CINCINNATI, OH [PDM] – Online Registration for the 2020 Parish Development Forum, to be held from 10:30 AM EDT to 5:00 PM on Thursday July 9, is now open. 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.
“We have reconfigured the highly successful Parish Development Forum, from an in-person conference to a one day online session for this year,” said Joseph Kormos, Forum co-chairperson and Parish Development Ministry Leader for the Archdiocese of Pittsburgh. “For the past six years this conference has attracted persons from virtually every OCA Diocese and many other Orthodox jurisdictions. The online venue will make this opportunity available to an even wider group of potential attendees.
His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, will be the keynote speaker for this virtual conference. Metropolitan Tikhon said, “The Parish Development Forum has become an important event in the life of our Orthodox Church, bringing an opportunity for dialogue and discovery of practices of healthy, vibrant Orthodox parishes,” said Metropolitan Tikhon. “Our duty to growth Christ’s Church and minister to the world doesn’t stop during a pandemic, and so this year’s forum comes at a very opportune time as we seek creative ways to continue the work of the Church during these challenging times.”
Archpriest Stephen Frase, co-chairperson for the Forum noted, “The 2020 Forum theme is ‘The Orthodox Parish: Charting a Course in Challenging Times’”. Our goal this year is to provide useful content to help parish clergy and lay leaders reflect and act upon the impact of the recent upheaval and deal with many of the unique, specific issues parishes will face through the next six to twelve months.”
The forum agenda will include three full attendee plenary presentations as well as nine parallel breakout sessions in which attendees can choose from an array of skill-building and town hall-style dialogue sessions on topics of interest. Information on topics and speakers/panelists can be found on line.
Registration is open to clergy and laity from any Orthodox jurisdiction. Forum Registration includes various budget friendly free will pricing options –including free. Attendees can select the option that best fits their personal situation. Income after administrative expenses and speaker stipends will be used for Parish Development Grants and for donations to Orthodox charities.
Questions and enquiries may be directed to Mr. Kormos at joekormos1@gmail.com.
