Beloved in our Savior Jesus Christ,
There is so much more to a Greek Orthodox parish than supporting it financially and attending the Sunday Divine Liturgy. The parish is a community of Orthodox Christian believers who are united by a common Creed of faith, Tradition, and mission.
Above and beyond all of our liturgical and financial duties are the parish ministries. The purpose of the parish ministries is to offer the necessary opportunities for all the devout members and families of the church to strengthen the fellowship among them and the spiritual state and commitment to the community and most of all to Christ our Lord.
Through the parish ministries, the individual Orthodox Christian learns how to work and serve the Church together with others as one body. United in one faith and with one common goal they persevere to create an environment of true Christian love. It is that environment that all of our parish children should grow up in.
Along with Orthodoxia, there is also Orthopraxia, both are linked together and are inseparable. It is not enough to believe or to possess the true faith but all must be willing to put it into practice. The church is a place where we learn, practice, train, and strive to attain spiritual maturity.
It is, therefore, imperative that we protect and promote all of our parish ministries. A community with strong parish ministries is a dynamic and progressive community. It is a community and parish that is alive and always moving forward.
Some of the parish ministries are the following: Parish Council, Choir, Youth and Adult Ministries, Philoptochos, etc. The primary mission is to make God's love manifest to the youth and young adults of the Church, to introduce the faithful to Christ and engage them so that they may better understand and fully experience the Orthodox Christian Faith.
I ask everyone to support and dedicate their time, talents and treasure to make the parish ministries strong and to cooperate with those who head them. To permit the parish ministries to dissolve is unthinkable. It would harm and injure our local parish and its future. Complacency and indifference are destructive. We must work hard not only to avoid that possibility but to prevent it entirely from happening at all.
It is not ever enough to think of only today but to think and prepare the church for the future. Let us work together hand-in-hand and invite our Lord Jesus Christ to lead the way.
With agape in His Holy Diakonia,
+Father George