Big News from Parish Council!

St. Vladimirians! We had a really wonderful Parish Council meeting yesterday and I want to share a short synopsis with you. As we’ve been telling you for several weeks now, we voted to build the $6MM church and hall project, but the finances to support this are not aligning with that vote to build. This is not a problem per se. The Parish Council is unanimous in our recommendation that we must begin building our new church this year in order to keep our community united and strong. This is often how God’s will is manifest: we try to do something that seems right, but it doesn’t work no matter how we try. Thus, we need to step back, pray, and try another way. Or, as the world might say, fail fast and try again. And yesterday the Parish Council, understanding the financial reality at hand, voted to approve an alternative design for our new parish church which is both beautiful, larger (actually a bit more floor space that the design previously approved), and affordabe. Based on the best estimates we have thus far, this new design would be a bit less than half the cost of the previous design. We have more than 10% of that cost in cash right now. We are excited about the possibilities that the future holds in this regard! 

So what is next? Those who are diligent students of the Normal Parish Bylaws will understand that the Parish Council’s vote yesterday is a recommendation to the parish. That is 100% the case and this is exactly what we want from our Parish Council: when the parish votes to undertake such a project we empower the Parish Council to execute it, and if the thing turns out to be impossible, to recommend to the parish how to do it better. I am sincerely thankful to the Parish Council for this active oversight on their part! The next steps are the following:

1. This week we will send out financial information comparing the original project and the project the Parish Council is recommending. You will receive an email alerting you how to find this information and we will post this on all our social media channels.

2. This week, in addition to the financial information, architectural drawings will be shared as well. We likely will not have renderings of the new project (pretty pictures in essence) to share with you this week. We hope to have some before the annual meeting and we will share them when we get them.

3. This subject will be added to the annual meeting agenda. We will present the new project to the parish at the annual meeting, there will be a discussion where all your questions can be answered, and we will take a vote as a parish to accept the Parish Council’s unanimous recommendation or to reject it. I’ll be honest here – I’ve not seen this sort of enthusiasm in the Parish Council for just about anything in many years. :) And we hope that you will join us in that enthusiasm, even as you ask the hard questions about HOW we will do this that we expect and want from our parish family at the annual meeting.

To participate in the annual meeting you need to be a member of the parish. LEARN MORE/BECOME A MEMBER HERE.

More information will be coming soon. Let us pray that we can align our will with God’s will in this regard. If we can do so as a parish family, it means that we will also be doing all this for God’s glory. And THAT is what we are after here. There is no limit to what we can accomplish for God’s glory if we don’t care who gets the credit. If that is our watchword – we are well on our way to success!

Fr. Gregory 

Annual Meeting is February 15, 2026 - Preparatory Materials Here

Friends,

The 2025 parish meeting is set for Sunday, February 2/15, 2026 during annual bili dinner, immediately following the Divine Liturgy that day. To participate and vote in the meeting you must be a member of the parish - MORE INFORMATION HERE.

The agenda for the meeting is very full, and we value your time. In this regard, we will not give presentations on the reports below at the annual meeting, but rather, we offer them here so that you can read them in advance. Each report will be assigned 5 minutes for questions and answers. Reports will be posted here not later than 9:00 p.m. on Friday, February 1, 2026. If you would like to ask your question in advance, please DO SO USING THIS FORM. Answers to questions asked in advance will be posted AT THIS LINK.

Annual Meeting Letter & Agenda

Rector's Report

Starosta's Report

Treasurer's Report

Sisterhood Report

Brotherhood Report

Youth Group Report

Church School Report

Ann Arbor Orthodox Classical Academy Report

Membership Report*

Building Team Report

Social Outreach Parish Report

New Building Update/Review of Fundraising and Alternative Proposal/Vote

We are ALWAYS open to the suggestions of our parish family! We know that there are great ideas in our community about how we can improve ourselves. But MOST OF THOSE IDEAS STAY IN PEOPLE'S HEADS, and that doesn't help anyone! So - share your ideas! Use the form found here to make a suggestion. We take these very seriously, and we thank you in advance for sharing your great ideas with us!

