Bookstore - Open to the Public

   Bookstore is open during normal church activities, Fr. John’s office hours, or by appointment.

Regular Weekly Schedule

      Thursday – 6:30 p.m.  Adult Orthodoxy class.  Open to the public. Learn about the Orthodox Faith and Traditions. Open discussion. All are welcome!  

      Saturday –  6:00-6:45 p.m.  Vespers service.

      Sunday – 10:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy (conducted in Greek, English; some Serbian)

      Sunday School – 10:00 a.m. Please see church calendar.

      Ladies’ Group Meeting – 2^nd Sunday of the month

2008 Holy Week & Pascha Schedule

April 19, Saturday, Lazarus Saturday, 10 am - Divine Liturgy

April 20, Sunday, Palm Sunday, 10 am - Divine Liturgy & Blessing of Palms

April 20, Sunday, 7:00 pm - Liturgy: Bridegroom Service

April 21, Monday, 7:00 pm - Liturgy: Bridegroom Service

April 22, Tuesday, 7:00 pm - Liturgy: Bridegroom Service

April 23, Wednesday, 7:00 pm – Liturgy: Sacrament of Holy Oil (Holy Unction)

April 24, Thursday, 10:00 am – Liturgy: (St. Basil)

April 24, Thursday, 7:00 pm – Liturgy: Passion & 12 Gospels (Commemorating the Last Supper)

April 25, Friday, 2:30 pm – Liturgy: Unnailing / Apocathelosis

April 25, Friday, 7:00 pm – Liturgy: Great Lamentations & Epitaphio (Death & Burial of Christ)

April 26, Saturday, 11:00 pm – Matins and Resurrection Liturgy

April 27, Sunday, PASCHA (EASTER) - HE IS RISEN – (No services)

Church Directory

A directory of parish members is now available at church.

Office Hours

Father John has office hours at the church on Saturdays 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Feel free to stop in and chat or to talk about any concerns or issues you may have.

Need a ride to a church event or service?  If you live in Appleton or a nearby community, contact a parish council member; and we will make every effort to help out!

How to Contact the Parish Council – see home page

Message from Father John

Dear Parishioners: as we begin the Triodion period, the period that precedes Great and Holy Lent, we are reminded of the Church's great wisdom in preparing us gradually for the spiritual rigors of fasting and asceticism. Each Sunday during this period has themes - March 2nd is the Sunday of the Last Judgment, also known as Meatfare Sunday. This is the last week that meat is consumed until Easter; it is also the Sunday that reminds us we will all stand before the Last Judgment seat of Christ and have to individually account for our actions on whether we fed the hungry, clothed the homeless, etc.

The last Sunday of preparation before Great Lent is the Sunday of Forgiveness, also known as Cheesefare Sunday. This is the last week dairy may be consumed. Before we enter the Lenten fast, we are reminded that there can be no true fast, no genuine repentance, unless we are all reconciled with each other. We do not travel the road of Lent as isolated people but as members of our church family. This Lenten period should draw us closer to one another. Let us use all of the upcoming services in this period to grow closer to God as we journey to the central event of world history: The Resurrection of Our God, Jesus Christ.

Amen, Father John Galenos+

We would like to officially welcome our new catechumens, Jeff Tourville and Rick Gross, who are in the preparation period to become Orthodox. They both come from Roman Catholic backgrounds. We would also like to welcome Charles and Kyra Oberg, who recently moved to Wisconsin from California. They are recent converts to Orthodoxy and have three daughters, Theodora, Tamara, and Tatjana. Welcome to all!! Sometimes those of us who are born into the Orthodox faith take it for granted, and it’s nice to be reminded that searchers, like our friends mentioned above, find the true Orthodox faith by searching for it. 

Please see our calendar for the full schedule of Lent and Holy Week services.

President’s Corner

New Officers Elected

At our January Parish Council meeting, your parish officers were elected.  They are:

      Jan Kodis, President

      Nick Karras, Vice-President

      Tania Phillips, Secretary

      Mark Schedler, Treasurer

New Committees

We have developed a number of committees at St. Nicholas.  Each committee will be overseen by Father John and has at least one parish council member.  However, these committees need participation from members, as well. 

Here is a list of the new committees and their current members:

REAL ESTATE COMMITTEE

Chairperson:  Dave Herbeck

Committee Members: Bernie Olson, Mark Schedler

EVANGELISM AND OUTREACH COMMITTEE

Chairperson: Dorothy Olson

Committee Members: Tania Phillips

STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE

Chairperson: Jan Kodis

Committee Members: Nick Karras

BUILDING and GROUNDS COMMITTEE

Chairperson: Mike Blatseas

Committee Members: Nick Karras, Jan Kodis

50TH ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE (Year 2010)

Chairperson: Tania Phillips

Committee Members: Dorothy Olson, Nick Karras

(Many of you who receive this newsletter, who have been members of St. Nicholas for many years, may have a particular interest in supporting the efforts of the 50th Anniversary Committee with information, comments, suggestions, photographs, etc.  The year 2010 is not so far away.  The committee will welcome your input!)

Committee Guidelines:

1.       Each committee should determine how often they will meet (e.g., monthly, quarterly, etc.) and communicate the meeting schedule to the Parish Council President.

