Stewardship 2023 as of October 5, 2023:

Goal: $500,000 ($3000 per Stewardship Family, as an average)
Pledged: $438,893
Pledges Paid: $371,129
Average Pledge: $1,276
Outstanding unpaid commitments: $67,764
Number of Stewards Pledging: 344

Stewardship 2022 on October 6, 2022 for comparison purposes:

Goal: $425,000 ($3000 per Stewardship Family, as an average)
Pledged: $438,843
Pledges Paid: $358,410
Average Pledge: $1,226
Outstanding unpaid commitments: $80,433
Number of Stewards Pledging: 358

Please continue to keep our Saint Nicholas Church in your thoughts and prayers throughout 2023. 

Dedicate yourself to Christ and His mission here at Saint Nicholas.  Look for opportunities to volunteer your time and talents, and pay toward your 2023 commitment pledge. 

Not a Steward of Saint Nicholas?  Please prayerfully consider becoming a Steward by completing the 2023 Stewardship Commitment Card.  You may also submit your commitment either online or by mailing it to the Church Office.

To give by mail: Stewardship 

                        St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
                        986 Chapman Street
                        San Jose, CA 95126

To make a committment electronically, please visit our online stewardship link: https://saintnicholas.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/70/responses/new

Donation link: https://saintnicholas.org/donate

Company Matching Donations: many companies offer some type of philanthropic program in which a company may financially match donations that their employees make to nonprofit organizations. When an employee makes a donation, they will request the matching gift from their employer to the specific nonprofit organization. If you are interested to learn more about Company Matching Donations at work, please inquire with your Company's Human Resources Department if it offers a similar program. Please note that Saint Nicholas Church would be identified in a Company Matching Program as "Greek Orthodox Community of Santa Clara County". 

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church is a 501©3 Corporation and our tax ID is 94-1578745. 

In our Light A Candle program, vigil candle(s) are lit along with an opportunity to submit names to be prayed for at the Prothesis (Preparation).  When lit, the vigil candles last for one week.  Please see the online form on our website or use the link below.  When filling out the online form, please note that only first names are needed, preferably the baptized names, and it's helpful to designate if prayers will be for health or for repose.

Donate online here: https://saintnicholas.org/virtual-chapel/light-a-candle 

If you would prefer to mail in your request, please write the name(s) for whom the candle(s) will be lit and send to Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, Attention: Light a Candle, 986 Chapman Street, San Jose, CA 9126.  For more information, please call the church office.

We are a registered non-profit on Facebook and you can donate any time (without any fees for the church) by pressing the donate button in this link:  https://www.facebook.com/SaintNicholasOrg/

This Sunday, October 8th a special tray will be passed by the Missions Ministry to assist our dedicated missionaries and mission priests serving abroad.   All proceeds will go to Bishop Neophytos' mission work in Kenya.

To learn more about the Church’s missionary calling and work please visit contact the members of Saint Nicholas Missions Ministry at [email protected].

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As we come upon the Christmas holidays, it is time to start planning for our parish’s joyous tradition of greeting one another through the mailing of our Community Christmas Card. 

Paper forms will be mailed out next week and you can mail back the paper form to the church office with the names spelled clearly as you would like them to appear on the card, OR you can submit your entry online today by clicking on the link below:

https://saintnicholas.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/77/responses/new

The deadline for submitting names for the Christmas Card is Wednesday, November 15, 2023.

Please prayerfully consider including a contribution towards the cost of making our card possible.

For any questions, please call the church office at 408-246-2770.

With love in Christ,
Father Christopher Metropulos

The office will be closed on Monday, October 9th in Archdiocesan observance of Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day.  

However, if you have a pastoral need or any need that can't wait, please text, call, or email Fr. Nebojsa at 707-315-7823 or [email protected].  

Please join us for a fun movie and mezze night, tomorrow, Saturday October 7th at 6:00 pm in the Community Center.  

The movie, Love’s Greek to Me, is for the entire family and is open to all.  Please invite your friends.  Refreshments, wine, and a Greek mezze will be served. 

Open donations with proceeds to benefit Bishop Neophytos and his efforts to build a community center to serve the growing Orthodox community of the newly established diocese of Eldoret in Kenya. 

For food planning purposes, an RSVP is requested but not required at [email protected] or by text at 408-425-6967.  See you at the movies!

Dear Parents, Families, and Supporters of the Center of Hellenic Education of the Saint Nicholas Community,

The Greek School (CHE) is very pleased to invite you, on Sunday October 22nd after the Holy Liturgy, at the Community Center for a patriotic program to honor and remember the historic OXI of 1940 and the events of the WWII.

This is also a fundraising event to support the evergrowing needs of our Greek School.  

Tables are available for reservation (first come, first served) - 8 people per table for the price of $160.00 (the price is set even if less people are seated at the table).

The meals available are: (gyro meal which includes salad and chips), french fries, mousakas, pastitsio and dolmades). There will be also available for purchase a la carte, pastitsio ($15.00) and moussakas ($15.00) and wine by the glass ($5.00). RSVP deadline and payment by Friday, October 20th at the Greek School office (cash or checks).

