St. George COVID-19 Relief Fund
Dear Fellow Parishioner,
As you know, all of us have gone through a surreal experience from the COVID-19 crisis. Our parish, our community and our church family has been severely affected by this pandemic. We have experienced a quarantine, social distancing mandates, prohibition of large gatherings, and the deprivation of physical participation in the Divine Services of our Faith.
With the help of God and the assistance of the those on the front-lines helping with the pandemic, many of us have been able to continue with our lives in a fairly normal manner. Others have been greatly affected physically, spiritually and financially. We continue to pray for everyone in our community and throughout the world.
Unfortunately, our parish has also experienced a financial downturn. We have been deprived the opportunity to raise the necessary funds for the operations of our church. The Parish Council has calculated a large deficit due to these circumstances. The major contributors of this loss of income include:
- Cancellation of our annual Festival ($200,000)
- Cancellation of the Rutgers Parking fundraiser ($100,000)
- Decrease of offerings from Holy Week and weekly services ($50,000)
- Decrease of stewardship offerings to-date
Overall, our expenses have not decreased significantly enough; there are many costs that remain fixed. Additionally, we have halted all new capital improvement projects. Furthermore, we are deferring our annual dues to the Metropolis.
As a result of the aforementioned losses, a special fund has been created, the Saint George COVID-19 Relief Fund (SGCRF), in an effort to offset the $300,000 deficit. The total loss equates to approximately $600 per family. We realize that many of you cannot fulfill the entire amount, so any contribution you can make for the church is welcome. We hope that those more fortunate can further assist with bridging the gap. For those that have already donated additional funds in response to the pandemic, the parish remains grateful for your generosity.
The first step in helping our parish is for each family to fulfill their annual stewardship obligation. Your sincere participation in the stewardship program is necessary and also a duty as a keeper of the church.
The second step is to make a donation to the SGCRF. The donation can be made by completing the SGCRF Pledge card (see below) with an amount and frequency you desire. Donations can be mailed to the church office or made online. You may make a secure payment by clicking here.
You also now have the ability to setup an automatic monthly payment. A monthly payment of $50 over the next year from each family would support the fund. This equates to about $1.50 a day, which is less than the price of coffee for many of us.
Our church needs the financial assistance from all of us, now more than ever. On behalf of the Parish Council, we ask you to take this unprecedented step to assist the parish to meet its operating expenses during this time of crisis. Your offering is an offering to Christ and His Church; an offering of sacrifice, much like the offerings of those who built our community; an offering towards the future of our parish and community, and an offering towards the future of our children and grandchildren.
Thanking you, in advance, for your understanding and generosity, we remain
| Archim. Nektarios Cottros Presiding Priest |
George Athanasopoulos President, Parish Council |
Please donate towards the SGCRF
Τῆ 1ῃ Αὐγούστου 2020
Ἀγαπητοί ἐνορίτες,
Καθώς γνωρίζετε, ὁ κόσμος περνᾶ μίαν τρομερή δύσκολη περίοδον, λόγῳ τῆς πανδημίας. Ὁ κορωνοϊός ἔχει ταράξει πολύ τὴν Κοινότητα καὶ τὴν ὁμογένεια. Ζοῦμε ἐν καρατίνᾳ, μὲ κοινωνικές ἀποστάσεις καὶ μάσκες, καὶ, διὰ ἕνα χρονικό διάστημα, ἄνευ σωματικῆς παρουσίας καὶ συμμετοχῆςεἰς τὴν Λατρευτικήν ζωήν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας.
Σύν Θεῶ, καὶ μὲ τὴν βοήθειαν τῶν ἰατρῶν καὶ νοσηλευτικῶν προσώπων, συνεχίζουμε τὸν άγώνα τῆς καθημερινῆς μας ζωῆς. Προσευχόμαστε ὅπως ὁ Ἰατρός τῶν ψυχῶν καὶ σωμάτων νὰ μᾶς φέρει εἰς αἴσιον τέλος.
