Thriving Parishes Project Retreat: October 14-15, 2024
St. Nicholas Church, Portland, Oregon | October 14-15, 2024
The Thriving Parishes Project (TPP) hosted 44 parish rectors and lay leaders for its kick-off retreat preceding the Diocesan Assembly in Portland, Oregon. Participants were generously hosted by Archpriest John Karcher and St. Nicholas Church.
The retreat began with a welcome from Diocesan Chancellor, Archpriest Kirill Sokolov, and an overview of the Thriving Parishes Project by Program Director, Priest Andrew Smith. Bolstered by Ephesians 4:11-16, participants were introduced to the TPP and the various levels of support available to their parish. The TPP is an invitation for the participating parishes to engage in relevant and timely discussions and evaluations aimed at establishing and maintaining parish health. Through connections to other parishes, regular check-ins, and objective analysis, opportunities abound for real-time feedback and active partnership between the TPP team and parishes as they work together toward deep parish renewal.
After enjoying a delicious meal prepared by the parishioners of St. Nicholas, the evening concluded with breakout groups where participants shared about themselves and discussed the successes and challenges faced in their respective parishes.
A central element of the TPP is fostering a parish-wide learning community through monthly activities and reflection exercises. With His Eminence, Archbishop Benjamin in attendance, retreat participants experienced a model of this for the first time during Tuesday morning’s discussion between Fr. Andrew Smith and Bryan Joseph Zulko. As a member of the Portland area Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Bryan serves as the coordinator for the parish’s support of Family Promise, a national nonprofit dedicated to assisting homeless families, and he was recently appointed to their board. His enthusiasm shone through as he urged participants to think about how they could collaborate with and support their parishioners in community outreach initiatives. Parish priests and lay leaders then took the inspiration they received and animatedly discussed parish charitable outreach with their thought partners from other parishes.
Participants were then led through a session focused on church health – what are the key qualities of a healthy and growing church and how can our parishes deepen their understanding and practice of these qualities within their specific contexts? In the Gospel of St. Mark, Christ reminds us that “the kingdom of God is like a farmer who casts seed upon the ground; and goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts up and grows – how, he himself does not know. The earth produces crops, all by itself, first the blade, then the head, and then the mature grain in the head.” (Mark 4:26-28) Participants were invited to reflect on the impact of using diagnostic tools, focus groups, and strategic thinking to release the potential that God has embedded in every church, based on this “all by itself” principle. The content was engaging, and the resulting discussions were enlightening.
The TPP team is very grateful for the time and attention each rector and lay leader gave to this special time together. Many thanks to Fr. John Karcher and St. Nicholas Church for their generous hospitality!