2.       Each committee should determine who will take minutes of each meeting.

3.       Each committee will have a file in the church office for maintaining the original copies of meeting minutes.

4.       A committee chairperson/member will make (or provide) a committee report at the first scheduled Parish Council meeting following a committee meeting.

Parish Office

Several of the Parish Council began to organize the office recently.  We have gone through files and have begun to organize information.  If anyone has past records or minutes from periods of time when they served on the council, please drop off this information at church.  We must maintain all church records on the premises.  We have plans to make this more of a working office for the church.  We would like to put in a real desk and consider different storage options.  Do you have suggestions?  If anyone has a desk and/or desk chair, or would like to make a donation toward other storage options, please contact Jan Kodis.

Stewardship Corner

"Upon the first day of the week lot everyone of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him." (I Corinthians 16:2)

St. Paul speaks not only to 1st century Christians but to 21st century Christians, as well. He encourages us to set aside for the work of the Church some portion of our income in proportion to God's blessings bestowed upon us.

This concept of Christian giving is the very essence of Church support. Each of us should return to the Lord a portion of our blessings so that the Church may continue to grow and provide a spiritual place for the faithful. This concept, known as Christian Stewardship, is not new to us. 

St. Nicholas 2008 Operating Budget is $83,000

The expenses of our Parish are vital to our Church for:

      Keeping in Touch With You

      Maintaining our Buildings

      Those Who Serve Us

      Worship and Education

      National Ministries Commitment

A detailed report is posted on the bulletin board at church.

Everyone should have received a 2008 Stewardship Pledge Form. If you don’t have one, you may pick up a pledge form at the church.  Please return forms to Mark Schedler or Jan Kodis. These are kept in strict confidence.

Stewardship Questions 

Question: Why should a church have a Stewardship Program?

Answer: Such a program eliminates inequities and places the responsibility of church support where it belongs, in the hands of each parishioner. It is the one way that views the support of the church as a matter of personal commitment and conscience. It is the way of meeting our financial obligations to our church with Christian concern, dignity and equity.

Question: How is this done?

Answer: By committing an honest portion of our annual income for the work and support of the church.

Question: Who is included in my family commitment?

Answer: A pledging family includes husband, wife, and children under 18 or attending college and not self-supporting.

Do you have a stewardship question? Submit your question to Jan Kodis, who will post a response in the next newsletter.

Ladies’ Group

Annual membership dues are $24 and are requested at the start of the new year.  The dues, in addition to fundraisers, help the Ladies’ Group achieve their goals.  You may submit dues to Kathy Gostas, president, or Nancy Kohlman, treasurer. Checks may be made payable to St. Nicholas Ladies’ Group.

We need the support of all our parish ladies to assist with upcoming Lenten potlucks, parish meals, as well as our coffee hours.  Talk to Kathy Gostas if you desire to help out!

We will be decorating the Epitaphio for Easter with lilies on Good Friday, April 25, beginning at 9:00 a.m.  If you are available, please come join us.

Coming up - after Easter, we will be scheduling a “working” lunch at Mark’s Eastside restaurant.  Let Kathy Gostas know if you have a preference for a specific day of the week…. 

Sunday School

Also, as parents, we understand the difficulty in getting little ones up and moving and to church on time in the mornings.  However, we do ask that if you arrive at church later than 10:15 a.m. that you take the children into the church with you for the day.  By 10:15 a.m. the initial lesson planned for the day is usually completed and we are trying to limit the interruptions and distractions that occur with our limited classroom time.

Yes, we will be continuing our FOOD DRIVE and TOY DRIVE through the Lenten season and do appreciate ANY donations that members of the congregation can make.  Please consider donating to our local food pantry by bringing non-perishable items to church on Sunday or with a monetary donation.  We will be delivering the donations after Easter.

On March 9, "Mission Sunday," we will be putting together and bringing home boxes from the Orthodox Christian Mission Center for the children to make their donations during Lent.  A lesson about the missions and their work will also be taught that day.  Please emphasize to your children the importance of the missions and their job of spreading God's word by having them sacrifice a little bit.  A good example would be putting those coins they were going to use for their ice cream treats during Lent into the mission box for God's work. 

The boxes are to be returned on Palm Sunday and the money will be forwarded to the OCMC.  We will have extra boxes available at the back of the church for those parishioners that wish to donate to the OCMC also.

Our second annual Good Friday Retreat is also planned for April 25 from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.  Last year's retreat went very well and the children enjoyed the lessons and projects done with Fr. John.  As it is a school day, we will not be serving lunch to the children this year.  The retreat will conclude with the afternoon Epitaphio service for the children sometime around 4:00 p.m.

We are also in the process of planning a field trip for our kids to a local bowling alley for some extracurricular fun!  Details coming soon!  

Educating our children here at St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church is working well through the group effort of their parents.  However, we are always looking for ANYONE in the congregation that is interested in helping out with filling the teaching schedule.  If you would love to be working with our children as a Sunday school teacher or even a teacher's helper, or if you have any ideas or a lesson that would help our children learn to be better Orthodox Christians, please contact Debbie White or Tina Herbeck.  Our children can benefit from the experience and knowledge of EVERYONE in our St Nicholas family!