VOLUME 19, ISSUE 9 OCTOBER 2013 10.13 St. George Greek Orthodox Church St. Paul, Minnesota A Word from Father Rick in this issue Registry P.3 Parish News P.4-5 Emergency Response Network P.6 Church Picnic Photos P.7 Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ: I write this article immedi- ately following our Stew- ardship Retreat with Mr. George Vourvoulias and Mr. George Mahews on Septem- ber 21-22. They did an excellent job reminding us of the essence of stewardship—it is a way of life. Their offering caused each one of us to reflect: is God and His Church the number one priority in my life? And if He is the most important person in my life, is that demonstrated in my dedication of Time in partic- ipating regularly in worship and the sacraments and vol- unteering? Is it shown in the Talents (unique gifts, skills, training and knowledge) that I devote for the vitality and growth of parish minis- tries? Is it expressed through generous and sacri- ficial (tithing or 10%) giving of my Treasures to support the whole life and activity of the parish? The fact of the maer is that it is not my Time, my Tal- ents, nor my Treasures. They all are from God and belong to Him. We are just stewards or caretakers of these gifts. The amount that God asks in return is quite small compared to work hour requirements and gov- ernment taxes but we often give much less than what He asks. It is no secret anymore that the Greeks, while being the second best educated ethnic group and third wealthiest, are at the boom of the list when it comes to support- ing the Church. As George and George related to us, 94% of Greek Orthodox par- ishes rely on festivals to support their operating budget. As they said, it’s like inviting someone to our home for dinner and then asking them to pay the light bill. We have a lot of work to do and it starts with geing involved in worship and at least one ministry. The good news is that some parishes are already supporting themselves and using their festival to give all the mon- ey away to charity and out- reach to the community— partnering with other non- profits and aracting new members. It can be done! By the time you receive this newsleer, the Archdiocese Family Ministry Confer- ence here in Minneapolis September 25-28 will be complete. What a great op- portunity to have parish youth workers, priests and other dedicated people gather in our own backyard. I look forward to sharing the many things we learn those few days. Our Metropolis Clergy Lai- ty is in Sioux City, Iowa on October 2-5 and I’m very happy that we will have a full contingent of delegates participating at an out-of- town site for the first time in (Continued on page 2)
Transcript
V O L U M E 1 9 , I S S U E 9 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 3
10.13 St. George Greek
Orthodox Church
St. Paul, Minnesota
A Word from Father Rick
in this issue
Regis try P.3
Par ish News P.4-5
Emergency Response Network
P.6
Church Picn ic Photos P.7
Dear Brothers & Sisters in
Christ:
I write this article immedi-
ately following our Stew-
ardship Retreat with Mr.
George Vourvoulias and Mr.
George Matthews on Septem-
ber 21-22.
They did an excellent job
reminding us of the essence
of stewardship—it is a way
of life. Their offering caused
each one of us to reflect: is
God and His Church the
number one priority in my
life? And if He is the most
important person in my life,
is that demonstrated in my
dedication of Time in partic-
ipating regularly in worship
and the sacraments and vol-
unteering? Is it shown in the
Talents (unique gifts, skills,
training and knowledge)
that I devote for the vitality
and growth of parish minis-
tries? Is it expressed
through generous and sacri-
ficial (tithing or 10%) giving
of my Treasures to support
the whole life and activity
of the parish?
The fact of the matter is that
it is not my Time, my Tal-
ents, nor my Treasures.
They all are from God and
belong to Him. We are just
stewards or caretakers of
these gifts. The amount that
God asks in return is quite
small compared to work
hour requirements and gov-
ernment taxes but we often
give much less than what
He asks.
It is no secret anymore that
the Greeks, while being the
second best educated ethnic
group and third wealthiest,
are at the bottom of the list
when it comes to support-
ing the Church. As George
and George related to us,
94% of Greek Orthodox par-
ishes rely on festivals to
support their operating
budget. As they said, it’s
like inviting someone to our
home for dinner and then
asking them to pay the light
bill.
