Profiles in Orthodox Parish Revitalization 1 Sponsored by the Parish Development Ministry of the Archdiocese of Western Pennsylvania, OCA 6/13/2014 Joseph Kormos 513-683-1911, joekormos1@gmail.com Parish Development Ministry, Archdiocese of Western Pennsylvania, OCA
Welcome & Thank You! 2 Thank You for Your time this evening 108 registrants 68% from parishes < 100 adults Your past labors Your willingness to consider new approaches Profiles of Parish Revitalization -- Archdiocese of Western Pennsylvania, Orthodox Church in America 6/13/2014
These Themes Will Be Further Developed at 3 Small Parish Forum 3:00 PM Thurs. July 10 thru noon on Sat. July 12 Byesville OH (near I-70 & I-77) $100/per person; hotel $68/night Info & register: http://www.ocadwpa.org/smallparishforum.html Faculty Clergy: Frs. Rentel, Reeves, Proctor, Frase Laity: David Drillock, A. Mecera, J. Kormos Topics Vision/Identity/Values Accepting Change Worship Sharing Your Faith in the World Communicating Our Parish Story. Charitable Outreach Breakout Sessions Case Study Scenarios. Profiles of Parish Revitalization -- Archdiocese of Western Pennsylvania, Orthodox Church in America 6/13/2014
Goals 4 Explore three parish revitalization stories to 1. Identify commonalities & differences 2. Explore what worked, what didn't and why 3. Better understand change parishes & parishioners can adapt. Profiles of Parish Revitalization -- Archdiocese of Western Pennsylvania, Orthodox Church in America 6/13/2014
Presenters 5 Fr. Tom Soroka St Nicholas Church, McKees Rocks PA Fr. Jonathan Proctor Holy Trinity Church, St Paul MN Fr. Marc Vranes Holy Trinity Church, Willimantic CT Profiles of Parish Revitalization -- Archdiocese of Western Pennsylvania, Orthodox Church in America 6/13/2014
6 St Nicholas Orthodox Church McKees Rocks PA Father Tom Soroka tomsoroka@yahoo.com Profiles of Parish Revitalization -- Archdiocese of Western Pennsylvania, Orthodox Church in America 6/13/2014
ST NICHOLAS CHURCH MCKEES ROCKS/PITTSBURGH, PA ESTABLISHED 1914
Historical Pattern Typical of Legacy Parishes in Western PA Organized in 1913 with 120 families Peaked Post WWII with 800 adult members Fr Varlashkin 1931-1976 (45 years) Neighborhood declined in mid-1970s Membership dipped to > 50 in mid-1980s Five priests from 1976-1988 / low morale in parish Parish torn over whether to move Fr Vladimir Soroka 1988-2000 (Russian immigration) Parish stabilizes, numbers increase modestly (83 in 1990) St Nicholas Revitalization McKees Rocks/Pittsburgh, PA
Demographics St Nicholas Revitalization McKees Rocks/Pittsburgh, PA
Demographics Today 140 adults 40 children St Nicholas Revitalization McKees Rocks/Pittsburgh, PA
Challenges Neighborhood in severe economic decline Population 6,500 Crime rating of 825 (US avg 214/parishioner 55) No parishioners live in the neighborhood Aging building with expensive repairs needed 30 Orthodox Churches within 15 miles (17 within 10 miles) Uniting three disparate groups St Nicholas Revitalization McKees Rocks/Pittsburgh, PA
What did we do? We began with a frank discussion in late 2000 Move or stay and fix property? Long range plan Aligned with people that wanted growth Preached themes on weaknesses of parish Loving one another Acceptance of visitors, new families Focused on technological avenues of outreach Website, Ancient Faith Radio, local media, FB Began to fix/enhance building/acquire properties Increased liturgical services, Great Lent St Nicholas Revitalization McKees Rocks/Pittsburgh, PA
Today Strong growth of young families/converts More hopeful thoughts regarding the future Increasing positive awareness of parish locally Media, AFR Acceptance of change, flexibility of parish New members enthusiastically embraced Capital enhancements undertaken Iconography project quickly supported Average attendance 90 to 125 (Pascha 225) St Nicholas Revitalization McKees Rocks/Pittsburgh, PA
