It{s hard to believe that 10 years have passed since the decision was made to form a church committee. It was a great day for the Durham region families who attended the first meeting and can proudly call themselves the "founding families" of the church.The good news spread quickly throughout the community as the official announcement was heard on our Macedonian radio program and our weekly television program.Members can take pride in being Canadian - Macedonian. Most importantly, we are grateful to Canada for being our new home. Canada gives us the freedom to speak our own language, preserve our culture and worship our own churches. The country has also given us the opportunity to educate our children and let them grow up to be whatever they dream of.Since the first wave immigration, Canadian - Macedonians have built: St Clement in Toronto, St Ilia in Mississauga and St Demetria in Markham. Now we are proud to have St Nedela in Ajax, Durham regionWhy Durham region? There are as many as 20,000 Canadian - Macedonians living in the Durham region which includes Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, Pickering, and surrounding towns. They are mostly young, hardworking families whose volunteer time and donations are limited. But as their families grow they will appreciate a local church.The beauty of our orthodox religion is that it welcomes everyone. Our children can learn our language, our dances and traditional songs. With the church now built we{ll be able to hold many more activities like a folk dancing group.