What is Orthodoxy?

 

     The Orthodox Christian Church is the Church that has best maintained the purity of Christ’s teachings for the past 2000 years. It was founded by our Lord Jesus Christ as described in the pages of the New Testament and has unbroken continuity back to the twelve Apostles.  Orthodoxy has continued in undiminished and unaltered faith and practice. Its apostolic doctrine, worship and structure remain intact to this day.

      Many people are surprised to learn that for the first 1000 years of Christianity there was only one church. It was in the eleventh century that a split occurred which led to the Western Church, under the pope, being separated from the Eastern Orthodox Church. To learn more about Orthodox Christianity please visit www.gomona.org.

 

 

Our Mission's History:

 

     The two cornerstone families of this mission community are the Kretsedemases and Howingtons. When they settled here from Greece, these devoutly religious families were faced with the reality that there was no church in Northern Arizona to cultivate a life centered on Christ and the Holy Mysteries. The closest Orthodox Church was three hours away at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Phoenix, Arizona. For 30 years they prayed for an Orthodox Church in Northern Arizona. The community worshipped together in various storefronts or at homes of the faithful, and participated in the Holy Sacraments with visiting clergy.

 

     In 1998 the Greek Orthodox Mission was brought under the spiritual guidance of Metropolitan Anthony of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco. In his wisdom His Eminence assigned Fr. Timothy Pavlatos, who was the assistant priest at Holy Trinity Cathedral, to serve the community twice a month. In that time, the fledgling mission became more organized and grew both in active members and financially. This in turn led to Fr. Nicholas Andruchow being assigned by Metropolitan Anthony as the full-time priest in September of 2002. Supporting Father Nicholas and his family was a challenge for the community.  There were only 24 families tithing a total of $18,000 a year, which as supposed to cover a budget of $85,000. The arrival of Father Nicholas and his beautiful family immediately brightened and strengthened the light of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the parishioners. By the grace of God, the Orthodox faithful have been able to cover our expenses through increased stewardship, active fundraising, and the very generous support of our Orthodox brothers and sisters.

 

Outreach/ Philanthropy:

 

     Since the beginning, members of this Mission have worked diligently to share the beauty and fullness of our Orthodox faith, knowing this is God's true purpose for us in Northern Arizona. As a result we have nearly doubled the number of active stewards in the past 4 years so that we are currently serving close to 190 faithful in the local area.

 

     This type of growth has allowed us to continually develop our resources to help others. Quarterly, we take a second collection after Divine Liturgy for our continued philanthropy, giving food, shelter and transportation to the homeless or stranded. In addition to collecting food and clothing for the local food bank, our outreach also involves a nursing home where we have Bible study classes, Paraklesis services, craft programs, Christmas caroling, and spend time talking and praying with the elderly. The Greek Orthodox Mission of Northern Arizona (GOMONA) also offers Orthodox Christian education programs and retreats for all ages, welcoming the Orthodox faithful, NAU students, and all of the Flagstaff community.

 

     Another key outreach effort is our annual Glendi, a dinner party for over 200 guests featuring authentic Greek cuisine, music and dance. Although this is also a fundraiser for our mission, it gives us the opportunity to show the Flagstaff community our culture and heritage as Greeks, while Father Nicholas utilizes this time to escort small groups on a tour of Orthodoxy. 

     Several parishioners have become true missionaries, through Project Mexico, a program supporting the homeless in an area south of Tijuana, Mexico, and the boys of nearby St. Innocent Orphanage. For the past four years, Fr. Nicholas and a crew of volunteers have generously given their time, money, and love to this cause. Over the course of five days each summer, they have worked constructing homes and improving the quality of life within the only orphanage of its kind in Mexico.

          

 

The Active and Growing GOMONA Community:

 

     The Greek Orthodox Mission of Northern Arizona was granted mission church status in 1998 by His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony of the Metropolis of San Francisco of the Holy Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Our Parish Council consists of seven members who, with the spiritual guidance of Fr. Nicholas Andruchow, lead the church in a manner consistent with the current and prescribed Uniform Parish Regulations of the Greek Archdiocese.

    

     We are currently sharing/renting one of the Catholic Church buildings in town (Our Lady of Guadalupe), where we celebrate a full liturgical schedule. Prior to our services, members of our Parish spend time transforming the church into a place fitting for an Orthodox service, by setting up the Altar and portable Iconostasis. Church School for the children and Orthodoxy 101 for adults are also held each Sunday. Due to the large number of children in our Mission family, a great deal of effort has been focused on the Church School curriculum and the many activities of the youth.

