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At Agape Family Luncheon, Archon John G. Gumas Receives Archon Sophia Award For Excellence

Through the hands of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, Archon John G. Gumas was honored with the Archon Sophia Award for Excellence, joined by His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco, National Commander Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis and Mrs. Janice Gumas.

Through the hands of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, Archon John G. Gumas was honored with the Archon Sophia Award for Excellence, joined by His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco, National Commander Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis and Mrs. Janice Gumas. (Photos by J. Mindala)

On Saturday, October 19, 2024, at the Annual Archon Agape Family Luncheon, the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate presented the Archon Sophia Award for Excellence to Archon John G. Gumas. The Sophia Award for Excellence is given annually by the Order to an individual or individuals who have distinguished themselves in endeavors that serve the needs of the Holy Mother Church and the Sacred Mission of the Archons of the Great Church of Christ.

His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America offered the invocation. Following lunch, Dr. Maria A. Limberakis, the beloved and highly accomplished wife of Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis, National Commander of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, welcomed the attendees and spoke on “The 2024 Religious Freedom Mission and the Role of the Archon Family.”

“This gathering is appropriately named the Agape Family Luncheon,” Dr. Maria Limberakis explained, “because the mission of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in not the mission of an individual. Rather, it is the mission of the family: my family and each of your families. Each and every one of us plays an essential role in promoting and protecting our Ecumenical Patriarchate. We all have something worthy to offer.”

Dr. Maria A. Limberakis addressing the Archon Family Agape Luncheon with her 6-year-old granddaughter Evie emphasized that the ARCHON MISSION is a FAMILY MISSION in which each family member may contribute in their own way.

Dr. Limberakis spoke personally and with immense charm and warmth about all that her family members do in the service of Almighty God and His Holy Church, and then challenged those who were in attendance: “Let this weekend be a call to action. Sometimes we all need a reawakening, something that shakes us up a bit, and this weekend is an opportunity for each of you to renew your individual commitment and support of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in its sacred mission to support the needs of the Holy Mother Church.”

Dr. Limberakis added: “As individuals and as an Archon family, each of us should strive to leave a legacy to inspire our children and our children’s children to continue our Orthodox faith. A critical component of this legacy is ‘protecting the future of faith,’ so that the light of our Orthodox faith can be perpetuated for generations to come.”

Dr. Maria A. Limberakis is joined by her granddaughter, Evie, along with several wives of National Council members and Regional Commanders, to make a special presentation to His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros during the Archon Agape Family Luncheon.

The future, Dr. Limberakis emphasized, is not far away; “the future is our children, it is our grandchildren.” She then said: I’d like to show you why I am personally committed to protecting the future of faith,” and introduced her granddaughter, Evangelia, who is known as Evie. As Evie charmed the crowd, Dr. Limberakis issued a reminder and a call to action: “Many of us have children and grandchildren. May we leave this weekend re-committed to ‘protecting the future of faith’ and our Ecumenical Patriarchate for all of the generations to come.”

Archon National Commander Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis (whom Evie called “Pappou”) then returned to the stage and explained that Archon John G. Gumas suggested last year that key Archons gather for a symposium, for which Archon Michael G. Psaros provided a location: his offices in New York City, which offer a panoramic view of the entire city.

In that singular location, key Archons along with dedicated Greek Orthodox female leaders including Maria Allwin, Aphrodite Skeadas, Elizabeth Limberakis (the daughter of Drs. Anthony J. and Maria A. Limberakis), and Leah Kats met to study how best to express the Archons’ mission and goals. Under the coordination with Archon John Gumas, a veteran of the advertising and marketing industry with over forty years of experience, they worked on developing a logo, clarifying the name, and formulating a tagline for the Order that would best express its determination to protect and strengthen the Holy Mother Church of Constantinople.

It was during these deliberations, the Strategic Branding Initiative, that the Archon catchphrase “Protecting the Future of Faith” was developed, as a positive statement of the Order’s determination to safeguard the religious freedom of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Archon Gumas speaks about the efforts surrounding the Archon Branding Initiative.

Archon Gumas then explained that “each one of us has a brand. It’s how people see you. It’s everything about you. You can choose to articulate that, or you can let the market do it for you. The Commander chose the former.” He pointed out that the development of the new Archon logo and the other fruits of the Strategic Branding Initiative “did not happen by accident, and was not guessing or assumption. It was very thorough analysis and discovery process.”

Archon Gumas explained that it was easy to take pages to describe oneself or one’s organization, but much harder to do it all in a paragraph. He thanked the Archon Communications Committee, and particularly Archons Rocky Sisson, James Speros and John Mindala, for working with him on this all-important effort.

His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros, in his Archepiscopal Exhortation, noted that “Archon John has made tremendous contributions” to the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Archbishop Elpidophoros offered some insights into the concept of wisdom, sophia in Greek, stating that it was beyond knowledge, and involved contact with the Divine mind. Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, His Eminence stated, is “an example of the ineffable quality of wisdom, an astonishing monument that truly defies explanation.” It is indeed, he said, an icon of wisdom. Archon Gumas’ work, said His Eminence, demonstrates wisdom as well, as it involved an aspect of communion, of contact with God, and of the communication of the Gospel in both word and deed.

“We will leave this Agape feast today in deeper bonds, bonds of fellowship,” His Eminence concluded, adding: “Like our honoree today, we are communicating the Gospel in word and in deed. It is a privilege to be part of this Archon family.” The event concluded with His Eminence’s Benediction.

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