Sunday Services

Matins………………….. 9:00 a.m. Church School…………. 9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy…………10:00 a.m. Saturday Services Confession...................... 4:30 p.m. Great Vespers.................. 5:00 p.m. Church Contacts Fr. Aaron Warwick, Pastor fraaron@stmarywichita.org Fr. Deacon James Kallail kkallail@att.net Chris Pearce, Admin. Asst. office@stmarywichita.org Phone (316) 264-1576 Facebook www.facebook.com/stmarywichita

The Scroll

St. Mary Orthodox Christian Church 344 S. Martinson, Wichita, KS 67213

Rev. Fr. Aaron Warwick - Deacon James Kallail Website: www.stmarywichita.org

IN THIS ISSUE

rokallail@att.net

From Fr. Aaron

Learning from COVID

By Fr. Luke Veronis

Memory Eternal

Abdallah Abdayem

Family Promise of Greater Wichita

2020 ...By The Numbers

Long Term Missionary From St. Mary

Floyd Frantz

Cook's Corner

Hugs and Kisses Chocolate Chunk Sheet Pan Cookie

Plus…..From the Ministry Teams,

Celebrations, and Bits & Pieces

Question of the Month With springtime weather coming, what

do you look forward to doing outside?

LEARNING FROM COVID – BY FR LUKE VERONIS (Note: This article originally appeared in “The Light” from Sts Constantine & Helen/Webster, MA; http://schwebster.org/assets/files/January%202021.pdf) A new year has begun and the entire world is happy to say goodbye to 2020 and to welcome 2021 with hope for a better year! We all pray that this will be the year that we put the global pan-demic behind and start to normalize our lives once again. Yet, take care and reflect on what “normal” is. Should we go back to what our “normal life” was? What did we learn from 2020 and what do we want different from 2021? One thing we learned was that a virus, something so small that we can’t see it and some-thing so mysterious we didn’t always know how it spread, could shut down our world, devastate communities, and kill 340,000 Americans and 1.7 million people around the world. Yet, is COVID the most danger virus we face? If we understand and take serious our spiritual well-being and truly desire above all the Kingdom of heaven, then we will realize there are many other viruses, even more perilous than COVID. For example, the insidious virus of pride has separated humanity from God since the beginning of time. The Fathers and Mothers of the Church highlight how pride is the most treacherous of all viruses because it undermines and destroys all the virtues we may cultivate. Another prevalent virus is that of hatred. Hatred towards any person or any group of people, as well as holding on to hatred, anger and bitterness, are common viruses that eat away at our soul. Envy and jealousy are risky viruses that corrupt our hearts, while making us discontent with anything we have. Greed and the love of money are other viruses that can mutate in various forms and poison our souls. And a very prevalent virus rampant throughout society, we could even call it a pandemic, has to do with lust and the distorted sexual desires and passions fueled by flourishing pornography and oversexualized images fueled by the media, advertisements and so much of what we see every day. These are only a few of the sinister viruses quite alive and active in our lives. We all pray that the recent Moderna and Pfizer vaccines will inoculate us from the coronavirus, and we anxiously await for the time when we will receive these shots. Yet, are we just as ready and excited to receive our sacred vaccinations that can protect us from the spiritual diseases mentioned above? Prayer is a medicine we must take every day which can inoculate us from the devious illnesses attacking our souls. Fasting is another shot that can protect us from the evils of these viruses. Reading Holy Scripture and filling our minds with spiritual readings every day will fill us with the anti-bodies that fight the germs of the viruses. The most effective inoculation is to receive the Holy Sacraments of the Church -Holy Communion and Holy Confession on a regular basis. These are immunizations that will heal us from our sins and reunite us with the Source of Life. Will we be just as excited and concerned about re-ceiving these spiritual vaccinations as we are of receiving the Moderna or the Pfizer vaccinations?!? What is another lesson we have learned from COVID in 2020? Hopefully we have learned to truly appreciate many things that we previously took for granted. This is an area where we don’t want to go back to our “normal” way of life. Hopefully we appreciate in a new way loving fellowship and community, and how life-giving it is to be with family and friends. We are social beings who are meant to be with one another. All this social distancing and limited gatherings have created deep stress and increased mental illness. Our separation from one another has reminded us of how we need one another. May we remember this, and always appreciate the family and friends that we have. May we realize what a priceless treasure we have with our connections in our beautiful Families of Faith! Fellowship, especially Christ-centered community, is an in valuable treasure to be cherished! Thinking of our Faith, what about appreciating the opportunity to worship in our churches and to regularly receive the Life-Giving Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ? Most of us missed out in our Lenten Journey last year, not participating in person in the moving services of Holy Week and not celebrating Pascha and the Resurrection of our Lord in a festive manner. All of our special feasts and celebrations throughout the year were limited. As the year normalizes and restrictions are eliminated, hopefully we will have a much deeper appreciation to participate more fully in our treasure of faith.

