From Our Sunday School Directors:
To the Yiayias and Papous of St. Luke Greek Orthodox Church,
We hope this letter finds you and your loved ones in good health as we continue on our Lenten journey. As treasured members of this community, we are grateful for your wisdom, love, and guidance. We stand before you today as Directors, Sunday School teachers, Greek School teachers, Parish Council members, Greek Affair volunteers, former Altar Boys, Olympians, and countless other vital parts of our Orthodox faith and community because of YOU! You have shaped generations of this church's faithful and the broader community in countless ways. Today, we reach out with a heartfelt request to help ensure the ongoing mission and vision of our beloved St. Luke Church and Sunday School program for many generations to come.
Like many churches across the nation, St. Luke has faced challenges over the past five years. When the global pandemic struck in March 2020, our entire world changed. We couldn’t attend liturgy at church because we weren’t allowed to gather. As time went on, we discovered ways to connect, albeit digitally, reinforcing the convenience of worshiping from home. The pandemic polarized many issues; education, politics, and vaccines. Many of our Yiayias and Papous stayed home much longer due to health risks. When people began returning to work, Father Christ made a brilliant decision and stopped broadcasting liturgy online. Father Christ knew this was how to bring us back to our Father’s house.
Even after the pandemic ended, many people continued to stay home. Our church has worked and is still working diligently to rebuild programs that encourage families to return to worship and Sunday School. Our beloved St. Luke Church has always been a beacon of faith, tradition, and community. Nonetheless, we still face the challenge of bringing our youth back to church to nurture this next generation at St. Luke—our children and grandchildren. They are the future of this parish, and a thriving church depends on the involvement of young families and their children.
The world is an incredibly challenging and confusing place for children today. As parents of children in various stages and ages, we feel the mounting pressures on the family unit and the obstacles that prevent families from embracing their faith. Between school, athletic commitments, and other extracurricular activities, there is immense pressure on students to do everything and excel in every area. Parents also face pressure to provide the necessary resources for their children in a world where time is a precious commodity. All of these stressors have contributed to a mental health crisis in this country due to the unrealistic demands we place on ourselves as parents and on our children. Our children often feel they are not good enough by today’s standards. Too many families have distanced themselves from their faith. As the needs and pressures on our children increase, we must equip them with the tools to remain mentally strong through the power of prayer and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Parents are pulled in many directions by their children’s sports, performances, other activities, and day-to-day responsibilities at work and home. This is where our beloved Yiayias and Papous come in. We need your help! As Yiayias and Papous, you are vital in guiding the next generation. We kindly ask that you consider bringing your grandchildren to church and Sunday School whenever their parents cannot. This is a bold request and not a judgment of our parents. As parents first and leaders second, we are pleading for your help! These days, parents are overwhelmed with the responsibilities of what constitutes everyday life in 2025. Trust us! We are the parents that we speak of, and we have only made it through because of how much our parents have helped us and our Saint Luke Family. With your help, we will improve our Sunday School attendance, and more importantly, it will ensure our Orthodox faith is passed down to the next generation, who will then have the opportunity to experience God’s love and the rich traditions and culture of our Greek heritage.
Let us work together to ensure that our beloved St. Luke continues to be a place of worship, fellowship, and growth for our children, grandchildren, and many generations to come, just as it has been for us.
We look forward to seeing you and your loved ones in church soon. May God bless you, your family, and our St. Luke community. To those grandparents who are already helping to get their grandchildren to church and Sunday School, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
With great appreciation and respect,
Jane Kelly, Panayota Kevgas, and Sophia Milinkovic
Sunday School Directors