By Nick Stamatakis
I spent the last 30 years developing a “brand” as part of my little business, but I could never fathom that at almost the apex (or the end) of this career, I would come across a branding effort for the Greek Orthodox Church in America… The Church has lost touch with its faithful, who have abandoned it by the tens of thousands… And is now in need of a new brand, and a “retail vision” in order to regain its footing…
At least this is how the “Archons” view this Church as an organization. They see the lack of inspiration across the various segments of the Church, and in their “frame of mind,” the best way is not to spread the correct message but to change “the brand”…
And so they spent a day at a high rise in the Financial District (Michael Psarros’ offices) and they used markers and toys and papers and all available aids to draw the new brand: “Defenders of the Faith” seems to be the “New Brand”… And its highest priority will be “Survival of the Patriarchate”… This one you got right my Archons… After the foolish decision to play the State Department’s agents in Ukraine, you are damn right the Patriarchate’s survival is at stake…
Well, now that we have the brand, we have to develop a “retail vision”, as you can see in one of the photos… You can’t make these things up…
Oh, I almost forgot: part of the new brand is “religious freedom” and this why Metropolitan Anthony of Central and Western Europe of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, was present… The Archons, led by Karloutsos had “visited him in June 2022 during a religious freedom mission to Sofia, Bulgaria”, the FB post explains… And here is what it means: In the Archons tongue, “religious freedom” is a misnomer for the State Department effort to reduce the Moscow Patriarchate influence on the Balkan Orthodox Churches… You see, it’s a matter of “branding”: You create a new “brand” to cover your real political goals. Because true faith has never crossed your mind…
DID IT EVER CROSS THEIR MIND THAT THE BEST “BRAND” THEY COULD USE WAS OFFERED TO THEM 2,000 YEARS AGO BY CHRIST, AND IT IS CALLED FAITH?
But when the “head of your organization,” Pat. Bartholomew, spends his time and energy playing politics (including taking part in a war in Ukraine that has cost hundreds of thousands of lives) and indulging in his multi-million dollar villa with his jacuzzi, this is where you end up – in a branding conference… Where materialism and superficiality overflow and faith is absent…
Lord, Have Mercy!…
Please take a look at some of the photos below… Here is how their FB page describes the meeting (Visit this page here for more photos)...
Σχολιο από τον Σταμάτη Γκίκα
Κάποτε η εκκλησία στην Αμερική εγκολποθηκε τους έχοντας νταινερς, η εκκλησία μεταβλήθηκε σε ένα αέναο φεστιβάλ….δίνοντας σε μικρούς και μεγάλους σουβλάκια, και λουκουμάδες….τώρα ξύπνησαν….θέλουν μεγάλο χρήμα, από institutions….από προέδρους και CEO , μεγάλων οικονομικών εταιρειών…η εκκλησία μεταβάλλεται σε οικονομικό ίδρυμα. Οι θέλοντες να έχουν ένα κομμάτι από την οικονομική πιτα , δίνουν πολλές χιλιάδες δολαρίων και ενσωματουνται με αυτούς τους οργανισμούς που δυστυχώς δίνουν το περίβλημα της Εκκλησίας και δυστυχώς της Ορθόδοξου….Κατ αυτόν τον τρόπο αντιβαίνουν στον πειρασμό του Χριστού, που εξοργίστηκε με τον διαβολο που του έδινε όλη την δύναμη αν τον προσκυνούσε.
Η εκκλησία όσο γίνεται πιο πλούσια, τόσο απομακρύνεται, από την διδασκαλία του Χριστού και των Αγίων, και από το ποιμνιο της…..
These Archons are as dumb as rocks. They collude with a hierarchal structure in Constantinople that established the GOA under the 1954 President Johnson amendment giving churches non profit tax status! The US government has its boot inside US churches. Pastors say nothing! The Oatriarch and Archbishop collude with the US government and abandon God’s Word!
Pastor Chuck Baldwin explains that 5013c status turns churches into king’s chapels and pastors into kings hirelings who grovel to the state!