Abdallah Abdayem, 93, co-owner and founder of La Galette Restaurant, fell asleep in the Lord on Monday, January 4, 2021. A private Trisagion & Funeral service was held on Monday, January 11, 2021, at St. Mary Orthodox Christian Church. Abdallah was a sweet, hardworking, dedicated church member, and loving family man. His faith was strong and unwavering. He was a caretaker for his family at a young age and continued taking care of his wife after her stroke. He loved cooking and gardening and was famous for making his apricot jelly which came from his trees and donated to the Mediterranean Festival Marketplace. He was preceded in death by wife, Juliette Abdayem; parents, Iskandar and Khazmo Abdayem; brothers, Joseph, Michelle and George Abdayem; sisters, Rose Harris and Montaha Attar; grandson, Andrew Abdayem. He is survived by his children, Alex Abdayem (Louisa) and family of Sweden, Claire Najim (Faddoul) of South Carolina, Mona Khoury (Mike), Hoda Attar (Tanios), Tony Abdayem (Michelle), Elie Abdayem (Noha), John Abdayem (Tracy), all of Wichita; sister, Mary Ladcany of Lebanon; 19 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren. A memorial has been established with St. Mary Orthodox Christian Church, 344 S. Martinson, Wichita, KS 67213.

May His Memory Be Eternal!

MEMORY ETERNAL

ABDALLAH ABDAYEM

Jason Ewertt – Firing up the grill!

Dennis Fairbanks – Cycling.

Jeremy Wagner – Biking.

Vicki Jones – Eating Outdoors.

Amy Minks – Running my route around the lake without the Canada geese and

their droppings everywhere!

Helen Stitt – I always enjoy getting the flower beds looking nice for spring and

summer. I love getting new flower arrangements to decorate outside.

TC Wallace – Being ouside!!!!

Mike Shaheen – Working on outside projects around the house.

Darren Minks – Playing golf with my wife.

Kacy Bolm – Planting flowers.

Ken Dannenberg – Working in the garden and raising tomatoes that cost about $40 each when

you factor in time and out of pocket expense.

Michelle Shaheen – Mike and I recently bought some bikes. We are looking forward to getting

out in the fresh air and having a good time together.

Laura Stanley – Sitting on my porch in my rocking chair and reading

With springtime weather coming, what do you look forward to doing outside?

Dear Friends, We welcome the promise of 2021 while celebrating all that has been accomplished during the challenges of 2020:

