AIOPA - Monthly Meeting

Atlanta Inter-Orthodox Parish Association (AIOPA) 8/25/26

Attendees: Fr. Christos, Yana Polikarpov, Cathy Seales (GOC), Rebecca Showalter (SJWW), Jackie and Steve Sarantis (St. Christopher), Evelyn Kemp (Sts. RNI)

The meeting opened with prayer led by Fr. Christos and a welcome to all participants.

Overview

The committee coordinated several upcoming inter-parish events, including the Pan-Orthodox Candlelight Service, an Ecumenical Gathering, and the Liturgy of St. James. Updates were provided on parish construction progress and the successful completion of the annual cross dive.

Upcoming Events

·       Orthodox Catholic Ecumenical Gathering: Tuesday, November 10th at 7:00 PM at the Annunciation Cathedral.

·       Pan-Orthodox Candlelight Service and Christmas Concert: Sunday, December 20th; choirs are requested to coordinate hymnology to avoid overlap.

·       Liturgy of St. James: Friday, October 23rd at the Annunciation Cathedral (Orthros at 5:30 PM; Liturgy at 6:30 PM).

·       6th Annual Cross Dive: Saturday, September 18th, 2027.

·       Sunday of Orthodoxy: Likely to be held at St. Elias Antiochian; a speaker is still being sought.

·       Other Local Events, See accompanying flyers:

·       Retreat at St. Patrick OCA in Carrollton, Georgia, this coming weekend.

·       Fr. Stephen Freeman speaking at St. Mary’s in Norcross on October 17th.

·       Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Festival in Macon, Georgia, October 23rd–25th.

·       Greek Night at Annunciation Cathedral on October 24th.

·       Golf Tournament on October 26th.

Parish Updates

·       Annunciation Cathedral: The Clergy Brotherhood/AIOPA website has been updated with current participants, mailing lists, and the last four years of meeting minutes.

·       Construction Progress: St. Christopher and Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene parishes are targeting March move-in dates.

·       Community Outreach: Focus Loaves and Fishes, housed at St. John’s, is hosting a toy drive and family program on December 12th and is in urgent need of canned goods, flyer forthcoming.

Planning Ahead

·       Pentecost Picnic: Fr. Christos suggested that one of the parishes moving into a new building in March might host the late-June picnic to showcase its new facilities.

·       Speaker Selection: For future events, the committee prefers dynamic speakers, often those who have authored books, and noted that speakers at GOA parishes must be approved by His Eminence.

Closing prayer was offered by Fr. Christos