SCOBA News Archive
Below you will find news items from SCOBA, the predecessor to the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America, that cover the years 2000-2011.
The Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) Welcomes a New “Kidd” in Town as Agape Canister & SAMP Coordinator
A little play on words, but the Orthodox Christian Mission Center welcomes our newest staff member, Kenneth D. Kidd as the new AGAPE / SAMP Program Coordinator. Having participated in the 2003 and 2004 Mission Teams to Alaska, Kenny was drawn to learn more about mission initiatives. When the opportunity to work for the Mission Center arose, it was an opportunity he could not pass up.
Community & Parents Rejoice in Sending Their Young Adults on Orthodox Mission Teams
The Mission Center commends the dedication of the Church of the Annunciation community in Buffalo , New York , as it rejoices in its efforts to support Orthodox missions throughout the years.
Orthodox Bishops' Conference Statement Concerning Recent School Violence
We express our sincere concern over the ever-increasing acts of violence that have been perpetrated in the schools of this nation. We call upon all civil and religious leaders to address this evil that has caused these tragic incidents.
Orthodox Bishops' Conference urges the Media and the Entertainment Industry to Avoid the Misuse of Christian Symbols
We urge all members of the entertainment industry to avoid the misuse of Christian symbols, especially of the Cross, through traditional media outlets such as, television, radio, film or print, but also through DVDs, the internet, computer games, iPods, and the like.
Orthodox Hierarchs issue Communique Affirming need to Bear Witness Together on Spiritual and Moral Concerns
Christ has come for the life of the world; through the Cross joy has come into all the world. We have a responsibility to bear witness to this life in Christ and to this joy.
SCOBA Convenes Conference in Chicago
Twenty-eight canonical hierarchs of the Orthodox Christian Church in the Americas convened in Chicago yesterday under the chairmanship of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios to “ solidify the bond of brotherhood that exists among canonical Orthodox Churches in the Americas and provide the opportunity for the hierarchs to review the work of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas .” The Conference, headquartered at the O’Hare Marriott Hotel is the third such SCOBA Conference, the two previous being held in 1994 and 2001.
"Come Receive the Light" Radio Program for October 2006
Schedule of Programs for October 2006 – THEME: STEWARDSHIP
SCOBA to Host Conference in Chicago Oct. 3-6
Twenty-eight canonical hierarchs of the Orthodox Christian Church in the Americas will convene in Chicago from October 3-6 to “Exemplify the bond of brotherhood that exists among canonical Orthodox Churches in the Americas and provide the opportunity for the hierarchs to review the work of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas,” stated Archbishop Demetrios, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America and Chairman of SCOBA. The Conference is to be headquartered at the O’Hare Marriott Hotel and will be the third such Conference, the two previous being held in 1994 and 2001.
Orthodox Christian Hierarchs In America Prepare For Significant Meeting in Chicago
Hierarchs representing all Orthodox Christian jurisdictions in America are preparing for a significant meeting that will take place in Chicago, IL on October 3-6, 2006. The gathering is sponsored by the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) and is the third such meeting of its kind (1994; 2001).
OCMC Missionaries, The Luisi Family, Arrive Safely in Albania
After many months of preparation, the Luisi Family (Constance, Dennis and their five year old son Dominico) have arrived safely in Albania.
The Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) Welcomes a New Development Director
The Orthodox Christian Mission Center welcomes a native Floridian, John-Paul Conners, to the Mission Center staff. He was raised Orthodox in an atypical Greek-German-Irish-American household. He has spent his life in the US , Greece , and Germany , plus other countries working as a strategy consultant and business developer on major projects.
Orthodox hierarchs issue Communique Affirming Need to Bear Witness Together on Spiritual and Moral Concerns
The Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas concluded a four-day Conference today by issuing an official communiqué reaffirming the statement of 2001 of the need to Bear Public witness Together on Matters of Spiritual and Moral concerns.
OCMC's Voices from the Harvest - Is God Calling You to be a Missionary?
OCMC Missionaries assist in the growth of the Orthodox Christian Faith around the world and many Hierarchs are searching for people to serve the Lord in the mission field.
College Student Sunday Encyclical, September 17, 2006
For many students, the college years are perhaps the most formative ones in life. The task of learning how to balance study and recreation, the prospect of encountering challenging ideas in the classroom, the idea of living in close quarters with a roommate who might offer an entirely foreign worldview or perspective on life, and the first encounter with total and complete freedom outside the family environment can be altogether exciting experiences for the college student. However, they can also be quite confusing and disorienting.