During this challenging year we have welcomed families struggling during this ongoing pandemic, new staff members, new board members and new volunteers who have stepped up to serve during this difficult time! Jamie, a single mom with 5 children who did the hard work to graduate from our Rotation Program, lost overtime hours due to COVID-19. This made her budget very tight and, in the middle of this struggle, her car broke down. Jamie works 2nd and 3rd shift, so public transportation is not an option because the city buses stop running at 6:30pm. Without another option, Jamie started walking to work, two hours each way, in order to keep her job. Jamie reached out to Family Promise for help and, because of your support, we were able to assist her with the cost of the repairs. This assistance was all that was needed to keep this family housed and on the path to long term stabilization. Because many low-income families in our community face transportation issues, we launched a new transportation initiative, providing critical vehicle repair, temporary ride services, and bus passes to support families on their path to gain or sustain stable housing. Your year-end gift will help support this new initiative and other critical services for families struggling with homelessness. We welcome YOU to join with Family Promise of Greater Wichita to make 2021 a year to welcome even more families to the path out of homelessness. With Gratitude, Dawn Epp Executive Director We welcome your partnership! Will you join us? Two easy ways to give! Online credit card donation at www.familypromisewichita.org/make-a-donation (Please consider adding 3% to help cover cost of credit card fees.) Check donation payable to Family Promise of Greater Wichita Mail to: 401 N. Emporia, Wichita KS 67202 (Memo 2020 Year-End Giving)

1. Can you tell us how you found the Orthodox church and what drew you to St. Mary parish in particular? My journey to Orthodox began in primary school, when a Catholic nun made a brief presentation about

“Eastern Churches”. I became interested in this, and was told about the “Greek Orthodox”, but there was not one in town, so I did not pursue it. At that time I was unaware of our sister churches. Later in life I found out about the wider Orthodox communities, and as I was questioning some of the basic tradition and teaching of Catholicism, I started attending some Orthodox services here in Wichita. Eventually I decided upon St. Mary’s, I liked the priest, Fr. Jason Del Vito, and the people were very friendly and open to helping to introduce me to Orthodoxy. This was in 1984, as I remember, and it was the best decision of my life.

2. You have been a missionary with Orthodox Christian Mission Center for many years. For our readers

who aren’t very familiar with OCMC, can you explain what their mission is and why you chose to become an OCMC missionary?

OCMC (the Orthodox Christian Mission Center) is a missionary sending program under the “Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in America”. We are Pan-Orthodox and have missionaries in various parts of the world. Usually we are outside the continental U.S., although we do have teams going to Alaska and at times full time missionaries serve up there as well. Generally, our mission is to “make disciples of all nations” through preaching, teaching, building churches, and supporting the local indigenous churches in their fulling their mission in that respect. A good place to read about OCMC is on their web site at www.ocmc.org. I joined OCMC in 2001, while helping the Romanian Orthodox Church in Cluj, Romania, establish the “St. Dimitrie Program”, an addictions counseling program in Cluj. I had been over there for about one year and was running out of funds. An OCMC missionary establishing an orphanage in Cluj suggested I contact OCMC. They liked my program and I have been working under them since that time.

3. Can you tell us a little bit about the people of Romania, where you have been working?

They are wonderful people. Warm, kind, and very Orthodox. By U.S. standards many of them are quite poor. Although today things are better than they were 20 years ago, even today a master’s level social worker only earns about $600/month. Twenty years ago it was $60/month, and everybody was looking for food to eat. But in spite of the poverty, they are very non-violent, help each other when possible, and they are very family oriented. They love their culture, and it is very grounded into the Church and its traditions. Because of their Orthodox culture I have never felt like a stranger in Romania.

4. What is your specific role as an OCMC missionary and what programs do you oversee? My role as a missionary is most commonly referred to as a “long term missionary”, and officially am still on assignment to Alaska, although I am returning to Romania so that my staff can assist me in an outreach program that I hope to do in Alaska. For 18 years I was working in developing the St. Dimitrie Program, and helped clergy in other parts of Romania to set up counseling programs. We were also doing education about addictions in various parts of Romania and Moldova. My wife Ancuta and I, mostly Ancuta, also established a program in Cluj for the prevention of the abandonment of children. Abandonment of very young children was and still is a problem in Romania. We did this at the request of the Archdiocese of Cluj, and it has been going since 2004. We are not very involved with this program now, although Anca does look in on them from time to time and also helps with fund raising.

