The Shepherd’s Guild

The Shepherd’s Guild is a service organization for Orthodox laypersons with the purpose to provide outreach to people through service (Diakonia) as “commanded by the Gospel (Matthew 25, 31-46: James 1, 27) and promulgated by Saint Basil the Great of Caesarea and Saint John the Almsgiver of Alexandria.”

The Guild was chartered on September 30, 1999, as a nonprofit organization under the laws of the State of South Carolina with the purpose: to raise funds to build an Eastern Orthodox Church (Chapel) in the Anderson area, to foster fellowship among its members, to promote pan-Orthodox activities, and to engage in humanitarian efforts. On August 17, 2001, the Office of the Secretary of State of South Carolina re-classified The Shepherd’s Guild as a religious organization. The Shepherd’s Guild is registered as a tax exempt 501(c)(3) charity with the Internal Revenue Service.

The Building Fund of the Paracletos Monastery was established by the Guild to assist in the building of the Chapel of Panagia Soumela at the Monastery. The main fundraiser of the Building Fund was The Anderson Greek Festival. The Fund also assisted with the building of the monastery’s dining room. In March 2011, the Monastery ended its connection with the Anderson Greek Festival. The 18th annual event will be the Greek-Mediterranean Pastry & Food Bazaar in October 2023.