“Best Practices” committee meets, prepares for September Metropolitan Council meeting

SYOSSET, NY [OCA Communications] — For the first time since “Best Practices” documents were presented and discussed at the mid-June 2006 two-day meeting of The Orthodox Church in America’s Metropolitan Council, the Best Practices Committee met on June 30, 2006 to establish a timeline to help identify the actions required and goals to be met to begin implementation of the guidelines adopted in working/draft form by the Metropolitan Council.

The Very Rev. Paul Kucynda, OCA acting treasurer; Matushka Mary Buletza Breton, CPA; and Nancy Dormanski, MBA, committee members, also developed an initial action list.

“Some of the ‘Best Practices’ can be implemented with little additional consideration (e.g. ethics and conflict of interest policies, documentation retention policy),” according to Matushka Mary. “Other ‘Best Practices’ will require many steps and decisions along the way (e.g. implement financial controls, establish an audit committee.) The committee will identify the steps required to achieve these more complex ‘Best Practices.’ Where decisions are required, the committee will obtain approprite information and alternatives and present such to the Metropolitan Council for review and decision. After action of the Metropolitan Council, the committee will begin implementation of these items.”

In preparation for the next meeting of the Metropolitan Council on September 29, 2006, the committee will hold several additional meetings to finalize and review various aspects of the “Best Practices.” Final documents are slated to be mailed to Metropolitan Council members for review and preparation on or around September 13.