Cupola In Place

We experienced a great joy on Wednesday, November 5th, a joy shared by all who love Christ and His Church. A crane lifted our large cupola and placed it on top of our new building under construction, with the sun lighting up the golden cross as it made its way to the top of the roof.

Our building has been underway since this summer, with the hopes to have ourr first service at the site for the Nativity of our Lord. The volunteer labor for this building project has been massive for this small parish that has about 70 worshipers each Sunday. Fifteen to twenty volunteers typically work every Saturday, in addition to smaller teams that come out during the week.

Our parish committed to a "bare bones" structure, based on the financial realities and created a substantial "wish list" (which included the large cupolas and three smaller ones). Many of the wish list items have been paid for, and the journey of generosity and hard work continues for this young parish.

"It is our prayer that many more will 'come home' to Christ and His Church here in the Bozeman area", says Fr. David Morrison. "That we will have more space soon, and a beautiful place to worship and grow, is truly a gift from our God."

The parish looks forward to having His Eminence, Archbishop Benjamin with them for the Feast of St. Anthony on Saturday, January 17, 2015--it will truly be a celebration of all God is doing in Montana, through prayers of St. Anthony and all the saints. All are invited to celebrate with us!

Greetings on the Fifth Sunday of Lent, St. Mary of Egypt.

Thanks be to God, we have begun building!

Today I’m writing, on behalf of our capital campaign committee, to remind you of our plan for funding the construction of our new church and to share with you, as promised, the list of prioritized items not included in this plan.

First, the plan. The parish has approved the expenditure of roughly $367,000 this year toward the construction of our new church. This money will come from what we have currently in our plant fund and from a low-interest loan from one of our members. By year’s end (Dec. 2014), we hope to be in our new church and expect to have a debt of $325,000.

We will owe nothing on the money we’re borrowing this year, and for the two years following, 2015 and 2016, we will pay only on the interest of a 15-year loan, which will be less than our current rent. In January 2017, our loan will be recalculated at prime, and we will begin paying both principal and interest.

At our parish meeting, John Milanovich described, and the parish approved, the establishment of a sinking fund. Its purpose will be to pay down the size of our loan on or before December 2016 in order to reduce the size of our monthly mortgage expenses thereafter.

In each of the last three years we have conducted informal capital campaigns, usually tied to a challenge or matching gift. In this way we have been able to raise between $25,000 and $40,000 annually over and above budget to purchase the land on Love Lane and pay for site work in preparation for construction of the new church. I hope we can do the same again this year, but now for the purpose either of making gifts to the sinking fund or for the purpose of “purchasing” the items on the attached list.

Now, the list. Father David and the building committee have prioritized the items on this list. Their criteria ranged from the importance of a distinctively Orthodox appearance to the desire to save money down the road by saving on the cost of retrofitting. We pray every Sunday that the Lord will sanctify those who love the beauty of His house, and many of these items, as you will see, speak directly to that prayer. To view the list, click here.

This year our God will bless us both corporately and individually. As you receive blessings, please consider sharing them with the body of Christ at St. Anthony and making an investment in the house of the Lord.

With heartfelt thanks for your faithfulness, good works, and generosity, I am blessed to be making this request.

Yours in Christ our Hope,
David