St. Andrew’s Center for Orthodox Christian Studies
"Saint
Andrew the Apostle"
23300 Davison Avenue, Detroit,
Michigan
What is
it?
The "St. Andrew the
Apostle" Center for Orthodox Christian Studies is an autonomous
corporation under the omophorion of His Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel, a
member of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of America. As an affiliated institution of the Romanian
Orthodox Diocese of America, the Center for Orthodox Christian Studies is
subject to the authority of the Archbishop and complies with the Constitution
and By-Laws of the aforementioned Diocese, but that it has an autonomous
existence, as do the monasteries or seminaries as “autonomous entities”. It has
its own Board of Directors, of which Archbishop Nathaniel is the president.
The Diocese is not responsible for
the administration or maintenance of the Center. The Diocese is not liable for
any debts or contracts of the Center. The Center does not draw funds from the
Diocese budget.
At the same time, the Center
"belongs" to the Church. It
is an Orthodox Christian institution. It does have the authority, given
by the Diocese Congress, to solicit and accept funds and contributions from the
Diocese, the parishes and faithful members of all jurisdictions, and
non-denominational organizations and institutions.
Whom Will
it Serve?
Like the founding Diocese, the
Center’s calling is to serve the whole Church, and has in its membership
faithful and clergy of almost every ethnic origin. It serves in both English
and Romanian, as the need may be.
In the same way, the Center,
besides its primary mission to serve the needs of the Romanian Diocese,
welcomes students and participants of any origin, and strive to promote Holy
Orthodoxy in this land.
The Center is not designed to
compete with or replace other seminaries or programs. It is designed to address
the specific needs of the founding
Diocese, which presently are not met by other programs of study. Those from
other jurisdictions who may participate in the work of the Center will
participate with that understanding.
The vision and programs of the
Center continue to evolve, as clergy and faithful make known the needs of our
people. At present, the Center is envisioned as having the following areas of
activity:
1. A chapel and retreat center
where faithful may come for spiritual guidance and renewal,
2. A community center where
various of Church organizations may
have their offices,
3. A school to prepare clergy and
lay leaders for service in the founding Diocese, and to provide for their
continuing education.
Clergy and
Lay Education
The Clergy and Lay continuing
education program will be organized on four tracks, according to the needs of
the Diocese and the students:
(1) An ongoing program of
continuing education for Romanian Orthodox clergy in North America. This
program will be taught in English and/or Romanian, according to need, and will
consist of workshops and institutes held periodically during the year. Clergy will
be able to attend these sessions while maintaining their present positions. It
is hoped that the first of these sessions will be offered in the autumn of
2000.
(2) A program of public Orthodox
Christian education for Orthodox faithful. This will consist of retreats,
workshops and lectures for those who want to grow and learn more about the
Orthodox faith, but who do not seek to enroll in a formal program of academic
study. These sessions will be offered in English and/or Romanian, according to
need.
(3) A one-year, residential
program for graduates of Romanian theological schools who wish to further their
studies in America, and for clergy presently in our Diocese who are able to
enroll in a year of full-time study. As of this writing, a draft proposal for
the program has been drawn up, and was briefly described to the Diocese
Council. It is hoped that this program will begin in the fall of 2001.
(4) A late vocations program of
studies for those who desire a theological education but who cannot attend a
full-time seminary program. This program will be designed to prepare priests,
deacons, and other church workers. It will consist of correspondence work as
well as attendance at short institutes held during the year.
At this time, much work remains to
be done. Funding must be found to support the facilities and programs.
Qualified instructors are needed to present the programs and courses that are
planned. Governmental, legal and financial requirements must be met. And a
proper spiritual life must be established on the premises.
But by the grace of God, all this
will be accomplished. Generous faithful and parishes are already coming to the
support of the Center, even though no formal fundraising program has been
announced. And we continue forward in the faith that God will bless a great
work, for the building up of His Church and the glory of His Holy Name.
A
Description of The Center For Orthodox Christian Studies
The site is approximately seven
acres of land. The building was constructed in 1930 and is a three-story brick
edifice with reinforced concrete frame. The approximate square footage is 40,
173. There are nine double-room suites, four single-bedrooms on the second and
third floors; offices on the first floor; a 52 seat chapel on the ground level;
a large monastery church on the second floor; kitchen, dining-room and pantry;
lounge on the second floor; library on the third floor; common bathrooms and
lavatories on all floors; basement; attic; garage.
The building has been in
continuous use until now. A custodian is living on the premises and a
care-taker comes for a weekly inspection of the grounds.
Bishop
Policarp's Dream Fulfilled; Archbishop Valerian's Work Continues
In 1935, sixty-five years ago, the
first Hierarch for Orthodox Christian Romanians outside Romania, Bishop
Policarp Morusca, was consecrated in Bucharest, came to the United States and
began to minister to his flock in North and South America and the Pacific. Two
years after, "Vatra Romaneasca" was purchased and the bishop
re-organized his plans for his pastorate. Among these was included the project
of establishing a seminary. Bishop Policarp left America in 1939 to attend a
meeting of the Holy Synod but was unable to return. The project to establish a
seminary had been implanted in the soul of the Diocese and was not lost. In a
special publication, "The Vatra in Celebration: July 16, 1944," the
project to establish a seminary was promoted as "yet to be
fulfilled."
