The First OCMC Orthodox Missions Team of 2007 prepares to Provide Healthcare in Kenya

The first Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) Mission Team of 2007 departed for Kenya earlier this week. Following an orientation at the Mission Center in St. Augustine, Florida they boarded a plane for the 14-hour flight to East Africa.

SCOBA Agency Communication Heads Meet To Strengthen Cooperation

Communications representatives of several agencies of the Standing Conference of Canonical Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) met recently in Ft. Lauderdale to discuss ways to communicate more effectively concerning the various ministries of SCOBA.

News From the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC)

Amidst tall Eastern White Pines, atop the rolling South Hills of Pittsburgh rests Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church, site of this spring’s Semi-Annual Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) Board of Directors Meeting. The parish provided a picturesque setting and warm hospitality as Board Members deliberated on a wide array of Mission Center programs and received another clean audit of the organization’s financials.

Paleologos Graduate Scholarship Program Established at Archdiocese

A new graduate scholarship program has been established at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America by Peter and Elli Malta Paleologos to assist students enrolled in professional graduate studies and other helping professions.

Orthodox Christian Mission Center

Have you ever wanted to volunteer in a foreign country? Do you feel the call to service as part of your life in Christ? Share in a journey faith – join an Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) short-term Mission Team. These teams serve abroad for 2-4 weeks, offering a living witness to the Orthodox faith through teaching, construction, healthcare, substance abuse counseling, and work with the youth.

2006 Bishops Conference Available Online

Twenty-seven canonical hierarchs of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) under the chairmanship of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, met to “solidify the bond of brotherhood that exists among the canonical Orthodox Churches in the Americas”. The Conference was the third such Conference, the two previous being held in 1994 (Ligonier, PA) and 2003 (Washington, DC). The workshops and the presentations on the SCOBA Agencies, Commissions and Endorsed groups offered the hierarchs an increased awareness of the work and outreach of SCOBA.

OCN Partners With Fellow SCOBA Agencies To Address Virginia Tech Tragedy

Orthodox Christian Network partnering with fellow SCOBA agencies OCF and IOCC, will present special programming all next week (April 30-May 5) concerning our Orthodox Christian response to the tragic events at Virginia Tech on April 16 of this year.

OCF Responds to Tragedy at Virginia Tech

Prayers, resources, and outreach to the local Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) chapter at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) are part of the response OCF has mounted to address the horrific tragedy that occurred on the 16th of April in Blacksburg, Virginia, which resulted in the loss of 33 human lives. Although it has been reported that all of the OCF students are safe, some of the students lost friends and acquaintances in the shooting.

OCN Welcomes Two Advisors to the Ark

Orthodox Christian Network is proud to welcome two professional musicians as the advisory team for music selection on OCN’s 24 hour internet based radio outreach, The Ark.

2007-08 Katina John Malta Scholarship Applications Available

Applications are available for the Katina John Malta Scholarship Fund, a scholarship program established at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America by means of a generous gift from the estate of Katina John Malta. The donation and the formation of the scholarship program has been done in recognition of the love Katina had for the Church and in honor of the desire she had to help others, especially children and youth of the Orthodox Christian Faith. At least two scholarships of $2,000 each will be awarded for the 2007-08 academic year.

Twelve Real Breaks, Eight Locations, 104 Students and ONE focus– Christ

Throughout late February and March, 2007, 104 college students chose to serve the poor, orphaned and those in need on their spring break as an alternative to the traditional “sun and fun” breaks that college students normally choose. Orthodox Christian Fellowship’s (OCF) Real Break program held twelve trips and served eight different locations this year. Real Break provides an opportunity for college students to actively engage in life-changing experiences and to orient their lives towards Christ.

OCMC - The Joy of Missions: Rajmonda's Pascha

To look into the eyes of Rajmonda (Ray-moonda) is to stare across oceans of time. Within her lies a storied past, but also a sincere hope for the future. Rajmonda was born in Albania into a world made gray by communism. During her childhood, food was scarce and the pangs of hunger could be felt by many. The fear of heavy handed authorities hung over the entire country like a dark cloud.

