March 12, 2019

The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago exists
to receive and share unconditional love, mercy, healing and peace,
so that life has greater meaning and purpose.

To the beloved clergy and laity of the Holy Metropolis of Chicago,

I want to personally invite you to walk with me on an amazing journey. As we delve deeper into Holy and Great Lent, we encounter, time and time again, the significance of God’s mercy in our lives, especially in the various Lenten services and as reflected in our Metropolis’ Statement of Why. With this in mind, I invite you to the 2019 Metropolis of Chicago Clergy-Laity Assembly. This historic event will be held on September 25-29, 2019 in the Twin Cities of Minnesota and will be co-hosted by the parishes of St. George in Saint Paul and St. Mary in Minneapolis.

The theme of our assembly will draw inspiration from the words of our Lord Jesus Christ:

“I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Matthew 9:13; 12:7)

Our gathering will provide you the unique opportunity to actively shape the future of our Metropolis. In addition to numerous workshops and presentations, we are setting aside Friday, September 27th for an all-day interactive discussion of our Metropolis’ Strategic Plan. EVERYONE across our Metropolis is invited to participate in this work, even if they are not an official delegates to the Assembly. You’ll have the chance to define how our 16 Strategic Goals will help transform us into an even greater Christ-centered community that loves, guides, engages and serves all people.

Among key features of our Assembly are presentations and events for our young adults.

The detailed schedule, agenda and registration information will be forthcoming; however, I wanted to make sure you save the dates and promote this event to everyone in your parish. As materials and updates become available, we will add them to the dedicated page for our Clergy-Laity Assembly: chicago.goarch.org/clergylaity-2019.

As a reminder, each parish is encouraged to elect four (4) official delegates to our Assembly to vote on the various matters that require approval. In addition to the Parish Priest and the President of the Parish Council (or Vice President or another designated member of the Parish Council), each Parish Assembly is to elect two other members to serve as delegates.

I am eager to greet each of you personally at this historic gathering. If you have any immediate questions, please contact the Clergy-Laity co-chairs: Mrs. Alexis Bighley at St. George Church 651-222-6220 and Mr. Charles Theros at St. Mary Church 612-825-9595.

Extending to you my paternal love in Christ, I remain

In need of God’s mercy,

+ Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago