March 27, 2006
To the Greek Orthodox Hierarchs, Clergy and Faithful across the United States:
On behalf of the Greek Orthodox People of Nashville, may we extend to each and every one of you our warmest welcome and invitation to come this July to the “Athens of the South” for the 38th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress. We are honored by the appointment of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios to be your National Co-Chairs, and with the blessing of our own Metropolitan Nicholas of Detroit, we can assure all of you perhaps the most memorable Clergy-Laity in the history of our beloved and Holy Archdiocese.
Our local community is the smallest that has ever hosted a Clergy-Laity Congress, but with the extraordinary help of the Faithful of the Metropolis of Detroit and the staff of the Archdiocese in New York, we feel more than sufficient to the great and blessed task that lies before us.
And in the words of the ever-memorable Patriarch Athenagoras, we may be “few, but measureless!” We believe that you will find the Greek Orthodox Faith and Faithful of Nashville a vibrant and dynamic presence, worthy of your efforts to come and worship and work among us. In conjunction with the National Ministries, we are preparing an exciting program of events and speakers that will reflect the Truth of the Gospel and the Love of Christ our Lord, the very theme chosen by our beloved Archbishop.
We, the whole Greek Orthodox Community of Nashville, eagerly await your arrival, and pledge that we shall do everything in our power, to make this Clergy-Laity Congress a blessed, fulfilling and enduring event for you and your families.
See you this summer!
With respect and love in Christ,
George J. Anderson & Lee Ann Anderson
National Co-Chairs