The parish held the regular fall Assembly meeting on 17-Nov following Divine Liturgy, with a duly recorded quorum exceeding the 129-minimum requirement.

Click here to view the Parish Fall Assembly presentation.

Key topics are summarized below:

1) Fr. Rick reported on working with the Metropolis to identify an associate pastor to serve the parish community. The parish will have support of a second priest on Sundays until a permanent assignment can be made.

2) Parish Bylaws. Proposed edits were received from the Metropolis and will be reviewed by committee and parish council prior to further Assembly action.

3) Parish Articles of Incorporation. The council recommended updates to the Articles of Incorporation in the state of Illinois that meet IRS requirements for application as a recognized 501(c)3 charitable organization. The Assembly adopted the revision unanimously. Next steps include review by the Metropolis and subsequent approval by the Archdiocese. The application for 501(c)3 status will be pursued at the earliest opportunity.

4) Sandra Glisic, our parish administrator, reported on the implementation of the Archdiocesan Youth Protection Policy at the parish. All youth workers, those involved with any aspect of youth events, are asked to complete registration, a background screening for $34, and training prior to 15-DEC-2019.

5) The parish finances remain stable through Q3, with a strong contribution from the Festival in July.

6) The stewardship and capital campaign committees have been combined and together recommend that all parish families contribute 2% or more of gross income to the church. This contribution level is anticipated to enable ongoing operations and annual capital projects.

7) The current capital project replacing the roof and HVAC units in the community center is projected to complete in December 2019. Costs are within the $600K amount approved at the Spring Assembly. The Parish has raised all but the last $100K and is asking all parishioners to contribute additional stewardship or specific donations to the capital projects before year end.

8) The 2020 budget was unanimously approved by the Assembly. The stewardship line is increased from $650K in 2019 to $1250K in 2020, sufficient to cover parish ministry growth and capital project expenditures planned in 2020. The capital projects identified in 2020 include the roof and HVAC systems for the Church building, estimated from the Capital Master Plan at a total not to exceed $500K. The specific projects would be brought for approval at the Spring Assembly.

9) The 2020 Audit committee was elected, provisionally as the members that constituted the 2019 committee were not present.

10) The 2020 nominees for parish council were confirmed, with 10 candidates identified for 9 positions. The vote is scheduled for 24-Nov.

11) Fr. Panagiotis and the Boznos family were recognized and thanked for their contributions to the community over the last 6 years. A reception will be held on 24-NOV following Divine Liturgy and the parish is invited to donate to a gift in his honor.