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Registration is now open for the 2024 Parish Development Forum, to be held from 1:00 PM EDT on Tuesday July 9 through noon on Thursday July 11. Host site for the Forum is Archangel Michael Orthodox Church, Broadview Heights, OH. The Forum is co-sponsored by the Orthodox Church in America’s Archdiocese of Western Pennsylvania, the Diocese of the Midwest, and the Bulgarian Diocese.
“The Parish Development Forum is a conference which encourages discussion of timely topics and discovery of practices used by healthy, vibrant Orthodox parishes,” said Joseph Kormos, Forum co-chairperson and Parish Development Ministry Leader for the Archdiocese of Western Pennsylvania. “This is the eleventh consecutive Parish Development Forum. Past Forums have drawn attendees from most OCA Dioceses and as far away as Florida and Arizona. The Cleveland area site offers excellent facilities and the location, just moments from exit 151 on I-77 and near the Ohio Turnpike, is accessible for many parishes of the OCA and other Orthodox jurisdictions.”
Theme: Our Parish and the Future: Equipping to Serve in a Secular World
Archpriest Stephen Frase, clergy co-chair of the Forum noted, “The 2024 Forum theme, ‘Our Parish and the Future: Equipping to Serve in a Secular World’, was chosen to build on the highly successful 2023 Forum discussions with a specific focus on how secular thought processes and assumptions that inhabit our lives and basic outlook have an important influence on Orthodox persons and parish ministries. By examining these cultural influences the Forum will help attendees to update their parish efforts in evangelism, incorporating inquirers, communication, and youth and adult Christian formation.”
Agenda segments will include:
- Orthodox Converts Speak: Becoming Part of the Parish Fabric
- Learning from Our American Saints: In the World Not Of the World
- Materialism, Science, and Reality: Does Science Give Us Certainty?
- Understanding Our Culture: The Impact on Evangelism, Communication and Formation
- Active Listening and Dialogue – And other Critical Parish Skills
Project 2030
“Unlike many presentation laden conferences, the Forum agenda will invite attendees to collaborate on ‘Project 2030’, a set of structured, facilitated discussions designed to share experiences and identify the key behaviors, skills and ‘new muscles’ parishes will need to thrive amidst future societal, cultural, demographic and technological trends”, said Kormos. “’Project 2030’ discussions will involve extended exploration of three significant parish issues: building a healthy, collaborative parish environment; integrating converts and newcomers, and establishing a mission mindset.”
Conference Registration – Early Bird Discount Available until June 24
Registration is open to clergy and laity from any Orthodox jurisdiction. An early bird registration discount of $50 per attendee is available until June 24. After June 24 the registration fee will be $160 per attendee.
Registration must be done online and is available here. Registration payment can be made by credit card only. To maintain an intimate setting for thoughtful exchange among attendees, Forum attendance will be limited to 90 persons.
Hotel information
A block of hotel rooms has been reserved at the Holiday Inn Cleveland South – Independence, 6025 001 Rockside Rd. Independence, OH 44131 . The group rate of $122 per are also available until June 9, 2024. Information for hotel registration is available at the conference registration page.
Questions and enquiries may be directed to Mr. Kormos at joekormos1@gmail.com with the subject “Forum Questions”.
