| Announcements & Reminders |
- Use Audit Materials - All parishes are reminded to please use the Diocesan audit guidelines in preparing their Financial Audit. Audited Financial reports for all parishes should be submitted to the Diocesan Center.
- Volunteers - We are looking for parish treasurers who are interested in participating in a group (sometimes known as a committee!) to define standards for parish accounting and reporting practice. Contact Joe Kormos. (513.683.1911)
- Orthodox Evangelization Materials - Content planning continues on developing effective approaches and training for Orthodox evangelization. If you have ideas, thoughts or concerns contact Joe Kormos.
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Parish Health Grants Announced
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Financial Support for Worthy Parish EffortsDoes your parish have a good idea? An internal or external ministry activity associated with education, evangelization, charitable outreach , or another important area of parish life that you have discussed and wanted to put into action -- but simply couldn't due to lack of resources? Perhaps the newly announced Parish Health Grant initiative can stimulate you to turn the crank and get started.  click here to finish reading the article. |
More Parish Website Suggestions
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 For Vibrant Parishes, An Effective Website Can Help Attract Visitors
We continue to believe that effective, neat websites are useful in many ways in helping parishes to establish a clear presence in their community and to attract visitors. We all know the importance of first impressions and for many visitors their first impression is formed before they walk through the door -- by visiting your parish website.
We offered some thoughts on good (content) practices for parish websites in an article in spring of 2007. We have continued to look at church websites - for both Orthodox parishes as well as other Christian groups -- to see if we can identify what seems to work and what doesn't.
Click here to read the article.
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| The Church at Corinth -- Insights for Today's parish |
"There has never been a "golden age" in which the Church found itself living in peaceful serenity devoid of tension and conflicts. And that is just as true of the Apostolic Age as it is of the Church in the contemporary world."
A new article from Fr Steven Kostoff , first in a series, begins to explore the challenges faced by the Church at Corinth to provide insights into life in modern parishes.
Lessons in True Pastoral Guidance in a Parish
The Apostle Paul did not simply establish a network of churches in the major urban areas of the Greco-Roman world, then leaving them to the care of local ministers of the Gospel who would guide the internal life of these "parishes." Rather, St. Paul would expend great care, tender concern and seemingly inexhaustible energy in keeping in close contact with these churches: "For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel" (I COR. 4:15). This was accomplished through the labors of his co-workers in the spreading of the Gospel - "servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God" (I COR. 4:1), such as St. Timothy and St. Titus. Click here to read the article |
| What Priests Want |
Attributes of an Attractive Parish Environment -- and Insights Into Healthy Parishes We recently worked with a parish to help them develop some plans for the next 5-10 years. Since the rector of the parish will be retiring at some time during that period he asked that we include the topic of preparing for a clergy transition in the discussion agenda. To help the parish think not only about what they would like in a pastor, but also to think about what a future rector would be looking for from them, we asked the group to describe what parish qualities/ characteristics an experienced Orthodox pastor would consider to be a good fit for his ministry. Prior to the workshop we asked that same question of a few senior priests in the diocese.
Click here to read the article |
| The Parish Conversation |
Working to Achieve Consensus Through DialogueIn thinking about the qualities of healthy American Orthodox parishes we've come to the conclusion that there can be no more important competency for a parish than to learn how to share an intelligent conversation. Click here for this months questions. |
Welcome to our first issue of 