Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Raleigh
Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Call to Order: President George Kapetanakis called the meeting to order at 7:07pm.
Members Present: John Fakiris, George Kapetanakis, Frank Nixon, Katerina Knezevic, Sophia
Myers, Joanna Biliouris, Harry Nicholos, Toula Capetanos, George Pappas, Nik Kamilaris, Risa
Poniros and Connie Kledaras.
Members Absent: Meg Economy, Frances Mathes and Greg Delage.
Jason Kekas, guest at the meeting, provided an update on the Greek Festival.
Father Paul joined the meeting at 7:12pm and led us in prayer.
Jason continued his update and provided the PC with a schematic of the layout of the festival
booths and events. We have more square footage this year allowing for onsite cooking and a kid
zone. Jason reported on many new menu items and vendors. Equipment purchased for onsite
cooking has totaled approximately $20k with an additional $5-$10k to be spent on equipment.
There are also significant savings which will offset these costs. There are $7-$8k in additional
vendor fees, savings of over $2,500 in credit card processing fees and approximately $8k in savings
changed to Pepsi products vs. Coke for drinks.
John Fakiris indicated there was additional information/clarification needed to secure the additional
insurance coverage for liquor liability. John, Jason and George will meet to finalize this item.
Alga Araya and Girmay Tesfamariam, guests at the meeting, presented their request to utilize the
church facilities to hold services for the Eritrean community. They indicated about 50 parishioners
would like to hold worship services on Saturdays mornings for up to 4 hours. They would
appreciate any consideration that the church could provide to allow them to hold services in the
sanctuary. Father Paul indicated that the Archdiocese would need to approve of the request. Upon
approval from the Archdiocese, the PC would determine how to logistically support their needs.
The PC advised that every Saturday may not be feasible due to other services and needs by our
ministries but we are willing to work with the Eritrean community in any way we can.
Jane Tzilvelis, guest at the meeting, met with the PC to discuss the Office Manager duties and
advised of her willingness to continue on a volunteer basis until a permanent solution was reached.
The PC acknowledged Jane’s great work and appreciation for her filling the Office Manager needs
during this interim time.
Approval of Minutes: Joanna Biliouris presented the minutes from the July 23, 2014 meeting. A
motion to accept the minutes of the July 23, 2014 Parish Council Meeting was made by Harry
Nicholos and seconded by Frank Nixon. All approved, motion carried.
Treasurer’s Report: Harry Nicholos presented the July 2014 Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss
Statement. George noted that Harry had saved the Church $4k on our Archdiocese annual
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allocation. A motion to accept the July financial statements was made by Nik Kamilaris and
seconded by Frank Nixon. All approved, motion carried.
Stewardship Update: George Kapetanakis shared an update from John Demos, Chair of the
Stewardship Committee:
 Year to date, we have received 260 pledges totaling $326,000.
 Year to date pledges collected to date total $177,000.
 The average pledge is $1,250.
 While total pledges and amount pledged are lower than last year, year to date collections is
higher than last year. This is a positive trend.
Exterior Painting and Interior Cleaning/Painting Update: Chris Pappas is obtaining quotes
for exterior painting of the church. Quotes have been obtained for interior cleaning and painting.
A decision will be made next on which company to utilize for the interior work.
ServSafe Training/Kitchen Cleaning: Nik updated the PC that he sent detailed instructions on
how to access the online training for ServSafe certification. Nik will follow up with a deadline of
August 30th to identify someone from each ministry to complete the training and to have the training
completed by September 30th. Risa advised there is a classroom certification on September 23rd in
Raleigh. Nik will include information on that option as well in his next communication. All PC
members were encouraged to contact the ministries for which they are a liaison and promote
participation.
Nik advised that the company we are using for festival cleaning will also clean the church kitchen on
a quarterly basis at a cost of approximately $200-$400. We need to identify a cleaning company for
cooking events at the church.
Movie Update: Toula updated the PC that we have sold 225 tickets for the movie (Christmas with
the Karountzoses) on September 6th. There has been $8k in advertising sales. We will need to pay
$4k to Robert Krantz along with travel expenses and the auditorium rental of $600. All remaining
proceeds will go to the capital campaign. All PC members were encouraged to promote ticket sales.
Executive Session: The PC went in to executive session to discuss hiring and employee matters.
Old Business:
 George Kapetanakis and Frances Mathes have received information from Betsy Higgins
regarding the PreSchool and Sunday School. They will review the information and provide an
update at the next PC meeting.
 The awning between the walkway and outside freezers has been repaired.
New Business:
 The Metropolitan requested information on the contact for candles at each parish. Toula
Capetanos will provide her contact information to fulfill the request.
Father Paul advised of the following events:
 Father will be having a Choir Appreciation brunch at Despina Café on October 5th.
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There will be an OCF event on September 5th.
There will be marriage seminar on November 8th.
Motion to adjourn the meeting was made at 9:45pm by Nik Kamilaris.
Father Paul led us in a closing prayer.
Next Parish Council Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 24, 2014 at 7:00pm.
Next General Assembly Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, November 16, 2014.
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