DECEMBER 2022 KOINOTIS

Dear Fr. Anthony,
Thriving Congregations Initiative Update
Sunday, November 27, 2022, Narge J. Sparages
Thank you for the opportunity to speak to our parishioners today about the Thriving Congregations Initiative.
We had our Fall 2023 meeting on Saturday November 19, and I thank you for the opportunity to provide an update.
The Lilly Foundation provided The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston a large grant to support the Thriving
Congregations Initiative. This 4 to 5-year program is designed to guide our parishes to thrive. It will help each parish
•understand our cultural and social contexts,
•to develop and adopt a clear mission and vision,
•to cultivate authentic Orthodox Christian practices, and
•to plan for sustaining our own efforts at the parish level.
What is a thriving congregation? Allow me to ask a different question. If we closed our church, would Somerville
know that we are no longer here, other than for the festival?
To become a thriving congregation, we need to start with Why, our Why. Why do we have a church, here, in
Somerville?
• Η πρώτη Έλληνες που ήρθαν στο Somerville έχτισαν την εκκλησία για να καλωσορίσουν τους φίλους και τους
συγγενείς τους και να τους προσφέρουν την ίδια θρησκευτική και κοινοτική εμπειρία που είχαν στην πατρίδα
τους. Ακόμα περιμένουμε Έλληνες μετανάστες να γεμίσουν τα στασίδια της εκκλησίας μας; Είναι αυτός ο αγωγός
προς το μέλλον μας;
• Στην Ελλάδα, και σε πολλές άλλες χώρες, υπάρχει μόνο μία κύρια θρησκεία σε κάθε κοινότητα. Η εκκλησία
βρίσκεται στο κέντρο της κοινότητας. Όλοι στην κοινότητα είναι Έλληνες. Η Ελληνική Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία της
Κοιμήσεως της Θεοτόκου και η γειτονιά γύρω της δεν βρίσκεται στο κέντρο μιας Έλληνικής κοινότητας. Δεν
βρίσκεται στο κέντρο μιας Χριστιανικής κοινότητας με μέλη που πηγαίνουν στην εκκλησία. Πολλοί που θα
έρθουν αύριο και μεθαύριο στην εκκλησία μας δεν θα έχουν μία σχέση με την Ελλάδα.Δεν είναι προφανές ποια
πρέπει να είναι η αποστολή μας.
• Γιατί είμαστε εδώ? Ποιοι είμαστε εδώ για να υπηρετήσουμε; Ποιος είναι ο γείτονάς μας, ποιοι είναι στην
κοινότητά μας και ποιοι θα είναι στην κοινότητά μας; Θα ευδοκιμήσει η κοινότητά μας;
We are not alone. This is not a Greek Orthodox problem. This is not even a Christian problem. This is a challenge
for all faiths. Church, faith in God, and the practice of our faith have been replaced with worldly concerns.
Let me give an example shared this month at one of our meetings, with a couple of small edits. You have
Patriot’s football tickets. You
•go on Facebook and let everyone know you are going and
•invite friends to go with you.
•You go to watch your team win. You know when your team wins, and when it loses.
And this is just a football game.
•Do we tell our family and friends that we are going to church on Sunday?
•Do we invite them to come with us?
•Do we know why we go to church?
•Do we know what the goal of the church is or what it means for our church to win?
These are difficult questions, and I only ask them to show that we have work to do, especially if we want to
grow as a Christian community. This is why the Lilly Foundation is funding Thriving Congregations Initiative.
The Thriving Congregations Initiative will help us determine for ourselves where we are today, where we want
to be as a parish, how to get there, and how to thrive. At the last meeting we learned about how the Orthodox Ministry
Services and the Faithtree Relationship Project can help us.
The Orthodox Ministry Services is already helping us with our strategic plan, so that we understand where we
are winning and where we need help. They have reviewed our church finances and have made recommendations on
next steps.
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