Rollback 6

Moderators Note: TOCB has advocated the unity of this community and looks to return to one Proistameno and one Philoptochos which should have occurred upon the receipt of the Metropolitan's letter announcing there would be no split. We roll back the clock to the November 2007 General Assembly where the much heralded survey results were announced. The survey responses posted are done so as they were received. TOCB has not edited or altered the survey responses.

Responses to HT/PE Survey: (Attending both) 5 of 8

I am saddened to see that a call to split our churches is due to money. I would like our community to remain united like ONE glorious [?] pie cut in half. Each piece contributing to the other spiritually to make a whole. The monies raised should be divided based on critically defined criteria important to both churches in an honest & equal way. We are ancestors of scholars, we are scholars ourselves and we should be able to work this out without crumbling in two. Remaining as one will help our children to live through the discriminations they face unique to this state. I also feel that we desperately [sp] need to add to our staff a paid youth director. One that would coordinate both churches keeping them together & constructing their faith as future parishioners. So my vote? Mazi (together) (870)

Those few separatists who wish to see things done a new or different way may go and start a new 3rd church, with an independent parish council. They should do so however with their own funds, rather than trying to "steal" one of the churches from our one, united parish!!! (1241)

Granted, we -Salt Lake City Community-are an exception, however, our structure is an exception that has worked and worked in an exemplary way for over 40 years! Thus we should not be singled out as an exception but rather as a stellar example of just how well this exceptional concept and Greeks can work & live together. It is only in the operation of this community under Father Michael wherein this structural issue has become an issue that is creating division and disharmony among hundreds of families whose members and ancestors have always been [sp] united. Shouldn't this issue -the cause-also be explored? Why are priests and bishops so involved in the secular and business operations of the church anyway - especially when it consumes their time more than their "priestly duties" of meeting the spiritual needs of their flock? If you disagre -ask some members why they are moving away from our church & community. Ask the youth why youth are not involved. Ask members who have faced "troubles" of been sick if the priests have called or visited them. Ask why a succesful, exceptional community has suddenly -under one realm begun splitting in non-Christian ways which will last--split or no-split of the churches!! Investigate cause, not effect! (163)

Dividing the two churches into independent communities will do nothing more than to "pit" the two churches along with family and friends against one another. (1146)

I can't see what this great community of ours is going to gain by splitting out two churches. Metropolitan Isaiah, Father Kouremetis, a handful of converts along with a confused group of parishioners who've never known how or where they want to worship, want to make our church something it is not. It will be best for all of us if these people go and build a church to their liking, maybe something more vanilla and less traditional and biblical. I envision something more like a "wardhouse"! (1186)

We have been betrayed by our own parish council for allowing the few to cause such discord in our parish. (1301)