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St. Anna Capital Campaign
“Build the house, that I may take pleasure in it, and that I may be glorified.”
Haggai 1:8
Haggai 1:8
The SACC is busy working toward raising the additional funds needed to finalize and attain the Atrium property as the new home of Saint Anna’s Greek Orthodox Church. It is such a wonderful and excellent opportunity for our parish to have the Atrium become available to us again.
In order to minimize the need for financing and make the acquisition of the Atrium property financially feasible for our Parish, the Parish Council has set a goal of making at least a 50% down payment when we close on the property next fall. Thanks to everyone who has already contributed to our campaign, we are very close to reaching this goal. Indeed, we already have 71% of the required down payment as cash on hand! We know that with everyone’s help, we can promptly raise the remaining 29% and reach our down payment goal!
Every dollar donated or pledged brings us one step closer to taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity given to our parish. In addition to encouraging further support from within the parish, the SACC will be reaching out to potential donors outside of our parish both locally and nationally.If you have not had the opportunity to donate to the campaign in the form of a pledge, it is not too late. Please take the time to prayerfully talk with your family and make a donation or pledge. Forms are available at the Narthex and through the church office. You can also contribute or make your pledge:
Our Coffee vs CASH monthly donation of $10 or $20 per week instead of purchasing a cup of coffee at your favorite coffee shop is still alive and well. Click here to learn more: Coffee vs. CASH Program.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact any of the Capital Campaign members or email us at stannacampaign@stannagocutah.org. You can also contact Fr. Anthony Savas at franthony@stannagocutah.org or 801-824-3987 to discuss how you and your family may be able to contribute to our fundraising efforts.
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Services for Sunday, November 4, 2018
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Pastoral Letter November 4, 2018
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, Have Mercy on Us.
– Trisagion Hymn
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As the Hymn of the Heavenly Angels is being beautifully chanted, you can take a tour of our intended and hopeful property. This serves as a reminder of how this property is beautiful, well-situated, ripe for potential and begging to be an Orthodox Church. Both inside and out are blank slates that will be purposed for the glory of God and in service to His people. This video tour is of the building as it stands today. No site or interior plans have been drawn up as of yet. So for now, look, listen and pray about the innumerable possibilities.
As a due diligence status update, please know that we have been collecting proposals from local banks and lending institutions. We have scheduled inspections for the condition of the building and for the sake of future insurance coverage. We have collected the costs of overhead and maintenance. We have established a realistic, but challenging financial goal of being able to put down a 50% down payment. We will be meeting with planning and building officials with Sandy City later this morning. Finally, we have taken these professional pictures and have had them prepared for your guided inspiration, motivation toward generosity, and prayerful imagination. If this purchase is going to happen, it will literally take the participation of our entire community. We can do this.
To God be the Glory.
Enjoy.
With Love in Christ,
Fr. Anthony
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Weekly Bulletin for November 4, 2018
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Services for Sunday, October 28, 2018
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Pastoral Letter October 28, 2018
As we Celebrate the Feast of St. Demetrios the Great Martyr, Let us Remember that…
The earliest icons of this great man of God,
did not depict him in armor,
did not paint him with weapons,
did not identify him as a warrior,
did not give him a shield,
did not place upon him a helmet.
But rather…
celebrated his youth,
surrounded him with children,
robed him in gentleness,
softened his features,
bathed him in light,
crowned him as a martyr.
All the while,
Glorifying Christ!
May all who celebrate today, find joy, peace and hope
through the prayers and intercessions of
St. Demetrios the Great Martyr and Myrrh-Flowing
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Weekly Bulletin for October 28, 2018
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Services for Sunday, October 21, 2018
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Pastoral Letter October 21, 2018
“Build the house, that I may take pleasure in it, and that I may be glorified.” – Haggai 1:8
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord!
You may recognize that passage from Haggai (the smallest Book of the Old Testament) as the theme for our campaign to raise awareness, enthusiasm and prayers for an eventual church home for St. Anna’s. The summer of 2017 is when we introduced this concept and set down our current path of finding a place for us to grow and mature as a community.
To be sure, it is important for us to set such goals, strive to achieve them, and keep in a proper and spiritual check, our motivations and reasons. Everything we strive to do, and eventually accomplish is for one purpose; and that is to glorify God. The Lord, Himself, gave this commandment to the prophet Haggai, and we are responsible for its message today.
But I am also here to remind you, that building a house for God is not limited to the purchase of a building or the construction of a house of worship. To build a house suitable for God’s pleasure and appropriate for His glorification means, as Haggai proposes, we look well beyond our own a altar, nave and narthex.
“Build the house, that I may take pleasure in it, and that I may be glorified.” – Haggai 1:8
God is glorified when our hearts burn to serve, worship and praise Him.
God is glorified when our souls reach out to Him in repentance and love for humankind.
God is glorified when we allocate our time and resources for the benefit of others.
God is glorified when we live our lives in a quest for His Kingdom through righteousness.
God is glorified when we reach out to Him in prayer, thanksgiving, humility and trust.
God is glorified when we make the effort; collectively and individually to…well, glorify Him.
And yes, God is glorified when we actually build stuff that gives Him pleasure.
And while I am overjoyed and thrilled with last week’s announcement that our own “dream house” is currently under contract, I have something else very important to announce.
“Build the house, that I may take pleasure in it, and that I may be glorified.” – Haggai 1:8
In the summer of 2019, we are returning to Project Mexico! Once again, we are going to literally build a house that He may take pleasure in, and He will indeed be glorified.
The last time we took a building team down there, we registered sort of last-minute and gratefully took what they gave us. Our slot was so late in the summer that all our college and high school students had returned to school by late August’s arrival. Thusly, we participated in Project Mexico’s final week of building. Not this time.
This morning, we stood by for the exact moment that on-line registration opened. Therefore, please be joyfully advised:
Our 2019 Project Mexico Building Team will participate in the Third Week,
June 27th to July 3rd
This week was chosen so that it did not conflict with Camp Emmanuel, most especially Senior Week, that we may encourage our teens and young adults to participate. We only have 20 places secured, and there are people from other states and churches who have expressed an interest in being a part of our mission team. It is still early, so the exact costs and requirements are yet to be determined, but St. Anna’s has paid our $400.00 non-refundable deposit. This is how confident I am that we will fill these spots.
Our first trip to Project Mexico was filled with countless blessings. We saw suffering. We witnessed poverty. We were made to be more appreciative of the opportunities given to us.
Of course, through the suffering, poverty and appreciation, we saw people who have been given much less…I mean a lot, lot, less…and are still more thankful, Spirit-filled and happy than most people we meet in our every day lives. Do you want to see a happy person? Move them out of the cardboard box where they live, and construct a solid, dignified and loving home for their family.
The gift for those who receive a home from Project Mexico is a safe place to live.
The gift for those who sponsor and build a home for Project Mexico is absolute clarity.
And it is clear who is richer for the experience.
“Build the house, that I may take pleasure in it, and that I may be glorified.” – Haggai 1:8
No doubt, I am excited for the coming days, months and years for us to enjoy the prospect of, and the realities of us purchasing the Atrium for our church home (God willing, and per the blessings of His Eminence, and per a favorable Parish Assembly vote).
But I have to say, that when it comes to building something for God, take pleasure within, and where He can be glorified, there is no question that unless we dedicate ourselves to ministries such as Project Mexico, our own building will have little purpose.
Not for us. Nor especially for God.
With Much Love in Christ,
Fr. Anthony