Worked / Didn t Work Worked Older parishes CAN be welcoming and accepting Skeptics/non-supporters CHANGE with evidence New members engender OTHER new members Multiple children require extreme PATIENCE MEDIA presence #1 reason for visitors Didn t Work Traditional print advertising Needs Work Stewardship / financial support of capital projects Continued work on eliminating barriers between groups St Nicholas Revitalization McKees Rocks/Pittsburgh, PA
Visit us! Refer us! 320 Munson Ave, McKees Rocks Only a few miles from downtown Pittsburgh stnicholas-oca.org facebook.com/stnicholasmckeesrocks St Nicholas Revitalization McKees Rocks/Pittsburgh, PA
16 Holy Trinity Orthodox Church St Paul MN Father Jonathan Proctor fr.jonathan@htoc.us Profiles of Parish Revitalization -- Archdiocese of Western Pennsylvania, Orthodox Church in America 6/13/2014
Parish Founded 1916 17 Poor sister parish to Cathedral As Cathedral progressed HT was old ways alternative >> hemorrhaged members Had been without priest for four years, attendance of 12 and membership of 20 Profiles in Orthodox Parish Revitalization 6/13/2014
Prior to Arrival Tatiana and Anna 18 Vision Urban church Building paid for Prep actions 3 yr. part time package Demolished rectory English Standard by Laws Profiles in Orthodox Parish Revitalization 6/13/2014
19 Quality of Life and Numerical Growth St Paul MN Related but distinct. Profiles in Orthodox Parish Revitalization 6/13/2014
Growth 20 Accessibility Project Begins Archangel Michael Hall Profiles in Orthodox Parish Revitalization 6/13/2014
Quality of Life: Key Elements 21 Liturgical Communal Profiles in Orthodox Parish Revitalization 6/13/2014
Community Building Key Elements 22 Profiles in Orthodox Parish Revitalization 6/13/2014
Coffee Hour Key Elements 23 Profiles in Orthodox Parish Revitalization 6/13/2014
Intercessions Key Elements 24 Profiles in Orthodox Parish Revitalization 6/13/2014
Occasional Prayers Key Elements 25 Travelers Prayers Prayers before surgery & hospitalizations Major anniversaries Engagements Entry into the catechumenate. Profiles in Orthodox Parish Revitalization 6/13/2014
Enrichments Key Elements 26 Greeters, informal Be done Proskomedia 15 minutes before start of Liturgy Service books, antidoron. Friends of Orthodoxy Multiple Clergy Neighborhood Ministry All things to all People Profiles in Orthodox Parish Revitalization 6/13/2014
27 Holy Trinity Orthodox Church Willimantic CT Father Mark Vranes marc.vranes@comcast.net Profiles of Parish Revitalization -- Archdiocese of Western Pennsylvania, Orthodox Church in America 6/13/2014
HOLY TRINITY ORTHODOX CHURCH WILLIMANTIC, CONNECTICUT WWW.ORTHODOXCT.ORG Diocese of New England Orthodox Church in America
I. Parish History 29 Founded 1916 1916 1997: 41 priests assigned! New church built early 50 s; consecrated in 1957. Parish in decline for most of 1980 s Closed much of 1995. Few assets remained. Little maintenance from 1957 2005. Remote location 35 minutes
1995-1997 30 Divine Liturgy twice monthly; attendance- 10-12 Parish savings balance began to increase. Parishioners encouraged to pray for parish growth. Continual theme: God would not let us become orphans. Seemed to resonate Parish had always wondered if there was a future. Change we must be willing to adapt Focus on building community If there were going to be 10 for Liturgy, then those 10 would care for each other in a way that no other 10 people on earth cared for another person.
YEAR 2000 -- Pivotal 31 OCF started at U. of Connecticut (10 miles away) OCF began transformation of our parish community. Assumed several ministries within church. Presence transformed parish from old and dying, to young and engaged. 2000-2004 -- OCF saved HTOC. Size of the group changes from year to year due to graduations, the importance of their contribution during the early 2000 s cannot be overstated.
II. Renovation & Renewal 32 In 2002, hand-written Holy Trinity icon gifted by friend of parish This single act began a near decade of parish beautification at HTOC. From 2002-2010, the following work was completed: Painted Inside & exterior New carpeting New kitchen Downstairs floor replaced. Central air gifted by founding father Cupola restored New iconostas Since 2012: New chairs. Outside sign --new sign serves to announce our beautiful inside from the outside.
