Today, Sunday 21 April, we are offering a Memorial service for the departed servants of God, Stefanos (10 years) and Eleni (12 years) Sideris, loving parents of Fay (and Paul) Vespa and Angela (and Jorge) Ferreira, and grandparents of Aleena, Phillip and Stefania Ferreira. May their memory be eternal.
Today, Sunday 21 April, we are offering a Memorial service for the departed servants of God, Despina (14 years) and Stavros (20 years) Coutsouridis, loving parents of John (and Denise) Coutsouridis and grandparents of Alexia. May their memory be eternal.
Today, Sunday 21 April, following services the Coutsouridis family will sponsor fellowship hour in memory of John’s parents, Despina and Stavros Coutsouridis.
Please review the attached Holy Week Schedule.
Lazarus Saturday and Holy Week Preparation Needs: St. Anna needs all our help as we prepare for the Resurrection of our Lord. Please join with Philoptochos to prepare our beautiful St. Anna church for the final week of Lent! Bring your scissors or cutters on Lazarus Saturday, April 27 to help make Palm Crosses and decorate our church in preparation of Palm Sunday and Holy Week. There will be a light lenten breakfast and soup for lunch. Sign up at the Philoptochos table in the fellowship hall to help during Holy Week, Your help is needed to prepare flowers for the Epitaphio Kouvouklion, decorate our church, and many other things. There is a letter of excuse for Holy Friday for school and work available at the Philoptochos table and attached to this email. Please pick one up for your children and yourself! Many hands make light work, so please make it a plan to join us!
Palm Sunday Fish Luncheon - LAST CALL for sign-up. On April 28th, we will be having a Palm Sunday Luncheon in our Fellowship Hall after Liturgy. All are welcome to join. The cost is $20 per person. Please register for the event using this link - app.wooclap.com/PALMSUN.
Easter Appeal: We pray that you all are well as we journey together through Lent. As you know, our St. Anna church has many needs as we prepare for Pascha. Please review and respond to the 2024 Easter Appeal form attached to this email.
YOUTH MINISTRY CONTACTS:
Sunday School Director: Nikol Toulatos nikoltoulatos44@gmail.com
Greek School Director: Maria Sfondouris msfondouris@gmail.com
GOYA Head Advisor: Larisa Trumpy larisatrumpy@gmail.com
Hope & Joy Advisor: Kristen Diagelakis kdiagelakis@gmail.com
Greek Dance Lead: Larisa Trumpy larisatrumpy@gmail.com
Young Adult League (YAL): Kali Vaporakis rangerkali@gmail.com
College Care Package Ministry: Maria Tattoli mtattoli@gmail.com
Parent Advisory Council (PAC): Lisa Soteropoulos lisasoteropoulos@gmail.com
JUNIOR GREEK DANCE: TODAY APRIL 21st There will be Junior Greek Dance practice after Sunday School
MYRRH-BEARERS (MYROPHORES): Kristen Diagelakis will be coordinating the Myrrh-bearers (Myrophores) during Holy Friday evening service this year on May 3rd. Girls between ages 5-12 are welcome. Contact Kristen via email kdiagelakis@gmail.com if interested.
SUNDAY SCHOOL: Sunday School Resumes TODAY for 13-18 class. Parents interested in volunteering for Sunday School teaching / aiding please reach out to Nikol Toulatos. Congratulations to our oratorical festival representatives Adriana Tattoli and Aris Diagelakis. You represented St. Anna beautifully!
Upcoming Events:
APRIL 27: Saturday Of Lazarus- Palm Cross Folding
Camp Good Shepherd: Ages 8 to 18! June 23-29, 2024. The registration for Camp Good Shepherd has opened. Please see the bulletin insert flyer. The link to register is here
: http://app.campdoc.com/register/cgsn
GREEK SCHOOL: In observance of Easter there will be NO Greek School classes during Holy Week, including: Holy Monday 4/29/24, Holy Wednesday 5/1/24 and Easter Monday 5/6/24
YOUNG ADULT LEAGUE (YAL): YAL Board Elections – Sunday April 21st
Voting will take place on Sunday April 21st, at St Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Randolph NJ, following the Divine Liturgy, and ending at 3pm. Voting must be done in person or by proxy.