The First Amendment text reads:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
🆘
The US Government must get its nose out of all US churches and so must the ‘Constantinople’ Patriarch and the non spiritual lackeys he sends to the GOA.
What are the implications of the 1954 Johnson Amendment?
Our Chief Counsel, Dr. Jay Sekulow, summarized the implications of the 1954 Johnson Amendment by calling it a “ [62]-year-old federal tax law that prevents religious leaders from truly exercising their constitutionally protected free speech rights when they act in their official capacity as a pastor or head of a religious, tax-exempt organization.
https://aclj.org/free-speech/how-the-johnson-amendment-threatens-churches-freedoms
I’m not sure where to start, or even if it has a chance of making a difference.
This plan will not bring back those who have left the GOA. It will not bring in people new to Orthodoxy. Both of these groups are thirsting for the ancient Church, not a slick business plan devoid of the Holy Spirit. How many times will this be repeated before they realize it will not work? It has never worked.
Do none of these business geniuses see what is working? Why are the faithful flocking to the monasteries? The monasteries offer no slick advertising, no luxurious accommodations, no cutting edge entertainment. They do offer hard work, genuine piety, direct answers to life’s problems that people are experiencing. People want simplicity in their lives, not slick wrapping with no contents.
The Church is not a business. Treating it as one is doomed to fail. Business leaders are not needed. Pious men and women are needed. Sadly I have only seen these pious people mistreated by the so called leaders.
Lord have mercy.
Art – God forbid monasteries ever leave because that’ll be end of
Greek Orthodox Church, it’ll devolve into country club of unholy fat cats while the faithful believers flee to monasteries = the heart of Eastern Orthodoxy
Our Lord paid the greatest price for us. The truly powerful know this and cannot be bought. Our Father’s house is not a business. The church has business to attend to but it is not “a business.” As Orthodox Christians, our identity is in Christ, not a “brand ” These are the birth pangs of much worse to come. Hold close to God.
Lord have mercy! Oh, to be a fly in the ointment on the wall in the room…
I’m curious as to other first impressions as these pictures are worthy of a thousand words! But, dare I digress for fear of showing my “disdain” while speaking from an objective faith filled perspective…
I don’t know about you, but I see a bunch of antiquated men wearing blue jackets adorned with the “Archon” fraternity patch of solidarity(!) safety pinned on their blazers with a couple of token younger women sitting around making notes on a makeshift official “white board”, while patting themselves on the back, smiling as they joke and cajole amongst themselves as they marvel at their SHEER UTTER CREATIVITY!!!
Can you visualize the design using a football helmet plastered with catchy slogans and one line tags decrying “Defenders of the Faith”? What team is that—You mean Jesus? Can you hear the crowds cheering yet? The dot, dot, da-dah…snare drum rolls please? How about the red-carpet unfurling, with trumpets blaring as the parade rounds the corner with pomp and circumstance? What faith pray tell? Does one think the public or anyone else will know just who the “defenders” are and what (faith) they stand for without painting the helmet in an Aegean blue affixed with a decaled Greek flag and key too? Oh, don’t forget to throw in a couple Doric or Corinthian columns and now, I can see it taking form and function! Wink, wink. Are you instead thinking of printing Tee Shirts to sell and raise money for the corrupt Archdiocese? Hey, now there’s an idea!
Such nonsense is a pathetically feeble, yet classic attempt to copycat the two nationally broadcast TV commercials which aired during the not ready for prime time, NFL Super Bowl by a non-denominational Christian group of seriously, highly devoted, God-fearing wealthy individuals forking out over $100,000,000 for an advertising campaign aiming to make ‘Jesus’ (not the Greek Orthodox Church–ahem), the biggest brand name in ‘your city’. AMEN. Did you see the ads? You won’t see any of their names because they don’t individually seek the Glory that is undeniably HIS.
