"...Where two or three are
gathered in My name..." (Matt. 18:20)
A Brief History of the Serbian Orthodox Church
of
Saints Peter and Paul,
Atlanta, Georgia
I
When one thinks of the Serbian
population in America, cities such as Chicago, Cleveland
and Pittsburgh instantly come to mind. However, over the
course of a few generations, Serbs have moved away from these
hometowns into bigger and newer cities where, for the most
part, they have been led by their jobs. Today, we can proudly
say that in almost every part of this country a Serbian church
can be found not too far off.
We
know that when our grandfathers and great-grandfathers came
to this country they brought with them their faith, customs,
culture
and language. And from the very beginning, the carrier of these
elements, the carrier of the soul of the Serbian people, has always
been the Orthodox Church. But what we might not realize is that
today our young Serbian people are continuing the task left by
their ancestors to build churches throughout all of the United
States, wherever they might find themselves.
Such
is the story of a few Serbs in Atlanta, Georgia. It was in
mid-1993 that a few Serbs: Pam and Keith Collins, Chris and
Mitzie Gousetis, Scott and Dana Hawkins, Dawn Momich Zelich,
Veda Burns, Walter Ivkovich and Branka Popovic thought that
there were enough Serbian families living within the Atlanta
area to start a Serbian Church. Branka Popovic, who moved to
Georgia from Milwaukee, had dreadfully missed the life of the
Serbian community there. She was quick to call her good friend
and parish priest from Milwaukee, Fr. Dragan Veleusic. Fr.
Dragan informed her that her first step should be to call the
Bishop of Eastern America, Mitrophan.
His
Grace Bishop Mitrophan was very excited upon hearing the news
and was quick to make a trip to Atlanta and meet the people.
He came in the summer of 1993 to help plan our first social
- which was held on October 2, 1993 at the home of Pam and
Keith Collins. It was advertised in the Srbobran, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
and letters were sent out to every Serbian parish in the United
States. The Bishop served Vespers that evening and the Ss.
Peter and Paul Mission Parish had officially begun. Each of
the above-listed founders contributed $200 to pay for the food,
drink and the orchestra for the evening. A beautiful dinner,
featuring traditional Serbian cevaps and lamb, was held next
to the pool, The 100-plus people in attendance were serenaded
by a local Russian orchestra: a good time was had by all.
During
those first years, the small enthusiastic group worked very
hard under the leadership of Pamela Collins. Social events
were organized not only to raise money but also to build camaraderie
among the Atlanta Serbs. It must be recognized that many of
the Serbs who eventually became very active in the life of
the small mission parish had been living in Atlanta for numbers
of years without even knowing that there were other Serbs in
the city. Needless to say, it was a very exciting time for
this group. Pam Collins, Milana Saulnier, Jovanka Turner, Vladimir
Vujic, and Julie Zivkovic were some of the parishioners who
took a special effort in organizing many of these events.
Another
monthly activity which brought the Serbian people together
was the Divine Liturgy. Fr. Nikodim Pribojan, of Orlando, began
visiting once a month in December of 1993, serving at a local Salvation
Army hall. Later, Pam Collins solidified a relationship with the
Pastor at Northside Presbyterian Church and the Serbs began using
a small hall of their's for Saturday morning liturgies. During
their struggles of trying to organize the Serbian community in
Atlanta, Bishop Mitrophan paid several visits, serving with Fr.
Nikodim at times, other times, by himself. He was very determined
to do anything to help the mission parish succeed.
But
it was the Divine Liturgy, the life of the Church, that brought
the people together in an unexplainable way. During the services,
a small group of parishioners sang the responses. This first
church choir was led by Veda Burns. Nicholas Collins, the son
of Pamela and Keith Collins, helped the priest in the altar
while his sister, Alexandra, helped with the collection plate.
The children's grandparents, +Chris and Mitzie Gousetis, were
also very instrumental in the beginning and continue to be
so. Chris, being a very skilled woodworker, built a candle
stand as well as two stands for icons that would serve as a
portable iconostasis. Chris and Mitzie also opened their home
to both Fr. Nikodim and Bishop Mitrophan whenever they were
in town.
Although
Fr. Nikodim was very busy with his own fairly-new parish, he
continued to visit the Serbs in Atlanta each month. He, too,
was very enthusiastic with the new mission. When the Serbs
celebrated their one year anniversary, he served the Divine
Liturgy in Orlando in the m orning, jumped in his car and drove
almost nine hours to be at the celebration in Atlanta! That
day, October 2, 1994, a hugely successful one- year anniversary
picnic was celebrated by about 155 Serbs. These Serbs raised
enough money that day to make their first purchase - a communion
set for Divine Liturgy: a step of faith in the reality of the
new parish. In addition to the monthly divine services and
social events, a monthly newsletter was started to inform the
parishioners of upcoming events. Marjorie Mancini, perhaps
the only native Atlantan in the group, volunteered to start
putting this newsletter together in late 1993 and thus, the
Glasnik was born. Later, in August of 1994, another parishioner,
Catherine Tesla, a freelance graphic designer, took over the
duties of the Glasnik. Fr. Nikodim would often call both Marjorie
and Catherine giving them religious information to include
in the Glasnik, jumping at the opportunity to communicate with
the many Serbian people in Atlanta, as he simply did not have
enough time to visit with them during his short monthly trips.