Please send your reservation and meal request to [email protected]

Respectfully,
Maggie Antoniadou - Gibbons
CHE Director

The Golden Years Seniors will be having their meeting on Tuesday, October 10th, at 11:30 a.m. in the Small Hall.  We have a speaker coming from HealthFlex who will speak to us on Home Health Care.  Hope to see you there! Please contact Laurie Sahines at 408-823-0111 or email [email protected] for further information.

We will be leaving from St. Nicholas at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, October 23^rd and returning on Tuesday evening, October 24^th with an overnight stay at the Nugget. 

Players will receive a $5 slot play and $5 food coupon at the Nugget and, on the way home at Boomtown, a $10.00 slot play.

Below is pricing for transportation including resort fees and taxes, but excludes gratuity for bus driver which is $10.00 per person.

$149 per person (doubles in hotel);  $199 per person (single room)

Deadline for reservations for our trip is Friday, October 20^th, 2023.  For more information or to RSVP, please contact Laurie Sahines, (408) 823-0111 or email at [email protected] or Dora Kouretas, (408) 406-0598 or email [email protected].

The 18th annual St. Nicholas Volleyball Tournament - October 27-29, 2023

Please join us in welcoming visiting volleyball participants from our sister parishes throughout the Metropolis.   Games will begin promptly on Saturday, October 28th at 8:00am to 4:00pm at City Beach, 4020 Technology Pl, Fremont, CA and Sunday from 1:00pm to 5:00pm at the St. Nicholas Community Center.  

All of the visiting school age children are welcome to join us for Sunday School on Sunday morning.

This year is going to be one of our best years yet!  Our committee has been working diligently on putting together an exciting tournament for the benefit of all players and non-players alike!!

Big announcement! On behalf of our Volleyball Committee, we are happy and excited to announce that we have secured Los Angeles Greek singing sensation, Evangelia, to perform for us on Saturday night at our Glendi. The flyer is attached in the Special Events section of the is e-bulletin (scroll down to view it).  It will certainly be a night to remember!

Please note: if you are a registered volleyball player participating in the Tournament, you will gain automatic entry into the Glendi for the Evangelia show.  However, if you are not a player and wish to come to the Glendi, you can purchase your tickets at:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/saint-nicholas-volleyball-tournament-greek-night-tickets-705060784787?aff=ebdshpsearchautocomplete

Glendi tickets can also be purchased during Sunday coffee hour beginning on Sunday, October 8th.

Please purchase Glendi tickets in advance; limited seating; no tickets will be sold at the door.

Follow us on social media for updates! Instagram: @stnicholasvolleyball

Any questions, feel free to contact George Spilios, Tournament Chairman, [email protected], 408.806.1699.

Come and watch, cheer the teams, enjoy the glendi, and support this exciting event!

Please save the date! Sunday, November 5th! - Monastery Fundraiser Dinner

Gerontissa Markella and her Sisterhood joyfully, with hope and thanksgiving for your constant support and many years of commitment, invite you to join us again for a Benefit Dinner.  The Monastery of the Theotokos of the Life Giving Spring Fundraising Dinner will be on Sunday, November 5th at the St. Nicholas Community Center at 5:00pm.  Donation for tickets for adults $75, children 12 and under $35.  All proceeds go to Monastery for essential support to the operation of the Monastery facility.  

For details or to RSVP, please contact Evagelia at: (408)499-3939, email at [email protected].

GOYA welcomes you back to another year!  We plan to meet on the third Sunday of each month after Church School from 11:30-12:30 in Room 11.  Please join us for our first meeting Sunday, October 15th.  From there we will plan events and activities for the year. For questions, please contact Eva Vathis at 916-956-0985 or [email protected]. 

 Thank you to those who were able to join us on Tuesday, September 26, 2023 for our first JOY/HOPE meeting of the year.  The kids had a great time!  Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 17, 2023.  Following Greek School, we will meet at 7 p.m. in the Small Hall.  We hope that all students in grades K-5th can join us!  Please feel free to reach out to Helene Panos if you have any questions: 209.324.4918.    

Putting our Orthodox Faith into action! Join us at Second Harvest Food Bank the 4th Tuesday of every month, 6pm to 8pm, to prepare food for distribution in our Santa Clara County community.  One in five families in Santa Clara County faces food insecurity.  Help us serve our community while enjoying the fellowship of our Parishioners!  Advance registration is required; vaccination is suggested but not required; open to ages 12 and up. 

This coming Tuesday, September 26, 2023, our Second Harvest St. Nicholas at Night Volunteer shift is full.  However, on nights when all positions are filled, there are always a couple of “No Shows” so space can become available but not guaranteed.