One such donor is former Coach Joe Gibbs, Nascar’s JGR Team Owner and David Green, founder of Hobby Lobby as among the notables. The Ad campaign simply stated, “HE Gets Us” as their main Biblical theme raises awareness of Christ Jesus as “The One who walks among us”. Notice the difference between the two slogans and their approaches? One is boastful, full of pride like a roaring lion. The other is a low-key open invitation professing a call for “all” to come, draw near to Christ regardless of denomination. One is put offish by being defensive and offensive, the other is SOUL HARVESTING for Team JESUS. No other nouns or pronouns are required to convey just who or what the organization is professing.
It’s amazing how a group of “successful” businessmen and women can think that using tag line slogans or phrases could possible help save the drowning schismatic Patriarchate from its own filth by drawing the flock back to Orthodoxy while bringing new converts to the faith.
While I understand the “how”, “why” and the “importance” of “effective” “Church Marketing” to keep bringing in new visitors and congregants to fill the coffers, (and yes, like it or not, right or wrong, the Church is BIG BUSINESS because of the money), I think they would do best putting forth their efforts and money (unless they were possibly thinking of using the archdiocese’ money? ) in devising a plan which drained the global Turkish cabal swamp of its tainted bloodthirsty Orthodox Church leaches they helped to install and keep in power.
My sister in Christ, Margaret, you have said it all. God gets the glory. We look to Him for our strength – not “branding.” The name “above all names.” We don’t need boardrooms and marketing pow-wows – we need the fullness that is Christ Jesus. “Defenders of the Faith” means what you said: We are “soul harvesting for Team Jesus” not brand makers!
Truth to power! Thank you, Margaret for telling it like it really is.
Revelation 3:14-18
14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
God bless you Margaret, you said it! 👏🏻👏🏻
This is another pathetic attempt to justify their comical, caricatured positions as they devise plans to keep their heads above water. GOA is a sinking ship, if they haven’t noticed, it’s taking in water real fast, and going down. I personally know so many families who have left to other Orthodox churches/dioceses or have left for the monasteries, yours truly being one of them!
Now all we need is an Orthodox K-8 day school on the East coast devoid of GOARCH, similar to the one in Phoenix. Anyone with the cash to get this started, kindly, please contact me asap….
Enough is enough… Aisxos!
Team Jesus, you have to understand that Margaret does not believe that Orthodox churches are not, to use her words- Spirit filled. In other words the Holy Spirit is not present in the services.
Thank you Father Ephraim for setting us up with the monasteries, through the Will and Grace of God! May your memory be eternal….
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Thank you!!!! ❤️
The agenda that was posted on the window contained an item “ Call from Roger Goodell”
What did these clowns hope to learn from the NFL Commissioner who thought that it’s players should kneel in protest at the National Anthem?
Well, at least the Archons had their badges on so they could be identified to each other during bathroom breaks.
But what was the blonde woman doing in the Archon meeting? Aren’t all Archons men? Or are they all now transitioning?
No amount of branding or re-branding can help the train wreck known as the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and its collateral pilot fish organizations—like the Amos n’ Andy Archons.
Why not try a less expensive route! It’s called demographics; statistics show that from 18-29, young people take a hopefully, temporary “leave” of Church-Going— Hopefully is the key word! Hopefully, they come back when they’re ready for marriage and baptism sacraments! In today’s seemingly unorthodox “woke” culture– perhaps these “defenders of faith” (dofs) could look at the demographics- beyond the left-coasts’ east/west, and to middle America, (you know, where men marry women and have babies they can identify, and not have any wokesters try to change their genders.) Look in the middle dofs– may be too late to get back the great losses..
Maybe direction should come from the tradition of the Church, the scriptures and the fathers rather than secularized marketing procedures. The church is not a business or a Greek club but the Body of Christ.
If CIA Agent George Ioannidis was alive he would have given you an outstanding analysis on these cronies callled Archons.
Once again, twisted untruths. The Archons are not the GOA, and the GOA does not consist of the Archons. Yes, the Archons are an organization representing the EP, but to say that the “brand” of the GOA is how the Archons brand themselves is simply false.
Who are you kidding?