Current Messenger - St. George Orthodox Christian Church

AUGUST 2016
3 Things you can do
to keep camp alive
.
.
.
1. Pray before you
eat your meals as a
family.
2. Come to Vespers
as a family once a
month.
3. Keep your home
free of foul words.
C
amp St. Raphael celebrated its Sweet 16th year with
three sessions of camping from June 26 - July 17. Over 45 St.
George campers and 10 staff members attended. The
camp is located nine hours away in Wagoner, OK. At CSR, campers
enjoy days filled with prayer, fellowship and fun. The day begins with
breakfast at 8 a.m. followed by Orthros in the Chapel.
From 10
a.m. to noon, campers have Christian Education. This year’s theme
was “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
After lunch the camp has three hours of afternoon program
which includes field sports, arts and crafts and aquatic activities. At
6 p.m. we gather for dinner and then Vespers. The evening
program includes dances, pool parties and serenades is always a
highlight. Lifelong friendships bound in Christ are made at camp.
The camp thanks St. George for her constant support of this
wonderful program and for all the children and counselors she
sends. For more photos and info, please visit campstraphael.org.
St. George Orthodox Christian Church 5311 Mercer Street Houston, TX 77005 (713) 665-5252
IOCC Syrian Relief Dinner
Page 2
2016 Vacation Bible School
Over 180 young people participated in this year’s Vacation Bible School
which was held at St. George. Families and volunteers from St. George and
Annunciation Cathedral joined together to host a wonderful week which
led children through exploring the miracles and teachings of Christ. The
week was highlighted
with the celebration of
the Liturgy for Ascension.
Page 4
Family Camp At Antiochian Village/St. Sophia’s Retreat
Family Camp At The Antiochian Village
by Grace Gamel - Age 9
For the second time, I went to family camp at the Antiochian
Village. It is one of my favorite places to visit. I get to do lots of fun things
there. The outdoor chapel was awesome. It was so pretty, and I got to
participate by singing at every service. The resting place of St.
Raphael was so cool because he was right there. We prayed his
supplication service and sang for him.
At the village, we stay in cabins. We have to keep our cabins
clean because every day there is room check. During morning
program we had “Ask Abouna” sessions. We could ask any question
about the Church. During morning program, my mom and dad were
at a parent class learning about leading our family. Later we had a
family class to talk about our family. During afternoon program I played
archery. I enjoy archery because it’s a real bow and arrow, and you get
to hit the bull’s eye. A/V Ball is a complicated game for adults, but I think it’s easy. It was so fun, and I
played it a ton. There is a place called gimme shop. I got some yummy treats and candy there. I
thought evening programs were so fun! We had carnival and movie night.
I met lots of great friends at family camp, and everyone there was Orthodox. Even though we
only get to see each other once a year, we can keep in touch through email. One of my favorite
moments was when we sang for St. Artemius. He is a child saint. I learned a lot of cool stories about him. I
can’t wait to be a camper at the Village and go to the same camp as my Mommy and Daddy did. I
highly recommend family camp for other families at St. George. See you there next year!
A Legacy Of Faith: What Wil You Leave Behind?
On April 9th, the St. Sophia's Fellowship for Mothers hosted a Lenten retreat, “A Legacy of Faith:
What Will You Leave Behind?” Around 35 people were in attendance, comprised of parents,
grandparents, young couples, and even expectant parents. Our speaker, Kh. Gigi Shadid, put together
a wonderful presentation. She offered practical advice, funny anecdotes, as well as a deep wisdom of
how we should raise our children in the church and at home.
Kh. Gigi started her talk with a reminder that we are raising our grandchildren, not just our children.
She had us visualize what we want for our children and where we see them as adults. She reminded us
that we have a very short time with them at home, before we send them out into
the world. She had us think of ourselves as “raising saints” and talked about saintly
families throughout our church history. Kh. Gigi then moved on to discuss what our
children need, how to help them to be thankful, how to make our homes more
holy, and the importance of forgiveness. We ended with discussing the ways we
can use technology (or not) when raising children, how to combat cultural wars,
and creative things we can do at home to keep our children focused on God.
