Sermon?

"The Lord said to his disciples, 'You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.'" (Matthew 5:14-16) This passage was read during Liturgy on July 17th and anyone attending Holy Trinity on that Sunday expecting to hear a sermon related to the gospel certainly must have been disappointed.

Fr. Gilbert relayed that the community is in great turmoil. He continued by stating that those who are holding back their stewardship thinking they are helping solve the situation are only making it worse and are the cause of the problem. According to Fr. Gilbert those withholding stewardship are withholding their money not from the church but from God.

A  viewing of the audit committee report of 2009 lists over $600,000 in expenses that were not approved by any general assembly. By Fr. Gilbert's logic it was God who spent that money. If God was really spending these monies wouldn't he rather fix the dome at Prophet Elias rather than construct a picnic stand?

We also learned that, according to Fr. Gilbert, that Archbishop Demetrios has nothing to do with our community and is not our leader. Metropolitan Isaiah and only Metropolitan Isaiah is our hierarch. This certainly must be news to Archbishop Demetrios and the Archdiocese.

It is evident that the proistameno of Prophet Elias only has lost all authority in this community. First is his silence and lack of leadership with Mr. Derby's letter. Second, if it is true that Archbishop Demetrios has nothing to do with our community, how can you, as a member of the Archdiocese Council, allow that statement to stand without response? It seems like you are no longer in charge.