Strategic Planning committee meets with Lesser Synod Members

12/2/2010

SYOSSET, NY [OCA] — Despite the record-breaking snow storm that all but paralyzed the east coast, members of the the Strategic Planning Committee [SPC] met with members of the Lesser Synod of Bishops at the Chancery of the Orthodox Church in America here February 10-11, 2010.

The meeting marked the first time committee members presented some of their preliminary work to hierarchs.

The two-day meeting reviewed various aspects of the mission, scope and process of the strategic plan. Serious discussions also focused on specific details within the body of the committee’s presentations.

As reported earlier, the SPC has been called upon by the Metropolitan Council to facilitate the development of a strategic plan for the OCA that captures its values, goals, strategies and organizational structure. Using a conciliar process, the SPC will reach out to all levels of the Church for input, beginning with the Metropolitan and the members of the Holy Synod. A full-day meeting with the Metropolitan Council will be held on March 2, 2010, while dioceses and parishes will be included in the process in the fall of 2010. The goal is to finalize a draft plan for discussion, amendment and adoption at the 16th All American Council in the fall of 2011.

Hierarchs attending the meeting included His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah; His Grace, Bishop Nikon; and His Grace, Bishop Tikhon. His Eminence, Archbishop Seraphim, who was unable to attend due to the severe weather, submitted written comments. Also in attendance was Hieromonk Michael [Dahulich], Bishop-elect of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey.

In addition to Metropolitan Jonah, other committee members attending the meeting were Archpriest Robert Arida, chair; and Archpriests Theodore Boback, Michael Oleksa, Alexis Vinogradov, and Eric Tosi; Priest John Vitko; Deacon John Zarras; and Dmitri Solodow and David Grier. Absent were Protodeacon Peter Danilchick and Elena Silk.

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