[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Pages 24566-24567]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     50TH ANNIVERSARY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, today I wish to commemorate and celebrate 
the 50th aniversary of the St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church.
  For more than a century, a proud and vibrant Greek community has 
thrived in Nevada. 50 years ago, the parish of St. John the Baptist 
Greek Orthodox Church was established in Las Vegas, NV, to serve this 
dynamic community.
  For half of a century, the parishioners at St. John the Baptist have 
celebrated their Hellenic heritage through cultural and spiritual 
events, all while giving back to the Las Vegas community through 
service. As one example of the many ways parishioners have inspired 
southern Nevada, the Panagia chapter of the Ladies Philoptochos Society 
meets monthly to serve the parish and the community by working in a 
hands-on fashion to serve the liturgical, charitable, educational, 
youth, and crisis needs of the community.
  Las Vegas is profoundly enriched by the St. John the Baptist Greek 
Church. Every year, the church holds a Greek Festival, where Nevadans 
of all backgrounds listen to Greek music, eat Greek food, and embrace 
the spirit of kefi--a passion for life that radiates from the 
parishioners at St. John the Baptist.

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  It is my honor to celebrate the ``Golden Heritage'' of this storied 
church on Friday, October 16, 2009. To my friends at St. John the 
Baptist Greek Orthodox Church: OPA! May you celebrate many more 
successful years.

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