STV Suggestion Form

*No posting here – will be available for review by members of the parish at the annual meeting.  

Tactical Babushka Team: Who Corrects Whom at STV?

Friends,

This is a reminder of sorts. A reminder that we need to hear from time to time. I think that time is now, and I hope you find it useful.

Being at the Divine Services brings us to God’s House and is a key component of living an Orthodox life. St. Paul is clear that in God’s House everything needs to be done decently and in order. That is not really up for debate – he does not say “if you can” or “if it works for you” or “if it is convenient”. But he also does not say “instantaneously”. 

Let all things be done decently and in order. (I Corinthians 14:40)

We  have lots of folks coming to church now who do not have a lot of experience with church. So they might not do the expected thing at the expected time. We have worked very hard at STV to retire our team of tactical babuskhas, who in other parishes often enforce the “rules” as they misunderstand them, and mostly drive new people away rather efficiently. 

So who drops the hammer on the new people when they step out of line!? Hammers need not be dropped. And should not be. And must not be. We have always had a very high tolerance for those who are coming to church and learning at STV. And this will not change. But those who are a bit ahead of the new folks are often tempted to teach. Co-suffering love for our fellow man can be quickly lost if we fall to a disordered zeal for correctness. And everything in the Christian life must be done with love. If we cannot do something with love we can know that it is not blessed, and having those around us assume that we are ignorant is much better than speaking without love and removing all doubt in their minds in this regard.

Teaching in church is essentially reserved for the priests and bishops on one hand, who have been given a special Grace at ordination for this obedience, and the Starosta (and his helpers) on the other hand, who has been elected by the parish family to ensure good order in the parish church. This has always been the practice of the Church. We will not change that in our church. If you are tempted to teach someone – stop. Work on yourself and your family. The better Orthodox Christian you become the better example you will be for others, and you will teach best by your example. If you are concerned that someone is doing something inappropriate - tell a priest. Most of the time you will find that the person you are policing already has a blessing to deviate from the norm. Always consider this first: “probably people do not come to church to misbehave – if this person is doing something outside the norm perhaps they have already talked to a priest about this”? Be at peace – leave the teaching to the priests and those appointed to teach. 

Everything must be done with a blessing in the church, and certainly taking on the very heavy spiritual burden of teaching, for which you will answer to God, must be done with a blessing if there is the slightest hope that good will come from this. Otherwise, if you do not have a blessing, do not teach. To put a fine point on it: you will answer to God for the souls you drive away from Him. It is better to pray for those who are struggling. God’s ability to correct others in the way that He sees best is exponentially most powerful and useful than anything else that any of us can muster – especially if we are acting out of self-will (without a blessing).

If someone asks you a question you are allowed to answer, of course. If you know – answer as you know. If you don’t – say that you will ask a priest and find out. But if someone DOES NOT ASK – this is completely different. People do not take kindly to being randomly corrected, either in church or on the street. Our calling is to attract people to Christ by having the Love of Christ abiding in our hearts. This is where we should focus our efforts. Not on nitpicking others who have not asked to be corrected. 

Our Christian struggle is a long war – it is not one battle. Many battles make up a war. A wise general fights the battles he can win and retreats from those that will just cause destruction of his troops and resources. “Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” (Matthew 10:16) is a good watchword for us in this regard. Everything being done decently and order is a war-level goal. A process. Not an instant expectation when someone first walks in the door - or is learning. Some folks learn more slowly than others, and this is good to keep in mind too. Perhaps a nice conversation after the service would be appropriate – if the person is interested. But correcting people in real time without being invited to do so: this is not blessed. Please see me with questions.

Asking Your Prayers,

Fr. Gregory 

P.S. I just listened to the sermon from yesterday. WOW – that was really noisy! I know I had to shout a bit. I didn’t notice until now how much. That simply cannot be the case when the bishop comes in a few weeks. It should NEVER be the case, but it surely cannot be the case when the bishop visits. I understand – kids will make some noises. But I’m pretty sure there were adult conversations going on for the entirety of the sermon. I get it – my sermons do not convey a lot of value. But as a parish family we cannot be so rude – either to guests or to our own priests. We have to at least pretend we are interested! Again – not kids: ADULTS. Let’s try to work on that before the bishop comes, or we might have to bring back that babushka tactical team. And nobody wants that! :) Just as there is no blessing to hunt down those who are not behaving according to our standards, there is also no blessing to talk during the sermon. If the conversation cannot wait, please step out behind the glass doors. Which are not sound-proof by the way. But that is a note for another day... 

