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It is the practice of
the Greek Orthodox Church in America that a sponsor in a baptism or
wedding, if not a member of the parish in which that sacrament is taking
place, provide a letter certifying membership “in good standing” in
another Orthodox parish to the priest celebrating the sacrament. This is
an ancient practice in the life of the Church.
Membership in good
standing: what does this phrase mean?
First and foremost, in
accordance with the teaching of the Scriptures and the witness of the
saints, as well as the Uniform Parish Regulations of the
Archdiocese, membership in good standing means that one is a practicing
Orthodox Christian who has been baptized according to the liturgical
rites of the Church, or was received into the Church through the
sacrament of chrismation, who lives his/her life according to the
Christian faith and canons of the Church, and who is a steward of
his/her local parish (UPR 5:1).
A practicing Orthodox
Christian is a person who seeks to apply the beliefs and tenets of the
Orthodox Christian faith to his/her life, worships regularly by
attending the celebration of the Liturgy on Sundays and participates in
the sacramental life of the Church by frequently receiving the
sacraments of confession and communion (UPR 5:6).
Given the above, the
priest should – at the very least – know who you are.
Second, membership in
good standing means that if you are married, your marriage was conducted
and blessed in the Church. If you are divorced, you must have received
an ecclesiastical divorce decree from the Church. This is the standard
policy of the Church nationwide.
Third, membership in
good standing means that one is a steward of the local parish from which
the letter is being requested. A Christian steward devotes his/her time,
talents and financial resources to the Church in order to support and
share the new life given in Jesus Christ. Stewardship and worship are
two aspects of the same coin. At St. Paul’s, people strongly believe
in supporting the work of the Church and the average stewardship pledge
is well over $1,000 per year. If you are not a steward of St. Paul’s
and are requesting a letter of certification for membership in good
standing, a minimum donation of $350 is required before the letter will
be issued.
A letter of
commendation to another Christian Orthodox parish certifying membership
in good standing will not be issued here at St. Paul’s unless all of
the above criteria are met.
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