LADIES PHILOPTOCHOS CORNER:
Lazarus Saturday and Holy Week Preparation Needs: Please join us to prepare our beautiful St. Anna church for the final week of Lent! Please bring your scissors or cutters with you on Lazarus Saturday, April 27. We will be making Palm Crosses and Decorating the church in preparation of Palm Sunday and Holy Week. We will serve a light lenten breakfast and soup for lunch. Please sign up at the Philoptochos table in the fellowship hall to help during Holy Week, we need help with preparing flowers for the Epitaphio Kouvouklion, the church decor and many other things. There is a letter of excuse for Holy Friday for school and work available at the Philoptochos table. Please pick one up for your children and yourself! Many hands make light work, so please make it a plan to join us!
MEMBERSHIP DRIVE: Thank you to all of our new and renewed members for a very successful membership drive! With your help, we look forward to our continued commitment to help those in need.
TODAY, Sunday, April 21, 2024, there is a Philoptochos General Membership Meeting directly after church services. Looking forward to seeing everyone there and welcoming Father Michael and Presvytera Adamantia in joining us.
Clinton Food PANTRY FOOD DRIVE is continuing till the end of April: Please bring in non-perishable items to the church. There are 2 donation boxes outside the fellowship hall with a list of items desperately needed at our local area food pantries. Please be as generous as you always are!! THANK YOU!!
EASTER BAKE SALE: Thank you for placing an Easter Baked goods order! Your order will be available for pick-up on Palm Sunday after church services. We will have additional bakery item packages for sale on Palm Sunday for those that missed the deadline for ordering! If you'd like to help with packaging all the baked goods on Saturday, April 27th, please contact Popi Missios at kalliopi@aol.com or Aimee Douvris at aimeedouvris@gmail.com. We appreciate everyone's help!!! Many hands make light work!!
Philoptochos Easter Tsoureki Sale: Pick up your ordered Tsoureki on Palm Sunday, April 28! Thank you to all who ordered Tsourekia from Agia Skepi Monastery!
ST. ANNA BOOKSTORE NEWS. Let's continue with faith our Lenten journey to the glorious Resurrection of our Lord.
EASTER FAVORITES FOR CHILDREN...----Variety of beautifully decorated Pascha Lambades (Easter candles). ----The Miracle of the Red Egg----In the Candle's GlowSUGGESTIONS FOR ADULTS:----"THE CRUCIFIXION OF THE KING OF GLORY" personally signed by our Lenten Retreat speaker Dr. Eugenia Constantinou.----Journey through Holy Week MagazineIf there is something in particular you are looking for, we can assist. Contact Angela Ferreira (angelaferreira37@gmail.com) or Aimee Douvris (aimeedouvris@gmail.com).
Spirit of Lent Concert Friday, April 26, 7:30 pm. St. George GOC Piscataway: The Eastern Federation of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians will be performing the "Spirit of Lent- a Choral Offering of Ancient and Modern Works" in Greek And English. St. Anna choir members will be participating. Entrance donation of $10. See the attached 2024 Lenten Concert Flyer. Any questions please contact Diana Grina dianakg2003@yahoo.com.
STEWARDSHIP: Stewardship is the sharing of the talents and treasures that God has provided for us. An Orthodox Christian Steward is an active participant in the life of the Church. The parish encourages all who accept the Orthodox Faith to become practicing Stewards.
2024 Stewardship Status: We have 121 Pledges totaling $184,115 and $107,809 received to date. We also have 4 families who have contributed $480 to date but have not submitted a stewardship card. It is important that all families complete a stewardship card to be considered a steward. The current Stewardship List and other stewardship information are attached to this email and posted on the bulletin board by the water cooler. If you have not done so already, we ask that you prayerfully consider your stewardship commitment and submit a 2024 pledge card as soon as you can.
...Remember a rich man is not one who has much, but one who gives much...
KIDNEY DONOR NEEDED: National Philoptochos Board Member Joanne Kakoyiannis has been a long-standing National Philoptochos Board member is currently facing stage 5 chronic kidney disease and urgently requires a kidney transplant, preferably from a suitable living donor. It should be noted that Joanne’s blood type is O-positive. Joanne is working with the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Kidney Transplant Program. They are available at (215) 662-6200 for confidential discussions to provide information about the living donation process and address your concerns. There is no financial burden on the donor. If you know someone who may be open to donating a kidney, please let them know about Joanne’s situation. The following website tells Joanne’s story: http://www.helpingjoannefindakidney.com/. If you need more information, please feel free to reach out to Penn (tel 215-662-6200), Peter Kakoyiannis (tel 215-715-5378; email petrok@gmail.com) and/or Jason Kakoyiannis (213-590-9125; jason@jasonkak.com). Thank you!