ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞH ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΔΗΜΗΤΡΙΟΥ – Metropolis of San Francisco SERVING THE LORD AND THE COMMUNITY OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA SINCE MARCH 9, 1948
St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church          Reflecting Christ in All We Say and Do

 

March 12, 2025

Dear Stewards and Friends of St. Demetrios,

I pray all is well with you and your families.

Thank you to our 2025 Stewards. We have received pledges totaling $112,450 and remain committed to our goal of $170,000. If you are not yet a steward, please join us today. If we remain focused on being fiscally responsible, we will be able to reach our goal of building a new church to glorify God and thank Him for our many blessings. Forms are available on the candle stand and in the Stewardship tab on our website.

Our Agora Greek Market is open every Sunday after Liturgy, with extended days and hours to come. Stop by to shop a variety of Greek pastas, coffees, desserts, snacks, gift ideas, and many more delights. Thank you to the ladies who continue to work to make the Agora a success! All proceeds go to the New Building and Land Fund.

Our New Building and Land Committee has officially signed a contract with local architect Bill Mackey. He is currently developing the floor plan and elevation, while coordinating with other professionals to define their respective scopes of work. This marks an important step forward in the project as the planning and design phases take shape.

The Capital Campaign Committee continues to meet weekly and is committed to its goal of building a church with no debt. As previously approved by our stewards at our Fall Parish Assembly, our current restricted funds will soon be transferred to a new Restricted Escrow account. Further updates will be given at our Spring Parish Assembly.

We are very pleased to announce we have a new office secretary, Diana Rivera. She is helping us with communication, bookkeeping, and general parish and ministry support. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 22th, is Church Clean Up Day. As "good and faithful" stewards of all we have been given, we need everyone's help to make this a success and prepare our Church and property for Holy Week and Pascha.

Plan to attend our Spring Parish Assembly, Sunday, April 27th, when we will share more detailed updates of our parish, future fundraisers, and ways for you to become involved in the future of our beloved St. Demetrios.

We are blessed to announce His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos, along with Rev. Archdeacon Justin Bosl, will be joining us Holy Monday, April 14th, for the Service of the Bridegroom. We will share more details soon.

I hope you join us for the many beautiful services and activities offered during Great Lent and Holy Week. These include (but are not limited to) Presanctified Liturgies Wednesday nights, Salutations/Akathist Hymn Friday nights, Palm Sunday luncheon, Holy Week services, and a Wednesday evening youth retreat. Our new secretary has put together a schedule and is updating our Google calendar on our website.

Please keep our parish in your prayers. As the Body of Christ, we are all called to play a role in preserving and sharing our beautiful Orthodox faith. I give thanks to our Lord for His continued love and mercy and to all of you who continue to support our beloved St. Demetrios. On behalf of the Parish Council, we wish you and your families a
Blessed Lenten journey to Pascha.

In Christ’s Service,             

 

Bill Anastopoulos

St. Demetrios Parish Council President