St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful , unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid such people!” – 2 Timothy 3:1-5

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Did you read the above quote? Did any, one thing on that long list of unpleasant attributes strike a chord within you? Can we identify any of those traits within ourselves? How frightening it is, if we can, since St. Timothy explicitly demands that we “avoid such people.” How can I avoid myself? I follow me around everywhere! What to do?!?

For me, I suppose the answer can be found, walking the sprawling, dirt-covered pathways of the Plimoth Plantation (spelled correctly) in Plymouth, MA (also spelled correctly). This picturesque, living history museum allows people to experience a Pilgrim village from the 1,600’s and an actual Wampanoag Tribe homesite. In other words, this place brings the ideals, visions and concepts of Thanksgiving Day to a blessed reality. Only a few miles away from Plymouth Rock, the Plantation literally sends you back in time.

The people who interact with visitors in the Pilgrim Village are character actors; dressing, speaking and “living” as people did upon reaching the blesses shores of our budding nation. The people in the Wampanoag Homesite are actual men and women of the Tribe. They are dressed in traditional clothing of the period, but they are not actors. Its and amazing place and I’ve been there, too many times to count.

As Americans, we have Thanksgiving Day as a National Holiday, dedicated to the recognition of gratitude. We may all have thoughts in our minds of what the first Thanksgiving Day may have looked like, there in the Massachusetts woods. Norman Rockwell paintings and elementary school programs put certain thoughts in our minds. These images give way to fall colors, basted turkeys, blustery days, football games and over indulgences. This is the modern and secular dynamic of celebrating Thanksgiving.

As Orthodox Christians, we have the opportunity, with every reception of the holy Mystery of Communion to be bathed in the concept of giving thanks unto God. We do not require a National Day of Recognition to understand the necessity of a thankful heart. We realize that God is worthy of our thanks. He is deserving of our praise. He is justified as the Giver of every gift, the Sustainer of every life and the Benefactor of every blessing. We have all we need to understand, submit, glorify and rest assuredly in His glory.

But then, there is St. Timothy’s pesky list of qualities that are less than desirable before God. And I believe, the chief among them is he who is unthankful.

The wicked is unthankful.
The godless is unthankful.
The rebel before Christ is unthankful.
The arrogant and unrepentant sinner is unthankful.
The blasphemer of the Holy Spirit is unthankful.

As we approach the day that was given to our Nation as an opportunity to reflect, pray, entreat and appeal, I invite all of us to be reminded of all that has, and will be given to us. Thanksgiving is not a day, it is a quality. It is a definitive trait of the Christian heart and it is the translator of God’s grace.

Go ahead, live in the fanciful and romanticized depiction of Pilgrims and Native Americans sharing a meal, shaking hands and living as one. This is the Thanksgiving of our youth. There is no need to abandon this image completely – especially since most lessons we learned as kids are fading away quickly – Christopher Columbus was a bad guy who did nothing like what we learned or sung about, and Thomas Edison did not invent the light bulb. We’ll leave the Pilgrims alone.

But by all means, and in everyway, make Thanksgiving a daily, prayerful exercise. Practice gratitude. Humble ourselves before God. Partake of the Mysteries and in all things, give thanks.

Enjoy the blessings of Thanksgiving Day. They will sustain, inspire and guide us. In gratitude, I remain,

In Christ’s Love,

Fr. Anthony

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Thank you for your recent participation in our Parish Assembly, this past Sunday. It is critically important that we come together as a community and pray, discuss, deliberate and move on the administrative issues which help to organize and govern our parish. I thank you for your patience in what turned out to be a long meeting, filled with many important topics.

Please keep in mind, today and always, that every parish assembly, every parish council meeting, every ministry organization, every social gathering, every outreach project, every outing, every opportunity we take, to assemble as a St. Anna family, will always be connected to the Altar. We are a people of faith, connected by the fruits of the Holy Spirit and the ministering grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This week’s Bulletin is filled with a myriad of activities and services. As we continue to “come down to earth,” with the closing of one real estate chapter, and the anticipation of all that the good Lord has in mind for us, let us be filled with our love for one another, and grounded in the spiritual principles which led to the creation of our parish.

Notably, we have on our schedule, our Gala, to be held on December 9th. This is intended to be a family celebration of all that has been accomplished by our work with the Capital Campaign. It is not intended as a fund raiser, but rather an opportunity to give thanks to our parish for all that’s been done in 2017. In the presence of His Eminence Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver, and in commemoration of one of the Feasts of St. Anna, the Conception of the Theotokos, we have much to celebrate. Please join us!

Thank you for your continued love and prayers towards our parish and let us look to 2018 for all that is to come, unto the glory of God and for the benefit of His faithful.

Much Love in Christ,
Fr. Anthony

PLEASE REMEMBER:

ORTHODOX MARRIED LIFE MEETS THIS EVENING AT 7:00 PM.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE WOMEN’S MINISTRY TEAM HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE, TOMORROW IN THE STM GYM

GOYA MEETS NEXT TUESDAY AT THE HOME OF STAR DANNER. THE ADDRESS IS IN THE BULLETIN.

