Andy Giannis: "New Rules" Are Hurting Our Church and Community

MY POINT OF VIEW

As the General Assembly last Monday was drawing to a close, I realized that there are a great number of others who share the same concerns that I have about the problems our community has faced during the past few years.

During the course of the assembly, the Board members reminded us once again that the pendulum has swung from what it was 15 years ago and that the game must be played with the “new set of rules”. Our treasurer, Mr. Phill Floor, gave us the bad financial news and in his reasoning for the decline in stewardship, he said, the result was due to bad economic times. The issue of apathy and discontent from the people in this community was sort of swept under the carpet.

Those in attendance had different views. The message they had to both Clergy and the Parish Council was explicitly and strongly expressed in more than one way. Financially, regardless of good or bad economic times, it has been the laity that has sustained the existence of our Church. We have been the lifeline since day one. Not paying our stewardship obligations could be disastrous for both the Church and community as a whole. Although I do not recommend it, this may be the only alternative we are left with in order to get our point across.

The “new rules” have been taking us down the wrong path. The new rules have produced negative results. It’s been 46 years since I joined this community and never before have I seen the turmoil, discontent, anger and division that we have seen in the past few years. It is time for CHANGE. Clergy needs us as much as we need them. For the common good we have to work together and treat each other as equals; otherwise we both lose. Those with inflated egos must understand that staying the course will result in worse consequences for our communities across this country. It is time for our Church leaders to change their mindset and come to grips with reality.

In the past we, the laity, have had an important role in the affairs and decision-making process of our Church. Unfortunately, that role has been downgraded and reduced to that of a second fiddler. Our voices no longer have any effect; our views are irrelevant; and that, for the most part, has been the root of our current problems. Change is badly needed. Secondly, the Church hierarchy needs to clean its own house. Pedophiles, adulterers and hypocrites should be stopped from having access to the altars and pulpits of our churches. Pedophiles should be locked behind bars and not be allowed to preach to us any more. Our leaders should take full and personal responsibility for having protected these hideous criminals over the years, at the expense of our children.

Our community has gone through a lot and it is time for that to come to an end. The people of this community have spoken more than once and it’s time for the mere few to stop talking and start listening!

Sincerely,

Andy Giannis

Jim Kastanis' Observations to Fr. Michael's GA Report

5/22/08

I would like to address a couple of topics in Fr. Michael’s report at the Spring General Assembly:

1- Sunday School attendance. Quote: “I feel that our children are now attending our Sunday school not just to play basketball and dance but they are thirsting to learn about our Lord and His Holy Orthodox Church.” If this is the reason why do we still have the attendance point system in effect?

I hear from our children that they need to attend Sunday school to acquire points to be able to play basketball or dance. Let’s eliminate the point system and evaluate the attendance.

2- Greek school attendance struggles. Quote: “Why don’t we send our children to learn and better understand the Greek language and heritage?

Other than the public schools, our children gather the most at church or church functions. Why aren’t we introducing them to more Greek to whet their appetite? In Sunday school we can teach The Lord's Prayer in Greek, The Creed in Greek, responses such as “Kyrie Eleison”, “Sy Kyrie”, etc. Make them aware and proud of their great heritage and meaning to be of Greek origin.

- Jim Kastanis

Spring General Assembly

It appears that the people of our Community have voiced their opinion last night at the Spring General Assembly as to the unaffordable deficit we ended up having for 2007 and the much disturbing deficit amount for the first quarter of this year. The ridiculous excuses and suppositions presented by our treasurer did not stand before the attending crowd and were immediately denounced.

The reasons for the apathy and lack of interest to pay one's stewardship were exploited to the point that all fingers were pointing to one direction. To get rid of the PROBLEM. Yes, we can get rid of the problem, yes, WE CAN. However if this is the case, why does the President and/or his Board refuse to take the proper action in order that our Community return back to normalcy?

When Odesseus was returning home from the war in Troy he and his brave sailors had to pass the Symbligathes Petres, a mass of crushing stones. The horror and fear were great and the sailors let their oars go and started praying to Athena to save them. When Odesseus saw what was happening and realized their impeding catastrophe, he turned to them and said the famous: "syn Athena kai xeira kinei" which means: "together with praying to Athena move also your hands" so we won't be crushed. This story applies to us here in our Community. The elected Board members of our United Community ought to act in a timely fashion before we all feel guilty about our anticipated destructive consequences.

Sakis Sakellariou

* PLEASE ATTEND THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
AND VOTE YOUR CONSCIENCE

* PLEASE URGE YOUR FRIENDS TO ATTEND THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

* THIS ISSUE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
TO OUR COMMUNITY’S SURVIVAL

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Date: May 14, 2008

Dear Parish Members,

According to the general assembly agenda we shall be presented with a "new" corporate structure to be considered for adoption by our parish.

The proponents’ reason for the creation of the "new entities" is flawed.

I believe that if this community embarks upon a course of action which shall "ADOPT" the recommendation of the creation of the "entity-structures" as shall be proposed at the general assembly, this community shall be committing a grievous mistake in judgment; and that is, regardless of whether or not any real property will be transferred now or at some time in the future.

The parish should NOT under any circumstances create any entity which will have as a member or a manager of an LLC, or a shareholder of a corporation, the parish itself, either alone or in any limited capacity.

