CHURCH BUILDS ON A DREAM: NEW CENTER CREATED BY BITS, BAKE SALES.Byline: Holly Andres Daily News Staff Writer Just as the proverbial acorn matures into a mighty oak, a plate of mamoul - date-and-nut cookies - or a spinach pie sold at a bake sale “Bake Sale” redirects here. For the episode from the TV show 8 Simple Rules, see List of 8 Simple Rules episodes. A bake sale is a fundraising activity where baked goods such as doughnuts, cupcakes and cookies, sometimes along with ethnic foods, are sold. has allowed St. Michael Antiochian Orthodox Church of Van Nuys to grow a dream into a new community center. The building, in the planning stages since 1987, was dedicated Sunday by New York-based Archbishop Philip Saliba, head of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (often referred to in North America simply as the Antiochian Archdiocese) is the sole jurisdiction of the Antiochian Orthodox Church in the USA and Canada with exclusive jurisdiction over the Antiochian . Fund-raising events such as bake sales, golf tournaments, fashion shows, rummage sales, fellowship dinners, as well as pledges and donations from the congregation, eventually financed the $1.5 million center. ``We were very excited about the dedication of the center. We're most proud of the fact that this building effort was spearheaded by volunteers,'' said the Rev. Timothy Baclig, pastor of St. Michael's. Baclig said parishioners and contractors Jack and Michael Malouf Michael Malouf is a former Chief Executive Officer of the Carlton Football Club Ltd, Australia. On the 23rd of March 2007, it was announced that the then-current CEO at the Collingwood Football Club, Greg Swann, would replace Malouf in this position. served as building chairmen and project managers. The father and son gave not only of their time and expertise, but their money as well, he said. The project brought the congregation together for shared goals, Michael Malouf said. ``We needed the facility for educational and other purposes, but we feel that we can honor God back by having a gathering place in which to meet and express our Christian views,'' he said. The two-story community center is part of a master plan which will eventually include a new church building. The community center has new classrooms for a proposed weekly day-care program, weekend religious school and adult-education classes. The building also provides a 5,000-square-foot meeting and banquet room banquet room n. A large room, as in a restaurant, suitable for banquets. , a kitchen, a bookstore and a gift shop. Eventually a library - with Orthodox reading material translated into English - will be featured. St. Michael's is one of 200 Antiochian Orthodox Church parishes, or missions, in North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. . The English-speaking congregation of about 180 families - mainly second- and third-generation Americans with roots in Lebanon and Syria - comes from a widespread area including the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. , Thousand Oaks, Glendale, Santa Monica and Canyon Country. Roots of the Antiochian Orthodox Church go back to the ancient Church of Antioch The Church of Antioch (Arabic,كنيسة أنطاكية) is one of the five Christian churches that composed the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church before the Great Schism. , which was recorded in The Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament. Tradition has it that the ancient city of Antioch was the first area where the followers of Jesus were called by the name Christian. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Members of the congregation help dedicate the new community center at St. Michael Antiochian Orthodox Church in Van Nuys. Myung J. Chun/Daily News |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion