Vol. 2, No. 2, February 2023
The Atlanta Inter-Orthodox Parish Association (AIOPA) is a team of clergy and laity representatives from different canonical Orthodox parishes around the Atlanta area. The goal of AIOPA is to foster connections among different parishes and jurisdictions, to develop a strong sense of one local Orthodox Christian Family and, as such, to contribute to the unity of the Orthodox Church in the United States of America as defined by the Assembly of Bishops. AIOPA is a committee of the Atlanta Orthodox Clergy Brotherhood (AOCB), which seeks to bring people the knowledge of the Orthodox Church and to assist those throughout the city of Atlanta who are in need. Both AOCB and AIOPA use www.atlocb.org for communication.
Letter from His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
My Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ
I greet you with love and joy as we have begun the season of preparation known as the Triodion, which offers us spiritual foods meant to strengthen us on our coming 40-day Lenten journey. Following this Sunday’s importance in remembering the humility of the Publican, the next two weeks will emphasize the importance of sincere repentance (like the Prodigal Son) and then examining whether we truly live out our faith as sheep who serve others joyfully. Humility, repentance, and the need for good works: these are not only spiritual fruits that will provide us with nourishment during Great Lent, but they are also the fruits that our Atlanta Inter-Orthodox Parish Association does its best to harvest as well.
As a Hierarch and a member of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA, it gives me great paternal pride to see how the clergy and laity of the Orthodox jurisdictions live out the mission of the Assembly through the mutual cooperation and love found in AIOPA. Particularly because I have only just recently returned from the 12th Convening of the Assembly of Bishops in Los Angeles, California, it should be understood that the spirit of Christian love and unity which could be felt in this gathering is not something to be taken for granted, but that it must instead be carefully nurtured and grown.
Over the past year, since the AIOPA was founded on March 17th, 2022, it has demonstrated that no matter our languages or cultural traditions, as Orthodox Christians we do indeed speak with one heart and voice. In a word that is defined by those things which make us different, it gladdens my heart to see a group of Orthodox Christians who continue to hold fast to St. Paul’s words: “…here is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:8). My prayer is that this Association continues to find opportunities to serve our Lord with humility, giving of themselves and their communities to witness our Orthodox faith to a world that still very much needs its light.
Praying that Almighty God continues to bless each of you, Clergy and Laity, with health and strength, as well as peace of mind and heart, may we walk through the coming Lenten Fast secure in the love and mercy which comes only from our Lord. I remain,
Yours with paternal blessings and with love in the Lord,
+ALEXIOS
Metropolitan of Atlanta
AIOPA updates
The monthly AIOPA meeting will be held on the last Tuesday of every month at 7:00 PM on Zoom. Please plan on attending if you are in the workgroups!
The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America convened in Los Angeles, California from January 28-31st for its 12th Meeting. Thirty Hierarchs participated in the meeting chaired by Archbishop Elpidophoros. The final session of day one included a presentation from the two pilot cities – Atlanta and Akron – for the Assembly’s Inter-Parish Association program. Fr. Christos Mars delivered the AIOPA presentation for Atlanta. Both pilot regions expressed their gratitude to the Hierarchs for their support and the value of the program. Inter-Parish Associations bring together the clergy and laity from all the local, jurisdictional parishes. Their purpose is to get to know each other better and collaborate on both home and outreach projects which enhance their local communities. In turn, the ultimate goal is growth of the Orthodox Christian Church.
We would like to officially welcome Charles Glotzbach, from the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church, to the AIOPA family. Charles is replacing Natalia Saratsiotis who is now the Parish Council President of the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church.
The Hierarchs’ blessings, guidance and support are critical to maintaining the momentum for the AIOPA work. His Eminence Archbishop Nathaniel of ROEA/OCA, gave his blessing to send the following link to "A Declaration for Orthodox Christian Unity in America". He was the first to sign the document and asks that you consider signing it and sharing it with your parish. We are looking forward to expanding and maintaining the direct dialog between parish representatives and their respective Hierarchs for all parishes participating in the AIOPA effort.
We have continued featuring our clergy in The Clergy Spotlights, sharing a little bit about where they came from, their journey in becoming a priest, hobbies and family. We now have six spotlights and are looking forward to receiving more from our clergy.
Past Events
On Monday, January 23, we held the third Quarterly Parish Council Presidents Round Table meeting. Hollie Benton, Executive Director at Orthodox Christian Leadership Initiative, led a group discussion and presented the resources available to us including the Parish Council Boot Camp. Please visit the OCLI website to learn more about some of the content of the discussion that was presented. The meeting was attended by representatives from St. Elizabeth Orthodox Church, St. James Antiochian Orthodox Church, Sts. Raphael, Nicholas & Irene, and Sts. Constantine and Helen Church. The next meetings will be on Mon. April 24, 2023 at 6PM and Mon. July 24, 2023 at 6PM.
Upcoming Events
February 18 | St. Philothea Nameday Feast | St. Philothea Greek Orthodox Church | 3761 Mars Hill Road, Watkinsville, GA, 30677 | We will celebrate vespers of St. Philothea at 5PM. Afterwards there will be a casual reception outside with bonfires, Greek dancing, and a cookout dinner of grilled hamburgers and hot dogs.
February 25 | Sts. RNI Glendi | Atlanta Marriott in Alpharetta | 5750 Windward Parkway, Alpharetta, GA, 30005 | Join us on for the Glendi organized by Saints Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene Greek Orthodox Church at the Atlanta Marriott. Cocktail hour begins at 6PM.
Thank you for your continued support of AIOPA and stay tuned for future Pan-Orthodox events in the next edition of the Orthodox Chronicles!
“In His High Priestly Prayer to His Father, Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ prayed for His disciples, the members of the Church that He established … “that they all may be one; as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that You have sent Me” (John 17:21).”