Schedule of Programs for September 2006 "Come Receive the Light" Radio Program
Schedule of Programs for September 2006
OCF Growth Surges: First Full-time Executive Director in 30 years and Charlotte Area Chaplain Hired
Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) continues its fantastic growth as a vital ministry of the Orthodox Church with its recent full time hiring of Rev. Fr. Kevin Scherer as the Executive Director of OCF and Mr. John Stonestreet as full-time OCF Chaplain in Charlotte, North Carolina. Fr. Scherer will be the first full-time Executive Director since the initial establishment of Orthodox campus ministry over 30 years ago.
IOCC Expands Aid to Lebanon Through OFDA Grant
International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) announces a broad expansion of its ongoing relief work in Southern Lebanon through a newly-awarded $2 million grant from the U.S. Government’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). IOCC will provide water and sanitation installations, hygiene kits, psychosocial support, infrastructure rehabilitation, emergency relief supplies and cash for work activities in the hardest-hit southern villages of Marjeyoun, Hasbayya, and seven other villages surrounding the port city of Tyre.
IOCC Delivers Critical Medical Relief to Lebanon
Nearly $100,000 in antibiotics, surgical supplies and other critically needed medicines has arrived in Beirut. The supplies will help an estimated 20,000 patients for three months. International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) arranged for the shipment, which was airlifted from Holland to Damascus, Syria. After weeks of heavy bombing of the Lebanon/Syria highway, safe passage was confirmed on August 21 and the supplies were loaded onto two trucks for the 220-mile extended road trip from Damascus to Beirut through northern Lebanon.
Celebrating Twenty Years of Sending Missionaries
“Day after day we stood face to face with hundreds of Africans crowding to see us after having walked two to three hours from their remote homes. Their deep brown eyes and features worn by the harshness of their lives gazed upon us. As newly sent missionaries standing before them, we asked: “God why are we here?”, “What do we have to offer as strangers in this land”, and “Shouldn’t we be serving in our homeland where there are so many needs among our own families and churches?”
IOCC Shifts Aid to Lebanon's South
Lebanon’s humanitarian crisis continues as the U.N. estimates that a quarter of a million displaced individuals, who fled days of heavy bombing, have already returned to their villages in the South. IOCC Lebanon has sent food and hygiene parcels and canned milk and diapers to families in the village of Marjeyoun, south of the Litani River, where UNIFIL and Lebanese Army soldiers have begun to take over.
IOCC's Network Proves Effective For Lebanon Crisis
– Day 23 of the invasion of Lebanon finds one-fourth of the country’s population displaced from their homes of which an estimated 128,000 have taken shelter in public schools and institutions. IOCC is continuing its relief efforts to displaced families, delivering food and hygiene parcels to 892 families in the Maten and Alley areas, and reaching the more dangerous regions of the Chouf during the 48-hour lull in fighting.
OCMC’s Missionary, Fr. Luke Veronis and Board Member Fr. Peter Gillquist to speak at the Mission & Evangelism Conference
For the first time the annual Orthodox Conference on Missions and Evangelism is going to the Rocky Mountains, specifically the Glen Eyrie Conference Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The event will run from September 1-4 (Labor Day Weekend). This year’s Conference will focus on “What Can We Do BETTER to Bring America to Orthodoxy?” and boasts a roster of five principle speakers.
Come Receive the Light (CRTL) Monthly Program Schedule for August 2006 .
Schedule of Programs for August 2006
IOCC on the Ground in Lebanon and Gaza Crisis
As Lebanon and Gaza continue to receive attacks on civilian infrastructure with hundreds of thousands fleeing their homes, International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) staff is on the ground coordinating food, medical and hygiene supplies.
Bearing Fruit in Romania : A letter from OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz
In a recent letter to supporters, OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz shared a story about his ministry bearing fruit in Romania. Floyd’s ministry, the St. Dimitrie Program, focuses on counseling people with addictions and training others to counsel as well. Floyd serves in Romania with his wife, Ancu þ a, who directs the Protection of the Theotokos Day Center , which works to prevent child abandonment. Below Floyd shares how one person who was healed through the St. Dimitrie Program, in turn went on to help others.