Specific Directions on how to Build the New Church

And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had,
even all her living. (Mark 12:41-44)

AUDIO FILE OF THIS LETTER

Friends,

On November 2, 2025 we decided as a parish family to begin building our new parish church on March 29, 2026. Archbishop Gabriel will join us to break ground that day. This is happening! And thank God!

Many of you were very clear with me in private conversations: begin the building and support will be forthcoming. Honestly, Mother Gabriela at the convent in Rives Junction has been telling me that for years. I just wasn’t smart enough to listen. And support has already begun to come in. Some in small numbers, some in big numbers. It is pretty clear: having committed to this project as a parish family with trust in God, He is blessing the work to begin.

That might sound temptingly like: great – I don’t have to give! Someone else will do that for me. This is WRONG! This project only succeeds if we ALL pitch in as we can. Folks have been asking for clear direction. That is – what do we do now? How do we make this happen? How do we participate? What is OUR part in this great undertaking? We have heard you.

And a few folks have expressed that it will be hard for those who are just starting out, or who are struggling financially, to participate. We have heard you.

Sometimes we just get too stuck in our heads. We forget to read the scriptures regularly, and thus we forget that many of these questions have already been answered by the Lord. This is one of them. I ask your forgiveness for not having been smart enough to see this. But Karl Meyer saw it and spoke up at our meeting on November 2. And Marina Edwards did too. It is easy, clear, and already mandated by the Lord. It also covers every possible financial concern. Not just because the Lord doesn’t make mistakes about what He tells us to do (please remember: He instructs us for our salvation – not for His good), but it is also ultimately fair. More fair than any humanly constructed system.

The way to build Phase 5 and just keep right on going to finish the project in one fell swoop is TITHING. Tithing is based on one’s material wealth as the LORD has blessed you. If you make a lot, then your tithe is larger. If you make little, your tithe is smaller. But since it is set at 10% of your income it is all the same in the Lord’s eyes: we all participate equally in fulfilling the Lord’s command in this way no matter our income. Our participation in tithing is not just a material question, it is rather mostly a spiritual question, and that is why it is important for everyone to tithe – no matter their income.

The whole project is set between $5-6MM. We’ll use $5MM in our math below for ease of proof of concept and ease of doing division in one’s head.

The average income for a household in Washtenaw County is $122,000/year. We’ll use $120K for this proof since it divides nicely by 12 and by 10. :) We understand that not everyone makes this much. This is an AVERAGE, so some make much more and some make much less. But we’ll use this number so we can show how tithing can make a HUGE difference in a short amount of time.

• We have 135 adult members in our parish, but we are talking household income, and we have about 80 households.
• If your household makes $120,000 per year then your monthly income is about $10,000. And your tithe would be $1,000/month.
• If we have 80 households at that rate, then the parish would collect about $80,000 per month. 
• Our 2024 monthly burn rate (all of our expenses) was about $30,000 and hasn’t changed much in 2025 (this includes ~10% being put into savings). Therefore, if we take that number and pull it out of the $80,000 we will have $50,000 left to spend on the new project monthly
• That means we will have paid for Phase 5 of the project in 10 months!
• And that means that we would pay for the whole $5MM in 100 months and likely not have to take a loan to do it!

The above assumes that no one gives any cash at all to the project outside of tithing. That is already very much NOT true. People are already giving to get this project going. 

It also assumes zero growth in the parish, which would make us the first Orthodox parish in North America to undertake a building project and not grow at all. That seems rather unlikely.

It also assumes that everyone will tithe at 10% right away. That is also likely not true. A figure in the Church as great as St. John Chrysostom writes that Christians need not follow the Old Testament tithe of 10%. Rather, in the New Testament, we should give MORE than 10%. Still, that probably isn’t where we are going to land to start. BUT WE MUST START!

