Untitled Page

Fellowship Festival

Among the positive attributes of St. George Church, the strongest is its people. FSJD had its very first festival hosted by the FSJD which included hundreds of guests and over 80 volunteers. Dunk the priest! Undoubtedly the most attractive event amid the zoo animals, face painting, basketball, music, and of course our Orthodox Troupes.

What's a festival without food? A little "Taste of Cicero" was organized to offer the American classics of burgers and hotdogs, the the Middle Eastern delights of falafel, the delight of Italian meatballs, and the flavor of Indian spices. The festival was successful, bringing in enough funds to repair damages to the orthodox NADI from the flood. The Executive Board and Fellowship members worked hard to organize this event, coming in early Sunday morning to set up.

What can be said about an organization comprised of friends who care for one another and for their Church? That is a real community.

For the first time in a long time, the experience surpassed the expectation. There are seldom moments in our lives, where we can immediately recognize the significance of a moment in time. This was such an experience. The Fellowship of St. John the Divine proudly sponsored the Fellowship Fall Retreat at the Antiochian Village from November 6th to the 8th of 2009, and all who attended this one of a kind event will never forget the electricity they witnessed. Thirty-six FSJD members at St. George in Cicero, IL, boarded a luxury motor coach and made the pilgrimage from Cicero, Illinois to our home away from home, the Antiochian Village in Pennsylvania.

A lovely action-packed schedule laid out the whole weekend. "growth in Christ: Daily Scripture in Our Daily Lives" was the theme of this outing for our Fellowship. The guest speaker was Fr. Paul Tarazi, a professor at St. Vladimir's Seminary. Throughout the sessions he taught, discussions were had within the meeting rooms and lodging rooms, throughout the Village grounds and while riding the bus. Parts of our faith were discussed and analyzed as seldome before. Our faith shone brighter as collectively we shared experiences, beliefs and learned more about Christianity and the Holy Bible than before we entered. Each and every one of the thrity-six FSJD members could recognize their own growth in Christ and their faith.