INCLUDED:
Proposed Agenda, Proposed Budget, Stewardship Report, Philoptochos Report, Adult Religious Education, Youth Religious Education Report, Minutes from the Spring Meeting, and the Archangel Gabriel Bookstore Report
Fall General Assembly Agenda (proposed)
Sunday, November 10, 2019
The following is the proposed agenda for the next General Assembly meeting. Join us on Sunday, November 10 immediately following Divine Services in the Church for our Assembly and Parish Potluck. All active stewards* of the Church of Saint Anna are encouraged to participate.
1. Prayer & Call to Order
2. Selection of General Assembly Chair
3. Approval of Minutes of previous GA, Mark Mellis
4. Clergy Report, Fr. Christopher, Fr. Seraphim, and Dn. Joseph
5. President’s Report, Christy Moustris
6. Treasurer’s Report, Larry Finney
7. Old Business
a. The Sanctuary - Construction, Financing, and Groundbreaking
b. Building Fund Campaign (conclusion of first, starting of second)
c. Saint Anna Endowed Scholarships
8. New Business
a. Proposed 2020 Budget
b. Excessive Funds in 2019 budget
9. For the Good of the Parish – Open Remarks
10. Closing Prayer
11. Adjournment
Stewardship
As 2019 comes to a close and we welcome 2020, we are grateful for all our stewards here at St. Anna’s parish. Our budget for 2019 is $425,000 and as of November 1st, we have received $355,896. We expect our total income from stewardship for the year to meet our total budget. Thank you to all of you who understand the importance of giving your time, talent and treasure and for making this the best year yet. For those of you who haven’t fulfilled your stewardship commitment for the year, please make sure to send it in to the church office before December 31. It is your understanding of why we give that has enabled us to embark on building our new Sanctuary and to provide the many programs that we have here at St. Anna’s. Your stewardship not only benefits those at our parish, but also goes to help the less fortunate, not only in the Roseville area, but in various locations in the world.
Our Orthodox faith call on us to be good stewards of our time, talent and treasure and we know that we can never give back to God more than He has given us. It is not a payment that we are making to the church, but rather a gift. Giving always involves risk and involves much faith. We can enjoy eternal life if we learn to emulate God, to give generously and to provide this ultimate Gift of Gifts to the lives who come to St. Anna’s looking for spiritual direction. We are truly blessed with a wonderful, friendly parish family and we all have the ability to give proportionately to make a difference in the lives of those who not only come to our church, but the lives of other less fortunate Orthodox Christians around the world.
For those of you who are new members of our parish, we thank you for becoming a part of our church family. As a reminder, we do not have annual stewardship drives. When you return your pledge card to the church office, it is kept on file until you request a new one and change your current information on the card. Our system is continuous year after year. Although you have a choice of when to pay your stewardship, we encourage our stewards to use their giving envelopes and make weekly donations. This keeps our giving practice in the forefront and makes of us more aware of why we give. You can also make your stewardship donations by credit card or by debiting your bank account. Please contact Morfoula in the church office to set up this arrangement.
In closing, thank you all for realizing the importance of stewardship in the life of the church. Our family here at St. Anna’s has come a long way and with God’s blessings, we were able to break ground for our new Sanctuary in September. What a joy to know that together we have reached this point. We thank each and every one of you and wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and a blessed Christmas and New Year. We welcome everyone to become a steward of our church. If you have any questions about stewardship or want to become a member of our church, please don’t hesitate to contact one of the team members listed below or Morfoula in the church office. We will be happy to send you a stewardship packet.
With love in Christ,
Phyllis Dindio 916-989-0100 Larry and Jennifer Finney 530-305-2254
Marci Pelka 916-984-9999 Emil Sicoe 916-521-1808
A rich man is not one who has much, but one who gives much.
For what he gives away remains his forever.
