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The board of deacons
of each church shall consist of the priest or priests of the church and
of deacons selected in accordance with the provisions of these By-Laws.
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According to Biblical
teaching and the Apostolic canon laws, the bishop is the person in
charge of the affairs of all the churches in his diocese, whether they
are spiritual, administrative or financial. No decisions are to be taken
or executed by the board of deacons without his permission and approval.
The bishop may charge the priests and deacons to assist him in carrying
out some of his responsibilities within the common laws of the Coptic
Orthodox Church.
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Each member of the
Board of Deacons shall serve for a term of three years or until his
successor is duly appointed (See item J in chapter 9).
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The church Board of
Deacons, by virtue of its members’ ecclesiastical status, will work in
such manner as to assist the bishop in carrying his responsibilities.
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The bishop, or his
duly appointed representative, shall attend the meetings at which the
members of the Board of Deacons are selected. No layman shall be
acclaimed to be a member of the Board of Deacons unless he is ordained
as a reader or a sub-deacon. The congregation shall present the
acclamations to the bishop as well as any objections to such
acclamations. The bishop or his duly appointed representative shall
attend personally to the writing of the acclamations to ensure accuracy.
The bishop shall select the members of the Board of Deacons from among
those who obtain the consent of the majority of the spiritual members of
the church (see Chapter 6, Article l-D) and also from among those who do
not have valid objections against them. The bishop shall select six or
more deacons to serve with him and/or with the priest or priests as
members of the Board of Deacons of the church. The board is responsible
for financial and administrative aspects only while the spiritual
services are entirely entrusted to the clergy. The trustees, if any, are
to be appointed by the bishop from among the members of the Board of
Deacons as described in Chapter 8, Article 2.
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Spiritual
Membership:
In order for a member of the church to be considered a spiritual member
it is recognized that participating in the holy communion at least once
a month and having a Father of confession approved by the bishop
together with other conditions mentioned below (item E), are conditions
for that consideration. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide
membership cards for each church to identify the spiritual members who
desire to participate in the acclamation. The bishop has the right to
approve the signatures of any spiritual members whether or not they have
such cards.
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A member of the Board
of Deacons, a member of any church committee and each spiritual member
of the church who has the right to acclaim deacons, priests and bishops
should be:
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A zealous Christian
Coptic Orthodox over 21 years old;
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Obeying Coptic
Orthodox Church rules concerning dogmas, and free from ecclesiastical
ex-communication.
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A regular attendant of
Church services and meetings.
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Observing confession
and at least monthly communion in his church;
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Known of his piety and
services to the church; and
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Should not be a member
of any other religious organization.
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Each person acclaimed
and selected by the bishop to membership on the Board of Deacons is
required to sign the following vow:
The Vow:
“I do solemnly vow that I
will uphold the doctrines, teachings, traditions, holy canons, worship and
principles of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria as well as the Coptic
Orthodox Diocese in North America and that I will fulfill faithfully and
sincerely the duties and obligations required of a member of the church
Board of Deacons, under the leadership of our honored bishop. So help me
God”.
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The members of the
Board of Deacons must be respectable members of the community, free of
hypocrisy, with good moral character and spiritual behavior. They must
be observing Holy Communion and all other religious requirements. They
must be over 21 years of age and must be attending the holy masses for
at least one-half of the Sundays each year. The bishop will make the
evaluation and approve the preliminary acclamations on that basis.
Furthermore, the bishop will evaluate any objections presented and
determine their accuracy. In his absence, his duly appointed
representative will attend to these affairs. The bishop may elect to
appoint a committee to examine and make recommendation to him concerning
these affairs.
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The Board of Deacons shall
consist of:
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President
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Vice President
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Secretary
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Treasurer
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Members
The Board of Deacons shall
consist of the priest or priests of the church plus six deacons and one
additional deacon for each additional priest in the event more than one
priest is assigned to the church.
The church Board of
Deacons is to attend regularly the Divine Liturgy and to participate in the
sacramental life of the church thereby setting an example for the
congregation.
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