On Thursday afternoon, July 4, 2024, the second session of the Clergy-Laity Congress Plenary began following a Doxology led by Patriarchal Representatives, including Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain, Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden and All Scandinavia, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, and other members of the Holy Eparchial Synod.
During the session, Evan Anagnostopoulos, a University of Redlands student with a background in business and law, spoke about the importance of youth involvement in the Church, drawing on his Orthodox faith and Hellenic heritage.
Archdiocese Financial Report Highlights Balanced Budgets and Increased Liquidity
Elaine Allen, Treasurer of the Archdiocesan Council, presented her report, outlining the current financial status of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Here are the key points:
- Financial Stability: Over the past six years (2018-2023), the Archdiocese has balanced its budgets with revenues exceeding expenses.
- Improved Liquidity: The availability of unrestricted funds has increased.
- Budgetary Controls: Financial statements and budget reports are shared quarterly with the Executive Committee of the Archdiocesan Council, as well as publicly on the goarch.org/finance webpage.
- Pandemic Response: During the pandemic, the Archdiocese implemented cost controls and secured $5.5 million, including $500,000 in repayable CARES Act loans. The remaining funds were allocated to Metropolises based on qualifying expenses and payroll, with $450,000 in direct grants given to financially needy parishes.
- Payments: All vendor and Metropolis payments are current.
- Mortgage and Credit: The Archdiocese has a $4.4 million mortgage at a 4% interest rate and a $5 million line of credit, with $2.5 million drawn for St. Michael’s Home construction. Interest on the line of credit is paid by the Home.
- Restricted Funds: Donations from Leadership 100 and other sources, including bequests, have been vital for scholarships, support for St. Michael’s Home, IT improvements, and ministry development.
- Event Surpluses: Recent major events, including the Centennial celebrations and the 2022 Clergy-Laity Congress, generated modest surpluses without impacting the operating budget and with no usage of the Total Commitment dollars. A similar outcome is expected for the 2024 Clergy-Laity Congress.
- Nameday Event: The Archbishop Elpidophoros Nameday event raised over $400,000 for needs-based camping grants, establishing a quasi-endowment for future scholarships.
- Planned Giving Ministry: A new ministry was set up in 2023 to help parishes develop programs for legacies, bequests, and endowments.
- Clergy Support: The Lilly Endowment funded over $1 million in financial literacy and debt relief for clergy, plus $250,000 in COVID-related relief.
- Insurance: A captive insurance company was established to manage legal costs and plan expansion for Metropolises and parishes.
- Disaster Relief: The Archdiocese continued its disaster relief efforts, assisting victims of the Ukraine war, Turkish earthquakes, and Bilikli hospital fires.
- Audits: Financial statements are audited regularly.
- Internal Controls: Effective internal controls are in place, with no auditor comments for improvements from 2020 to 2023.
Archdiocese Implements 2020 Congress Resolutions, Enhances Financial Strategies
The Archdiocese has made significant progress in implementing resolutions from the 2020 Clergy-Laity Congress. Contributions to the Clergy Pension Plan have increased, and the funding approach is now fair and inclusive for nearly every parish.
Since 2021, the Archdiocese has allocated up to $3.5 million annually to Hellenic College Holy Cross, based on its cash flow needs. This support has helped reduce the College’s debt from approximately $20 million in 2018 to under $5 million today. This reduction is due in part to the Archdiocese’s additional $5 million in contributions beyond the annual $3.5 million, as well as significant donations from other benefactors.
The Archdiocese has also diversified its revenue sources and no longer relies solely on Total Commitment funds from parishes for its national ministries.
Following Treasurer Allen’s report, the Audit Committee’s findings were presented, and Lazaros Kircos, Chairman of the National Finance Committee, outlined the details. The session then moved to a vote on the budgets for 2025-2026.
The process of approving the budget requires several steps under the Archdiocese’s Regulations. To start, the Executive Committee of the Archdiocesan Council is charged with approving the budget proposed by the senior members of the Archdiocese with the assistance of the Finance Committee for presentation to the Archdiocesan Council for recommendation to the Clergy-Laity Congress.
The Executive Committee approved the proposed budgets for 2025 and 2026 on May 13, 2024. The budgets must then be approved by the Archdiocesan Council, and this was completed on May 14. Prior to their recommendation at the plenary session, the proposed budgets were discussed at the Finance Committee open session of the Clergy-Laity Congress.