St. John Chrysostom
2019 Fall GA Report
Archangel Gabriel Bookstore
The mission of the Bookstore is to provide an Orthodox Bookstore & Resource Center specializing in Eastern Orthodox reading materials (including those for parish study classes), icons, ecclesiastical music, and items for the home chapel in the greater Placer County community and for visiting guests.
It is our goal is to give back to the parish and community in various way and not limited to:
· Annual contribution to the Seminarian Scholarship Program
· Annual contribution to the St Basil Academy
· Sponsoring the annual Parish Calendars
· Hosting the annual Three Hierarchs Lecture
· Stocking free literature and pamphlets in the elevator lobby
· Gifting visiting clergy, catechumens, betrothed, and guest speakers
· Miscellaneous carpet cleaning and campus purchases
Our success comes through God’s blessings as each patron of the Bookstore remembers us for their gifting and personal needs. To date we have given back to our parish community over 25% of our annual sales.
Upcoming Events – Good News!
· St Nicholas Gift Faire – Beautiful Christmas Gifts, “Good Reads”, and lovely jewelry are now available in the Bookstore. Supplement your Christmas shopping with us and support your parish.
· In the spirit of St Nicholas, all Children’s books will be 15% off the month of December.
· December 8 – Annual Children’s Shopping Spree: In the spirit of St Nicholas, our St Anna Religious Ed children are given the opportunity to give beautiful gifts to others at very reasonable cost. All items are $1-10 and will be wrapped for them after purchase. Please provide your children with cash to shop. If you have items you’d like to donate towards this happy event, please contact Cynthia. We are looking for Christmas gifts (nice things only please, no monogramed items or old ornaments) as well as gift bags and tissue.
Goals for 2020
Our goals for 2020 are to refine our product selection and create a more inviting atmosphere in our new space when we move into the new church. We are very excited to be located in the Narthex with a separate door access.
We are blessed with a great team of volunteers and are able to be open after each Sunday as well as most feast days, on Tuesday before/after Bible Study, and Wednesday before/after Greek School.
Through your continued support and God’s blessings, the Bookstore will be able to contribute financially to our new location in our sanctuary. Our hope is to consign a hand-painted or mosaic icon of Archangel Gabriel near the door in the new area, as well as contribute to other areas of the construction.
Gratitude
Gratitude goes out to the Bookstore Buddies for their continued support.
If you would like to be a part of the Bookstore Team and can work after Sunday liturgy, we welcome your involvement! We also appreciate any help during the festival so please sign up for shifts using the Signup Genius.
Follow us on Facebook under “Archangel Gabriel Bookstore”.
Respectfully submitted by Cynthia Sheffer
General Assembly
Adult Religious Education
November 10, 2019
In the last six months, the Survey of Orthodoxy Class has been one of meeting people’s needs according to their schedules. Almost to a person, young catechumens are working jobs that have such variable hours that preclude making a commitment to a fixed schedule class. To the best of my ability, I have literally met with several catechumens up to five different days a week, from morning to late in the evening, in the church, coffee shops or homes, depending on when their variable schedules permit. This is challenging because everyone is at a different place in the process.
The Fall class, presently has seven individuals who have attended, mostly inconsistently. Instruction time is delayed to bring everyone onto the same level of understanding before we can proceed. While some individuals seem earnest in their interest in the class, perhaps it is time to reconsider the presentation format of a scheduled topic, and provide more of a Q and A for the burning questions that need discussion and abandon the twelve week format and make it an open-ended timeline. I am concerned that doing so, the knowledge that needs to be imparted would not be covered, and that working people with young families would not be able to commit an extended amount of time.
I would like to recommend books to the bookstore that are tailored to the topics most often are of concern to catechumens, and have them stocked in a timely manner to encourage growth in the Faith. Some people want more knowledge, and some great resources are available.
The Divine Liturgy A Student Study Guide
With Scriptural References and Commentary by the Church Fathers
John A. Peck
Orthodox Spirituality: A Brief Intgroduction
Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos
Ancestral Sin
John Romanides
Margaret Mueller