The reason is very simple. If a third party obtains a money judgment ("judgment creditor") against the parish - and the parish becomes a "judgment debtor"- ALL ASSETS of the parish are SUBJECT TO EXECUTION by the Sheriff of the Salt Lake County in order to satisfy the judgment [creditor]. It is common knowledge that one cannot otherwise protect (other than insurable losses) the parish’s assets from a judgment creditor.

For the reasons stated in the preceding paragraph, if the Archdiocese and/or the Metropolis become "judgment debtors" in any lawsuit, OUR PARISH’S ASSETS are going to be at risk. It would be a grievous mistake if we were to embark on such a course.

Please ask any lawyer of your choice the following simple questions:

1. Can a judgment creditor of the parish "reach" the parish’s assets? and,

2. Are the benefits, that would be accruing to the parish under any structure which may be established, considered "parish assets" ? and,

3. Can a "judgment creditor" reach those assets referenced in number 2 above?

If the answer to any one of the 3 questions is answered affirmatively, we all lose. The community loses its assets to the extent of the amount of the judgment, and only reduced by any amount of applicable insurance.

A person CANNOT be a little pregnant. NONE of us should be permitted nor allowed to place at risk OUR community’s assets.

There is only ONE WAY TO PROTECT the community. Follow through with the corporate structure that this parish created by a 72% majority. It is of record with the Utah Division of Corporations.

Any other step leads to risk. And we all should be risk averse for the community’s assets.
Thank you for allowing me to express my point of view.

Best regards to all,


Nick J. Colessides

P.S. The enclosed Deseret News story is very timely. We need NOT endanger the community’s assets.

Nick J. Colessides
Attorney at Law
466 South 400 East, Suite 100
Salt Lake City, Utah 84111-3325
Tele: 801/521-4441
Fax: 801/521-4452
E-mail: njcolessides@msn.com

Do the Math

Is our hierarchy's commitment to our kids' safety a joke?

One of the most distressing problems our church faces is that of sexual abuse of children by the clergy. Our hierarchs seem to be responding with the same disastrous attempts at denial, deception and secrecy as their Roman Catholic peers. In a recent letter to the editor to Orthodox News, republished on Orthodox Reform, Catherine Metropoulos describes the mindset. A concerned lay person who attends each Clergy-Laity Conference (since 2000) entirely at her own expense, she hopes to foster awareness regarding clergy sexual misconduct within the church. She seeks to ensure that effective preventive policies might be developed and enacted.

Her reasons for doing so are personal. She points out that while attending the Clergy Laity in 2006 she met three well-respected clergymen. They assumed she was attending as a Philoptochos member. She responded that she was a member of the Archdiocese’s Clergy Sexual Misconduct Advisory Board. She describes the reaction:

Immediately one of the priests began to laugh. He called the Archdiocese’s misconduct policy a “joke.” He added that for many years the Greek Orthodox Church had mishandled matters of clergy sexual misconduct and that this problem continued. To illustrate his point, the priest then shared the history of a former clergyman by the name of Emmanuel Koveos. He said that some 30 years ago he had personally attended spiritual court hearings after Koveos had sexually molested a young girl while he served in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. The priest continued, poking fun at how for many years thereafter Koveos was moved from parish to parish while many knew of his continuing sexual improprieties. He joked how, decades later, Koveos was caught abusing another young girl while he served in Vermont, but this time he went to prison and was finally defrocked.

Mrs. Metropoulos informed them that it was her child whom in 1997 Koveos had sexually victimized in Vermont. Embarrassed, they apologized. The attitude however indicates that little has changed despite her efforts and those of others. The mockery of the subject should make us wonder if our well-being and that of our children is of any concern - or is it a joke? - to the "shepherds of the flock."

Unbelievably, our hierarchy continues to support these criminals and to foist them upon unsuspecting communities, placing children in jeopardy. Pedophiles in their lifetimes average about 150 incidents of child sexual abuse. Do the math. Aside from the pain and heartache that statistic implies, the ongoing mindset exposes the Church and individual parishes to huge potential liability. When will our hierarchs at least understand this concept?!

Archbishop Demetrios initially refused to defrock Fr. Nicholas Katinas even though a church investigation revealed that he had sexually abused children. The result is that he and other hierarchs and clergy are now named as co-defendants in the upcoming lawsuit in Dallas. The Dallas community is also named and stands to lose its church and properties if a settlement cannot be reached. Of course the rest of us will be asked to pay as well.

We join Mrs. Metropoulos in imploring that delegates attending the Clergy-Laity Conference this summer challenge the Archdiocese’s Clergy Sexual Misconduct Policy. We must:

• Question the hierarchy's commitment to child safety within the church.
• Insist that the corruption and secrecy within our hierarchy be stopped, and that those who sexually violate our children be held completely accountable.
• Stipulate that victims deserve compassion, not alienation and blame.
• Ensure that preventive procedures, policies, and appropriate responses be better developed and utilized.
• Demand that the Archdiocese provide on their Web site a link listing the names and photographs of all clergy suspended or defrocked for sexual misconduct so that they do not infiltrate other unsuspecting communities.

To this we would add one more reform:

• Require that all individual Greek Orthodox parish communities are acknowledged and respected by the hierarchy as the rightful and proper owners of their own incorporated properties.

The future of our church depends upon it.