New From The Orthodox Christian Fellowship

Orthodox Christian Fellowship’s (OCF) first ever National OCF Day of Prayer will take place beginning at 6 PM EST on Sunday, Feb. 22 and ending at 6 PM EST on Monday, February 23, 2004. Great Lent begins with the service of Forgiveness Vespers on Sunday, Feb. 22, and Orthodox college students will continue praying for 24 consecutive hours following. OCF groups from colleges all across the United States and Canada have signed up for one-hour increments where they will participate in a special prayer service which includes petitions for peace in the world, unity in the Church, and for Orthodox college students and their futures. Some of the participating local OCF groups include: University of Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, University of Colorado, Boston University, UCSB and Westmont College (CA), University of Michigan, University of Pittsburgh, University of Texas, University of Connecticut, Hellenic College (MA), and Pennsylvania State University.

OCF National Day of Prayer is occurring in the hopes of bringing all OCF chapters together for an important mission to join in prayer to intercede on behalf of the Church and its people. Rev. Fr. Michael Nasser, Executive Director of OCF, stated, “With over 40,000 Orthodox College students currently on campuses and almost 200 OCF local fellowships scattered from coast to coast, I can’t think of a better way for our students to begin the Great Fast than engaging in the wonderfully unifying act of prayer. I can see the Day of Prayer becoming an important hallmark of this important movement.”

 

Renowned Author and Lecturer to Speak Throughout the Week at Penn State

During the week of February 16-21, Fr. Peter Gillquist, internationally known author, Orthodox Christian lecturer, and evangelist will be on the campus of Penn State to meet with students and speak on various topics concerning how to live a purpose-driven life. Fr. Peter’s visit is part of the “Get a Life” speaker series sponsored by National Orthodox Christian Fellowship.

For decades, Fr. Peter has been invited to speak with college students on campuses across North America, and teaching them about the joy of living a Christian life and encouraging them to hold firm to their humanity. Throughout the week-long series, Fr. Peter will be speaking to the students each evening in different dorms and spending his days interacting with the students on campus. On Friday evening, Fr. Peter will be joined by two contemporary Christian folk musicians, Peter Jon Gillquist and Ron Moore, who will be performing live in concert in the student union.

The week-long series will conclude with a seminar on Saturday morning and will be open to both students and the general public. Fr. Peter will present a talk on the topic of the Christian vocation, entitled “Get a Life.”
Fr. Peter Gillquist has countless credentials and is a pioneer in the area of Christian outreach. Fr. Peter has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Minnesota (1960) and he did graduate work at both Dallas Theological Seminary and Wheaton College. Fr. Peter is a former Regional Director for Campus Crusade for Christ, has held positions as Senior Editor for Thomas Nelson Publishers, and Director of Development for the University of Memphis. Since 1997, Fr. Peter has been the National Chaplain for Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, and is the author of many books including: "Love is Now" and "Becoming Orthodox". Fr. Peter is an Archpriest in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America where he serves as Chairman for the Department of Missions and Evangelism. This series is made possible through a Lilly Endowment, Inc. Vocations grant to Hellenic College of Brookline, MA and the National Orthodox Christian Fellowship Office.


About OCF

Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) is the official campus ministry effort of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA). It is a Pan-Orthodox effort, overseen by an Executive Committee and aided by a sixteen-person Student Advisory Board. The office is located in Boston, MA, where a full time staff develops OCF programs and resources. The staff is available to guide and support local OCF chapters through communication with the larger Orthodox community, national programs, and development of resources for use by Orthodox college students. SCOBA designated the 3rd Sunday in September each year as “College Student Sunday” to raise awareness of our students on campus and OCF’s activities.

February 17, 2004
Orthodox Christian Fellowship
P.O. Box 249
Boston, MA 02130
1-800-919-1623
www.ocf.net