We have a lot of work to do
and it starts with getting
involved in worship and at
least one ministry. The good
news is that some parishes
are already supporting
themselves and using their
festival to give all the mon-
ey away to charity and out-
reach to the community—
partnering with other non-
profits and attracting new
members. It can be done!
By the time you receive this
newsletter, the Archdiocese
Family Ministry Confer-
ence here in Minneapolis
September 25-28 will be
complete. What a great op-
portunity to have parish
youth workers, priests and
other dedicated people
gather in our own backyard.
I look forward to sharing
the many things we learn
those few days.
Our Metropolis Clergy Lai-
ty is in Sioux City, Iowa on
October 2-5 and I’m very
happy that we will have a
full contingent of delegates
participating at an out-of-
town site for the first time in
(Continued on page 2)
page 2
14 years. Please pray for myself, par-
ish council president Tom Lampros,
vice president Alexis Bighley and Steve
Arsenault. Minda Arsenault will also
go as a Philoptochos delegate. We
look forward to safe travel and an
enjoyable time with the representa-
tives in attendance.
As many of you know I participated
in the International Orthodox Chris-
tian Charities (IOCC) Frontline Re-
sponder Training in Denver Colora-
do August 18-24th. The intensive
training included certifications for
Emotional and Spiritual Care in Dis-
asters and Grief Following Trauma.
My training and experience as a po-
lice chaplain was very helpful. Front-
line responders are typically sent to
areas near where they live and work
to help in the event of a disaster. A
recent example is that the IOCC sent
responders to the floods in Colorado,
the Oklahoma tornadoes and the fires
near Prescott, Arizona. For more info,
elsewhere in the newsletter is the
IOCC press release about our train-
ing.
Back to School Update: As noted in
last month’s newsletter, I have been
accepted and begun taking classes in
a Doctoral Program in Marriage &
Family Therapy at Argosy University
in Eagan, MN. Some have raised con-
cerns about the impact on my parish
duties. Although there will be some
changes in my schedule due to clas-
ses, I will continue to offer the same
level of commitment to my liturgical,
pastoral and administrative duties
that I have in my 14 years of service
to the parish of St. George. Again, I
ask for your patience and prayerful
support. Stay tuned for more up-
dates. Thanks so much!
Youth Minister Update: Ms. Lydia
Lekka’s religious-worker visa was ap-
proved by the Immigration and Cus-
toms Service (USICS) in mid-July.
Sadly, however, the visa was rejected
by a case officer of the US Embassy in
Athens, approximately mid-August.
We contacted the Archdiocese who
put us in touch with the acting US
Ambassador and we presented our
case on Lydia’s behalf. She was grant-
ed another interview that went much
more favorably but because of a pro-
cedural rule she is currently in
“limbo.” In order to expedite the pro-
cess for placing a person in the posi-
tion of youth minister, Lydia agreed
to continue pursuing her visa but that
our parish would repost the position.
Therefore, if anyone is interested in
(or know someone who is) the part-
time youth minister position, please
have him/her send a resume and cov-
er letter to me, preferably by email.
We are sorry for everyone in this situ-
ation: Lydia as well as the parents
and kids who await a minister to help
lead the youth program. In the mean-
time, it’s important to remember that
any vital, active youth program, with
or without a youth minister, is de-
pendent upon the involvement and
commitment of the parents. I am in
the process of identifying and recruit-
ing parent advisors for our youth
program. If you are interested, please
let me know asap. Thank you!
Thanks to Joe Weiser and Daniel Simon
for co-chairing our annual Church/
Parish Picnic at Hidden Falls Park on
the Mississippi River September 15th.
Thanks also to Chris Christoforides
for cooking. Approximately 80 people
(adults and children) participated and
enjoyed fellowship and fun.
Congratulations again to our sister
parish of St. George Antiochian for
their 100th Anniversary that was cele-
brated on September 21st. St. Mary
Romanian will also be celebrating
their centennial on October 11-13th. In
supporting them we can learn a great
deal in order to prepare for our
parish’s 75th Anniversary that is just
around the corner in 2015. We must
start our work very soon.