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Current Status: 34 Divine Liturgy attendance ~ 40-45 more when UConn in session Several young families -- attracted by idea we were a young parish 9 children < 6; 2 on the way Can now overcome loss (death) previously we were only a death or two away from closing again. Nearly the entire parish resides outside Windham County 1-2 parishioners actually from City of Willimantic. Most have 30+ minute commute
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Current Status 36 Never did we complain about our plight. We took what we had been given from God and continued to try and grow it. Current rector maintains full-time job & lives 50 miles from parish, so a more complete liturgical cycle is difficult to maintain. Because of aforementioned, everything is pushed to Sunday with exception of Lent, Holy Week, and summer Feasts. It works. If we never have a full liturgical cycle in the parish ever again, does that make us less a parish?
What Works 37 Community Outreach Adopt a Family Souper Bowl Sunday --1,084 health kits since 2003. Soles for Souls. Scout Sunday. Encourage Scouting. Heifer International. Lenten Alms / 2014 we raised $677 to assist Orthodox woman from neighboring parish whose house burned down in 2013. Money will send 9-year-old son to camp for 3 weeks this summer. No-Freeze Shelter. Annual Walk for Warmth -energy assistance for local community Soup Kitchen at nearby Episcopal Church. Each visitor receives hand-written Parish Information & Timeline of Church History Cards the week following their visit.
38 Parish Info Card/Church History Timeline
39 Community Outreach
What Works 40 Internal Engagement Last 3-5 years has seen HTOC become much more active with the Windham Area Interfaith Ministry. Community Outreach Coordinator stays active and identifies areas we can become involved. Community enjoys being active in community service. They love outreach. It provides great motivation for them. Education Adult Education Series --Laity asked to prepare presentation on Lives of Saints. Established Church School Program. Lending Library -- including books for children. Liturgy Reader s Ministry Program -- laity read Hours, Epistle, & Post-Communion Prayers. Young female adults hold Communion Cloth. (teens, OCF students, mothers w/ daughters) Week day email to community, Especially if there is an event after Liturgy on upcoming Sunday is anticipated. Seminar on Parish Growth (2013) led by Fr Jonathan Ivanoff.
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Why it Works 43 Love for one another. Single most palpable reason for revitalization. Provide a buy-in component for each person - WIIFM. Celebrate successes and accomplishments. Able to do that in smaller parish. Have become an event driven parish.. for better or worse. Great Choir. Two directors one is music professor at UConn, the other is musically trained. Young voices in choir. All are welcome to join, even the children who are encouraged to stand with the singers. Worship is prayerfully sung, even though we are not necessarily in search of perfect church services. Mistakes are fine; it encourages participation.
Web Site 44 The web site is the front door of your parish - Joe Kormos, Fr J Ivanoff. As recently as 2011, consideration given to closing site down entirely. For many years a source of embarrassment our current web site has become one of Orthodox Web Solutions signature sites according to owner Fr John Parsells. Custom template replaced standard OWS design in 2013. Testimonials from current parish members histories of the four remaining military veterans (two from World War II, one each from Korean War and Vietnam). HTOC is people driven parish - Webmaster photographs all events large and small! More pictures of people and fewer of priests or hierarchs. Webmaster also avoids pictures of half-empty church. New web site is source of joy and a communication tool for members of HTOC community.
(Website) By the Numbers: 45 Average # of daily visits 6.6 -- 7/10-11/11 42.8 -- 11/13 5/14 10,322 Total visits from Nov. 2013 May 2014. 1,290 -- Monthly avg. of visits from 11/13 5/14 8 consecutive months of > 1,000 visits.
Annual Parish Survey 46 Mission.Mercy.Ministry Established Vision 2012 (then 2013 2014 etc.) Everything done fits into one of these pillars. Allows us to have measureable results. Simple 10 question survey Each parishioner has input into community building. Results shared at Annual Parish Mtg Provides priest with an idea of how & what the community is thinking and asking for. 2014 Parish Survey has been downloaded 320 times since it was posted in March. Click here for 2014 Parishioner Survey Results
III. Final Thoughts 47 No magic bullets Keep moving forward, trying new things, remain faithful. Personal engagement Participation and inclusion are key. Prepared sermons a must We have a community of educators, college students, and our own high achieving students. They are listening. Weekly bulletins include Weekly Financial Report. Keeps parish finances in the open for all to see, Prevents the priest from having to speak about them all the time. Report parish finances without demanding support. My parish is every person I meet, no matter where they are. Loving each person is most important component to our growth.
Questions? 48 Profiles of Parish Revitalization -- Archdiocese of Western Pennsylvania, Orthodox Church in America 6/13/2014