During the pastorate of Archbishop
Valerian D. Trifa (1952-1984), this project took the shape of a correspondence
course of theology, "Andrei Saguna." It was established for
individuals who had a "late vocation" to serve the Church. Not a few
members of our clergy were graduated from this course. Candidates for ordination
were tested in their knowledge and practice of the Orthodox faith and
liturgics. The Archbishop was adamant that graduates should be equipped to
fulfill all priestly obligations.
Later, still during the pastorate
of Archbishop Valerian, the "Andrei Saguna"program was set aside in
favor of other programs which had been made available. The idea continued,
however, that a pastorate in the Romanian Diocese called for unique responses
to the particular pastoral needs and concerns of its parishes. Adding to this
the present reality that there are many emigrants to North America who need new
missions and parishes, Archbishop Nathaniel concluded that either the
"Andrei Saguna" program should be revived and revamped or a new
program for pastoral theology must be developed to educate clergy for the
missionary and contemporary pastoral concerns of our day.
Having given due consideration to
programs already existing in Orthodox institutions, it was decided that the
needs of the Diocese would yet best be fulfilled as designed and implemented by
the Diocese. To accomplish this, two major aspects were considered: the actual
program of education and the site.
About this time, the Diocese
Office was presented with the possibility to purchase the St. Paul Monastery of
the Passionist Fathers in Detroit, Michigan, an institution which had been
built for the purposes of educating clergy and a site for holding retreats. The
price-tag was $400,000.00 for a building of approximately 40,173 square feet.
On February 10, 1998, His Eminence
sent a letter to members of the Diocese Council offering two major
considerations: the establishment of a "Finishing Seminary" project
and the purchase of an existing facility which would be appropriate for the
site of residence for the program and the students. The Council unanimously
favored the Program but was reluctant to enter a financial obligation for a
building and its operation.
The Diocese Council meeting of
July 1, 1999, did, however prepare two resolutions which were presented to
delegates at the Diocese Congress:
"That the Diocese Congress
establish a school for the preparation and further education of clergy and that
such school be chartered as a legal entity, pursuant to Article VII, Section 1,
(b) of the Diocese Constitution and By-Laws," and "That the
educational institution be permitted to solicit funds and other assistance from
the Parishes of the Diocese and other individuals."
Both
motions passed unanimously.
In the time after the Congress,
attention was given to the preparation of a Diploma Program in Applied Pastoral
Theology. In September 1999, Rev. Fr. Ian Pac-Urar, Ph.D., submitted a draft
proposal for this program. This program "is intended for graduates of
theological institutes and seminaries abroad who wish to continue their
in-depth preparation for work in Orthodox Christian parishes and missions, and
for practicing clergy who wish to develop and deepen their skills."
According to the mandate of the Congress, the diploma program will be chartered
as a separate legal entity.
The next step was to determine
where to hold the sessions. Having given due consideration to various
institutions being offered for sale and noting that the Vatra was not equipped
to be the site, His Eminence responded to the invitation to offer a proposal
for the St. Paul Monastery property. After a revision of the initial offer, a
final offer of $375,000.00 was accepted by the Passionist Fathers. The first
payment is for $75,000.00 at the date of closing and $75,000.00 per year for
four years with no interest except for payment default. Final closing will be
determined by minor realignment of utility and property facilities.
As of October 11, the building was
incorporated in the State of Michigan as a non-profit organization. The Center
For Orthodox Christian Studies will initiate a blanket fund-raising effort in
the near future.
A Five-Year Action Plan has been
drawn up covering purchase and renovations of the facilities; the development
of the Applied Pastoral Theology (APT), Community Education Program (CEP) and
accreditation; funding project.
1.0 Executive
Summary
1.1 Objectives
1.2 Mission
1.3 Keys to Success
2.0 Company Summary
2.1 Company Ownership
2.2 Start-up Summery
2.3 Company Locations and Facilities
3.0 Service
3.1 Service Description
3.2 Competitive Comparison
3.3 Sales Literature
3.4
Fulfillment
3.5 Technology
3.6 Future Services
4.0
Market Analysis Summary
4.1 Market Segmentation
4.2 Service Business Analysis
4.2.1 Business Participants
4.2.2 Competition and Buying Patterns
4.2.3 Main Competitors
5.0 Strategy and implementation
Summary
5.1 Competitive Edge
5.2 Marketing Strategy
5.2.1 Positioning Statement
5.2.2 Pricing Strategy
5.2.3 Promotion Strategy
5.3
Sales Strategy
5.3.1 Sales Forecast
5.4 Milestones
6.0 Management Summary
6.1 Management Team
6.2 Management Team Gaps
6.3 Personnel Plan
7.0
Financial Plan
7.1 Important
Assumptions
7.2 Key
Financial Indicators
7.3 Break-even
Analysis
7.4 Projected
Profit and Loss
7.5
Projected Cash
Flow
7.6
Projected Balance
Sheet
7.7 Business
Ratios