PRAY FOR OUR VETERANS. GOD BLESS YOU ALWAYS!

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Please read the following statement from our St. Anna Capital Campaign Chairmen (SACC) concerning the future goals of our parish. Much has been written, stated and even preached about their group’s activities during the past several months. As we return our focus to the initial goals that our Parish Assembly has established, the words of our SACC leaders resonate with wisdom, love, faith, commitment and steadfastness. I offer my prayers unto their success; for their achievements are our collective steps forward. God bless their work, your hearts and our entire community. Enjoy…

St. Anna Capital Campaign
3015 Creek Road
Cottonwood Heights, Utah
November 1, 2017

Dear Fellow Parishioners,
Much has transpired in the month since our last letter to the parish on September 28, 2017. It appears the Atrium opportunity is no longer a viable option, in spite of the brilliant and diligent efforts of our Real Estate Ministry Team, led by Chuck Karpakis, Joe Sasich and Fr. Anthony and the support and leadership of our Parish Council. In his weekly letter last week, Fr. Anthony addressed the circumstances that led us to the conclusion that an acceptable deal could not be reached on the Atrium. This will be discussed in more detail at the Parish Assembly this Sunday.

Notwithstanding our collective disappointment that the Atrium appears to be off the table, we learned a great deal and saw positive results, such as a surge in donations, pledges, anticipation, and excitement. We also came to some practical realizations. As people do when their best efforts produce a disappointing result, we’ve asked ourselves questions about what we could have done better. In our excitement, did we put too much stock in the verbal assurances of the property’s owner? Could we have been more prepared? Have we presented our St. Anna Capitl Campaign (SACC) vision adequately and correctly to our parishioners and prospective donors? Are our parish goals realistic and attainable at this time? Is it truly the will of our parish to pursue a new home?
Can we really raise the necessary funds?

We’ve worked very hard to give every parishioner an opportunity to learn about our SACC goals, either at the 8 intimate dining events this past summer, by phone campaigns, weekly bulletin notes, at in-home meetings, or simply by word of mouth. When talking to those who haven’t made a commitment yet, we’ve heard that many have simply forgotten to make a pledge, some are still thinking about it, some would like to but don’t think they can afford it, and a very, very, very few never intend to make a pledge.

Our latest reports show that we have $1,186,693 in Total Commitments. $800,813 is Cash on Hand and $359,384 is Total Pledges Receivable in the next few years. This is about 40% of our $3,000,000 target. Only 91 steward units out of almost 200 have made pledges. These 91 donors to date represent about 45% of our entire parish, meaning 55% have not yet pledged. These results are impressive and represent prayerful and generous sacrifice by those who have made a pledge. As we are extremely grateful for their efforts. Nonetheless, we hoped and anticipated that we would be much farther ahead in reaching our two primary goals as we near the end of this year. First and most importantly, having 100% participation by our parishioners, and secondly, reaching our $3,000,000 pledge goal.

The only way to know if we are truly committed to these goals as a parish is to receive pledge cards or donations from every single parishioner. Without that information, we can’t establish a realistic path forward. We must be able to know when and what resources are available, both currently and in the coming years.
When another opportunity comes up, and it will, it will probably require bank financing. Any lender will want to be assured that virtually 100% of parishioners are committed, regardless of the amount pledged. We will most likely need to service some debt so we welcome pledges that will be due in coming years to assist in making those payments.

The questions posed in the second paragraph of this note need to be answered by each of us individually, and collectively as a parish. Receiving pledge cards from everyone is the only way we will be truly prepared for the next opportunity. If you’ve forgotten to send in your pledge, do so right now. If you are still thinking about it, please make a prayerful decision sooner rather than later. If you don’t think you can afford it, make a commitment that works for you and extend it into the future to assist in future debt service. There are very, very few people who can’t change one or two little things in their normal routine and save enough to make a small commitment. The gesture is equally important as the amount.

Our intent is not to lecture or chastise anyone. Please forgive us if this letter sounds that way. We simply want to make sure our efforts are in harmony with the will and capabilities of our beloved parish. In the middle of December, about six weeks hence, we will make an evaluation based on all pledge cards received, and those results will determine how we proceed in 2018. Our firm belief is that those results will drive us forward as God continues to guide us to our ultimate home. But please help us by making sure we have the most complete information available in making these important decisions.

Thank you and God Bless St. Anna’s and all of us.

Bill Souvall & RaJean Higginson
St. Anna Capital Campaign Co-Chairpersons

PLEASE REMEMBER:

THIS SUNDAY IS OUR OBSERVANCE OF VETERANS DAY. PLEASE COME TO HONOR THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED OUR NATION. WITH SACRIFICE AND HONOR.

THIS SUNDAY IS OUR FALL PARISH ASSEMBLY. PLEASE COME AND LEND YOUR VOICE TO THE GOVERNANCE OF OUR BLESSED PARISH. YOUR PARISH!

THIS SUNDAY, 2018 STEWARDSHIP PACKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE. PLEASE FULFILL YOUR 2017 STEWARDSHIP AND PRAYERFULLY CONTINUE YOUR SUPPORT.

THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU, ALWAYS!