“Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them,

and they that are great exercise authority upon them.

But it shall not be so among you:

but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:

Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto,

but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28, KJV)

The word the Athenians used for their Assembly was Ekklesia, the same word used in the New Testament for Church
(and it is the greatest philological irony in all of Western history that this word,
which connoted equal participation in all deliberation by all members,
came to designate a kind of self-perpetuating, self-protective Spartan gerousia -
which would have seemed patent nonsense to Greek-speaking Christians of New Testament times,
who believed themselves to be equal members of their Assembly.)

- Thomas Cahill, Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter



ΦΙΛΟΤΙΜΟ: THE GREEK SECRET

Sunday, July 6, 2008

An Uninformed Community

Since the spring general assembly in May, much has happened in our community but little has been reported to the parishioners. Consider the following:

  • Renovations in Prophet Elias have begun under the direct supervision of the proistameno of Prophet Elias only. No general assembly has approved the commencement of the renovations. The parish council found out about the renovations only after they had begun. We have heard that the money for this project was "donated" therefore negating any need for parish approval or participation. If this logic holds, anyone can "donate" for a project of their liking and it would be completed without input or approval. This thinking encourages chaos.

  • Certainly the proistameno of Prophet Elias only and the parish council have forwarded the preliminary plans to the metropolitan for his approval according to the UPR's Article 16 Sections 3 and 4 "Parishes shall submit to the respective Hierarch, for his prior approval related to aesthetic and dogmatic concerns, all preliminary plans for: (subsection B) Any major structural alteration to an existing church structure or other Parish building." Is the parish council aware of this section of the UPR or is the proistameno of Prophet Elias only acting unilaterally?
  • Without question we believe that the proistameno of Prophet Elias only and the parish council have forwarded the final plans to the metropolitan according to the same Article and Section of the UPR "All final plans shall also be submitted to the respective Hierarch for his prior approval."
  • Does the proistameno of Prophet Elias only believe that by holding question and answer sessions after services he is informing the community? As much as he would like this community to be split, the reality is that we are not. Question and answer sessions are held at general assemblies (instead of sitting quietly with his head down) where all members of the community are present instead of in one church after services.
Οποιος δε βλεπει που πατει, στη λασπη θε να πεσει!



Posted by TOCB Moderator at 7:32 PM

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