I received this from Ascension Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Oakland, CA. Anyone near by might be interested. PM me if you want the RSVP email/phone.
The Assembly of Bishops and the Future of Orthodoxy in America
November 2, 8:30am to 12:00pm – Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church, Moraga, CA.
As part of its 26th Annual Meeting, Orthodox Christian Laity is sponsoring a Forum on Saturday, November 2 from 8:30 to noon at the Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church in Moraga. The program will focus on the work of the Assembly of Bishops with an update on its September 2013 conclave.
In discussing the forum, OCL President Susan Haikalis said, “Although the majority of Orthodox Christians in America support the idea of unity, few of us are aware of the work of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America which was established in 2009/10. Among its several goals is to explore the organization of the Church in North and Central America in accordance with the ecclesiological and the canonical tradition of the Orthodox Church. The forum will provide us with an opportunity to learn more about what is taking place, to share our own opinions about the ideas of unity and what we as lay persons might do to move the process along.”
The forum which is open to all interested persons and will focus on the following:
The history of the movement for jurisdictional unity in American and how the Assembly of Bishops has come about as the vehicle for moving this concept forward to reality.
· How the Assembly is organized and what planning is currently taking place in its various committees and sub groups?
· What are the aspirations of the hierarchs, lay leaders and the laity in conjunction with the work of the Assembly?
· What is the vision of our church leadership for the future of the Orthodox Church in America?
Forum participants include: His Eminence Archbishop Nathanial, Spiritual Leader of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America and member of the Assembly’s Committee for Clergy Matters, Eric Namee, a prominent lay leader in the Antiochian Archdiocese and a member of the Assembly Secretariat Peter Haikalis, PhD., former OCL president.
