Notice of Annual Meeting:
The Parish Council has called a Special Meeting of all the members of Holy Trinity Orthodox Church to be held Sunday, March 24 at 12:30 p.m. Parishioners in good standing who were registered with the parish as members at the end of the previous calendar year and who have fulfilled their Lenten obligations of Confession and Communion may and should attend.
Parish Council has called for a vote on proposed changes to the bylaws that govern Holy Trinity at a special meeting of all its members. The assembly will take place following the Divine Liturgy and children’s icon procession on Sunday, March 24.
In addition to codifying practices that have become standard practice over the past several years, the bylaw amendments primarily pertain to the governance and eventual transfer of parochial missions, including the Chapel of the Holy Spirit. The additional section under Article VI (Parish Organizations) anticipate a time when the Chapel will “attain sufficient development and financial security to warrant its becoming a free-standing” church community. It will grant its faithful the authority to petition the Archdiocesan bishop for reception as a mission or parish on the affirmative vote of 80% of its particular membership and two-thirds of the general Parish membership.
In the meantime the new bylaws, if accepted by a two-thirds majority on March 24, will also grant the Chapel official representation “with voice and vote” on the Parish Council effective November 2013.
The Parish Council will see additional structural changes should the bylaws be amended. Under the new provisions, members at the annual meeting may expand (or eventually reduce) the number of officers who serve on the Parish Council with a supermajority vote of quorum (the redefinition of which is also under consideration), so long as there are at least six on the Council at all times.
A summary page of all the bylaw changes are available here. The current and proposed bylaws presented in parallel form are now available to download (hardcopies will be made available in the Narthex). There will also be an open hearing on the bylaw amendments at the March Parish Council meeting on Wednesday, March 13 at 7 p.m.