The
Glasnik served not only to inform people of when and where
the next Divine Liturgy would be served, but also when and
where Bible studies would be held. As Fr. Nikodim would usually
serve Saturday mornings, he held Bible studies on Friday evenings
at various homes. Again, it was a chance for him to create
a relationship with the faithful in Atlanta, within his brief
visits. Shortly after the one year anniversary picnic in 1994,
five hundred dollars was taken from the general church fund
to establish a building fund. The congregation started taking
an interest in the purchase of land. Mitch Milovich, a key
parishioner who dedicated much of his money and free time to
the church, became the director of this building fund.
The
members of the church board observed the important role Fr.
Nikodim played in the lives of the Serbian people in Atlanta.
They could only imagine what he would be capable of doing if
he was their full time priest. They began to inquire about
receiving a priest of their own. On December 8, 1994, a church
board meeting was held, with both His Grace Bishop Mitrophan
and Fr. Nikodim. Bishop Mitrophan explained to the faithful
that in order for them to receive a full-time priest, there
needed to be evidence that the parish would be able support
a priest financially. In addition to this, there needed to
be a minimum of forty families signed up as members of the
church, committed to supporting the priest in the parish.
II
The
following year, 1995, appeared to be the time to take the
next step. A membership drive was organized with parishioner
Jovan Marjanovich
as the chairperson. From the mailing list of 120 families only
30 families signed up as members. The church board refused to give
up. Fr. Nikodim continued to come on a monthly basis for both Bible
classes and Divine Liturgy. The Building Fund was slowly growing
and had a little over four thousand dollars in it. Milana Saulnier,
another dedicated parishioner who had hopes of raising money for
the building fund, hosted a garage sale, selling items donated
by the parishioners.
In
November of that year, the people were very surprised to read
in their Glasniks: "Atlanta Gets a Priest! A Dream Come True!".
As it appeared, Bishop Mitrophan was planning to send them
a priest from Yugoslavia in about 3 months. The priest was
married and had two children. In addition to the basic housing
and salary requirements, the church would have to provide him
a car for transportation. The Diocese offered to temporarily
contribute $500 per month towards his salary. A meeting was
held on December 9th to discuss his arrival, a possible welcome
dinner, as well as the existing problem of not having a place
to serve Liturgy regularly on Sundays.
At
this December meeting, a new Board was selected with Mitch
Milovich taking on the position of president. The new vice-president,
David Simic, agreed to head a committee to locate property
for the building of the future church. Jovan Marjanovich had
generously offered the new priest and his family a temporary
place to stay, but no definite arrangements had been made for
their living quarters.
Even
though there was no certainty as to the arrival of the priest,
the faithful continued working for the future of the parish.
In January 1996 the second annual Serbian New Year's Eve party
was held. Vladimir Vujic chaired this highly successful event.
For their next gathering, Jovanka Loncaric and Mirka Shundich
prepared a St. Sava program which took place on Feb. 10 after
the church service. The next service was on Lazarus Saturday,
served by Fr. Nikodim. Following the Divine Liturgy, he blessed
willow branches and handed them to the faithful. After this,
things did slow down a bit. With the excitement and commotion
of Atlanta hosting the 1996 Olympic Games, no church services
were held during the summer months.
By
November of 1996, (exactly one year after people read in their
Glasniks that a priest was coming from Yugoslavia), President
Mitch Milovich wrote a letter to all parishioners informing
them that he now had new information. Mitch had received a
phone call from Bishop Mitrophan who had told him that there
was a young deacon in Akron, Ohio, who was awaiting ordination
and his first parish assignment.
Mitch
contacted this young Fr. Deacon Milovan Katanic and invited
him for the church services in December. On December 6, 1996,
(exactly two years after the church board decided they needed
a priest), a general meeting was held at the home of Gary and
Veda Burns. Fr. Deacon Milovan and his wife, Tatiana, visited
to discuss the possible position in Atlanta. Saturday morning
immediately following the Divine Liturgy, with both Fr. Nikodim
and Fr. Deacon Milovan serving, Mitch made the announcement
that Fr. Deacon Milovan had accepted the challenge of this
parish and would be ordained a priest in the following weeks
to become Atlanta's first full-time priest. The first Liturgy
was to be served on January 7, 1997--- Christmas Day!
III
Fr.
Milovan's first service as the priest of Ss. Peter and Paul
Serbian Orthodox Church in Atlanta was, as promised, on Christmas
Day. There were over 60 people at the Divine Liturgy that day
and it was the last time that the Serbs met at the Presbyterian
Church.
