GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA 8-10 East 79th St. New York, NY 10021 Tel: (212) 570-3530 Fax: (212) 774-0215 Web: http://www.goarch.org Email: communications@goarch.org
For Immediate Release: July 25, 2006
Contact: Rev. Dr. Frank Marangos Cell: 617-680-7222 Email: communications@goarch.org
GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA SUCCESSFULLY CONCLUDES HISTORIC 38TH BIENNIAL CLERGY-LAITY CONGRESS
Nashville, TN - The 38th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America successfully concluded its deliberations in Nashville, Tennessee after five days of worship, education, and fellowship by nearly 1,500 participants. The historic gathering was marked by a number of significant resolutions concerning the abuse of children, violence in the Middle East, and the religious freedom of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Delegates also overwhelmingly approved a financial restructuring of the funding for the national ministries to ensure the growth and progress of the Archdiocese.
According to His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, "The monumental task of the 38th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress was to translate into projects and actions the theme of the Congress: Sharing the Truth of the Gospel and the Love of Christ." "It is our responsibility," The archbishop stated in his Keynote Address, "to share the truth and the love of Christ with our brothers and sisters of the Orthodox faith and with our non-Orthodox, and even non-Christian neighbors, colleagues, and citizens of this country and beyond America!"
Apart from producing important decisions pertaining to the national ministries of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, the historic Congress was marked by a remarkable level of participation and a high level of discussion concerning the contemporary issues of information technology, bioethics, and poverty. In addition, more than 70 workshops and educational sessions, providing insights into various types of effective parish ministry, were well attended by delegates and congress participants.
The Congress highlight was the historic Sunday Liturgy that was a powerful testimony to the unbroken historical reality of Orthodox Christianity that remarkably traces its lineage back to the actual Apostles of Jesus Christ. Another significant event was the cultural night at the historic Nashville Parthenon ? an architectural replica of the actual Parthenon in Athens, Greece - built in 1895 to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the State of Tennessee, provided attendees an opportunity to celebrate the rich Hellenic character of the Orthodox Faith, as well as a joyful expression of country-western music.
The Clergy-Laity Congress is the highest legislative body of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and is convened biennially and presided over by the Archbishop. It is concerned with all matters, other than doctrinal or canonical, affecting the life, growth and unity of the Church, the institutions, finances, administration, educational and philanthropic concerns and its increasing growing role in the life of the nations of the Western Hemisphere. The delegates are the pastors and elected lay representatives.
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