We invite you to sign up in advance for Tuesday, October 24, 2023 using the October link!  https://www.shfb.org/give-help/volunteer/volcalendar-general/?shift_id=a0v8W00000WBbUhQAL

It is that time of year again!  Our Philoptochos Christmas luncheon is on!  Save the date: Saturday, December 2nd, 2023 at the Saratoga Country Club.  Tickets will be sold beginning Sunday, October 8th at Sunday coffee hour.

Volleyball practices for our 18th Annual St Nicholas Volleyball Tournament continue in the Community Center.  Please join us!

Tuesday Nights
7:00 pm - Young Adult & Adult Practices

Thursday Nights
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm - Junior High
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm - High School 

Sunday Nights
7:00pm - Open Gym practices for High School, Young Adult and Adult

If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Chairman George Spilios (408) 806-1699 or Head Coach Elias Papas (408) 497-4522.

Come join the fun!  The Volleyball Tournament is scheduled for the weekend of October 27-29th.

Please read the Canon of Faith for October 2023 using the online link below: 

https://indd.adobe.com/view/05dafe26-bfaa-4580-be53-4158736fc9f3

The Philoptochos and the church sometimes receives inquiries from parishioners who are searching for low income or section 8 housing.  If you are a landlord or know of anyone who provides section 8 housing, please email Connie Chrysoglou at [email protected] and we will place you or your contact on a list of potential providers.  We will then give the provider list to any parishioner who is needing assistance.  If you are interested in being a section 8 housing provider, you will need to contact your local housing authority to make an application and to find out more about the process and decide if this is something that you would want to pursue.  The church will only be providing the list to people inquiring about this and will not intercede in any way or become involved in the vetting process. It will be up to the landlord to determine if there is a match.  Section 8 housing rental reimbursement to landlords begins from $1740 for a one-bedroom house/apartment up to $3696 for a four-bedroom unit.

We will plan on holding our meetings at 7:00 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month (directly after Greek School).  Please mark your calendars.  

We hope that all students in grades K-5th can join us! This year, Father Nebojsa has planned an exciting curriculum focusing on the Story of Creation.  Each monthly lesson will be concentrated on a particular day of this journey.  Each meeting will be scheduled for approximately one hour and will include a discussion with Father, an interactive activity and/or craft, refreshments and fellowship.  We want to be inclusive of everyone so please feel free to reach out to Helene if you have any concerns: 209.324.4918.    

For families with children in grades Kindergarten through 5th grade, please register your children for our JOY/HOPE ministry.  The link to register is here:

https://saintnicholas.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/67/responses/new  

We are collecting unwanted paper icons, wooden icons, and palms that require disposing, please drop off in the baby room in the Church.  There is a plastic bin located underneath the pew.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Julie via email: [email protected].

Please contact the church office at 408-246-2770 if you plan to leave items outside the office or Community Center.

If you wish to order kollyva, artoklasia, prosphora, paximadia, koulourakia, melomakarona, kourambiedes, or other Greek pastries, please see the bakers listed below with their phone numbers to call.  Payment is arranged with the bakers and not the church.

For kollyva:   Marcella Fotis 408-723-4124  

For paximadia, koulourakia, melomakarona, kourambiedes, and other Greek pastries:   Maria Tsaboukos  408-723-5175      Antonia Komianos  408-472-3888     Marcella Fotis  408-723-4124.

For artoklasia:  Antonia Komianos 408-472-3888   Marcella Fotis 408-723-4124   

For prosphora:  Marcella Fotis 408-723-4124

Sunday School registration has started!  To register for Sunday School please use the link:  https://forms.gle/esUftdmLhEJH77Ap6 

Classes will be weekly, with a few exceptions for special events and holidays.  The Saint Nicholas website has the current and updated calendar: Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church.

We will continue to have ongoing communication to introduce specific events and curriculum details.

Upcoming Calendar (September and October):*

Sunday, October 1, 8, 15 – Sunday School in session

Sunday, October 22 – No Sunday School OXI Day

Sunday, October 29 – Sunday School in session

We look forward to seeing all our families this coming Sunday!

*Calendar invites will be sent as reminders 

Click here for the registration link with information about the dates of the program and tuition costs: https://saintnicholas.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/73/responses/new

School Age Greek Language Classes (3-18 years old)

In-person classes are offered on Tuesdays & Thursdays 5:00 pm - 6:45 pm and Saturdays 10:00 am - 11:45 am (pending registration numbers)

Zoom classes are time flex and are offered Mondays, Wednesdays, and/or Fridays.

In addition to the classes, several assemblies take place annually to celebrate Greek Independence Days (October 28th and March 25th), Christmas, and the end-of-the-school-year party. Parents and other family members participate while the students recite poems, skits, songs, and dances.

Adult Greek Language Classes (18 years and older)

New Testament Greek: Tuesdays 6:30 - 9:00 pm

Intermediate Conversational Greek: Thursdays 6:30 - 9:00 pm

Beginner Conversational Greek: Saturdays 10 am - 12:30 pm

For more up-to-date information in regards to the adult Greek classes kindly contact: Dr. Peter Nanopoulos at [email protected]