Parish Council Elections will likely
take place on Sunday December 8th but
now is the time to consider running
as a candidate. Look for nomination
forms in the near future and please be
mindful of the requirements for can-
didates.
In Christ,
+Fr. Rick
(Continued from page 1)
Registry
Birth
August 3, 2013 Stamatia, daughter of Dimitri & Anna Topalides.
40-day Churching
August 25, 2013 Anastasia Maier and baby Athanasia.
Baptism
August 11, 2013 Lazaros, son of Chris & Seka Christoforides.
Godparent is Nouno Alexandros Pennos.
Marriage
August 25, 2013 George Eliou & Gayra Ostgaard. Sponsor is
Stewardship budget goal to Aug End $151,333 $148,139
Please donate a Festal Icon (11" x 14") in memory of a loved one. The cost is $75.00 per icon. The icons are
displayed in the church nave and are put out for veneration on the Feast Day of the Saint or event they
represent. To donate an icon, fill out a form (found on the bulletin board by the kitchen) and return it to the
office.
Festal Icons Needed
Prophet Abraham Parable of the Sower
Welcome to our Visitors
Welcome to Fr. Haralambos & Presvytera Topalides who
are visiting their son and daughter-in-law, Dimitri & An-
na. They will be with us until mid-October. We thank Fr.
Haralambos for assisting Fr. Rick in concelebrating the
Diving Liturgy on Sundays. Father and Presvytera are
from the village of Anarrachi near Kozani, Greece, where
Fr. Haralambos has been serving as the priest at St. George
Church for 43 years. He also was a school teacher for 30
years. They have six adult children: twins George & Ana-
stasia; Sister Steliani, a nun and teacher at the Greek Or-
thodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem; Aphrodite, a school
teacher in Thessaloniki; Sophia who lives in Chios; and
Dimitri, a fellow in cardio-thoracic surgery at the UMN.
They also have seven grandchildren. God bless their fami-
ly.
page 6
Denver, CO (IOCC) — When the
Yarnell Hill Fire overran and killed 19
firefighters with the Prescott Fire De-
partment's interagency Granite
Mountain Hotshots on June 30, Fr.
Apostolos Hill, pastor of St. George
Greek Orthodox Church in Prescott,
Arizona called on the International
Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC)
Emergency Response Network, or
Frontline, to help respond to the
needs of a grieving community. With-
in days, IOCC Frontliners were on the
ground to offer support to grieving
townspeople of Prescott as well as
families of those who lost loved ones.
When disasters like the Yarnell Hill Fire, tornadoes in Oklaha-
ma or Superstorm Sandy impact communities in the United
States, members of the IOCC Frontline stand ready to respond
to provide care to communities in need. "Acute disasters – be-
ginning with the events of September 11 and later with Hurri-
cane Katrina – led to the establishment of the network," ac-
cording to IOCC US Country Representative Dan Christopu-
los, "which consists of professionally trained and experienced
Orthodox clergy and laity who have responded to man-made
and natural disasters here in the United States."
Twenty-two Orthodox Christians from around the country
gathered to participate in training this week at St. Catherine
Greek Orthodox Church in Greenwood Village, Colorado, to
become new members of the IOCC Frontline. The new volun-
teers join more than 60 current clergy and lay volunteers who
s Underwritten by a two-year grant from the Archbishop
Iakovos Leadership 100 Endowment Fund of the Greek Ortho-
dox Archdiocese, the training is part of an IOCC initiative to
develop the volunteer network to provide a regional response
capacity to disasters in the United States and to better coordi-
nate with local, state and federal disaster response agencies.
"We are grateful for the support of Leadership 100 which will
help us reach our goal of having 100 trained IOCC Frontliners
distributed throughout the 10 FEMA regions of the country
and allow us to respond in a more timely and efficient man-
ner," concluded Christopulos.