After several hours of presentations, discussion, and debate, the delegates provided much feedback, and voiced their concerns with respect to the proposed budgets, primarily focusing on the proposed 5.9% increase in parish Total Commitment for 2025 and a 3.0% increase for 2026. According to Allen, the main drivers for this proposed increase in Total Commitment are the need to increase the wages of Archdiocesan employees due to inflation; property and liability insurance increases; and anticipated increased legal costs.
Revised Budgets Approved: Archdiocese Reduces Commitment Increase and Boosts College Funding
Following this open session, the Executive Committee of the Archdiocesan Council, including Archbishop Elpidophoros and the Metropolitans of the Holy Eparchial Synod, held an emergency meeting to discuss the original budget proposal in consideration of the feedback of clergy and lay delegates. Revised budgets that incorporated the feedback from the delegates were unanimously approved for presentation at the second session of the plenary.
The amendments to the Archdiocesan Council approved budgets (a) reduced the increase in Total Commitment to 2.8% in each of 2025 and 2026, (b) increased the budget line item for Hellenic College Holy Cross to $3.5 million in 2025 and 2026 allowing the School additional time to reduce its dependency on financial assistance from the Archdiocese, and (c) retained the additional pension plan payment of $1.4 million in 2025 and $1.5 million in 2026. Comments were received after the presentation of the new budgets, with delegates making cases either for or against its passage. The revised budgets were approved with overwhelming support.
In order to comply with the budget process guidelines— among them maintaining a balanced budget— adjustments to other line items within the budget are required, and these will be made by the Executive Committee of the Archdiocesan Council with input from the National Finance Committee.
The Pension Benefits Funding motion also passed, increasing the allocation for pension benefits funding by 2.3% in each of 2025 and 2026.
According to Treasurer Allen, the Archdiocese hopes to have a continued focus on facilitating the growth of ministries and programs based on its financial means. It also aims to manage its legal contingencies and address aging facilities suffering from years of deferred maintenance. Lastly, the Archdiocese is planning onto establishing a supplemental defined contribution plan for clergy and for the first time provide a vehicle for lay employees across the Archdiocese to save for their retirement.
The Honorable Judge B. Theodore Bozonelis, Chair of the Administrative Committee, gave the report on behalf of the Committee. First, Judge Bozonelis gave an overview of certain changes to the Archdiocese’s Regulations that have been made since the last Clergy-Laity Congress which are now awaiting approval from the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
In addition, two matters were raised by parishes pursuant to Regulation Article 4, Section 10 for consideration by the Congress. These were: (1) a proposal to provide each Metropolitan or the Archbishop the option to stagger the terms of up to 50% of his Metropolis or District Council members to ensure continuity which was referred to the Archdiocesan Council for consideration; and 2) a proposal to require all clergy at age 75 to submit his retirement for consideration by the appropriate hierarchical authority which did not receive the necessary procedural support.
Additional motions that were approved during the new business portion of the Plenary were: (1) to review the feasibility of changing the date of the biennial Clergy-Laity Congress so as not to interfere with camping programs and the 4th of July holiday and (2) to appoint a committee to consider how the Archdiocese, including its parishes, can provide support to Cyprus in light of the 50th anniversary of the Turkish Occupation.
47th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress Concluded with Grand Banquet and Fireworks
The 47th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America wrapped up on the evening of Thursday, July 4, 2024, with a Grand Banquet attended by over 1,300 participants from the Clergy-Laity Congress, National Philoptochos Convention, and the Young Adult Conference (YAL).
Held on the lawn overlooking the picturesque San Diego marina, the event began with the Presentation of Colors and the national anthems of Greece and the United States. Master of Ceremonies Robert Krantz introduced Michele Patzakis and Constantine Pappas, who performed a selection of patriotic music. Congress Co-Chairs Archon Gerry and Jeannie Ranglas and Archon Isidoros and Maria Garifalakis delivered remarks, expressing gratitude to everyone who contributed to the success of the week.
Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco, the host Metropolitan, gave the closing remarks, thanking all involved and especially acknowledging Kristen Bruskas, Director of Development Communications for the Metropolis of San Francisco. Patriarchal Representatives Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain and Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden and All Scandinavia also spoke.
Archbishop Elpidophoros honored Protopresbyter Evagoras Constantinides, Director of Special Events for the Ecumenical Patriarchate, for his role in organizing the Congress.
The evening concluded with the “Big Bay Boom,” a spectacular fireworks display provided by the city of San Diego, as attendees gathered in fellowship. Delegates will return to their parishes the following day to share their experiences and implement the programs and projects discussed during the week.
PHOTOS: GOA/Dimitrios Panagos