News From the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC)
NEWS FROM THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN MISSION CENTER (OCMC)
http://www.ocmc.org
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Cardiff-By-the-Sea, CA – The hum of cordial conversation gave motion to
a room adorned with still and elegant beauty. Amidst white table-topped
islands, crowned with carefully arranged yellow and gold flowers and
plates of colorful culinary confections, Orthodox Christians of varying
backgrounds, schooled together in preparation for a night recognizing
the reawakening of a profound movement within the Orthodox Christian
Church.
From the head table, His Grace Bishop Benjamin of Berkeley rose to
address the nearly 200 pairs of eyes that were immediately fixed upon
him. With the mystical spirit that flows from all Orthodox prayers,
Bishop Benjamin blessed the evening’s meal and eloquently set the tone
for the night’s theme, Orthodox Christian Missions. No place could have
seemed farther removed from the majority of Orthodox mission theaters.
Yet at that moment, in the Great Hall of Saints Constantine and Helen
Greek Orthodox Church, nestled in the rolling hills of the southern
California coast, the attendees of that evenings Orthodox Christian
Mission Center (OCMC) Benefit Banquet were closer to the African
highlands and the slums of Calcutta than they had been mere moments
before.
A procession of speakers addressed an audience, well versed on the most
ancient Christian Tradition, but who greatly desired to help it reach
new frontiers. “There has always been, and always will be, a hunger for
truth in the world. Christian missions are a way to feed this hunger,”
states Cliff Argue, OCMC’s Board President. “The American Orthodox
Churches are primed to fully engage in this life-saving work, as our
communities have been well established making the resources needed for
global missions now available.”
Presenter, Dr. George Christakis, shared his life of dedicated
missionary service with the audience. Being joined by his three sons,
Dr. Christakis was honored for his four decades of mission service by
Cliff Argue, Dr. John Demakis, the OCMC Healthcare Committee Chair, and
Fr. Martin Ritsi, the Mission Center’s Executive Director as well.
Appointed to the initial Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Missions Committee
in 1965, Dr. Christakis was amongst some of the first Orthodox
Christians sent by the Mission Center to Africa in 1985. In the years
that followed he would travel to Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania,
Ethiopia, Russia, and Serbia setting up medical clinics and ministering
to the local people. He established the concept of healthcare missions
for OCMC and has inspired many healthcare professionals to spread the
Gospel of Christ through medical service abroad.
The nights keynote speaker, however, was Fr. David Rucker, OCMC’s new
Associate Director. Fr. Rucker’s engaging presentation told of his
upbringing in a Protestant missionary home, only to then discover the
Orthodox Church later in life. His former experiences inspired his
dedication to the growth of Orthodox missions. Fr. Rucker’s story is
common among converts to the Orthodox faith who bring with them true
missionary zeal and experience from other Christian denominations. “To
be an Orthodox Christian is to be involved in missions,” believes Fr.
Rucker. This inherited vigor for service is revitalizing otherwise
stagnant communities, giving them a new purpose by shifting their
perspective outward and encouraging participation in the growth of
Orthodox Christianity as a whole.
The Orthodox Church has always been a collegial, yet hierarchical, body
comprised of a wide range of jurisdictions that transcend national
boundaries. And the many faces of Orthodox Christianity were well
represented at the banquet. This reflected the Pan-Orthodox sentiments
within the Orthodox communities of the San Diego area, and the diligent
work of that regions Orthodox clergy brotherhood, spearheaded by Fr.
George Morelli. Orthodox communities in the United States are
discovering that through missions outreach, they are also able to foster
Orthodox “inreach”, reinforcing a sense of commonality and unity within
the faith.
“There was a lot of energy in the room,” noted one attendee. This energy
was what inspired the organizers of the banquet in the first place.
Jeannie Ranglas, along with the Saints Constantine and Helen ladies
philanthropic society, known as Philoptochos, organized the evening’s
festivities out of a dedication to the missions movement within
Orthodoxy.
Mrs. Ranglas and her husband Gerry were also honored at the banquet for
their dedicated service to the Mission Center by Fr. Martin and Helen
Nicozisis, a former OCMC Board President. They were given an icon
depicting the great commission as outlined in Matthew 28:19-20 where
Christ calls His faithful to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and, the Holy
Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;
and lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
This banquet was one of many such events that are held whenever the OCMC
Board of Directors convenes. Proceeding along the missions path as one
body means that functions like the one held in Cardiff-By-the-Sea will
need to become a more frequent occurrence. Awareness and support of the
Mission Center’s many efforts are crucial to its success and the
continuation of the Orthodox missions movement in America. The OCMC is
the official international mission agency for all Orthodox jurisdictions
in America, whose hierarchs, operating under the auspices of an
organization known as the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox
Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA), issued the Mission Center a mandate in
1984 to engage in mission work on its behalf.
Fulfilling this mandate, missionaries live as a witness to the Gospel of
Christ. This witness often manifests itself in the spiritual and
physical care for one’s neighbor. In his closing remarks, Fr. Martin,
who’s own life has been devoted to mission service, made an analogy that
reminded the audience what the term ‘neighbor’ really means. “If the
world’s poor were before our eyes everyday,” he began, “we would be much
more concerned for their well-being. It is events like this evening’s
banquet that bring this spiritual and physical hunger before us, forcing
us to acknowledge it and do something about it.” This appeal and the
giving hearts of those present resulted in sizeable donations to the
Mission Center for its many ministries. OCMC deploys long-term
missionaries, the supports mission priests, send Orthodox mission teams,
and offers scholarships for the theological training of those called to
the priesthood in developing countries.
“The evening left everyone feeling really good about Orthodox Missions,”
noted Mrs. Ranglas. “I think a lot of interest was generated regarding
this type of work.”
As mission mindedness amongst Orthodox Christians continues to grow, the
Church hopes it will find itself in a unique position in the coming
years. It will have within its ranks an incredibly dedicated and capable
clergy and laity ready to travel to the four corners of the world
spreading the Gospel of Christ. They will also have a unified support
structure that is able to effectively and uniformly facilitate this
work. Events like the benefit banquet in Cardiff-By-the-Sea will be one
of many matches struck in the re-kindling of an Orthodox flame that, its
believers hope, will spread to the ends of the Earth.
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