     Greek Orthodox Youth of America (GOYA) events have included camping trips, sleepovers, Lenten Retreats, Oratorical Festivals, and regular visits to the nursing home. The children have also learned to give to the Church in their financial offerings and of their time, treasure and talents. They have created care packages for the needy, collected food for the food bank, and held small fundraisers to support their activities. All of this is done with the hope that they will serve Christ in a manner which is pleasing to Him and that they will cling to Him and the Church throughout their lives.

 

     The vibrancy of the mission is clearly seen in the number of sacraments performed since Fr. Nicholas has arrived. We have celebrated 8 Weddings, 19 Baptisms and 16 Chrismations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Category	Goals
Sanctuary Capacity	250
Zoning	Commercial
Classrooms	3
Social Hall	1
Kitchen	1
Bathroom	2
Playground	1
Office	2
Proximity to City	w/in 10 miles
Cry Room	1
Narthex	1
Total Living Space	Minimum of 5000 sq ft
Land	3 acres
Parking	50+ car lot
Retreat Center	1

The Building Committee and Our Goals:

 

    The Mission's Building Committee was formally established in 2005, and consists   of several parishioners with a range of applicable experience. The goal of the committee is to facilitate the identification and purchase of a suitable property and coordinate the creation of a permanent Orthodox Church in Northern Arizona.  We have engaged an experienced local realtor, and determined the goals of the community in order to clarify and focus our search.

 

  

 Summary:

 

     Flagstaff is the oasis of Northern Arizona and thus attracts many visitors. Our parish is blessed to have guest speakers on a regular basis; Priests and Clergy who are traveling through the area almost always stop in. Whether on their way to the Grand Canyon, visiting Fr. Nicholas and our parish, or just to see the snow in the winter, all are welcome.

 

     Our Lady of Guadalupe Church is currently rented by GOMONA at a very reasonable rate, but we are required to share the use of the sanctuary and fellowship hall with the still active Catholic parish to which it belongs. This continues to create scheduling and other related challenges. It is also unknown how long the current agreement, allowing us to worship there on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, will remain. GOMONA cannot put into jeopardy our ability to meet and worship regularly, following the full liturgical schedule of the Orthodox Church.

     Now is the time to create a permanent Orthodox Christian Church in Northern Arizona, which will strengthen the faith of our parishioners, by proclaiming the Orthodox faith to all. The Greek Orthodox Mission of Northern Arizona has launched a 1 million dollar capital campaign.

 

The Challenge of a Successful Future:

 

     By the grace of God, we have already had several appreciable donations to our building and property fund. The individuals and families who have contributed in the infancy of our fundraising efforts have our sincere gratitude.

 

     GOMONA's one million dollar capital campaign plan has two phases. The first is to generate "seed money," the funds needed to seriously enter into any financial agreement of purchase. Most lending agencies are concerned not about our fund raising abilities, but rather our financial status upon submitting for a loan. Initial funding improves the probability of a loan with a reasonable interest rate. Of course, our goal is to have no mortgage, because the operational costs of a building, coupled with a mortgage payment, would slow the future development of the church. So, seed money is a must, and the starting point toward the realization of our own Orthodox Church in Northern Arizona.

  

     Phase two will be launched when a suitable property is located. At this time, donations would be considered "purchasing funds." These funds will be added to the building and property savings account with the intention of purchasing the newly found property. At this time we must reflect on our individual responsibility to give more than just a minimal gift, and prayerfully choose what sacrifice each of us is willing to make, for the future of the Northern Arizona Christian Orthodox community.

 

     Becoming a church founder forever associates your name with the prayers and memories of the church. To help commemorate this and to ensure that the families who share our passion for creating an Orthodox Christian Church are never forgotten, we will be creating a plaque to memorialize those who help make this possible. This will help the generations to come remember those who cared enough to make the sacrifices and donations to this cause. The commemorative areas on this plaque are "founding donor" and "honorary founding donor." The founding donors are those people who give between $10,000 up to $25,000 and the honorary founding donors are those who give $25,000 and higher. These donations are encouraged to be given as a lump sum but can also be given as a five-year pledged offering.  A $10,400 pledge would be $175.00 per month, much less than an average car payment. So, at the end of 5 years you could either have an old car or have your name forever engraved in the church memories.

 

     Unless otherwise specified by the donor, all donations made to the building fund go into a restricted account that will only be used for the purchase and construction and/or remodel of a building or property. It will take all gifts, from the smallest to the largest, of funding, time, talent and prayers, to collectively succeed in our campaign. We trust that you will allow God to guide your heart. Let's all do what we can to spread the true faith of Christ.

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

Fr. Nicholas L. Andruchow Proestamenos

Sandy Boyce Parish Council President

David Park Co-chair of Building Com.