ORTHODOX OBSERVER
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PEOPLE u Ahepans like Economy
Delegates at the 78th annual AHEPA Supreme Convention in New Orleans July 29 elected Johnny N. Economy of Atlanta, as supreme president. Mr. Economy has held numerous offices in his career and is a 25-year member of AHEPA Mother Lodge Chapter No. 1, Atlanta. Other Supreme Lodge officers are: Supreme Vice President Andrew Banis, Walnut Creek, Calif.; Canadian President Xenophon Scoufaras, Laval, Quebec; Supreme Secretary Byron Smyrniotis, St. Louis; Supreme Treasurer Byron Argeropoulos, Centereach, N.Y.; Supreme Counselor William Marianes, Atlanta; and Supreme Athletic Director Dr. Monthe N. Kofos, Marlboro, Mass. Eight newly elected supreme governors are: John Agnos, Annandale, Va.; Louis Atsaves, Lincolnwood, Ill.; Peter Baltis, Voorheesville, N.Y.; Tasso Chronis, Albuquerque, N.M.; Peter Dress, Minneapolis; Alex Katsafanas, Pittsburgh; Sayed Houssein, Houston; and Thomas Rakus, Seattle. Board of Directors members elected: A. Steve Betzelos, Lincolnwood, Ill., Chairman; George P. Gabriel, Allentown, Pa., and Franklin Manios, Warren, Ohio, (vice chairman); Chris Economides, Jr., Charlotte, N.C., (elected for first time); Ike Gulas, Birmingham, Ala., board chairman. James Broomas, Houston, Board of Auditors (three-year term). Other AHEPA family officers are: Betty Benjou, Aurora, Colo., grand president, Daughters of Penelope; John Halkias, Astoria, N.Y., supreme president, Sons of Pericles; and Karen Polyzos, Castro Valley, Calif., grand president, Maids of Athena.
u Doctor honored
Ohio State University in Columbus recently renamed its medical research facility for former vice president for health sciences Manuel Tzagournis, M.D., who served for 20 years before stepping down last year. He has returned to the faculty full time to teach and practice. During his service as vice president and dean, medical center endowments grew from $16 million to $220 million and a $13 million clinical research facility was built.
u New chamber officers
Greek American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey Inc., recently elected the following officers for 2000-01: Nicholas Chingas, board chairman; Zenon Christodoulou, president; Bill Halkiadakis, executive vice president; Michael Symeonides, vice president, northern region; Andrew Kamaris, vice president, central region; Troy Pappas, vice president, southern region; Thomas Vastardis, treasurer; Anastasios Souflis, secretary.
u Accepts award
Despina Vodantis, marketing, advertising and promotions director for radio station WZZK of Birmingham, Ala., recently accepted the National Association of Broadcasters Crystal Award on behalf of the station at ceremonies in Washington. Ms. Vodantis, a past president of the Public Relations Council of Alabama, also promotes Orthodoxy through the weekly religious radio program Come Receive the Light, and Hellenism as program chairman of the Birmingham Philhellene Society.
OCTOBER 2000
Midwestern ‘Macedonians’ Make a Successful Move
W
hile a modest number of families comprise this community situated in northeastern Indiana, the parish has grown nearly 10fold since its founding by 24 families in 1957. The community includes many immigrants, American-born Greek Orthodox and converts, who have come to the faith mostly through marriage. Since 1995 when parishioners moved to their new, larger complex on the north side of Fort Wayne, Holy Trinity Church has been a work in progress. Currently, the church is in the midst of its iconography project, with the Platytera and iconostasion having
PARISH
business his father established, Fr. Constantine noted. Although the parish was chartered in 1957, the first Greek Orthodox arrived after the turn of the century, between 1904 and 1909. While this typically Midwestern area is best known as corn and soybean producing region, the first immigrants didn t come to farm, but to work in city s steel mills and other manufacturing plants. Eventually, several went into the restaurant business while others became owners of most of the movie theaters in this city of more than 200,000, known among other things as the hometown of actresses Carole Lombard and Shelley Long.
Metropolitan Maximos of the Diocese of Pittsburgh dedicated the current building, which occupies a 12acre site, in December 1995. The parish council president at the time, Eleftherios Maggos, also served as the contractor. The $1.5 million complex includes a church hall and offices. Future expansion plans call for the addition of a classroom building. The parish s major revenue source is the successful stewardship program, supplemented by the annual Greek ball, which dates to 1967, and the Greek festival, which began in 1980 and takes place the last weekend in
profile
Name: Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Location: Fort Wayne, Ind. Diocese: Detroit Size: about 200 families Founded: 1957 Clergy: Fr. Thomas Constantine (Holy Cross 82) Noteworthy: Serves faithful over large area of northeastern Indiana and northwestern Ohio.
HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH
Still more immigrants from northern been completed. A dome will be added Greece settled in the state s second largin the near future. Fr. Constantine, who has served est city in the 1960s and 70s, finding emthe community four years, describes his ployment in several industries and busiparishioners as very good people and nesses, including a General Motors plant. his ministry as very fruitful, both in Some worked as tailors, with four of them still active. education and counseling. Among the descendants of the first The parish has a variety of programs and organizations including an settlers is a large percentage of doctors and lawyers. active Philoptochos chapBefore Holy ter, GOYA, a married Trinity s founding, couples group, a Greek the city s Greek Orlanguage and culture prothodox had to travel gram, and Church school. FORT WAYNE to South Bend, some Sunday school has 80 miles away, or to about 65 children and the Indianapolis, 120 Greek program has 45 enmiles distant, to worrolled. ship. The married couples In the parish s meet once a month and first years, visiting take part in discussions priests would hold about the faith, fellowship services in a rented dinners, and other social church hall. Then, in activities. 1960, parishioners One fraternal organiunder the pastorship zation in the community, of their first permathe Philip and Alexander nent priest, Fr. Macedonian Society, reArkadios Arakadiou, flects the origins of and presidency of most of the immiJames Berles, built a small grant parishioners, concrete church on the city s who came to this flat south side where most of the area of the Midwest faithful then lived. The parishioners mainly from the themselves finished the first building, towns of Kastoria and Florina in mountainous, forested doing the bricklaying and the flooring, said Fr. Constantine. They built the church northwestern Macedonia. Kastoria is known for its furriers for the grand sum of $47,000. The first wedding and baptism took and a small group of them settled in Fort Wayne. The son of one of those place in 1963 at this church served the immigrants continues to operate the community s needs until the mid-1990s.
June. According to Fr. Constantine, it is considered the third biggest festival in Fort Wayne. Parishioners originally held the event at a local shopping center but shifted the festival to centrally located Headwaters Park two years ago, near the confluence of the St. Joseph and St. Mary s rivers, which join to form the Maumee that flows into Lake Erie at Toledo. Most parishioners of Holy Trinity live within a 20-minute drive of the church, but a few live in other parts of northwestern Indiana, including Muncie, about 70 miles to the south, and Marion and Wabash, about an hour s drive west. Others reside across the border in northwestern Ohio, including the towns of Lima, Van Wert and Delphos, with some driving an hour and 45 minutes to two hours to attend services. It makes home blessing time a pretty good drive, said Fr. Constantine. Throughout much of the year, the priest conducts Bible study, including one day a week in Greek. Other Bible studies, discussion groups and catechism classes, especially every Presanctified Wednesday during Great Lent, also are held. Holy Trinity also participates in several pan Orthodox events during the year, including a vacation church school, with two other Orthodox parishes in Fort Wayne; a church under the OCA, and an Antiochian Orthodox parish. compiled by Jim Golding