"Come Receive the Light" Monthly Program Schedule for April 2007

Schedule of Programs for April 2007 – THEME: STUMBLING BLOCKS LEADING TO A HOLY LIFE

SCOBA Agency Announces New Programming Featuring Orthodox Clergy From Around the Nation

In the next few weeks OCN is thrilled to announce that the following Orthodox priests will start offering their thoughts and insight into life as an Orthodox Christian on a regular basis. It is a veritable list of “who’s who” among the men who serve the Orthodox Church here in the United States and a witness of OCN's commitment to a pan-Orthodox witness to America.

Orthodox Christian Mission Center....to the ends of the Earth

Bishop Jeronymos visited St. Paul’s in Irvine to thank the community for its support of Orthodoxy in Tanzania, and to share with them the remarkable growth that his diocese has experienced in the past decade. The number of communities in the Bukoba Diocese has gone up from 55 to 166. Seventy of these communities now have permanent churches. The number of faithful has increased from 17,000 to 41,200, and the number of clergy serving them has more than tripled from 9 to 34.

Crisis in Indonesia – March 19, 2007

The Orthodox Christians in Indonesia have joined the list of those attacked by Muslim extremists. Father Methodios Sri Gunarjo, his family and other Orthodox were terrorized and threatened this past weekend. Although there are no reports of physical harm at this point, the verbal, psychological and other forms of abuse continue. At one point, a knife was put to the throat of Father Methodios, as his attackers demanded that he close the Churches in the Boyolali area of Central Java. It should be noted that there is a thriving ministry in this area.

"Come Receive the Light" Radio Program - Schedule for March 2007

Schedule of Programs for March 2007 – THEME: Prayer

"Come Receive the Light" Radio Program - Schedule for November 2007

Metropolitan Nikitas discusses his work with the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute,

OCMC Missionary Ed Pier Reports From Guatemala

Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) missionary, Edwin Pier, has been serving in Guatemala since last year. Mr. Pier’s story will be one of many that we profile throughout the year to keep you informed regarding the many ministries of the missionaries that you have sent to witness for Christ. Last December, he filed the following report detailing the incredible work that is being done at the Hogar Rafael Ayau Orphanage in Guatemala City.

Virginia H. Farah Foundation sponsors “A Conference on Orthodox Schools”

“We all hope to incline our students toward Christ, to prepare them to live well in this world, and to share our faith with a generation looking for stability in the shifting sands of the American cultural landscape. We at St. Peter’s invite everyone interested in Orthodox Schools to join us this summer as we examine the principles that will keep us consistent with our faith, as well as the practical skills that will keep our lamps trimmed and burning.”

SCOBA Agency Prepares To launch a Second Internet Music Outreach

OCN is preparing to launch an additional media option to reach out to the Orthodox faithful and religious seekers alike. In the next few weeks, OCN will add another 24 hour internet based media ministry to our growing media products. It will be called The Rudder!

The Feast of the Sunday of Orthodoxy

The Butterfly Effect: OCMC Agape Canisters Raise Two-Million Dollars for the Church Abroad

The clink, clink of pocket change deposited into those, never quite full enough, Plexiglas containers that stare up at us from the counter of our favorite fast food restaurant or convenience store is a sound that is familiar to many of us. For nearly twenty-years the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) has been collecting money with its own version of these anonymous donation receptacles, the Agape Canister. Have you ever wondered where that, good-deed-of-the-day, money actually ends up? Does the handful of silvers that we find at the bottom of a purse or amidst balls of pocket lint really feed the hungry, educate the poor, or heal the sick?

News From the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC)

It was a sunny Saturday morning that welcomed two large tour buses to the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) this past weekend. As the breaks hissed and the doors flew open, Mission Center staff, and former Mission Center Executive Director Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos, was honored to receive 40 members of the National Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society. Having traveled from around the country, the ladies, escorted by His Grace Bishop Andonios of Phasiane and lead by Philoptochos National president Georgia Skeadas, came to visit the Mission Center that has been a proud recipient of its generous support for decades.

CRTL Monthly Program Schedule for February 2007

Schedule of Programs for February 2007 – THEME: Marriage