Detroit site of “urban mission” retreat June 20-24, 2012
DETROIT, MI [MW Diocese Communications] — Saint Raphael of Brooklyn Church here, a parish of the Orthodox Church in America’s Romanian Episcopate, will host a hands-on urban missionary retreat June 20-24, 2012.
The retreat, geared to high school and college students and adults, will focus on the Church’s mission and ministry to those in need “right here in our own back yard.” It offers an alternative for those unable to engage in similar ministries abroad, while addressing domestic needs in an urban setting.
Participants will stay at Detroit’s historic Saint Andrew Center, where they will pray and worship together and share meals and fellowship. Practical instruction in the Church’s mission and ministries to those in need will be combined with outreach projects in the neighborhood.
In addition to neighborhood projects, participants will attend presentations and discussions by Paul Abernathy, FOCUS Urban Mission, Pittsburgh, PA, and Kathryn Saclarides, who works in violence prevention in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood.
The non-refundable $50.00 registration fee is due May 15, 2012, while the deadline for remitting the $150.00 retreat fee is May 31. Scholarships and parish sponsorships may be availble.
Fees include lodging and meals for four nights and five days. Participants will receive resource packets that include necessary forms, documents, and materials to promote the mission in their parishes. Any additional donations participants raise – beyond individual registration and retreat fees – will go directly to the mission’s inner-city projects for the week.
For questions, contact Archpriest Paul Albert, host pastor, at fr.paul@bex.net or 419-944-3995.
Additional information, retreat flyers, and a complete schedule are available at http://www.straphaeldetroit.org/urbanmission2012.html.