OCF and OCN combine efforts with Archons and Ladies Philoptochos
Starting March 14-21, 2009
OCF and OCN combine efforts with Archons and Ladies Philoptochos
Contact: info@myocn.net or Cmetropulos@gmail.com for more information
Ft Lauderdale, FL - OCF (Orthodox Christian Fellowship) is
pleased to announce another Real Break trip to Constantinople. Real
Break Constantinople serves God and other people while participating in
the life of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. His Grace Bishop Savas the
newly appointed Director of Church and Society of the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese of America will lead the group assisted by the Rev. Mark
Leondis the National Youth Director for the GOA and Chairman of the
Board of Orthodox Christian Fellowship and the Rev. Dr. Christopher T.
Metropulos the Executive Director of OCN (The Orthodox Christian
Network) and the Pastor of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Ft.
Lauderdale, FL. The Real Break Trip to Istanbul, Turkey, begins on
March 14, 2009.
The group consists of 22 participants from five
different Orthodox Christian jurisdictions. The college students from
around the country are traveling to Constantinople to receive the
blessings of His All Holiness and refurbish a church and a cemetery that
has fallen into disrepair. Fr. Kevin Scherer, Executive Director of
OCF commented, "OCF is honored to have the opportunity to assist the
Ecumenical Patriarch in his efforts to restore and maintain the parishes
of his ancient see. This Real Break trip in particular provides our
students with a transformative perspective into both the past and the
present struggles of our Church. The participants will work hard in a
very short span of time."
The group of clergy and college students will work on St. Kyriakos
Church and the Patriarchal Cemetery of Erikapi which borders the Land
Walls close to the Vlachernae Palace. Along with the Church, the
Patriarchal Cemetery is a site that was desecrated many years ago. There
are about 300 tombs which have broken slabs of marble, knocked down
headstones and crosses. The team will be responsible to bring the Church
and cemetery back to their original state. His Grace Bishop Savas
stated, "Laboring to bring order to a sacred space in disrepair has
spiritual as well as physical consequences. Clearing away years of
accumulated filth and debris, restoring tarnished images, obscured by
layers of dirt, to their original beauty, inevitably affects the inner
lives of those who do such work. I know from having participated in last
year's restoration effort that the men and women who will be taking
part this year will experience a renewal of heart analogous to the
renewal the Church of St. Kyriakos and the Cemetery of Erikapi will
undergo, to the glory of God."
The Archons of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate are co-sponsoring this project with OCF, to underwrite the
materials and supplies for the project. Special funding for the media
coverage of this Real Break trip with OCN will be provided by the
National Ladies Philoptochos Society. Fr. Christopher the Executive
Director of OCN stated, "It is an honor to be partnering with OCF our
sister agency of SCOBA. The trip will afford OCN the opportunity to
work side by side in the Ancient City of Constantinople with the future
leaders of the Church in America, while visiting the Mother Church and
the venerable Patriarchate. We expect this to be the beginning of
collaborative work with other agencies who travel and share the love of
Christ with faithful throughout the world".
Faithful in the United States and around the world are encouraged to visit the web site of Orthodox Christian Fellowship at www.ocf.net, The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese at www.goarch.org and OCN at www.myocn.net
to view daily progress of the trip as well as photos and various
interviews with the participants and His All Holiness Ecumenical
Patriarch BARTHOLOMEW.
The Orthodox Christian Network is one of
the official agencies of SCOBA, commissioned by our hierarchs to create a
national, sustainable and effective media witness for Orthodox
Christianity throughout North America. OCN produces the only nationally
syndicated Orthodox Christian radio broadcast, as well as several other
outreach programs, including DVDs and Internet-based media, in direct
collaboration with our sister SCOBA agencies (e.g. IOCC, OCMC, &
OCF), as well as with various Orthodox Christian jurisdictions and
pan-Orthodox, para-church organizations. Our goal is to engage the
broader culture of North America with Orthodox Christianity's rich
theological, spiritual and moral heritage, and to thereby strengthen the
Orthodox Church's witness and contribution to the culture in which we
live.
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