What you give to God’s Church is a spiritual question. And you should approach it in this way. We ask you to tithe not because we need the money. We ask you to tithe because it is spiritually good for YOU. Our building project just makes this topic come more sharply into focus. We have been encouraging you to tithe for your own good for many years. Now we just get to see that if we do that we also can accomplish a great work – build a church that will serve generations of Orthodox Christians even long after we have gone to the next life. And what better legacy could we hope for than that?

Take a close look at your finances. Sit down with your spouse if applicable and discuss how to begin. If you can’t do 10+% right away then do 7%. If you can’t do 7% then do 5%. Then push yourself to do a bit more every month. And please notice when you start down this road – not only do you not starve when you tithe, but you always have more than enough. And this is exactly as the Lord promised – when you tithe He blesses you materially.

Finally ask one of the folks below to sit down with you and help you figure it out if needed. We are a parish family. We need to rely on each other. We need to trust each other. No one below is going to tell others about your family finances. But all can help you figure these things out. NOW is the time to figure it out! If we all pitch in our mite (that is, whatever it is we can without trying to justify shirking our duty in this regard) we can continue to hope on the Lord’s blessing for our building project. If we don’t do our part, then we should expect the project to fail. It is up to us. Let’s decide to succeed for God’s glory! And let’s decide to get ourselves to the point of tithing ASAP to make this happen!

Asking Your Prayers,

Fr. Gregory

Discuss Financial/Spiritual Aspects of Tithing:

Fr. Gregory Joyce (734-649-5746 or ogrisha@stvladimiaami.org or https://calendly.com/ogrisha)

Fr. Colin Bower (734-890-8236 or priestcolin@stvladimiaami.org or https://calendly.com/cmbower10)

Mikhail Fisenkov (248-773-9616 or fisenkov@yahoo.com)

Marina Edwards (734-358-9458 or mpsomsk@yahoo.com)

Dmitri Knysh (734-358-5996 or dmitriknysh@hotmail.com)

LEARN MORE:

DONATE/TITHE

TREASURER CORNER

NEW CHURCH PROJECT PAGE

Church Shootings in Michigan – STV Response

Yesterday there was a major church shooting in Michigan. Again. You are not wrong if you perceive that these incidents are on the increase. At STV we have had an active shooter protocol since before the pandemic. And it is still in place today. However, this is not a static protocol. We review incidents, such as the one that happened on Sunday, to try to learn how we can better protect our parish family. Our active shooter team will be meeting later this week for this express purpose. All this was begun with Archbishop Peter’s blessing and continues with Archbishop Gabriel’s blessing.

As Orthodox Christians we understand that our life ends exactly when the Lord deems it most expedient for our salvation. And that end will come whether we are in a plane, on the street, sleeping in our bed, or wherever we are. Our days are numbered by the Lord because of His love for us. We are pilgrims on this earth and the Heavenly Kingdom is our true homeland. The Lord allows us to go to Him when we will be as close to Him in that next life as we can be. One of our great struggles is to trust God in this regard. We forget that He loves us more than we love ourselves, and He desires our salvation more than we desire it.

That being said, we do not take a cold, detached approach to this question. We live our lives with zeal and love for God and our fellow man in the beautiful garden He has provided us – not as people just waiting around to die. And we take our responsibility to provide security to our community VERY seriously. We aim to cooperate with God in this regard – to do our best while we trust Him and His providence. That being said, we will not be mounting machine guns on our roof anytime soon. We have to find the happy medium between a parish church as an armed fortress and no security whatsoever. Most of you probably didn’t even know we had a protocol and an active shooter team, or who is on that team. And that is exactly how we want it. But I think, in the face of increasing violence against houses of worship in our Michigan, you need to know that this is something that we are actively managing.

