St. Symeon Orthodox Church
Diocese of the South, Orthodox Church in America
3101 Clairmont Avenue S, Birmingham, AL, 35205
/ Protection of the Theotokos Sisterhood
Protection of the Theotokos Sisterhood

The Protection of the Theotokos Sisterhood is the women’s organization of the parish of St. Symeon Orthodox Church. The purpose of the Sisterhood is to serve the parish and our larger community through works of charity and mercy; to tend to the needs of the church, the clergy, and our parishioners; to care for parish families; to fundraise for our works; and to support fellowship events within the parish. The Sisterhood is comprised of all women aged 18 and older in the St. Symeon community. Inquirers and catechumens are welcome to participate but are not able to hold a leadership position within the groups.

The Sisterhood seeks to meet its objectives by performing specific tasks:

  • Fund and schedule teams for First Light breakfasts on the 3rd Saturday of each month.
  • Offer aid to the sick, the needy, the dying, and their caregivers through meals, visits, help with housework or errands, or other actions as needed
  • Provide meals or other items for special occasions when necessary
  • Deep clean all interior buildings on Lazarus Saturday and the week before the Food and Culture Fair. 
  • Organize meals for mothers after giving birth and provide a baby shower for each parish mom having her first St. Symeon baby!
  • Organize and hold fund raising projects to help pay for our charitable activities.

All women will receive emails and information about the organized opportunities to help those in our parish and community as you are able. You can participate a little or participate a lot. Perhaps you can occasionally participate in a meal sign up, or help at First Light, or bake something for our bake sales? Some of you may even want to consider a leadership role.  Every hand helps – “many hands make light work!”  Please consider using the gifts that God has given you to help those in your parish and community.

Leadership Positions Within the Sisterhood

Leadership positions are voluntary. There are no term limits for the positions below; however, if a Leader chooses to end her role, a request will be made for a volunteer to fill that position.

President: Kassiane (Michele) Mulder - theotokossisterhood@gmail.com

Treasurer: Kassiane (Michele) Mulder

Secretary – Adriana Ritchey

Sister Circles: Nicole (Niki) May

Bake Sales: Julie Desko

First Light: Caterina Reese

Events: Akylina (Mandy) Chambers and Katherine (Ashley) Frodge

Meals for Moms: Elizabeth Conner

Sign up Genius: Helen (Dunia) Ritchey

Baby Showers: Macrina (Ashley) Wells and volunteer needed

Sister Circles
Sister circles are small groups of women, each with one leader that will get her group together periodically for whatever she feels is best for her group. Niki May will rotate the Sister Circles every three months. Please contact Niki if you are interested in being a part of a circle. Niki will collect names until the end of December and the circles will begin in January 2025. Emails will be sent out the first week of January to announce your circle and leader. Circles will rotate in April, July, and October. This facilitates fellowship in a smaller group setting while also getting to know all the women in our parish more intimately. Remember, inquirers and catechumens are invited to join! 
How We Financially Support the Sisterhood

We have three bake sales planned this next church year. Our first sale will be a non-Lenten bake sale late in December to sell goodies for your Christmas gatherings. Our second sale will be a Lenten bake sale halfway through Lent with soups, baked goods, and other Lenten items to get you through the long fast. Our third sale will be next summer and will be non-Lenten with cold soups and light treats.

First Light
First Light is a women and children's homeless shelter where we serve breakfast every third Saturday of the month. We send out a Sign-Up Genius quarterly asking for leaders and volunteers. This service is so rewarding for those who have experienced it. If you have never been to First Light, you can sign up as a helper to experience this blessing. View the sign up list here.
 
Baby Showers

The Sisterhood provides one baby shower for each Mom who is having a baby for the first time while a member of St. Symeon. 

Meals for Moms

We send out a Sign Up Genius to all women in the parish to help provide meals for mothers and their families when they get home from the hospital. We generally try for four meals a week for three weeks, unless a different need is identified.

Upcoming Monthly Fellowships
All Thursday fellowships will be in the evening and all Saturday fellowships will be held in the morning.
 
Saturday, November 9 at 10:00AM - Brunch and Board Games Bring your favorite brunch item to share and your funny bone because lots of laughter will be had; board games are provided.
Thursday, December 12
Saturday, January 18
Contact Information

For more information or questions, contact Kassiane (Michele) Mulder: theotokossisterhood@gmail.com