Meeting of our Lord is a Serbian Orthodox Church mission parish in Naples, Florida

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We’d like to tell you about our accomplishments to date establishing a Serbian Orthodox Church in Naples, Florida. Since our first service on November 20, 2022, we have come a long way in establishing a place in which all the local Serbs, yearly visitors, and others can meet and be welcome under one roof. Once our parish was established by the Diocese, we set out immediately to stand on our own two feet. We became a 501(c)3 not-for-profit entity in the state of Florida, and among other things, we have done the following:

 

·      We were successful in locating and securing an optimal temporary rental facility to hold services and other gatherings whenever needed and have negotiated below market hourly rental rates. We have a dedicated staff of volunteers who set up the facility to resemble a church every week. We have over 50 dues-paying family members.

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·      His Grace Bishop Irinej has visited our parish several times and provided his full support and blessings for our efforts. On his most recent visit, we celebrated the formal establishment of our Kolo Srpskih Sestara Circle of Serbian Sisters, who are the backbone of most of our cultural and social efforts.

 

·      We celebrated our first anniversary in November 2023, and our Church Slava Sretenje Gospodnje in February 2024

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.​     We now have a fully functional volunteer Board of Trustees consisting of President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Members-at-Large, each with decades of relevant professional experience.

 

·      Our parish has its own publication, The Lighted Path, published twice yearly and fully paid for with ads by our supporting Serbian business owners and friends.

 

·      In addition to our religious gatherings, we have held several successful informal parish events including dinners at local Serb-owned restaurants. We have also traveled as an informal group to neighboring Florida parishes to support our brothers and sisters at festivals and other events.

 

·      We have scheduled future events such as a Happy Hour and Dinner on April 8 at Café Figaro, our Inaugural Golf Outing at Spanish Wells on May 11, and our first Church Bowling Tourney on July 20.  

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·      Our first major goal was to secure a well-qualified, engaging, fulltime, resident Serbian Orthodox priest who will perform all our church services and actively serve the needs of the local Serbian community. With his help, we will move on to our second goal: obtaining a permanent location for services and gatherings, eventually building our own church.

 

·      We offer many, many thanks to all who have volunteered their time, talent, and treasure. They have helped us grow. To keep us on the road to accomplishing our goals, we need your help. We hope we can count on you to help us continue to prosper and flourish.