Saint Elizabeth
Greek Orthodox Church
of Gainesville
September/October 2020
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Our Greek Orthodox Church in the Gainesville area thrives as a diverse Orthodox community that serves all Orthodox Christians, by educating others about Orthodoxy, and specifically reaching out to engage the Orthodox youth as active members of our community. |
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Happy Birthday Father Paul and Presvytera Joan |
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Fr. Paul and Presv. Joan celebrating their September birthdays with family. |
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Meet the Mayernicks
Father Paul and Presvytera Joan Mayernick come to us from Tallahassee each week to serve our parish. Fr. Paul is originally from Cleveland, Ohio, and Presv. Joan from Miami. They have four children and seven grandchildren.
Ordained in 1977, Fr. Paul served more than 20 years as a U.S. Air Force Chaplain, and led the creation of a suicide prevention program for the military. After retiring from the military in 2002, the Mayernicks continued faithfully serving parishes in Alabama and Florida, joining us at St. Elizabeth in 2019.
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What's New at St. Elizabeth? |
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Backpack Blessing to Start the School Year |
St. Elizabeth students received blessings from
Fr. Paul, and Deacon Athanasios of St. John the Divine, after Divine Liturgy on August 30th.
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Attending Services
The church has been open since July to a limited number of parishioners each Sunday, with appropriate safety precautions in place. If you would like to attend, please sign up in advance.
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Worshiping from Home
Join us on Facebook each Sunday as we live stream the services:
- Orthos 9:00 a.m.
- Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.
We can light a candle and say a prayer at your request.
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Stewardship
The church is open for services, our ministries are active, and our community outreach continues. We need your continued support!
Donations can be made from home through our website.
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Submit items for the next newsletter. Keep our community informed and celebrate what your ministry has accomplished.
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New Community Center Milestone
We have our building permit!!
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Thanks to the hard work and dedication of countless parishioners over the years, the dream for our parish to have a place to meet, celebrate, and teach our children is becoming a reality. With Phase I complete, we are focusing on Phase II: Building Interior. Please contact the Parish Council at StElizPCPres@gnv.orthodox if you have experience or a willingness to help.
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St. Elizabeth Church Ministry Updates |
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Philoptochos 2020-21 Membership Drive
Now until November
We are one of 440 chapters of the National Philoptochos of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. We support 18 charities nationally, and 11 through our Metropolis.
Locally, we have established an ongoing outreach focused on the 1,000+ homeless students attending K-12 schools in our community. Last winter, we provided Alachua County Schools with coats, clothing, and essential toiletries for homeless students. With your support, we will continue this outreach this winter. We also supported a student parishioner's mission to Costa Rica through Doctors Without Borders.
Your $35 chapter membership goes to:
- National - $15
- Metropolis - $10
- St. Elizabeth Chapter - $10
Membership can be paid online at our church website. or by check to Philoptochos, Memo: membership.
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The Gospel According to
Matthew 25:31-46
'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' …'Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.'
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Living the Faith
Your Talents are Needed!
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Philoptochos Needs Help With |
- Arranging flowers
- Bookkeeping
- Shopping for supplies
- Speaking on topics of interest
- Internet skills (for virtual meetings)
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Please contact us if you are, or know of, a parishioner in need of help. Our parish Philoptochos maintains a limited fund for emergency relief. Contact us to find out how we can help. St.ElizPhiloptochos@gnvorthodox.com
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Orthodox Education - Learning about our Faith |
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Whole Family Weekly Discussions |
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This year, we will be exploring our faith, guided by the book The Year of Grace of the Lord.
Join us Wednesday, October 7 at 6:00 pm for the first virtual meeting. Email Dr. Florin Curta at fcurta@ufl.edu to get the link to join the discussion. Check our Church Facebook Group for updates.
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You can purchase the text at SVSPress.com or on Amazon.com.
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The St. Elizabeth Greek Dance program seeks to maintain the Hellenic folk tradition through song and dance. We strive to be an integral part of both the local and metropolis communities, performing at various venues. We unite people not only through the Greek dance tradition, but by relating it to the Orthodox faith, which is vital to our members. |
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Our Dancers
These dedicated students performed at the Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 Lecanto Greek Festivals and won both Platinum (1st Place) and the Folk Expression awards at the 2020 Hellenic Dance Festival, Orlando.
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Sunday Practice Times
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12:30 p.m. (under age 18)
- 1:00 p.m. (ages 18+}
We dance at church, outside with masks and social distancing.
Contact: Paul Calzada
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Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) |
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OCF is a service of and for college students in Gainesville to worship God and learn more about our faith, as well as meet for fun and fellowship. Our members are Orthodox Christians from various backgrounds, as well as those interested in Orthodox Christianity. We are part of the national Orthodox Christian Fellowship, under the oversight of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas. |
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We welcome any student (or grad student) from Santa Fe College or the University of Florida.
Contact: Leonidas Lavdas
Join our social media groups where we announce our meetings and socials!
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Greek Orthodox Youth of America (GOYA) |
If you are a student or a parent of a student in grades 6-12, contact Dr. Kay Roussos-Ross at kroussosross@gmail.com to find out how you can get involved. GOYA is a ministry that provides fellowship and community service opportunities for our youth. Join their Facebook Group
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International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) |
In the spirit of Christ’s love, IOCC offers emergency relief and development programs to those in need worldwide, without discrimination, and strengthens the capacity of the Orthodox Church to so respond.
If you would like to be a part of our parish's IOCC response team, contact
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