Dear Dr. Christ,
“Let everything take second place to our care for our children, our bringing them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” – St. John Chrysostom
I am writing a note to thank you for volunteering your time to help judge the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival Parish Level Competition at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church on March 27, 2016. I hope and pray you enjoyed listening, watching and assessing the young talent that was showcased on that day. I can’t imagine that your job as judge was easy because we had several very good speeches and all around good performance of the speeches. We have to thank God for giving the youth of St. John the Baptist the talent not only to stand up and speak in front of people but to stand up and speak so lively about their faith in front of people. We also have to thank God for the ministry of the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival, which gives our students the opportunity to dive into their faith and to explore aspects of it which they wouldn’t necessarily investigate. This then gives them the tools to be stronger witnesses of their faith for themselves and for those around them. As we see the youth rise through the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival, they improve every year and it is due in part to your hard work and positive feedback. Thank you again for taking the time out of your busy schedule to make this program a success at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church and for inspiring our Orthodox Christian youth. May God continue to bless you and your family.
With love in the Lord,
+Fr. Stavros Akrotirianakis