By Helen Ballerano, Boca Raton, Florida
Happy New
Year! September 1st begins a
new ecclesiastical year and affords us the perfect opportunity to begin anew in
our commitment of stewardship to our faith and our church.
As the philanthropic arm of the church,
Philoptochos is the true embodiment of Christian stewardship and an ideal way
for us, as Orthodox women, to contribute our time and talent. All Orthodox women are invited and welcomed to participate in the
Philoptochos mission, to offer
compassionate charity and benevolence, to preserve and perpetuate our Orthodox
Christian values and family, and to promote our Greek Orthodox faith and
traditions.
Philoptochos
has a huge charge and with it the tremendous responsibility of fulfilling
its mission, from the smallest parish chapter, up through Metropolis and National
levels. With thousands of members, Philoptochos has the distinction of being
one of the largest Christian women's faith based philanthropic organizations in
the country. That's an accomplishment we should all be proud of! And yet, in many ways, Philoptochos struggles
with being recognized, or even known, sometimes even within the walls of our
churches. And many women, especially young women, are reluctant to join.
But why?
It is probably fair to say that most women with school age children do not hesitate to join their child’s school PTA. As parents, we never question supporting our child's education or their school. Joining the PTA is a given. It certainly was for me, as I'm confident it was for you. However, do we as Orthodox women have that same attitude and spirit about joining our parish Philoptochos? How awesome would it be, if 80 or 90, or even 100% of the women of our parishes joined Philoptochos? Our strength, reach and potential would be extraordinary!
My own
personal sense is that when we truly understand and embrace the meaning of
Christian stewardship in our life, then our commitment and support of our
church and its ministries naturally grows. Welcoming each day with a
Christ-focused and church-centered life, is the embodiment and true essence of stewardship.
Every
day, Philoptochos women offer their time, talent and treasure to meeting the
needs of our church and local parish families and by serving the greater
community. There are teams of women who visit the sick and the elderly,
who serve at soup kitchens, who organize events and fundraisers, and who
volunteer in so many ways throughout their communities. The Sunday coffee
hours and numerous fundraisers benefit local and national causes that are
worthy of our support. Philoptochos responds in times of crisis, as with the financial
struggles in Greece, or when a natural disaster occurs in all parts of the
world.
Embarking
on this new ecclesiastical year, we should prayerfully reflect on the role of
our faith and church in our own life. Let’s embrace this year by honoring our
blessings through personal stewardship to Philoptochos and by inviting women of
all ages to join us in this call to faithful service.
