ASSEMBLY OF THE DIOCESE OF EASTERN AMERICA
Midland, PA – The St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in Midland, PA was host to the Annual Diocesan Assembly held on February 24-25, 2006. This two-day event officially began with the Invocation of the Holy Spirit officiated by diocesan hierarch Bishop Dr. Mitrophan. Afterwards the meeting began in the church hall with a total of eighty participants taking part in this year’s work of the assembly which included, among other things, reports from the various diocesan bodies.
In his annual report the bishop mentioned some of the accomplishments in the previous year which included the Orlando parish’s drive to build a church, the renovation of the church in Patterson, NJ and the successful fundraising activities in the North Miami parish, to name a few. However, certainly the greatest accomplishment in the past year was the purchase of a church in the Boston parish. The bishop also addressed some of the challenges facing the diocese, the desire to make the stewardship program a reality in all diocesan parishes and the abolishment of bingo as of December 31, 2006 in all the parishes of the diocese.
The Holy Hierarchical Divine Liturgy began at 8a on the following day. The meeting convened after the morning’s service with a talk given by V. Rev. Stephen Zaremba on the meaning of the church. A lively discussion including both clergy and laity followed.
A range of issues were addressed under miscellaneous including the upcoming 3rd Annual Diocesan Days, the Oratorical Festival which is to take place at the Triennial Sabor in Detroit as well as the announcement of the 100th anniversaries to be celebrated in the diocesan parishes of Steubenville, OH and Johnstown, PA.
The annual meeting was conducted in peace and harmony. The Midland parish, with parish priest Fr. Milan Pajic at the head, were wonderful hosts. The location for the 2007 Assembly is the St. Sava Church in Boston, MA.