St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Thank you to the many people who came for our prayer service last night, in hopes that God would send His protection and upon the innocent people in the war-torn areas of the Middle East, the Holy Land, and Ukraine. Lord have mercy on them!

As we are rounding into the month of November, please pay special attention to the Liturgical Calendar, for there are many Feasts commemorated in that month – literally from the first day to the last; with several in-between. Celebrating weekday services is a special blessing in our Orthodox tradition and I invite you to avail yourselves of these opportunities for Grace!

Also, please keep in your prayers our shipment of liturgical furnishings that should be leaving the Athenian Port of Piraeus this next week. Our construction schedule is still on track to get us into the new sanctuary by Christmas. Let’s pray that everything coming from Greece will make it across the sea and land, arriving safely at our doorstep.

The iconostasis, iconostasis icons, altar table, bishop’s throne, pulpit, chandeliers, sacrament table, narthex furnishings and lamps will all be the finishing touches that will complete the transformation of our sacred space. As unbelievable as it sounds, we are almost there! Years of prayers, goals, plans, and dreams are materializing right in front of us. I thank you for your prayerful dedication to our Savior, and for the peace and joy, which help define our community. What St. Anna’s has accomplished in a very short amount of time is testament to your faith, your love for one another, and your devotion to the One, Triune God. Glory be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!

And as a repeated reminder, we are excited to host our Family Vacation Bible School in November. Children, grades K-5 and invited to come with their parents and siblings to learn about the immediately aforementioned Holy Trinity. This is something new we are trying, so please bring your families and enjoy a wonderful half day of fun and learning. See the attached flyer for more information.  

With Blessings and Gratitude,

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I trust and pray you are all well. Congratulations to the community of St. Anna for a parish assembly meeting last Sunday. The two short motions both passed unanimously. We will move forward with the selling of the duplex home that Marios Poulos donated to the St. Anna parish (subject to the blessing of Metropolitan Isaiah) and the proceeds from the sale of the house will be used for the completion of our construction efforts. We will be forever grateful for the many contributors and benefactors of our parish.

Please be aware that we will be celebrating the divine services this Thursday, October 26th for St. Demetrios the Great Martyr and Myhr-Streamer. Orthros will begin at 8:00 am followed by the Divine Liturgy at 9:00 am. Blessings to all who celebrate on that day, including His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, formally the Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. 

Lastly, for families, please plan ahead for something new and exciting. We will be having a one-day Vacation Bible School on Saturday, November 18th from 10 am to 3:00 pm. You may recall that VBS had to be scrapped this past summer due to heightened construction activity. In our desire to postpone, not cancel, we have revamped the program for families. Activities, lessons and discussions will be prepared for all ages, including moms and dads, yiayias and papous! Seriously, this is going to be so much fun! VBS, Yay!

Oh, and Utah just beat USC tonight for the fourth straight year. Yes, that is a spiritual experience. 

Much Love in Christ,

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Each year around this time, as the leaves are changing, the Utes are winning and my Dodgers are losing, I enjoy the blessing of announcing that our ministries are now officially firing on all cylinders. Sunday School has been going for a month, and both JOY and GOYA will be active by next week. Adult Religious Education classes are also beginning; allowing the Faithful to deepen their knowledge and appreciation of their spiritual lives. 

And very specifically, I call your attention to our Orthodox Inquirer’s Class that begins this Wednesday evening at 7:00 pm. If you, yourself want to become more enriched in the foundational nuances of Orthodoxy, please join us. But if you have a friend, co-worker, neighbor, family member or friend who is thirsty for Christ in their lives, by all means, be proactive and responsive to  our apostolic calling and invite them to learn about Christ’s Holy Church. There is literally no other Christian confession that can honestly claim an unblemished attachment to the Early Church. Be bold. Be brave. Be the person who brings someone to church!

Please again be aware that tomorrow is our Special General Assembly Meeting that has been called to discuss some very important matters, especially as they pertain to our construction efforts and future plans. Don’t miss out. Come share your voice and listen to the presentations. The business of our parish is the business of each of us. 

Please be aware that we will not be holding an evening Bible Study this fall. When I covered for the Morning Bible Study a couple weeks ago for John Kaloudis, I discovered that the participants are largely the same. We have three opportunities for adult spiritual enrichment, so I decided to put my energies elsewhere as we are still highly engaged in construction, and will be for quite some time, still. 

I also need to let you know that Brandee’s discussion class will not take place this week. She is out of town, so the Hopko class will begin on October 25th. 

Our JOY Ministry (youth grades 1-5) begins this Thursday evening at 7:00 pm. Last year was our best year ever for JOY. So creative, so enthusiastic, so well-attended. Let’s keep up the momentum with our little ones. Please keep your kids involved by participating in JOY!

I pray that each and every one of you are enjoying the blessings of the Fall season. To me, changing leaves have never represented dormancy or stillness. Quite the opposite, actually. Seeing red and yellow streaking across the mountain range is a reminder that this, this is the time of year when activities build up, ministries flow, people are here, and Christ is among us. See you tomorrow. As the days in our present worship space are earnestly approaching their end, let us appreciate every moment in the space that has been our spiritual home for three years. I am already feeling nostalgic about our “atrium church.” And we haven’t even moved out yet!

With Much Love in XC,

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter