PARISH COUNCIL

Through prayer and keeping the spiritual life of the church at the forefront, the St. Elijah Parish Council overseas the facilities and business operations of the church through the clergy and administrative staff. Parish Council Chairman Jeff Massad stresses that the council acts as a board to provide good stewardship with the funds they are trusted with by church members. The Parish Council is made up of 15 members from the church.

Elections are held yearly for expired terms at the annual St. Elijah Parish business meeting. Requirements for serving on the Council include being a sacramental and pledging member of St. Elijah for at least the last five years. They meet once per month on the 3rd Tuesday of each month but members of the council each serve or chair at least one committee, each of which also hold monthly meetings. Council members can serve two consecutive three year terms but then are required to roll off for at least a year before they are eligible for re-election.

For Chairman Massad, keeping the assets of the church including the buildings and grounds in good working order is important. “It is the job of the Parish Council to maintain the church to make it more a pleasing and comfortable environment for the congregation to pray and worship. It gives me great enjoyment to see projects and improvements come to fruition and help our members with their spiritual journey,” explains Chairman Massad.

He also stresses that while the business functions of the church are important to the St. Elijah Parish Council, consideration and support of the spiritual life of the church is always the most important aspect of serving.