Orthodox Christian Emergency Response Network Expands
Twenty-Two New "Frontliners" Trained With Support From Leadership 100
(Seated front) IOCC Board Member Elaine Cladis; Chancellor of the Metropolis of Denver Fr.
Luke Uhl; Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver; Fr. Louis Christopulos, Pastor of St. Catherine Greek Orthodox Church, Greenwood Village, Colorado, Conference host; and Daniel Christopulos,
IOCC US Country representative; and the members of the IOCC Emergency Response Network who were hosted by the Metropolis of Denver to receive training on pastoral care following
natural disasters and emergencies.
Daniel Christopulos, IOCC US Program Representative, acknowl-edges the support of His Eminence Metropolitan Isaiah of Den-ver who hosted the IOCC Frontline, a volunteer network of high-ly trained, credentialed and experienced emergency response personnel, for training in Denver. Through a grant from the Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100 Endowment Fund of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, twenty-two clergy and lay people received training to become new Frontline members. The gath-ering brings the national network of Orthodox Christian emer-gency responders to more than 80 members.
page 7
St. Paul. MN
Parish Picnic Photos Thank you to everyone who participated in
For more info, contact Rev. Fr. Richard Demetrius Andrews, [email protected] Position Title: Youth Minister Part-Time Supervision: The Part-Time Youth Minister works under the pastoral guidance of the Parish Priest and he is directly accountable to him.
• Commitment of Time: 10-15 hours/week
• Salary: Commensurate with education and experience ($15-20/hour)
• Primary Responsibilities: o GOYA – (Junior and Senior High School) Currently meeting once per month. o JOY – (Elementary School, grades 1-6) Currently meeting once per month. o HOPE – (Toddlers, Pre-school, K) Currently meeting once per month.
• Vitalize programs through increased participation of youth and parents.
• Seek increase frequency of meetings over time.
• Other Responsibilities: Participate in Vacation Church School, Summer Church Camp, Basketball Tournament, Retreats.
• Opportunity for growth in hours and compensation as program grows.
• Application: Current resume and recommendation from two supervisors in youth ministry.
• Full criminal background check required. Dimension of Position: This position provides the leadership required…
• To develop Orthodox Christian fellowship (Koinonia) among our young people.
• To involve them in the Liturgical and Sacramental life of the Church (Litourgia).
• To encourage the sharing of their Orthodox Faith with others (Martyria).
• To provide opportunities for serving the Church and the Society at Large (Diakonia).
• To promote the bond between parents and children.
• To solidify Orthodox Christian beliefs in lives of parents and children. Requirements of Position:
• An active Orthodox Christian.
• Attend regularly our Church worship services and activities.
• Know and be enthusiastic about his/her Orthodox Faith and Tradition.
• Be a good role model for our young people.
• Understand young people, love to work with them and interact successfully with them.
• Good communication skills and ability to work with volunteers.
• Good organizational and supervisory skills.
• Some experience in youth work.
• Willing to continually educate himself/herself about Youth by reading literature, attending conferences, etc.
Other Desirable Qualifications:
• Degree in Orthodox Theology or Orthodox Religious Education.
• Degree in Youth Ministry.
• Degree in Psychology or Counseling.
• Experience in athletics or physical fitness.
• Computer skills.
• He/she be physically fit.
• He/she know CPR.
651-488-5669
www.saintmarymn.org
854 Woodbridge St.
Saint Paul, MN 55117
1913 - 2013
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2013
6:00 p.m. "The next 100 Years"
Children and parents night with Arch-
bishop Nathaniel - at our parish hall
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2013
10:00 a.m. - Hierarchical Divine Liturgy
celebrated by His Eminence Archbishop
Nathaniel (and blessing of the new Holy
Altar Table)
1:00 p.m. - Traditional Romanian
Festive Banquet - at our parish hall
(your monetary donations will be well
received)
St. Mary Romanian Orthodox Church
OCTOBER 11-13, 2013
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2013
10:00 a.m. - Hierarchical Divine Liturgy
followed by lunch (with local clergy)
3:30 p.m. Blessing the graves at Oakland
cemetery
5:00 p.m. Vespers
6:30 p.m. Romanian Cultural Evening - at St.