Floyd Frantz - Long Term Missionary From St. Mary

As of this writing my primary task to write a textbook and related materials for the St. Herman Orthodox Theological Seminary (SHS) in Kodiak, Alaska, for the use at the seminary. We hope to also develop a “digital outreach” program that can reach out to the rural areas of Alaska and give support to Orthodox people there that are struggling with addictions or the effects of addictions in their families, society generally. We will hopefully do a similar effort for rural Romania. We already have an online presence in the areas of education and counseling services in Romania, so it will just take some time. It will mostly be a matter of adding some new themes into the mix. Our web site in Romania is www.sfdimitrie.ro and it is in Romanian. There is a short article about us on the OCMC web site, www.ocmc.org, and from there you can subscribe to our newsletter if you have interest in following our activities. There is an old web site, www.stdimitrie.org that shows some of our earlier work, but it really does need to be taken down and moved over to the new OCMC web page.

5. You recently spent a lot of time in Alaska. What was the purpose of your time there?

In Alaska I was teaching a class on alcoholism and addictions from an “Orthodox” perspective. I am actually teaching the class online now. We also had hoped to start some outreach programs in villages, but the recent Covid-19 situation has put that on the back burner. The online program is a result of our adaptation to the current circumstances.

6. What can you tell our readers about what being a missionary for so long has meant for your life?

Well, when I went to Romania in 2000 I had intended to stay only for one year. It has been a fulfilling and meaningful way to live, and I can honestly say that the words of our Lord are true. Even though my attempts to follow him have been weak and feeble, I have indeed been greatly rewarded in this life and I live in joyful expectation of the things to come. I have never regretted one day of my service to Christ through OCMC, and I encourage anyone interested in missions to contact OCMC, they are a wonderful organization.

7. If there was one thing you wished more people understood about alcoholism, what would that be?

That it is a disease, and one that can be treated.

8. Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

I would only like to close by saying thank you to all the people that have helped support my missions work through the years, both through their financial support but also through their prayers. Missions work can be difficult, and sometimes just knowing that people like those reading the Scroll believe in us, and our work, gives us the strength to continue. It is for me always a blessing to speak about our work, and I hope that anyone interested would feel free to ask me about any of my activities.

From the Ministry Teams THE SCROLL

Next Issue Will Cover ~ March/April Deadline to Submit ~ April 10 On Website ~ April 23 Available in Foyer ~ April 25 Send news to: rokallail@att.net

The Lord's Diner exists to combat hunger in the community. The Diner's singular mission is to serve a nutritious meal with dignity and respect to anyone who is hungry. The Lord’s Diner serves an evening meal 365 days a year. The Lord’s Diner serves an average

of 2,500 meals nightly at two dining facilities (one in downtown Wichita and one in south Wichita) and three food trucks (one in northwest Wichita, and one in southeast Wichita, and one in northeast Wichita) to any guest who needs a nutritious meal, 60 percent of which are families. St. Mary volunteers serve at The Lord’s Diner on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. We gather at the downtown location, Central and Broadway, at 5:15 p.m. We are usually finished by 8:00 p.m, so come join us. All volunteer sign up is now taking place on SIGN UP GENIUS. For more information contact Vicki Jones at 650-0658 or vawj55@gmail.com .

ST. MARY

“St. Mary On the Go” is an adult fellowship for the St. Mary parishioners. All adults are invited to participate in planned activities scheduled at least 4 times a year: March, June, September and December. There is no theme or purpose to this ministry team other than to enjoy each other and have social time together.

The St Mary Meal Train ministry was formed in 2016 to serve the families in our parish immediately following the birth of a child. After the birth of a child, what to eat for dinner is not usually at the forefront of new parents' minds. Instead, new parents are focused on the new life they have created and finding their new normal between dirty diapers, seemingly near-constant cries, and many feedings.

Our goal is to provide the evening meal every day for a week. The meals have been a mixture of home cooked, frozen, and store-bought meals as well as restaurant gift cards. We also provide a supply of paper products such as plates, napkins, cutlery, and cups to reduce the workload of the family. Being part of this ministry does not mean that you have to be involved every time a request is sent out. Each of us has our own commitments and are sometimes unable to help. Any help at all is much appreciated by the families we are serving. If you would like to be part of this ministry, please contact Mindy Walker (walker.mindyj@gmail.com) or Jessica Lessman (Miriam121406@live.com) to get on the mailing list.

