoffice@saintnicholas.org no later than May 10, 2017.  We also welcome anyone graduating from a junior college and/or university/college.  Please submit the same information with completed degree.

His Eminence, Metropolitan Nikitas, and a small group of pilgrims will travel to Mount Athos early next month.  Some people have asked about giving names and support for the monastic communities there.  Please know that if you wish to do so, the names and donations must reach His Eminence by Thursday, May 4th.  You may give them to the parish clergy and they will see to it that they reach the Metropolitan.

Confessions with Father Demosthenes are available by appointment. Please call the church office.

Our San Jose Greek Food Festival is coming up on June 2-4 and the Parish Council is excited to recruit and support a special team of administrative volunteers willing to learn and gain experience by helping to plan and organize this diverse, cultural and major fundraising event for our church that is unique to the South Bay and highly anticipated by the larger community.  If interested in joining this new management-oriented team or for more information, please contact George Spilios at 408-806-1699 or email at georgespilios@gmail.com

Peter and Victoria Panayotopoulos will be directing a fun session of Greek dance lessons, "Back to Basics". Please join us on Monday, May 1 at 7:00pm in the Foyer for our lesson.  Please contact Roula Demertzis at (408) 564-2387 for more information.

CALENDAR:

May 9 - Last meeting - Blue Door Restaurant - 11am - Menu: Chicken Kebab $25, shrimp pasta $30 - For Reservations, call Antonia at 408 472-3888

On behalf of the Sunday School Council, AHEPA and Daughters of Penelope, please join us to celebrate our graduating seniors 2017 following the 2nd liturgy in the small hall on Sunday, May 21, 2017.  Our Sunday School seniors will be presenting and we will be celebrating each of them as they embark on their next chapter of their life.  Please join us in celebrating each of them along with their immediate families and friends.  May 21st will also be the last day of Sunday School.  Should you have additional questions, feel free to stop by the Sunday School office or send email to SaintNicholasSundaySchool@gmail.com. 

St Anna Philoptochos is postponing their Fashion Show til September 30th. It will be held in Community Center of St Nicholas. Doors open at 11:30 am. Adults $50.00 / children 12 and under $15.00. Questions/ reservations contact Laurie Sahines 408 823 0111.  lsahines@comcast.net

SJSU now has new chapter of OCF (Orthodox Christian Fellowship).  With the blessing of Metropolitan Gerasimos, and the care and efforts of parishioners of St. Nicholas and St. Basil, we have endeavored to provide an opportunity for Orthodox College students from our area to meet regularly, pray and discuss issues together, and find the support they need in their very busy and stressful lives.  Our meetings are on Tuesdays at 7:00pm.  If you know of any students from within or outside our community, please let them know of our OCF group.  For more information, please call Fr. Yanni at 408-476-1214.

Sacramental wine has been acquired from St. Anthony’s Monastery in Arizona. This wine is dedicated only to be used for sacraments such as the Proskomide or Artoklasia at St. Nicholas or other Orthodox churches.  It is available for purchase at the bookstore for a $20 donation.  All proceeds go towards the needs of the Altar and will also help support St. Anthony’s Monastery.  Thank you for your support.

            Please consider becoming a member of our church

            choir, one of the most important ministries of our

            church.  There are openings in all sections, especially

            in the tenor and bass sections.  Requirements:  age, 

            16 and over; be able to carry a tune, knowledge of

            Greek NOT required, phonetics provided.  Take 

            advantage of the opportunity to learn and sing our

            beautiful hymns and thus serve our church.  For

            more information please call the director, Dr. Tikey Zes

            at 408-723-0640.

Commencing Wednesday, February 1, 2017, Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church will institute a Church facility fee to offset the costs for the general maintenance and usage of the Church. The facility fees are listed below:

 Marriage Ceremony

Steward: $300.00

Non- Steward: $500.00

 Baptism

Steward: $ 200.00

Non- Steward: $400.00

 We thank you for your consideration!

Help us pave the way to success by purchasing a donor brick, customized with your message and to be laid in the existing area near the office/community center.  With the purchase of a brick, you may pay tribute to someone special, honor the memory of a loved one, or have your family name or ministry group forever recognized on one or more bricks.

All profits of this fundraiser go towards the Building Fund at St. Nicholas, supporting the future growth of our parish.  

Bricks are being offered for a donation of $1,000 each. Don’t miss out on this beautiful opportunity.

Please contact the office at churchoffice@saintnicholas.org or 408-246-2770 for more information.

If you already shop on Amazon, or if you’re looking for the perfect gift for a loved one, we invite you to shop at smile.amazon.com and choose Greek Orthodox Community of Santa Clara as your charity of choice and .5% of your purchase will be donated to St. Nicholas. This is no cost to you. Below you can read about how to use Amazon Smile.

How Does it Work?

1. Visit smile.amazon.com.

The entire shopping experience is the same and most products available on amazon.com are available at Amazon Smile.

2. Sign in and Choose Greek Orthodox Community of Santa Clara County

The screen will look slightly different depending on whether you’re already signed into Amazon. If you’re already signed in, you’ll see a screen like the one below. Simply search for “Greek Orthodox Community of Santa Clara County” and proceed to step 3.

3. Begin Shopping 

Adult Catechism classes take place on Thursdays at 6:30pm in the church office boardroom. The classes are open to everyone.

The Byzantine Music School classes have resumed on Friday evenings from 7:00pm until 9:00pm in Room 10.  Please register online at www.ByzantineMusicSchool.com.

Starting in October, the monthly Canon will be issued electronically. If you would like to receive a hard copy, please contact the office at 408-246-2770 or churchoffice@saintnicholas.org   and one will be mailed to you.

If you need to arrange for a mnemosino, you must contact the church office and inform our priests at least two weeks prior to the date.  You will be responsible for making or ordering the kollyva, and we can provide the names of the people who provide this service.  However, payment will not be made to the church but directly to the person making the kollyva. 

To avoid any confusion on our part as we compose and print the Sunday bulletin, we ask that anyone who wishes to include a notice in the Sunday bulletin submit the notice in writing to the office BY THURSDAY NOON!  Please don't wait until the last minute or send a note into the altar on a Sunday morning while the liturgy is in progress.

Please check with Father Demosthenes in the office before posting anything on the bulletin board in the Small Hall.  Notices, announcements, advertisements, etc. that have not been approved will be removed.  Thank you for your kind cooperation.