“Fear not – believe only.” (Luke 8:50)

The words of the Lord above have to be our focus in the face of evil. Fear undermines faith. It is hard for us to do anything when we are in fear. So let us march forward as a parish family with this short verse from the gospel on our lips and in our hearts. STV will do everything it can to keep our parish family safe. And we will trust God that He will give us what is best for our salvation. Coming to church has always been an act of defiance in a way. We live in the world, but we strive not to be consumed by the world, and we show this when we come to God’s House and affirm that we desire to follow the gospel. Like that gospel phrase noted immediately above. The Christian life was called “The Way” in ancient times. This is the Way: to be in God’s Church as often as we can be, and to trust Him that He will give us what is best for our salvation.

Please REACH OUT anytime with questions. May the Lord grant those who died yesterday a place in His Kingdom, and comfort to the grieving. And may He continue to bless us at STV in our striving to be a community that trusts His providence, and works together with Him for the best possible outcomes for our parish family in this life and the next!

Asking Your Prayers,

Fr. Gregory 

Questions: Relics, Holy Communion, Moving at Liturgy

Friends,

I have been asked a few questions lately about Orthopraxis. We haven’t talked about this for a while, so I thought I would write a short note for Blogtushka to address these, and invite an ongoing conversation in this regard. Our priests are always happy to answer your questions. But sometimes you stump us. :) In this case we aren’t going to just make up an answer – we are going to tell you we don’t know, find the answer, and get back to you.

The first question is about venerating relics. We venerate relics just as we would venerate an icon. Make the sign of the cross twice, venerate the relics, and make the sign of the cross again. For children in arms, we would touch their head to the relics or the reliquary – just as with an icon. The question came from the visit of the relics to our parish a few weeks ago with Archbishop Gabriel’s blessing. We are all facing East during the Divine Services, so I don’t see what is happening behind me. Apparently there were some rather inventive ways that the relics were venerated at STV. We applaud creativity in many parts of our lives, but not this one. :) We should seek to venerate relics, icons, etc., just as Orthodox Christians always have. It is good for us to have a default that we do as our fathers and mothers in the faith have always done, unless there is a VERY GOOD reason to deviate from this stream of faith that flows from generation to generation.

The second question is: what time we should arrive to the Divine Liturgy if we plan to partake of Holy Communion? But first, let’s take a step back and cover: when should we arrive to the Divine Liturgy period? The answer is, as a rule, BEFORE the Liturgy begins. Ideally we should arrange for our prosphora, light our candles, and be standing in our place when the Deacon intones the beginning of the first litany. If you have little ones, you are sick, or something of that sort, of course you might come a bit later. It is better to come late and stay to the end than to come early and leave early. Liturgy at STV lasts two hours approximately. One seven-day week has 168 hours. That two hours is 1.2% of the week. Let’s give every little bit of that 1.2% to God if at all possible. 

But – what if I am running late and I have read all the prayers, gone to confession, fasted, and am planning to partake of Holy Communion? Life happens. This is understood. The demons especially work hard when we are planning to do something good, and there is really nothing better we can do for ourselves than partake of Holy Communion. A good rule of thumb is: if you are at STV in time to hear the Gospel reading then you are good to partake of communion. If not – then not. This is a RULE OF THUMB. It is not necessary for you to police your brothers and sisters in this regard. We have no tactical team of enforcers at STV and we don’t want one. We are talking now about YOU. Not about your neighbor. There are those that come late with a blessing for various reasons. You don’t have to worry about those reasons. You take care of you. And if folks with little ones can’t quite make it for the Gospel we are not going to keep the little ones from partaking of communion. This is a rule of thumb for adults.

And now, a final Orthopraxis question that I am sometimes asked, and that we all struggle with. So I think good to review here. What to do with myself during the Liturgy? I mean, I am standing there, but can I move? And if I move when can I move? And finally, what do I do with myself when I am standing there and the Holy Gifts are consecrated, are brought forth for communion of the faithful, etc.? This sounds like a huge answer! I can’t take any more Fr. Gregory! Thankfully, this one can be answered by the two posters below. Please review those and let me, Fr. Colin, or Fr. Vladimir know if you have questions. Note the one about prostrations: no prostrations on knees on Sunday (except for very rare exceptions). On Sunday, the day of the Resurrection, we commemorate our adoption by God as His sons and daughters. Yes – we need to continually strive to actualize that adoption, but because of this spiritual kinship we do not prostrate to the ground on Sunday. Every other day: we do. We just don’t come to church on weekdays that often, so prostrating to the ground seems like an exception. Actually, the exception is NOT prostrating to the ground on Sundays.