Katherine Ukrainian Orthodox Church HALL-
$30.00 admission (under 18 years free)
- Food, Authentic Romanian Orchestra from
Chicago,
- Local entertainers and IZVORASUL perfor-
mance followed by open dancing
Anniversary
100 100 C
en
ten
nial
Cen
ten
nial
St. M
ary
RO
C C
en
ten
nial 100
Saturday, October 26th 6:30 – 9:30PM
St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral 1701 5th Street NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
Tickets are available during coffee hour, in the church office during the
week and online. Adults: $25 in advance, $30 at the door
Youth (6-17): $8 in advance, $10 at the door Children under 6: Free
Event Information
Your ticket goes a long way! Enjoy food (East
European feast), music, silent auction & more!
Silent Auction Many wonderful items wait for your bid! These items range in
price. Auction items include gift cards, baskets, Bed ‘n’ Breakfast
stays and more!
Donor Information Want to make a direct non-
taxable monetary donation or a donation to the Silent Auction?
To make a direct monetary donation, cash and checks are graciously
accepted. Checks may be made payable to “St. Mary’s Cathedral” with “Amy Hodge“ written on the memo line.
Donations also accepted online at www.hodgefamilybenefit.com
Silent auction inquiries or additional information contact:
Amy and Father Paul are parents to Elias and Faith and live in Saint Paul. Amy loves language & literature, bicycling, dancing, cuisine, and hardstyle kettlebell training. In April 2013, she was diagnosed with a
mid-brain astrocytoma, a brainstem tumor threatening her central nervous
system. Treatment began with surgery in June 2013 with the world-class surgeon,
Dr. Robert Spetzler. Care continues...
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/amyhodge
1
ST GEORGE’S GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH:
FINDINGS FROM THE PARISH SURVEY
AUGUST, 2013
PREPARED BY
JOANNA A. TZENIS, M.A.
2
INTRODUCTION
On June 16, 2013, the parish council made a survey available to the parish to collect
parishioner feedback on the strengths and areas and improvement for St. George’s
Greek Orthodox Church. Of the 250 parishioners families on our lists, 40 surveys were
returned, 29 via website and 11 via email or hardcopy. This is approximately a 15% not
knowing how many families submitted more than one response. The findings presented
in this report are not statistically significant, nor can we be sure they are a
representative sample of our parish. However, these data are viewed as an important
means of communication amongst parishioners so that we may collectively take action
steps in ways that maximize our strengths and intentionally address identified areas of
improvement.
Further, it should be noted that the author of this report is a parish council member with
a background in research and evaluation and that this report was reviewed by the
parish council.
METHODS
The Instrument
A survey was designed at the June 2013 parish council meeting. Two questions
were asked in the survey: What do we do well? and What do we need to improve? A
paper copy of the survey was made available after church on June 16 and June 23.
Further, two emails were sent to the Saint George listserv (figure 1). The email asked
parishioners to respond to the two aforementioned questions. Parishioners were given
the options anonymously dropping off their responses in the bookstore mailbox or by
completing the online survey via survey monkey (the link was provided). As a third
option, parishioners could have emailed their responses to [email protected].
o “Sunday school was enjoyable for my 3 year old. the class length and time
are perfect.”
o “good sunday school program and catechism (and Greek school)”
Summary.One parishioner addressed each of these strengths in his or her survey
response: “The services (including the Vespers, Salutations and Holy Week services),
the sermons of Fr. Rick, the warm hospitality of the people in the church, our children
enjoyed the Sunday School. So, in our opinion, you do a lot of things well (including the
most important ones) at St. George.”
Question 2:What do we need to improve?
The following data demonstrate areas of St. George’s that parishioners feel could
be improved.
Service length. While the aforementioned data reveal that parishioners appreciate and
enjoy Liturgy and worship opportunities, parishioners also noted the length of the
services as an area of improvement:
o “Sunday Church services are too long. Other communities have shorter
services and it serves the parishes very well.”
