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The first council (Sobor) was held at [[St. Tikhon's John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Monastery Church (South Canaannow Cathedral) Mayfield, Pennsylvania] on March 5th throught the 7th, 1907. The Council in 1907 was a natural outgrowth of the history of the North American Mission that we have reviewed and contributed to the Church’s vision that was further developed by the Council. When the First All-American Council (Sobor)|gathered on March 5th through the 7th, 1907, it became the culmination and conclusion of St. Tikhon’s archpastoral service in North America. In fact, by the end of March, Saint Tikhon did leave America, never to return again. Several weeks before the Council, it was announced that Saint Tikhon's Monastery hadreceived news of his transfer to the ancient see of Yaroslavl, and thus, he no longer had the authority to preside over the Council. However, as he had not yet departed to his new assignment in Russia and his successor - Archbishop Platon (Rozhdestvensky) - had notyet arrived in South CanaanAmerica, Pennsylvania]]auxiliary Bishop Innocent (Pustynsky) of Alaska, who was the temporary administrator of the diocese, asked Saint Tikhon to preside over the Council that his vision had conceived. The council assembly of clergy and laity gathered in Mayfield was humble yet it was significant for it met under the leadership of its visionary archpastor to address the needs of the Church’s continued missionary expansion throughout North America, and to bid a fond farewell to their beloved diocesan hierarch. Among the highlights of its deliberations, the Council recognized that to further the Church’s mission, it was essential to create a permanent and orderly administrative structure in the diocese. To enact this, it was decided that a statute should be drafted.Furthermore, the Council realized that the regular convocation of Councils was vital to the development of the Church’s mission. Additionally, the Council sought to create a solid and equitable financial infrastructure for the diocese and its parishes. Such asystem, that would among other things provide subsidies for smaller parishes and uniform clergy compensation, was deemed indispensable for missionary expansion. In addressing the issue of differences in liturgical practice across the North American Diocese, the Council’s consensus was to follow St. Tikhon’s wise conclusion that these are to be accepted as, in part, a reflection of the autocephaly Tomos various ethnicities of the clergy and faithful and approved that they do not contravene the new name essence of ''[[the Orthodox Church in America]]''faith. After approving As the Council’s meetings, taking place between sessions of the Russian Orthodox Catholic Mutual Aid Society (ROCMAS) convention, lasted only a new few short constitutionhours, the council decided Council was not able to convene deliberate in great detail. However, the Council did delineate a special session decisive course of action on several issues as outlined above. The foremost significance of the council 1907 Council was the following year precedent it set by its very convocation for the future All-American Councils, which continue to revise this day. The life of the North American Church was further stabilized and fortified by the Mayfield Council, which resulted in remarkable continued growth over the next decade. Just after the czarist regime was overthrown in Russia in 1917, the long awaited All-Russian Church Council finally convened in Moscow. Perhaps the Mayfield Council in America a decade earlier played a part in paving the way for the Moscow Council. In any case, the influence of the Mayfield Council is clear. Saint Tikhon, formerly Archbishop of North America, was elected the first Patriarch of the Russian Church Statutes to reflect inmore than two centuries. The Moscow Council adopted many far-reaching innovative transformations for incorporation into the life of the Russian Church. Among them was a highly acclaimed parish statute. This document was clearly influenced by the Church statute drafted in America by decision of the new status as an autocephalous churchMayfield Council. (1)------------------------------------------------------------------------1- [Excerpts from Alexis Liberovsky's Banquet address at the 100th anniversary celebration of the Frist All American Sobor (Council) at Saint John teh Baptist Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Mayfield, PA on October 28, 2007]Alexis LiberovskyOCA ArchivistDirector – Department of History and Archives