Hundreds Flock to Strongsville for Church Convention

More than 650 members of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church are in Strongsville this week for a regional conference.

The church, which meets locally on West 14th Street in Cleveland, took nearly every room at the on Royalton Road, according to Ben Stankewicz, assistant to Mayor Tom Perciak.

"They could have had their conference in downtown Cleveland, but they chose to have it here," Stankewicz said.

That's fine with Strongsville, which is seeing out-of-town faces at its restaurants and retail areas.

"They're using our restaurants and shopping here," Stankewicz said. "It's a nice thing for Strongsville."

The city worked with the church, whose pastor, the Rev. John Ojaimi, lives in Strongsville, on activities for kids during the conference.  On Wednesday, teens volunteered at a park to clean and paint, while younger children attended a safety program.

On Friday afternoon, the kids will visit the Touch-a-Truck event at the Ehrnfelt Recreation Center.

The group will have a huge banquet Saturday at the Holiday Inn. The event will end after a brunch on Sunday.