MEAL TRAIN

PARISH COUNCIL

From the Ministry Teams

Our Mission Family Promise of Greater Wichita unites hearts and hands to provide compassionate hospitality and empower homeless families with children to achieve sustainable independence. Our Uniqueness Our customized case management allows us to walk beside families in life, partnering with them to achieve their goals. This allows high-quality, high-impact care. There are three phases to our Sustainable Independence Program (SIP): Phase 1: Support Services Families are assisted with urgent/crisis needs for homelessness prevention, as we have resources. Phase 2: Hospitality/Lodging Our Rotation Program, to work towards sustainability. Other programs revolve around this. Phase 3: Mentoring/Aftercare For families who have participated in/graduated from our Rotation Program. At this time all families are sheltering in place. Host congregations, like St. Mary, are providing food to the families at each location. The staff and board of Family Promise locally and nationally continue to monitor the COVID 19 situation. Changes to how families are cared for will evolve as the situation changes. THANK YOU to all parishioners who’ve donated food and time to these vulnerable families. Vicki Jones 650-0658

New carpet has been installed in the foyer, hallway and multi-purpose room interiors committee are picking out paint for the foyer, hallways and multi-purpose room which should be completed by the end of February. Lighting in the foyer and kitchen has been changed to LED to save costs and provide better lighting. The final air conditioning unit which was 19 years old will be updated to a more energy efficient unit in February which now brings all units up to date since installation as part of St. Mary 2000. PC has approved the purchase and installation of security cameras to overlook the front and back of the church and the interior hallways which should be competed in March. Not a bad year so far!!!!!!! Respectfully, TC Wallace

THE BELLES The Belles held a zoom meeting on February 8. We will make holy bread in April. We will look into holding a bazaar or bake sale as a fundraiser this year. The next meeting will be held on March 8 in the church hall. If you would like to be on The Belles email list, please send an email to rnamee@cox.net

TEEN SOYO

At our October gathering, our teens discussed what they would like to do in the coming year to grow in their spiritual life. From that discussion came our once a month bible study with Fr. Aaron. We are currently studying the book of Galatians. We meet on the first Sunday of the month immediately after Liturgy. We have lunch together and then spend time learning about the book of Galatians. Fr. Aaron keeps the teaching interesting and helps us to see how we can

incorporate St. Paul’s words to the Galatians into our own lives. On Sunday, February 7, the teens held a bake sale to raise funds for Children’s Home of Hope in Albania. The Children’s Home of Hope is a ministry of the Orthodox Church in Albania for children ages 5-15, who come from particularly difficult backgrounds. Some came from dire economic situations, unstable families for from families where one or both of the biological parents have died or left. As with all children, their needs are great. The Home of Hope provides a safe place for the children to feel valued, respected and loved by the caring people who work with them. They are able to seek an education, receive psychological and social support, and are encouraged to have healthy self-esteems to realize their God-given potential. The funds we raised will go specifically to the purchase of new playground equipment for the children to enjoy. Until our community is more able to join together in fellowship, we are keeping teen gatherings to a minimum. We look forward to the time when we can meet together and pray that the pandemic is soon under control so that we able to do so. Thank you for your continued support and encouragement. The St. Mary Teen SOYO

From the Ministry Teams DILLON’S REWARDS

Hugs and Kisses Chocolate Chunk Sheet Pan Cookie

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 ¼ cups packed light brown sugar ½ cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped (about 2 cups) 4 ounces Hershey’s hugs, unwrapped 4 ounces Hershey’s kisses, unwrapped

Directions

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

Step 2 - In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

Step 3 - In a large bowl, using and electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars, starting on low and then raising to medium-high, until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

Step 4 - Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined (do not overmix) and scraping down sides of the bowl, as needed. Fold in the chopped chocolate and mix until evenly incorporated.

Step 5 - Spread dough into prepared baking sheet using a spatula (but press with your hands to help get in the corners) all the way to the edges of the pan.

