My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God,
Christ is in our midst! He was, is, and ever shall be.

GOVERNANCE OF THE PARISH

The Parish church is governed and administered in accordance with the Faith, Tradition and Holy Canons of the Church together with the provisions of the Charter, and the Uniform Parish Regulations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

PART THREE
UNIFORM PARISH REGULATION
CHAPTER ONE
PARISH AND PARISH ORGANIZATION

Section 1: The Parish is the local Eucharistic community of the Church in a given locality; organized under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese whose ecclesiastical authority is its canonically consecrated Hierarch. Locally, the Parish is headed by a canonically ordained and duly appointed Priest...

Section 2: The aims and purposes of the Parish are to keep, practice and proclaim the Orthodox Christian Faith pure and undefiled.

Section 4: The diakonia (ministry) of the Parish will include proclaiming and teaching the Gospel in accordance with the Orthodox Faith: sanctifying the faithful through God's grace in worship, the Divine Liturgy and the other sacraments; enhancing its parishioners spiritual life; and adding to the numbers of the faithful by receiving persons into the Church through instruction, baptism and/or chrismation...

ARTICLE 17

Section 1. The Priest by virtue of his canonical ordination and assignment heads and administers the parish and exercises on its behalf the priestly duties, which consist in shepherding the parish entrusted to his care, directing its orderly life, preserving its unity and keeping it faithful to its divine purpose...

ARTICLE 18: PARISHIONERS

Section 1. Every person who is baptized and chrismated according to the rites of the Orthodox Church is a parishioner. The religious, moral and social duties of a parishioner are to apply the tenets of the Orthodox Christian Faith to his/her life and to: adhere to and live according to the tenets of the orthodox faith; faithfully attend the Divine Liturgy and other worship services; participate regularly in the holy sacraments; respect all ecclesiastical authority and all governing bodies of the Church; be obedient in matters of the Faith, practice and ecclesiastical order; contribute towards the progress of the Church's sacred mission; and be an effective witness and example of the Orthodox Faith and Traditions to all people.

CHAPTER TWO
PARISH COUNCIL
ARTICLE 24

Section 1: To serve on a Parish Council is a ministry and all those who serve are called to represent Christ and the Orthodox Faith to all whom they meet in all aspects of life. The Parish Council shall consist of the priest, as the head of the parish and a number of elected lay members fixed by the Parish Bylaws or by local statue according to the needs of the Parish...

As brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to understand that whatever we do within our church is done for His glory. We are all servants (diakonoi) of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and we adhere to His commandments to "love one another." "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (St. John 13:34-35).

The members of the Parish Council and I love all of you and we are committed to serving our church with total sincerity and devotion. We only ask that all of you continue to pray for us as we keep all of you in our prayers. By the grace of God, our parish will continue to grow in Christ and to progress both spiritually and materially.

None of us are perfect and mistakes are made by all of us no matter how careful we are and for that, we ask for your understanding and indulgence. However, it is important for all of our fellow parishioners to be as supportive, forgiving, understanding and kind towards all. If anyone of you has a constructive proposal or criticism it is one's duty to bring it to your priest's attention. Our relationship is one of friendship and not adversarial! There is an ecclesiastical protocol that all must follow out of respect for your priest and for his sacred office. He is the only overseer of the parish and the only one who represents His Eminence the Metropolitan. Your parish priest is also accountable to his Metropolitan for everything that occurs within his parish. Your priest, as you very well know, is always accessible to all and at all times of the day or night.

Be kind, respectful, supportive, generous, positive, cooperative, appreciative, as well as pray that our Almighty God will continue to bless and protect all of your brothers and sisters in Christ.

With agape in God and Savior Jesus Christ,

+Father George