His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros
Greeting to the 12th Annual Metropolis of New Jersey
Delaware Valley Region Ambassador Awards Banquet
December 18, 2022
The Adelphia– Deptford, New Jersey
Your Grace, Bishop Apostolos of Medeia
Archimandrite Christoforos Oikonomidis, Chancellor,
Reverend Fathers,
Dr. Papademetriou, beloved Archon and our Master of Ceremonies,
Dear Members of the Metropolitan Council,
Beloved Sisters of the Metropolis Philoptochos,
Esteemed Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,
Honored Members of Leadership 100,
Beloved Sisters and Brothers in the Lord,
Once again, I am delighted to be with you for the Delaware Valley Region Ambassador Awards Banquet. This annual event is truly a sign we are a community of servant-leaders, who bring their best to the mission of the Church. Whether through their professional lives, or their parish lives, the recipients of tonight’s Awards manifest the truth of the Gospel, and show that they are genuine Disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Both as your Archbishop and as the Patriarchal Vicar of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey, I am very proud of all of you for the recognition that you so generously afford each other. It is a testament to your love and appreciation of one another.
Tonight, we continue the wonderful tradition of acknowledging those inspiring individuals who make our collective life better. By their offerings. By their generosity. By their dedication.
We are honoring the diversity of gifts that the Church knows so well, as Saint Paul says in First Corinthians:
Διαιρέσεις δὲ χαρισμάτων εἰσί, τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα· καὶ διαιρέσεις διακονιῶν εἰσι, καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς Κύριος· καὶ διαιρέσεις ἐνεργημάτων εἰσίν, ὁ δὲ αὐτός ἐστι Θεός, ὁ ἐνεργῶν τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν.
Now, there are distinctions of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Spirit. Likewise, there are distinctions of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are distinctions of energies, but it is the same God Who energizes all by all.*
Therefore, among those honored tonight, we find different gifts, different ministries, different energies, but we praise and give thanks to the One God Who makes all of these efforts efficacious and useful for His Church. We have all these categories:
Parish honoree,
Philoptochos honoree,
Youth Worker honoree and
Essential Medical Worker honoree
Ambassador of Hope,
Ambassador of Faith,
Ambassador of Love,
Ambassador of Peace.
Such a rich and diverse collection of gifts, ministries, and energies! Your achievements are like golden threads woven together into a beautiful tapestry, a χρυσοκέντημα that rivals the greatest art of Byzantium.
I see in each of you the grace and excellence that we clergy represent in the Holy Liturgy, when we take upon ourselves magnificent vestments, often inwoven with opulent designs and even iconographic images. We wear these to illustrate for the pleroma of the Church that our lives should be adorned with such good works that reflect the glory and goodness of God.
Tonight, gathered here with your family and friends, your colleagues and brothers and sisters in Christ, we celebrate the composition of compassion that you have woven together by your good works.
You have demonstrated the truth of that saying: “Don’t tell me who you are, but show me who you are.”
And you have manifested even greater things than your individual actions, because you have done them in the Name of Christ.
Therefore, my beloved Faithful of this God-protected Metropolis:
Take the praiseworthy examples that we recognize this evening, and magnify them throughout your communities.
Let us all be inspired by the true philanthropia that we behold in all these servants of the Lord.
And the joy of Christmas, the time of gifts, will remain with us, for the greatest gift is that of the Lord Himself, the Incarnation of Love in the world that can transform every human heart.
May the blessings of the Savior – the Newborn Babe of Bethlehem, always be with you and those you love.
Amen.