As your archpastor is my privilege to be able to greet you in the name of the Lord.  The past few months have been a very exciting and challenging time in the history of our church in this country.  The establishment of a new diocese is cause for celebration as it guarantees a stable future for our church as we work to care for the needs of our people.
We know that the past has not always been kind to our people and our church, but the future gives us great hope.  Our struggles have led us to a new continent–one on which freedom allows us to openly celebrate our faith and worship God in the magnificent tradition of our forefathers. Of course, every new venture is not without its own needs and struggles.  The challenges of establishing a permanent home for our church in North America are many.  Naturally, one of the most pressing challenges is obtaining the necessary funding to operate our church.  We want to build a church of which our faithful, present and future, will be proud.  The costs of building and obtaining the proper appointments for the church buildings and diocesan offices are, however, overwhelming.  Another very important part of our ministry is identifying our faithful, wherever they may be in this country, to provide proper pastoral care to them.
At this time, I turn to you, our beloved faithful, to appeal to your generosity in this endeavor.  I know that the financial demands of daily living are burdensome for most people, especially for our beloved families.  If, however, you can find a way to help our church with your financial support it would be greatly appreciated. All donations will be listed in a special book of remembrance that will be displayed at our diocesan chancery.  Additionally, if you know of any individuals who may be unknown to us, who either should be a part of our church or would like to become a part of our church, we ask you to please forward their names and addresses to the diocesan offices I thank each and every one of you in advance for your generous support of our church, both through your prayers and financial support.  Be assured of my continued prayers for all of you as we work together to build up the kingdom of God here on earth. With the bestowal of my episcopal blessing upon you, God’s people,
I remain  Sincerely yours in Christ,
+ Alexy, Bishop of Minneapolis and Chicago