Small Parish Forum
July 14-16 
Holy Assumption Church, Canton OH

Archdiocese of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania
and Diocese of the Midwest 
Orthodox Church in America
June 2016             

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2016 Small Parish Forum July 14-16
Hotel Discount Deadline June 15
In Brief 

    The Third Annual Small Parish Forum will be held from 3:00 PM July 14 to 12:15 PM July 16, 2016 at Holy Assumption Church in Canton OH.  

 

    A discounted block of rooms is available at the Staybridge Suites Canton.(330-966-6620 ask for Small Parish Forum Group Rate.) The discounted rate is available only until June 15.

   Registration fee, including most meals and Forum materials is $100 per attendee.

 

   Parishes from the Archdiocese of Western PA and the Diocese of the Midwest are eligible for scholarships covering Forum registration and lodging. Contact Joseph Kormos with questions.


   To register for the Small Parish Forum and to make discounted hotel reservations click here
  
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More on the 2016 Small Parish Forum... 

For clergy and lay leaders from small Orthodox churches, the Small Parish Forum is an intimate, regional conference designed to share helpful, hopeful ideas and tools for stabilizing and strengthening parish life.

The Forum is co-sponsored by the OCA's Archdiocese of Western Pennsylvania and the Diocese of the Midwest.
  
Theme for the 2016 Small parish Forum: "The Small Parish: Possibilities and Opportunities - Worshiping, Caring, Teaching, Sharing the Faith.
   register now 
Motivation, Hope, Practical Idea
Most Orthodox Churches in North America are small. Some have always been small. Some were once large and for various reasons are now smaller. They need motivation, and help establishing a sense that small parishes can live a Life in Christ without necessarily becoming "big".
 
Small Parishes Are Different 
Small Parishes think act and feel different. But they can learn to capitalize on their intimacy and close relationships to live a Life in Christ.  
Just as a clinic is not a large metropolitan hospital with fewer beds, small churches are not immature versions of large parishes. They think, act and feel different - perfectly capable of living an effective Life in Christ. Small parishes can worship well, care for one another, serve others, teach and share Christ's love with others.

Doing so requires capitalizing  on opportunities made possible by the intimacy and close relationships inherent in their modest size and tuning their efforts to their unique identity. And, most critically, small churches can't use their small size as an excuse for inactivity and mediocrity.
Some of the attendees for 2015 Small Parish Forum. Weirton WV 
 
The Forum will explore these opportunities and possibilities.
  
 DOWNLOAD 2016 Forum Flyer  
Key Topics 
The Forum will offer lecture, case studies, discussion, structured workshops and small group conversations -- all structured around helping small parishes to be authentic icons of Christian community. Topics will include:
  • Keynote: Expanding the Mission:
    The Critical Role of the Small Parish
  • "Inside Out - Outside In: Seven Keys to Understanding Your Parish Neighborhood"
  • The Eight Person Sunday School and Four Person Youth Group: Making Things Work When You're Small"
     
  • The Evangelizing Small Parish: Workshop
  • Singing in Small Ensembles and Building Beautiful Church Music in a Small Parish"
  • The Tentmaker: Exploring the Role of the Bi-vocational Pastor in Small Parishes.
  • And more..
register now    
Accessible Location 
The 2016 Forum will be held at Holy Assumption Church, 2027 18th St NW, Canton OH, 44705

The Forum site is 13 minutes from Akron Canton Airport and 65 minutes from Cleveland Hopkins Airport, a two hour drive from Pittsburgh; three and a half hours from Detroit; less than four hours from Buffalo and a bit over six hours from Philadelphia. Over half of the OCA's parishes are within a manageable drive of the site.