Many in the US are hearing about all the great things happening with the Serbian Orthodox in Montana. Not only do they have their Montanika conferences in full swing, but they also are growing their community like almost never seen in American Orthodoxy.
The Serbians have a very organized mission model to where designated mother churches donate their priest(s) to help build smaller, satellite and mission churches. Once the satellite becomes a mission, they are able to start paying for a priest, and hopefully property.
This model has sparked large Protestant churches to convert to Orthodoxy, as they witness the vibrant community. On top of all that, they are building the first Athonite monastery in America that is actually on the same calendar as Mount Athos. The teens in the parishes have already began constructing the first chapel.
We are honored to have Father Russel and his wife, Susan, come out here to Chino Valley, Arizona, for a week, from Montana, to give us many liturgical services, missional teachings, and other gifts from the Serbian community. We are so delighted! We are so blessed by all of their efforts. In this picture, Father is doing a demonstration with Ekaterina on mission work. He is very lively when it comes to teaching. He is by far one of the best Orthodox teachers I have known. Glory to God!
