What better neighbors could we have than a new church? St. Nicholas Serbian Orthodox Christian Church has chosen the Normandy Farms area in which to build its new church home. Those of us not familiar with the Orthodox Christian Church might ask, what is a Serbian Orthodox?
The Church was founded by Jesus Christ 2000 years ago. Originally the Church consisted of five so-called pillars (patriarchates); Jerusalem, Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria (Egypt) and Rome. In the eleventh century, (1054) there was a split (schism) in the church which resulted in the Orthodox Christian Church with 4 patriarchates and the Roman Catholic Church seated in Rome. The Protestant denominations left the Roman Church in the 16th Century during the Reformation.
The Orthodox Christian Church today has over 250 million communicants. The Orthodox Christian Church most familiar in America is the Greek Orthodox Church, but there are many other groups including Romanian, Bulgarian, Russian, Antiochan and Serbian, Chinese, Indonesian, and Australian, to name a few. There is even an Ethiopian Orthodox Church with a thriving parish in Central Indiana.
The Serbian Orthodox Church in Indianapolis has worshipped for over seven decades at its church home on West 16th Street, near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Growth of the parish and the need to modernize were reasons for the church to consider relocation. Twelve acres of land were purchased by the church a few years ago and now, on the heels of a successful fundraiser, St. Nicholas is ready to break ground.
The first stage of the project is the development of the Church Sanctuary for worship, the Cultural Center, a social hall, archives, offices, and Sunday School classrooms. Phases two and three include the construction of a Rectory and Church separate from the Cultural Center/Social Hall. The architectural style will include typical “Byzantine” attributes, and a gold dome!
The Orthodox Christian Church has seen many new members in recent years who are converts from other denominations. So although St. Nicholas is a “Serbian” church, many of the members do not have a Serbian heritage. The church parish council hopes that the new facility can also reach out to the community and serve as a resource.
Additionally, the church’s Lenten fish fries, which boast some gourmet items besides fried fish, will be open to the community. The church prides itself in having many friends and visitors attend these fish fries at the 16th Street location and hopes this tradition will continue at its new location. Parish cooks have asked , “Where else can you get cedar planked salmon and grilled tuna, with all the side dishes and dessert, for ten or twelve dollars?” Summer picnics also include barbecued lamb, a Serbian specialty, cevaps (Serbian sausage) and tamburitza music (traditional Serbian stringed instruments).
Parish Council Vice President and Chairman of the Fundraising Committee, Bob Ivancevich says, “We hope all of our new neighbors in Normandy Farms will join us for food and fellowship at these fun events and hope to offer our facilities for community organizations.” Look for ground to break sometime later this year and for worship sometime in mid to late 2006. Milan Milivojevic, Parish Council President, has said that the church is planning a week of celebration when it opens and that the hope of the Parish Council is to include the Normandy Farms community in the welcoming festivities!