7
o “The priest needs to be sensitive to the length of the liturgy service and a
longservice should not be used as a tool to punish those attending.”
o “Shorten the service somewhat if possible. The length is such that we
arrive late in order for our children to tolerate the duration. Length may be
difficult for elderly as well.”
Sermons. While there were positive comments about the priest sermons (e.g. “I
enjoyed. . . the sermons of Fr. Rick” and “Sermons are full of wisdom”), specific
constituents of the priest’s sermons were identified as an area of improvement--namely,
sermon length, content and delivery:
o “Limit the adult sermon to 10-12 minutes -- anything over that time frame
seems to disengage the listener. Would like to hear topics of everyday
life/issues and how to relate them to our spirituality VS. weekly sermons
always relating to the Gospel”
o “Diversify the topics of sermons and speak more off the cuff like it is done
with the kids.”
o “Sermons need to be short and relevant to today's challenges in order to
be effective and they should not be delivered in a scolding manner.”
o “Sermons could be more positive.”
Church leadership. Amidst sprinklings of positive comments about church leadership
(e.g. “Board members have been receptive to concerns that I have expressed to them.
They have also taken action to correct any problems that they are able to handle. I
believe the Board members are dedicated to the Church.” and “We feel Fr. Rick does a
good job representing not only St. George but also with other involvements outside the
parish in the city of St.Paul.”),various aspects of church leadership were identified as
areas in need of improvement. Namely, parishioners identified the operations and
presence of priest and parish council leadership as opportunities for change:
“The guiding tone of the local parish is too dogmatic and shows too much
allegiance to the hierarchy rather than to the local church. It fails to allow the
proper level of democracy which should be accorded to its members.”
8
“Parish council needs to protect the interests of parishioners and not be the
"sales voice" for the priest.”
“The parish council should advise the priest to tune down his autocratic
approach. . .Not to get directly involved with the finances of the church and the
budget committees.”
“Father Rick is too strict in religious affairs with parishioners and controls the
church’s business too much. The church’s business affairs should belong with
the parish council.”
“The parish council makes decisions and approvals based on Father’s opinion
without thinking about the serious consequences we may face. He favors only
those few who support him while others leave the church.”
“Allow for more delegation. . .”
In summary, this particular data set identifies issues relevant leading the church’s
spiritual life and business affairs (i.e. finances).
Key positions are vacant. Survey data reveal an urgency and impatience amongst
parishioners to fill vacant positions. The primary vacancy of concern is the youth
director position:
“I would like to see a focus on building the youth programs. It is unfortunate that
we have been without youth leadership for close to two years. That is a very long
time for us parents with young children.”
“Let’s hire a youth Director who can actually work withour youth. The current hire
was hired 8 months ago. How long will we continue to wait before we decide that
our youth needs to have someone lead them?”
“As an organization, administratively, key positions are vacant. So, there is no
youth director or Sunday school director. Those are key positions for developing
youth programs and attracting families to church. Currently, there are no events
for young adults or kids to participate.”
9
“I would like to see a focus on building the youth programs. It is unfortunate that
we have been without youth leadership for close to two years. That is a very
longtime for us parents with young children.”
Church attendance and membership.The survey results indicate the parishioners
would like to see better attendance at Liturgy, as well as higher church membership
through both recruitment and retention. In other words, we not only need to recruit new
members and make them feel welcome, but also work to retain members or recover
those who have left the church. Some parishioners offer suggestions on how to improve
upon these issues.
Liturgy attendance
“Attendance is a concern on Sundays -- sometimes we have a full church and
other times it is half full or less. I attribute this to the demographics of St. George.
Our parishioners are spread throughout St. Paul, Hennepin & Dakota counties,
Wisconsin and southern Minnesota.”
“We need a better attendance. I really can't say what we can do about that. It
really should come from the parishioners' heart.”
Recruitment and Retention:
“We seem to be losing membership. I have heard some rumors as to why and I
hope they are not true. We need to welcome everyone--Greek and Non-Greek
into our church.”