Ἀτυχῶς, μὲ τὴν πανδημίαν, ἡ Κοινότης ὑποφέρνει οἰκονομικῶς, ὅπως τὰ πιὸ πολλά ἰδρύματα. Λόγῳ πανδημίας, ἡ Κοινότης δὲν ἔχει τὴν δυνατότητα νὰ εἰσπράξει τὰ ἀναγκαία χρήματα διὰ τὸν προϋπολογισμόν τοῦ ἔτους. Τὸ ἀποτέλεσμα θὰ εἶναι κάποιο ἔλλειμα.
- Ἀκυρώθη τὸ ἐτήσιον Φεστιβάλ ($200,000)
- Ἀκυρώθη τὸ πάρκινγ διὰ τοῦς ἀγώνας τοῦ Rutgers ($100,000)
- Λίγοι οἱ δωρεαί ἐκ Μεγάλης Ἐβδομάδος καὶ Μεγάλης Τεσσαρακοστῆς ($50,000)
- Ἡ ἐλάττωσις τῆς λογίας ἐκ τῶν πιστῶν.
Ἐν τῶ μεταξύ, τὰ ἔξοδα ἔχουν συνεχίσει, τὰ ὁποία εἶναι σταθερά. Βεβαίως, δὲν ὑπάρχουν ἔτερας ἀνακαινήσεις, λόγῳ συνθήκων, καὶ δὲν ἔχουμε καταβάλει τὴν λογία μας πρὸς τὴν Ἱεράν Ἀρχιεπισκοπήν.
Ἐπειδή εὐρισκόμεθα ἐν κρίσει οἰκονομικῆ, ἔχουμε δημιουργήσει ἔνα ταμεῖον διὰ νὰ καλύψουμε τὸ ἔλλειμα, τὸ ὁποίο ἔρχεται εἰς τὰ $300,000, δηλαδή εἰς $600 ἀνὰ οἰκογένειαν. Ἀντιλαμβανόμαστε ὅτι πολλοί δὲν ἔχουν τὴν δυνατότητα νὰ ἀνταποκρινοθοῦν εἰς αὐτόν τὸν ποσόν, ἀλλὰ κάθε προσφορά εἶναι δεκτὴ, ἀφού γίνεται μετὰ ἀγάπης.
Διά νὰ βοηθήσετε, τὸ πρῶτο βῆμα εἶναι νὰ συμπληρώσετε τὴν λογία-προσφορά σας πρὸς τὴν Κοινότητα. Δεύτερον, ἐάν εἶστε εἰς θέσιν, νὰ προσφέρετε πρὸς τὸ εἰδηκόν ταμεῖον. Διά $50 κάθε μήνα, τὰ ὁποία βγαίνουν εἰς $1.50 κάθε μέρα, θὰ βοηθήσετε τὴν Κοινότητα νὰ ὑπερνικήσει τὸ οἰκοονομικό πρόβλημα... δηλαδή, διὰ λιγότερο ἀπό τοῦ κόστους ἐνός καφέ τὴν ἡμέραν.
Ἡ Ἐκκλησία ἔχει ἀνάγκη ἀπὸ τὴν βοήθειαν σας. Ἐκ μέρους τοῦ Συμβουλίου, παρακαλεῖστε ὅπως συμμετάσχετε εἰς αὐτὸν τὸν ἔρανον, διὰ τὸ μέλλον τῆς Κοινότητος ἐδῶ.
Ἐπὶ δὲ τούτοις, εὐχόμενοι ὅπως Κύριος ὁ Θεός χαρίζηται ὑμῖν ὑγείν καὶ εἰρήνην, διατελοῦμε
Μετ’ ἀγάπης ἐν Χριστῶ,
Ο ΙΕΡΑΤΙΚΩΣ ΠΡΟΪΣΤΑΜΕΝΟΣ ΠΡΟΕΔΡΟΣ
Ἀρχιμ. Νεκτάριος Κοτρῶτσος Γεώργιος Ἀθανασόπουλος
