Our Lord tells us: "When two or three gather in my name, there I am in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) This means that we are enriched, not only by God's presence, but by the diversity of thoughts and experiences that His people bring when they offer their time, talent, and resources to the place that they assemble - His Church!
Please remember a few things:
1.) We already gather as a general assembly every time we worship and participate in the life of the Church as a parish family at Saints Constantine & Helen!
2.) When we gather at a general assembly according to the Uniform Code of Parish Regulations and our Parish By-Laws, our mutual goal should always be to prayerfully discern the best possible way to carry out the mission of the Church.
3.) Please respect the process, agenda, and order of the General Assembly, the directions of the Chairman, and everyone with whom you are interacting with.
With God's help, let us devote ourselves to the "apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" so that what we do will "seem good to us and to the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:42;15:28)."
Please also take a moment to read Article 18 of the Uniform Code Regulation of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese:
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 Faith to his/her life and to:
1.) Adhere to and lives according to the tenets of the Orthodox faith
2.) Faithfully attend the Divine Liturgy and other worship services
3.) Participate regularly in the holy sacraments
4.) Respect all ecclesiastical authority and all governing bodies of the Church
5.) Be obedient in matters of the Faith, practice and ecclesiastical order
6.) 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.
A parishioner in good standing practices all the religious and moral duties as described in this Section 1. At a minimum, a parishioner in good standing must:
1.) Be eighteen years of age or over;
2.) Be current in his or her stewardship and other financial obligations to the Parish,
3.) Abide by all the regulations herein stated and the Parish By-laws;
4.) And cooperate in every way towards the welfare and well being of the Parish.
Section 2:
Any person wishing to be a parishioner in good standing in more than one Parish must remit his or her Stewardship financial obligation to each Parish as stated in Section 1 of this Article. A parishioner wishing to move from one Parish to another must present a letter of transfer from the Priest of the Parish from which he or she is moving stating that he or she is in good standing.
Section 3:
No person shall be deemed a parishioner in good standing while: not adhering to the standards outlined in Sections 1 and 2 of this Article; retaining affiliation in an Orthodox Parish which defies the jurisdiction or the ecclesiastical authority of the Archdiocese; being a member of or practicing a non-Orthodox faith or other religion; and deliberately disregarding and transgressing the moral law of the Church.
Section 4:
The Priest shall judge any cases of special circumstances justifying the waiver of a parishioner's stewardship financial obligations.
Section 5:
A parishioner in good standing has the right to attend, participate and vote at Parish Assemblies, as well as to vote in Parish Council elections. Each such parishioner may also be nominated for election to the Parish Council or to represent the Parish at a Local Assembly or the Congress.
Section 6:
An Orthodox Christian parishioner in good standing at his or her canonical Orthodox Parish may serve as a sponsor in another Parish without being obliged to become a member in good standing at the Parish where the sacrament will take place. A parishioner may serve as a sponsor in another Parish by presenting a letter of good standing from his or her home Parish Priest.
Section 7:
Each Parish shall maintain a Parish Record which shall include, at a minimum, the following information concerning each parishioner: baptismal and family name, occupation (optional), dates of baptism and/or chrismation and marriage, complete family record of spouse and children, date of entry into the Parish indicating if transferred from another Parish, date of death, and such other information that shall be deemed appropriate.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The National Council of Churches annual Christian Unity Gathering (CUG) and fall governing board meeting met in Newport News, Virginia from October 13-16, 2019. This year’s CUG remembered and lamented the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first people from Africa, who were immediately enslaved, with a ceremony at Point Comfort, the place of arrival. The Very Reverend Constantine Morales attended the ceremony as the representative of Archbishop Elpidophoros.
NEW YORK – The faithful of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America glorify God as they receive with great joy the news from Mount Athos and our spiritual father, His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who announced the forthcoming canonization of four Athonite fathers: Elders Ieronymos of Simonopetra, Daniel Katounakiotis, Joseph the Hesychast and Ephraim Katounakiotis.