Heidi Kaim put together a resource page of books for children, adults, and
recordings of Orthodox music, which we passed out at the end. People were able
to view many of these resources, as well. Those who attended came away from
the retreat refreshed, full of ideas, and with many things to ponder. Kh. Gigi is a
wealth of wisdom, ideas, and is a blessing to us all!
Page 5
Mosaics Update/Bible Bowl/Altar Server Retreat
We have received word from mosaic artist
Aidan Hart that the mosaic icons of the Crucifixion
and Resurrection should arrive this November and
be installed completely by early December. While
there will be over 500,000 pieces of tile in the
mosaics, they will come in approximately 10-12
“puzzle pieces” and then assembled into the
complete images.
The mosaics have been in production since
Spring 2015. It is quite clear from all the photos sent
that detail and composition are very highly
considered in the process. In the words of Aidan, “We are putting quality as our priority, so I pray you and
everyone end up being very pleased with the result, and are rewarded for your great patience.”
As we await these beautiful additions to our home of worship let us consider the words of
Metropolitan Georges Khodr of Mount Lebanon who writes this beautiful quote about iconography
which clearly can be seen in Aidan’s work. “The image thus appears as a drawing of grace, an
intertwining of graces and colors. Painting an icon does not result from fleshy fantasy, nor the whims of
the imagination, nor an instinctive convulsion of nature. On the contrary, it is an expression of a gentle
bubbling which opens the heavens to reveal a glory beyond any art of this world, such is its
magnificence."
Congratulations Bible Bowl Team Members Mark
Saber, Danny Saber & Tristan Shahin who once
again won the Diocese Bible Bowl Championship
at the Parish Life Conference in Tulsa in June.
Page 6
Generations/Orthodox Cemetery
baptisms
weddings
May 1
Ramzi Milad Nassar II
son of Ramzi & Angelica Nassar
May 14
Marzel Hurbs & Melissa Sawa
May 13
Joseph Najjar
son of Ayman &Nada Najjar
May 22
Nasri Raja Khoury
son of Raja & Kristina Khoury
June 4
Nicola Charlie Dahu
son of Charlie & Grace Dahu
June 11
Evangelina “Anna” Voutsinas
daughter of Michael & Nicol Voutsinas
June 26
Lucia Mariana Anglin
daughter of Cory & Nasly Anglin
July 17
Ryan Elzakhem
son of Bassem & Cherine Elzakhem
July 31
Isabella Rae Guzman
daughter of Emilio & Marcella Guzman
May 21
Michael Billeh & Erica Williams
June 4
Shadi Tannous & Corine Kosseifi
June 11
Bryant Howell & Mary Tuma
June 18
Andrew Dahdouh & Hannah Walker
June 25
Paul Voinis & Judy Moussa
funerals
May 11
Laurice Khoury Annab
May 23
Juliette Abercia Moses
June 20
Fuad Elias Baba
July 29
Tommy Barrow
The Orthodox Cemetery section at Forest Park
Westheimer has a limited number available plots. If
you are interested, please contact the Church Office.
There is a special rate that will increase in 2017. As seen
in the picture, there is a large Orthodox Cross and two
stones that serve as markers for designating the section.
Each year the Orthodox Clergy of Houston meet at the
Cross to pray for the departed and bless the graves.
Page 7
St. George Orthodox Christian Church
5311 Mercer Street
Houston, TX 77005
(713) 665-5252
www.stgeorgehouston.com
CHURCH STAFF
Pastor
V. Rev. Fr. James Shadid
Associate Pastor Rev. Fr. Symeon Kees
Pastor Emeritus
V. Rev. Fr. Joseph Shahda
Youth Director
George Katrib
Secretary
Octavia Odom
6000 Dale Carnegie Lane Houston, TX, 77036 - Highway 59 South & Hillcroft
* Over 90 Students already enrolled
* Classes begin Fall 2016
* Orthodox Classical Education
* Kindergarten - 12th Grade
* Undergraduate Classes available
To enroll, request a tour,
or for more infomation please visit:
www.saintconstantine.org
WISDOM VIRTUE JOY