Our Parish Council

CURRENT PARISH COUNCIL EVENTS & PROJECTS

November 2024 President's Communication

Dear Annunciation Parishioners,

On October 21, we had our Fall General Assembly meeting. As usual, we had a light attendance but a quorum. I want to summarize the important topics we presented and discussed so everyone knows our Parish's current state of affairs. The presentation deck and financial statements are available here >>

We have financial issues. We are projecting a deficit of $50,000 this year. While stewardship is up compared to last year, it is well below our goal for the year. We asked the Community to be part of the Dollar-a-Day program, and about 90 people contributed; thank you! However, that means over 200 parishioners did not. Our OPA! Festival in May was larger and better in many ways, but cold and wet weather dramatically limited our financial results. The combination of poor OPA results and missing our Stewardship goal are the causes of the deficit, as our spending for the year is running below budget even as we complete improvements such as installing LED lighting in the parking lots and fixing roof leaks in the Church.
We need your help! Our 2025 Stewardship campaign starts in December. We humbly ask you to complete your 2024 Stewardship pledge and, where possible, give additional help to minimize the deficit. Please do so with a few clicks HERE. Please pledge generously so we meet our goals for 2025. We presented a proposed 2025 budget targeting a zero gain or deficit, but we still count on a successful OPA! Festival to achieve that result.
Our Parishioners and Ministries make a real difference! Our community and our Ministries are vibrant and have a great impact, both within and outside of it. The Ladies Philoptochos, Matthew 25, and Homeless Ministries do tremendous work helping those in need; thank you to everyone in those Ministries and everyone who supports their efforts. All our Ministries have full calendars of activities, especially our Youth Ministries. It is wonderful to see the Church full of children on Sundays and evenings for Greek School, dance practice, and all the other activities.
We need more space and modern bathrooms. Our Greek School has grown yearly since COVID; with over 70 children enrolled this year, we are out of classroom space. We have more Youth programs, and they are more extensive. We have more elderly parishioners who need assistance. To address these needs, we are working to remodel the main floor bathrooms and the classroom floor, creating new space within the building and using existing space more efficiently. Please see the poster board in the Narthex and HERE. We will hold sessions after Liturgy on Sundays to review the project details. Architectural work is funded and underway, and we intend to do the construction work over the summer of 2025. Fundraising is beginning shortly.
We have a new generation of leaders! This year, we have several new leaders in our Youth Ministries and several first-time candidates for Parish Council, all of whom are thoughtful, energetic people with young families who will bring fresh ideas and new energy. We must have a broad group of people willing to take leadership roles and rotate in and out of these positions – serve a term, take a term off, and then serve a term again. That gives our community fresh energy and continuity without people fearing that serving once will commit them to a 10-year obligation. Thank you to all these new folks, and please give them our full support in their roles.

Our community has excellent energy and potential for the future. Please take an active role and be generous with your Time, Talent, and Treasure. Remember, we can achieve great things with Faith, Love, and a little hard work!

With love and optimism for the future,

Dean Dalson,

Parish Council President

October 21, 2024, Fall Assembly Presentation >>

MISSION

The Parish Council comprises eleven individuals seeking to serve God by being servant leaders to our clergy, ministries, and community. While Parish Council members are diverse in age, length of membership, skills, level of financial giving, and interests, all members share the joy of working together to further the ministries and build a Christ-centered parish of faith and love. Servant leaders are key participants in setting the future direction of the community and maintaining the principles of our Mission and Vision.

DUTIES AND PARTICIPATION

In the Oath of Office, the parish council members affirm that they “…will fulfill faithfully and sincerely the duties and obligations required of a member of the Parish Council….” No contract is signed, but a promise is made which rests on the shared commitment of all council members to serve the Church, which is the Body of Christ on earth. We are His hands, feet, eyes, and more. To serve on the council is a ministry and a mission. We are called to use the gifts with which we have been blessed to carry out the work of the Church.

Council members' duties and responsibilities range from ensuring the good governance of the community, discussing long-range plans, reviewing monthly financials, overseeing the staff, helping with church-wide events like the OPA Festival, and promoting vital ministry programs and activities. They strive to connect with our parishioners, greet and usher during worship services, and build relationships.

THE 2024 PARISH COUNCIL

Constantine Dalson, President
Anthony Vlahos, Vice President
James Papacostas, Secretary
Demetrios Papakirk, Treasurer
Panagiotis Giannoumis, Assistant Treasurer
Members: Leontios Diamantas, Evangelos Exarchos, Apostolos Fisfis, Panagiotis Kyriakou, Afrodite Patounas, Russell Penning.

CONTACT

Dean Dalson, Parish Council President

PARISH COUNCIL DOCUMENTS

New to the Parish Council? >>
Parish Council Guidebook >>

PARISH LIFE ANNUAL REPORTS

We present our Annual Report to our community yearly at our parishioners' Spring General Assembly. We use this report to express our heartfelt gratitude to our parishioners for your generosity and trust. As the report highlights, your generous gifts enable our ministerial work here and beyond our parish.