“We have poor church attendance. We are missing hospitality and visitations
efforts. We must be in contact with people who used to come to the church but
now come infrequently. We must encourage them to participate more by letting
them know how they are valuable to the community.”
“The problems with the church, lack of enthusiasm, lack of commitment,
poorchurch attendance, no youth programs and lack of outreach are structural
long term problems.”
“Create a better sense of community. It seems that over the past couple of
years,we are losing more and more members in terms of attendance. There
seems to be a sense of discontent in the church. There isn't the same
10
commitment that there once was. Church should be welcoming and it doesn't
seem welcoming anymore. There needs to be greater dialogue, open discussion
and the freedom to express views without being punished by expressing those
views if they run counter to the church's teachings.”
Summary.The data revealed that the key areas of improvement for Greek Orthodox
Church are: Service length, sermons, church leadership, vacant positions, and
attendance and membership. The dominant theme among these was church leadership.
ANALYSIS AND NEXT STEPS
These themes reveal priority areas for collaborative parish action. The parish council
should lead efforts by creating opportunities for parishioners to be involved in action
aimed at maximizing our strengths and addressing our areas in need of improvement.
A first step has already been made prior to the publication of this report. A parish
council retreat, which was led by Paul Karos (a non-member and seasoned retreat
leader) was held on July 14, 2014 whereby parish council members (Joe Weiser was
absent) and Father Rick Andrews reviewed these survey results, discussed their own
responses to these questions and identified potential committees areas that could
address these priority areas. It was agreed by all in attendance that these committees
should be comprised of parish council members and parishioners (i.e. non-council
members).
Finally, it is recommended that the parish council organize and facilitate a “town hall”
meeting to which all St. George parishioners will be invited. This town hall meeting will
differ from parish assemblies; finances will not be reviewed. Rather, the priority areas
identified in the results section will be discussed in a forum format. The purpose of this
meeting will be to have an honest exchange of ideas and emerge with actions steps. A
precedent of respect and mutual concern and love for the health and vitality St.
George’s Greek Orthodox Church is requisite for this meeting’s success.
1
St. George Greek Orthodox Church
Parish Council Retreat
July 14, 2013
…..DRAFT NOTES TO COUNCIL ON JULY16…..
Next Steps:
1. Review draft of these notes, present to council to approve
2. Distribute in writing to parish
3. Organize Town Hall meeting to present and review and prioritize
4. Form committees and teams to work on these goals
3-TO-5 YEAR GOALS:
1. To enhance and deepen the fellowship and family – one faith / one family
2. To utilize our hospitality and warmth and love to welcome newcomers to our parish
a. Opportunity to combine #1 and #2?...TBD
3. To improve personal dedication to almsgiving and outreach
4. Grow stewardship to equal operating expenses; use fundraisers for other purposes (capital
improvements, charitable giving and other ministries)
5. Deepen and enhance Liturgical attendance and preparation for Holy Communion and identify
opportunities around liturgical duration
6. To develop and grow a personal prayer rule in the life of our families
7. To provide transparent open communication leadership at all levels of the parish
All goals should have subcommittees with non-Parish Council chairpersons, but have a liaison from the
Parish Council at the meetings to report back to the Council.