The group met once more in January, this time at the Greek Orthodox
Church in Marietta, Georgia. The service of the Great Blessing
of the Water was served in the crowded church hall. This imperative
and beautiful service was forboding of future events as Father
Milovan blessed the water, then took it to his faithful's homes,
in an effort to sanctify and unite the parish. It became evident
that for this parish to succeed, much had to be done to organize
and motivate the people. At this time, there was a little over
$10,000 in the General Fund and slightly over $12,000 in the
Building Fund. There was a lot of work which needed to be done
to increase
these numbers. And so the calling rings began.
Fr.
Milovan immediately introduced himself to the other Orthodox
clergy in the Atlanta area. It was Fr. Peter Shportun of St.
Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church who told him of a certain
Fr. Warren Tanghe who might have space for them to rent for
their Sunday services. Two weeks later, on February 2, the
Serbs began worshipping on a regular basis, serving Saturday
evening Vesper services and Sunday morning Divine Liturgy in
a small hall belonging to Fr. Warren's Church of Our Saviour
Episcopalian Church. Graciously, Father Warren offered this
room to the group free of charge, for however long they needed
it.
Father
Milovan's first "full-time" altar boy was Stevan Simic, who
quickly learned his role in the Liturgy. It wasn't long before
he was teaching other boys what to do behind the altar. On
that Sunday, following the Divine Liturgy, there was a meeting
held to elect members of the 1997church board. It was decided
that the board members who had successfully brought a priest
to Atlanta would stay for another year. On February 22, a welcoming
banquet was held in honor of Father Milovan and Popadija Tatiana
at the Greek church hall in Marrieta. It was the beginning
of a new chapter in the history of the Atlanta parish.
Although
there were services held each week, as well as the total commitment
of Father Milovan, the problem of attendance wasn't improving.
In April, an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about
the Eastern Orthodox Pascha, mentioned Fr. Milovan and the
newly-organized Serbian congregation. Pascha brought in a record
90-plus people to the Divine Liturgy. The following weekend,
a picnic was held to celebrate the feast. During 1997 five
picnics, in total, were held. The first picnic was a big success
in terms of numbers of people as well as money raised. Unfortunately,
attendance died down at the following picnics. However, it
was with these picnics that an almost completely new group
of people started taking control of social events. More and
more new members outside of the original core group were becoming
involved. Of course, Popadija Tatiana was a tremendous help
in this field. To her aid was Marjorie Mancini, Donna Vudrag,
Goran Jovanovic, and Milo Bratic (who supplied the church with
'cevapcici'), just to name a few.
Now
having their first full-time priest, the parish thought it
was time they officially celebrate their church Slava. On a
July 12, 1997, a beautiful Saturday morning, the people met
at Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church for the Divine
Liturgy. His Grace Bishop Mitrophan officiated in the service
along with Fr. Nikodim and Fr. Milovan. That evening there
was a short vesper service, after which a formal banquet was
held.
Appropriately
chosen, the kumovi for the first Slava were Chris and Mitzie
Gousetis. That evening over $10,000 was raised, with great
thanks to the kumovi donating $5,000 themselves! In short,
it was a complete success. After the dinner, Bishop explained
the Serbian tradition of the solicitation for the next year's
kumovi and Vladimir Vujic spoke up to take the role on for
himself and wife, Radina. Immediately following the speeches,
a short folklore program was displayed, under the direction
of Popadija Tatiana.
This
enthusiastic momentum continued as many exciting things happened
in the fall of 1997. Simo Tesla stepped up to take over as
the choir director, beginning weekly practices and heightening
participation. Popadija organized the first Church School classes
in September. Teachers included Pauline Bergert, Marjorie Mancini,
Jasmina Spector, as well as Popadija herself. Since the church
was confined to a single room, it was decided that the children's
classes would meet once a month, while the parents went on
to a coffee hour in one of the church's other halls. During
Bishop Mitrophan's last visit of the year, he sat in with the
classes, visiting with the children. His Grace was thrilled
to see the work being done for the future generations of the
Serbian Orthodox people in Atlanta. Thanks to hard work and
efforts of the teachers and parents, the children were taught
to pray in the Serbian Orthodox Church, in the fashion and
language that their fathers and grandfathers used. All of the
hard work and dedication of Bishop Mitrophan, Father Nikodim,
and Father Milovan, as well as the honorable and Christ-loving
Serbian Orthodox people of Atlanta, Georgia, could be seen
in the reflection of the eyes of our young Serbian children.
IV
As 2001 closed, our dream of buying land and/or property
we can call home was slowly becoming a reality. The members
of the church board were correct in their assumptions that
a full-time priest can make a difference, as they look at
the Building Fund which had about $110,000 by year's end.
V
With
the start of 2002, our parish literally entered new territory,
as we purchased and moved into our first property! Renovations
and improvements are still ongoing.
VI
We
welcome our new priest, Father Sasa Turkic!
VII
In
late 2004, we started a new building fund. Our church
has grown so fast that we need a new building for the liturgy
and for social functions.
Donations can be sent
to:
Ss. Peter and Paul Serbian Orthodox Church
P. O. Box 466036
Lawrenceville, GA 30042-6036
