His Eminence Metropolitan Savas called to order the 37th Metropolis Assembly at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Mt. Lebanon, PA with an invocation service calling on the Holy Spirit to guide the delegates, and a memorial to departed Clergy, Presvyteres, and Archons who passed into eternal life since the last Assembly.

The one-day Assembly program focused primarily on the business of the Metropolis, adopting a shortened format to respect the time parish delegates gave in July to the Archdiocesan Clergy-Laity Congress. Following the Invocation and Keynote Address, the Assembly split into three parallel sessions, one focusing on the Metropolis ministries and administration, one on the work of the Philoptochos, and another on matters related to Youth and Young Adult ministries.

During the plenary session, “committees of the whole” were held for the traditional Assembly committees: Administration; Greek Education & Culture; Youth, Young Adult, and Camping Ministries; Finance (including the passage of the 2019 Metropolis Budget); Stewardship, Outreach, & Evangelism; and the ad-hoc New Metropolis Center Committee.

Under New Business, two primary motions were passed. The first related to electing a first-ever Metropolis Audit Committee, which will be made up of Metropolis Council member Harry Ruska as chair, and two delegates from the Assembly, John Chames of Akron and John Harbilas of Camp Hill. The second authorized the sale of the Butler County property (originally purchased for Mt. Tabor) while maintaining the mineral rights.