“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. For His mercy endures forever!” Psalm 136:1 On Thursday, November 26, we will celebrate Thanksgiving. This is an important holiday in our great nation; however, giving thanks is an even more important aspect of the Christian life. Businesses and schools will close so that we can enjoy the festivities with our families. What a splendid day! Surrounded by our closest friends and family, we stuff our faces with traditional foods like turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, (and if you grew up in a Greek family, grape leaves; something the Pilgrims didn’t have!). In countries throughout the world, the last Thursday in November is exactly that, merely the last Thursday in November. It is nothing special, just business as usual.

It is an ideal American Tradition to specifically acknowledge gratitude in November, but as Orthodox Christians we must realize that we do this on a weekly basis (at least) in the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. The climax of the liturgy, the Eucharist (Holy Communion) is Christ offering His Body and Blood for our salvation! Eucharist comes from the Greek word eucaristo, which means, “Thank you.”

THE DIVINE LITURGY was in practice right after the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Disciples of Christ on the 50th day after His Resurrection. It was officiated long before the beginning of the writings of the New Testament. The Divine Liturgy, as such, was the center of the inspiration of the first Christians in their communion with God and with one another. Rev. Thomas Fitzgerald writes, “The Eucharist is not so much a text to be studied, but rather an experience of communion with the Living God in which prayer, music, gestures, the material creation, art and architecture come into full orchestration. The Eucharist is a celebration of faith, which touches not only the mind but also the emotions and the senses.”

The description we clergy usually hear about liturgy is, “It’s too long!” or “We stand too much!” Boredom, during the Divine Liturgy is a classic symptom, however it is one that is easily cured. If you find yourself daydreaming during liturgy, try one of the following suggestions: 1.) Focus your attention on a specific icon and pray to that Saint. Pray that distractions are deflected and that your heart is opened. 2.) Open the Divine Liturgy text and follow along. Read the inaudible prayers that the Priest recites during the hymns. This will improve your understanding of the liturgical functions of the Priest. 3.) From the text of the liturgy choose a specific petition and dissect it, giving it a more precise definition (i.e. “For travelers by land, sea, and air, for the sick, the suffering, the captives, and for their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.”) Who do you know that is traveling? Is your spouse on a business trip? Do you know any one who may be sick, suffering, or held in captivity? Then pray for them. This is what the liturgy is about. It is not a choir performance, or a chanting exhibition. The word “liturgy” literally means, “the work of the people.”

The work that we are called to do during liturgy is to pray, “pray for peace in the world, abundance of the fruits of the earth, and peaceful times.” All the prayers offered in the Divine Liturgy are presented in the plural form, “Let us pray,” “Save us, O Son of God,” “Let us be attentive,” “For our deliverance,” “We give thanks,” “Make us worthy, O Master,” etc!

Our Lord pours His blessings and mercy upon us daily! He makes us worthy to receive His loving grace, and His love for us is boundless. That our country puts everything on hold, and as great as an American Holiday that Thanksgiving is, we should find ourselves giving thanks on a more regular basis. Our Lord has blessed us with so much. Our community of St. Demetrios should be thankful for the many great blessings we receive on a daily basis!

In His grace now and always,

Fr Gary

From the Parish Council

As we push into the fall season and reflect back to all the adventures we had during the summer months I thought it would be a good time to raise the topic of “giving” within in our small community of Saint Demetrios. So, before anyone raises an eyebrow or stops reading my message let me be clear – I am not speaking of the financial aspect of giving. Rather I want to discuss the topic of our parishioner’s time and talent. I and many of the members of the Parish Council have been members of Saint Demetrios for well over 20 years and have seen the dream of a new sanctuary become a beautiful reality. This could not have been achieved without the hard work and dedication of so many of our parishioners who worked and sacrificed year-over-year to achieve this lofty goal. Yes, raising the funds was a priority, however maintaining our facility and the programs & ministries offered was also a key element of the success of our community.

So, my message is this – now that we have this beautiful facility, growing youth programs that are busting at the seams, orthodox enrichment programs on a weekly basis and many more activities - we are coming to the point that we need your help to continue these programs and grow Saint Demetrios. We all see the messages that are sent by Father Gary or Kim asking for help for one thing or another and in most cases these requests are answered - but too often they are answered by the same parishioners. Now is the time for many of our new families to carve out time from their busy schedules and offer assistance to the various groups, committees or outreach programs that are the backbone of our community. You will be amply rewarded in the connections you will make with other members & families as you work side by side.

This can be as simple as offering to help with our weekly coffee hour, volunteering to help clean up after Church events or hosting a fund raising event of your own.

For those parishioners who would like to make a more impactful role, please consider becoming a member of our Capital Campaign Committee, taking a role within the Greek Festival Leadership Committee or looking into running for a seat on our Parish Council. These are but a few of the areas that we could use your help with but be assured that there are many more opportunities that I, Father Gary or any member of our Parish Council can help identify for you.

The important thing is to get involved - as the saying goes: “if not us then who if not now then when”

Finally, I wanted to remind everyone that our next semiannual General Assembly is set for November 15th and ask that all parishioners make plans to attend and learn more about the goings-on at SD’s and what the plans are for the future !!

In Christs name,

Tom Vegos
Parish Council President