About the Parish Council

The Parish Council shall consist of the Priest, and 24 elected lay members fixed by the Parish by-laws or by local statute according to the needs of the Parish and is responsible to the Parish Assembly and to the Diocesan Bishop for conducting all Parish affairs.

The members of the Parish Council are elected for a term not to exceed three years by the members of the Parish who have met their stewardship financial obligations to the Parish.

A candidate for the Parish Council must be a member in good standing of the Parish for at least one year immediately preceding the date of the election and who lives his or her life and activities in accordance with the faith and holy canons of the Church.

All candidates shall attend a seminar conducted by the Priest prior to the election at which the Priest shall discuss the Uniform Regulations and explain them to the candidates, particularly the oath of office. At the conclusion of the seminar all candidates will acknowledge by signing a statement that they understand the Uniform Regulations and, if elected, will abide by them and the oath of office.

Each member or member-elect of the Parish Council is obliged, without exception, to take the following oath of office and thereafter subscribe his or her name thereto:

"I do solemnly affirm that I will uphold the dogma, teaching, traditions, holy canons, worship, and moral principles of the Greek Orthodox Church, as well as the constitutional charter, discipline, and regulations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and that I will fulfill faithfully and sincerely the duties and obligations required of a member of the Parish Council. So help me God."

A person refusing to take the oath and subscribe to the same shall not assume the duties as a member of the Council or be elected as an officer of the Parish Council.

The Parish Council under leadership of the Priest shall have the following duties: to attend services regularly and to participate in the sacramental life of the Church thereby setting an example for the Parish, to administer the affairs of the Parish in such manner as to aid the Priest in the fulfillment of its and purposes, establish a stewardship program, appoint a stewardship committee to implement and expand the stewardship program of the Parish, to collect the revenue of the Church, issuing receipts thereof and paying by check the salaries of the Parish personnel, Parish expenses, budgetary grants-in-aid for the Parish educational and philanthropic organizations and such sums as may be fixed by the Clergy-Laity Congress for the support of the Archdiocese, to buy, sell or mortgage Parish property, as hereinbefore provided, to submit annually to the Archdiocese and to the Diocese the Parish budget for the ensuing year and the audited financial statement for the prior year.

All Parish personnel, including schoolteachers, are engaged or discharged by the Parish Council with the consent of the Priest.

Upon the expiration of its term, the Parish Council shall surrender to the succeeding Parish Council all Parish records, including membership lists, minute books, bank books, check books, journals, financial records, and all other property of the Parish. Such transfer shall be affected by the letter of transmittal, a copy of which shall be sent to the Bishop.