Step 6 - Bake on center rack until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Scatter hugs and kisses evenly over top and return to oven until cookie edges are brown, top is golden, and hugs and kisses are half melted, 8 to 10 minutes more. Step 7 - Let cool and cut into 24 rectangles.

From Real Simple

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving: 82 calories; 5.5 g fat; 1.7 g carbohydrates; 6.2 g protein; 32 mg cholesterol; 192 mg sodium.

ANNIVERSARIES

BIRTHDAYS

MARCH March 17 Dennis and Cathy Fairbanks March 19 Marcus and Shirley Kosjer APRIL April 14 Dick and Shirley Zarich April 21 Subdeacon Ken and Claire Dannenberg

MARCH

1 Maher Gerges 2 Joey Salome 3 Matthew Allen 5 Ephraim Oller

7 Bob Laham 7 Aidan Hewitt

9 Cliff Bragg 9 Charity Wagner

13 Cathy Fairbanks 13 Lydia Oller 15 Tracie Abdayem

20 Thaddeus Oller 22 Melissa Freeman 26 Cathy Morris 26 Micah Oller 26 Dennis Fairbanks 27 Tracy Namee 28 Megan Gilstrap 29 Paula Zarich 31 Mary Gerges

APRIL 1 Ronan Bragg 3 Isaiah Steinbrink 9 John Abdayem 9 Leslie Namee 12 William Hernandez 13 Valerie DeBolt 15 Amy Minks 15 Kelly Hewitt 19 Richard Laham 20 Subdeacon Ken Dannenberg 20 Fr. Aaron Warwick 22 Finnian Bragg 24 Anthony Jacobs 24 Megan Patterson 25 Jeannie Gerges 26 Joe Stevens

The Scroll Production Schedule – 2021

Issue: January/February 2021 Deadline: February 6

On Website – February 19 In Foyer – February 21

Issue: March/April 2021

Deadline: April 10 On Website – April 23

In Foyer – April 25

Issue: May/June 2021 Deadline: June 5

On Website – June 18 In Foyer – June 20

Issue: July/August 2021

Deadline: August 7 On Website – August 20

In Foyer – August 22

Issue: September/October 2021 Deadline: October 9

On Website – October 22 In Foyer – October 24

Issue: November/December 2021

Deadline: December 4 On Website – December 17

In Foyer – December 19

Send news to: rokallail@att.net

5 Quotes To Make You Smile

“I’d like to cancel my subscription to 2021. I’ve experienced the free 7-day trial and I’m not interested.” “I’m in shape. Round is a shape!” “A pet store had a bird contest, no perches necessary.” “I renamed my iPod The Titanic, so when I plug it in, it says ‘The Titanic is syncing.’” “I was wondering why the ball was getting bigger. Then it hit me!”

LOOKING AHEAD About The Scroll The Scroll is the news magazine of St. Mary Orthodox Christian Church, 344 S. Martinson, Wichita, KS, 67213. It was first published in March of 1974 as a newsletter and has evolved to its present magazine-style format. The Scroll includes information about our Orthodox Christian faith as well as news of our parish community. Deadline dates for publication are listed in each issue of The Scroll and also in the weekly church bulletins. Inquiries and news items should be sent to: rokallail@att.net or to the above church address C/O The Scroll. All news must be received by the announced deadline dates. Submitted material may be edited for content and space limitations. All submitted items should include the name of the person sending the material as well as identifying the original source of previously published pieces.

The Scroll Ministry Team

Claire Dannenberg Deacon James Kallail

Ro Kallail Amy Minks

Elizabeth Rollins

March 8

Meat fare Sunday

March 14 Cheese fare Sunday

March 17

St. Patrick’s Day

March 21 Orthodox Sunday

March 25

Annunciation of the Theotokos

March 28 Sunday of Gregory Palamas

April 4

Veneration of the Cross

April 11 Sunday of St. John Climacus

April 18

Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt

April 24 Lazarus Saturday

April 25

Palm Sunday