Below are themes identified through 3 Input Tools: a) Parish Survey, b) Council Interviews, c)
Social Hall Input Exercise
Strengths of St. George:
1. Strong adult education programming
a. Speakers, retreats, catechism
2. Strong sense of intimate community
a. Fellowship, closeness, hospitality, size, caring
3. Family feel
4. Caring and warmth
5. Smaller size facilitates family culture
a. Rapidly integrate, difficult to be anonymous
6. Full complement of Liturgical services
a. Year round, weekday
7. Prime and Visible Physical location at Lexington and Summit
8. Sanctuary is warm, beautiful and inviting spatial environment
9. Simple, clean, practical facility
10. Full complement of religious programming
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11. Preservation of cultural traditions
a. Both from a liturgical aspect and from a Hellenic aspect
12. Multi-generational Greek families at the Church
13. Diversity of the council (leadership)
14. Diverse parish
15. Cultural Embrace
16. Hospitality
17. People
a. Warm, caring, passionate volunteers, good folk, intelligent,
Things to Work on for St. George: (Number in parentheses are votes for topic by council members)
1. Improved communications in most situations (7)
2. Improve stewardship and close gap between stewardship and fundraisers for operating
budget (5)
3. Transparency to decision-making processes and better communication around it (3)
4. Enhanced non-Sunday fellowship (3)
5. Sunday coffee hour can appear cliques and Improved reception warmth to newcomers and
More warm atmosphere needed (3)
6. Retaining and growing parishioners (3)
7. Help Choir go to next level (2)
8. Unity of entire family, bridging new and old (one family/one faith) (2)
9. Length of service (1)
10. Long-term strategic and financial planning (1)
11. Parishioner acceptance of decisions made by leadership (0)
12. More consistent and education on church etiquette (0)
13. Strengthen standing committees (0)
14. Acknowledgement of volunteers and better recruitment (including Non-Orthodox) (0)
15. Educate parish on financial status (0)
16. Liturgical attendance and punctuality (0)
17. Liturgical sacramental and ascetical participation (0)
18. Increased storage at church (0)
19. Youth Minister role and Youth programming (0)
Foundation-Ascetical, Liturgical, Sacramental and Local Parish Life (Number in parentheses are
votes for topic by council members)
1. Alms Giving/Outreach (5)
2. Personal Prayer rule (4)
3. On Time at Liturgy (3) and Preparation and participation in Holy Communion (3)
4. Attendance at Liturgy (2)
5. Fasting (1)
6. Confession/Spiritual Nurturing/ Spiritual Father (1)
7. Attendance at non-Sunday Liturgical services (1)
8. Scripture/Spiritual Reading (0)
9. Watchfulness (0)
September 26, 2013 To: Saint George Greek Orthodox Church Parishioners Subject: Results from Summer 2013 Parish Survey and Parish Council Retreat Dear Parishioners: Thank you for participating in the Parish Survey this summer and the input session earlier this Spring in the Social Hall. The results were reviewed and combined with results from individual council member interviews conducted in advance of our Parish Council retreat on July 14. A draft two-page report from that retreat is attached and that will be a more driving document as the themes and multiple inputs are taken into account. Also attached is a summary report of the results from only the parish electronic/written survey. The raw data is available for review upon request. Like all survey results, depending on your own personal experiences, some of this feedback will ring true, untrue and partially true. You will see feedback that is both gushing and inflammatory about the same theme. However, all this data was seriously considered during the Parish Council retreat. So now what? Well, the Council recommendation is to hold a dedicated, Parish Assembly, town hall style meeting separate from the typical Parish Assembly meeting schedule. The date for this meeting will be scheduled and published soon. Please try and attend. We’ll be discussing these documents, future goals and priorities. We are hopeful that a primary outcome will be stronger focus and involvement in specific Ministries that strengthen our community and address key goals. This letter offers an opportunity to express a few other thoughts and reminders. Thank you for supporting another successful Greek Festival. Once again, we were blessed by God to share our wonderful food, dancing and Orthodox Christian Faith. God enabled us to work together to build our community and to get to know each other better. The festival’s success is also measured by the several thousand happy attendees who enjoyed everything in addition to the beautiful weather. Financial success was also achieved. Preliminary numbers indicate revenue of $90,000, expenses of $53,000 and a net of $37,000. This was similar to last year’s numbers. Please remember that Parish Council elections will be held in December, with nominations due in mid-November. If you are interested in running, talk to Father, me or another council member. Again, we thank everyone for their participation in the survey, and the 2013 Council for their involvement in the July 14 retreat, which was the first one held in several years. Thanks to everyone for their ongoing dedication to the church. With Warm Regards and in Christ’s Love, Fr. Richard Demetrius Andrews, Presbyter Mr. Tom Lampros, Parish Council President
