Build It and They (Really) Will Come

We felt there were at least three main purposes to having a festival. One was financial in nature. We were seeking additional dollars to apply to our church mortgage. We also wanted the community to see our beautiful facility, as we wanted to rent our lower level for parties, meetings and other events in the future as a way to bring in revenue.

The second reason was community visibility. As a Christian church with a Middle Eastern focus, we wanted to tell the community that we are a peace- and community-loving parish. We wanted the community to eat Middle Eastern food, learn Middle Eastern songs and dances, and learn more about our traditions. At the festival, adults and children could dance, eat, listen to lectures, see the architecture and meet many new friends. Children could play in fun houses, play fair-type games and ride in a hot-air balloon.

The church community came out and played a variety of volunteer roles. You have already read about the few I was engaged with for many hours. Our priest spoke to hundreds of people in the new church on various religious aspects of our wonderful iconography. We actually hired a team from Greece to personally draw icons by hand on our walls.

The third reason was to attract additional church members. There were a number of people wanting to learn more about the church and its rich history. I met many individuals who came to the festival with the desire to find a new church home. We hope to grow our parish. When not washing trays, I spent time with community leaders, including the mayor of Fishers, to build new relationships going forward.

The final financial or attendance count is not in as of yet. I was told at least 6,000 people attended our first new festival. It was held over a Friday evening and a Saturday day and night. While cold, the weather was sunny.