WHEN YOU CAN MOVE AT LITURGY

WHEN TO MAKE PROSTRATIONS AT LITURGY

Asking Your Prayers,

Fr. Gregory 

How Not to Fall to Idolatry in the Midst of Civic Grief

Friends,

I think the piece below is well done (thanks to Fr. Colin for sharing it with me), and so no need to recreate the wheel by writing something myself. A few comments from me at the end though, which I hope provide some value.

===

American politics is NOT divided as people claim, it is a SINGLE hellmouth that is devouring us all. 

We use the term "spirit" to describe movements so often that we don't think of the meaning of the word. American spirit, team spirit, holiday spirit. A spirit is something that acts upon us and leads us to actions that are not directly related to us as individuals, to act on behalf of a collective. 

When it comes to matters of spirit, there is no moral neutrality, a spirit can only be aligned with God or against God, and we can discern the spirit based on the impact it has on the world. A spirit that moves us towards God by inspiring selflessness and humility is a Saint or an angel. 

But a spirit that guides one to act upon, what St. Augustine called the libido dominandi, "lust for power", is ALWAYS a fallen spirit. When a crowd is motivated to storm the Capitol, it is a fallen spirit. When someone shoots a public figure that they falsely believe is their enemy, it is a fallen spirit. When people mock a murder or call for revenge, it is a fallen spirit.

The most dangerous and demonic lie in America today is that the other side is a threat to you. The people on the other side of the aisle will take away our rights and harm the innocent. We have judged them culpable, and we must put an end to them before they put an end to us.

But we "wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." No man is ever truly your enemy, they are being led by a fallen spirit just like any of us are. Donald Trump is not your enemy, Gavin Newsom is not your enemy. Neither are Netanyahu, Elon Musk, Zohran Mamdani, and neither was Charlie Kirk. 

The ones who bring you to court or even kill you are not your enemies, just as Christ didn't see us as enemies when we tried and crucified Him.

Your enemy is the spirit of MAGA, the spirit of progressivism, the spirits of the Democratic and Republican parties. Your enemies are the spirits of Wall Street, Marxism, Zionism, antisemitism, white nationalism, Critical Race Theory, revolution, conservatism, feminism, the manosphere... 

When you place your faith in any of these things you are acting like the Grand Inquisitor in Brothers Karamazov, who told Jesus Christ "we don't need you anymore, we have made something better". All of these ideologies and theories are attempts to impose our own will and our own vision on the world, our libido dominandi. "Humility, Love, and Beauty will not save the world, our schemes will, we just need to devour anyone in our path". 

There is no division in American politics, all sides are offering you the exact same thing, the world in exchange for your soul.

By Louis Marx

Shared by Fr. John Hogg on Facebook

===

Perhaps this excellent piece could only be improved by a short addition from C.S. Lewis’ posthumously published “Christian Reflections”:

“There is no neutral ground in the universe: every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counter-claimed by Satan.”

Let us then fight only for the ideology that is truly existential, the only party we have as Orthodox people: Christ. If Christ is not driving the narrative of our lives, something needs to be corrected - in us. And if we are not striving to have Christ abiding solely in our hearts, how can we share Christ with others? Historically, mankind is tempted to idolatry. To put something – anything – between us and God. For Christians, who know idolatry is wrong, the idolatry of kings is particularly tempting. We know not to bow down to a statue, but to bow down to worldly power seems harder for us to resist.

Let us remember those who have died that the Lord makes us aware of. If He allows us to know their names, like the name of Charlie Kirk who was assassinated yesterday, then it means He is calling us to pray for them. If they are not Orthodox, let us remember them in our private prayers. Ours is to pray and ask the Lord to give what is best for the salvation of all. He will take care of the rest if we can focus squarely on Him and… “Trust ye not in princes, in the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation.” (Psalm 145)

Asking Your Prayers,

Fr. Gregory