Our Ministry Teams
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Altar
Servers - Young boys and teens
between the ages of 7 and 18, are invited to serve in
the Altar each Sunday and at all liturgical services.
They are trained by the clergy.
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Church
School -
"Train up a child in the way he should go, and
when he is old, he will not depart from it." This
quote from the Holy Scripture describes our philosophy
on religious education. Church School classes are held
every Sunday from September to June, preceding Divine
Liturgy. Our director and teachers are devoted to
their task of sound education in the Orthodox Faith.
The parents and the teachers come together when
necessary to plan and execute the social gatherings
and spiritual activities of the children.
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Fellowship
of St. John the Divine - We are
currently re-activating this ministry.
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| Bread Baking
Team - These hardworking women gather weekly
to bake Syrian bread to sell to the community at large.
They are renown for baking the BEST bread in the area.
In addition, their efforts help the parish financially.
They are truly great ministers of St. Elias Parish. |
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Theotokos
Society - This is an organization in our
parish for our devoted and energetic women. Theirs is
a service of love for church and community since 1913.
They concentrate on religious, cultural and
humanitarian efforts in their activities as defined by
their parent organization of the Archdiocese - the
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Women of North America,
Eastern Region (AOCWNA). Our women have always been
the heart of the parish.
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Parish
Council - The
Parish Council is composed of dedicated men and women
elected or appointed to administer the affairs of St.
Elias Parish in accordance with its Constitution and
by-laws. In addition, representatives of all the adult
church organizations are members of the Parish
Council. Structured by Robert's Rules of Order, it is
very similar to the workings of the American Congress.
However there is one vast difference: our Congress is
governed by Democracy; our Parish Council is governed
by Theocracy. Our governing head is Jesus Christ,
represented in the person of the Primate of the
Archdiocese. That is why we have certain criteria in
the selection of people to serve on the Parish
Council. Under our constitution, our Parish Council
administrates! You, the Body of Christ, legislate.
They advise - you consent! We are very fortunate to
have men and women to serve on our Parish Council who
are dedicated Orthodox Christians and who sacrifice
their time, talents, and resources for the Church.
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SOYO
(Society of Orthodox Youth Organizations) -
This organization is for teenagers but also encourages
pre-teens to get involved in preparation for their
teen years. Their activities include an annual retreat
and camping at the Antiochian Village. Their biggest
fund raisers to support their programs are the annual
Christmas projects and bake sales. They are encouraged
to participate in the annual Regional Parish Life
Conference and the two delegates' meetings of the
Eastern Region. Last year our chapter hosted the very
successful 2004 Fall Delegates Meeting! We have been
recently named to host the 2006 Spring Delegates
meeting!!
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St.
Elias Liturgical Choir, Chanters and Readers
- "A church without a choir is like a
body without a soul." Our Liturgical Choir is the
soul of our church. They sing at most liturgical
services the traditional Byzantine music of the
Orthodox Church. They are also committed to
participate in other sacramental services (such as
weddings), Choir festivals and the Sunday of Orthodoxy
Vespers. Our choir director and members are most
faithful in their love and devotion to the Church and
for that we are grateful.
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