The 2009 Orthodox Conference on Missions and Evangelism is pleased to welcome His Beatitude Metropolitan JONAH, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), as this year's keynote speaker. His Beatitude will set the tone for the weekend conference with his presentation, "The Necessity of Orthodox Unity in America to Bring America to Orthodoxy." The Conference will take place September 4-7 (Labor Day Weekend) at Antiochian Village near Ligonier, Pennsylvania. Joining Metropolitan JONAH will be Fr. Peter Gillquist, chair of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese Department of Missions and Evangelism; Fr. Hector Firoglanis, former OCMC Missionary, priest of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and a two-time past participant at the Conference (as an OCF student leader at Penn State University); and Mr. Charles Ajalat, chancellor of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese and founder of the Orthodox Vision Foundation. They will present practical steps for developing a unified approach to outreach on the parish level, as well as related issues of Orthodox mission building and evangelism.
The Orthodox Conference on Missions and Evangelism is a wonderful opportunity for clergy and laity to learn more about their Orthodox Christian Faith and how to share it. The Conference attracts a number of non-Orthodox as well. Each year participants rave about the Conference and go home much better equipped to start missions or conduct outreach in their communities.
Lodging is limited, so register as soon as possible. Group discounts and limited financial assistance for those in need are available. To learn more about the Conference visit www.antiochian.org/missions/conference, or call the Department of Missions and Evangelism toll-free at (888) 968-4014.
The Orthodox Conference on Missions and Evangelism is a cross-jurisdictional event hosted by the Department of Missions and Evangelism and sponsored by the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC).
Dcn. Alexander Cadman
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
The First Orthodox Orphanage in the Diocese of Irinopolis, Tanzania
By the grace of God and the missionary zeal of Metropolitan Dimitrios of Irinopolis, the spreading of the word of God continues with the conversion of our African brothers. 1,780 newly illumined have been welcomed into the Church since the beginning of the year, and the philanthropic work in Tanzania continues.
St. Stylianos, the first Orthodox orphanage of the Holy Metropolis, which was inaugurated by Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Kition and Metropolitan Dimitrios of Irinopolis, has been completed.
This important and necessary work for the district was undertaken with the blessing of the Metropolitan of Kition, the help of “The Association to Fight the Scourge of Hunger, Cyprus,” and the philanthropic contributions of the sisters Norma and Alice Dimitriou of Lanarka, in the memory of Athena Dimitriou and Stella Papayianni.
The compound accommodates six residence rooms, baths, a kitchen, a dining room, a reading area, and areas for recreation and prayer. It is intended to house and protect 24 orphaned children, most of whom are suffering from the scourges of AIDS and malaria.
There, where the Muslims rule, after hard struggles, devout prayer, and systematic missionary work by the Greek and Cypriot missionaries (consisting of both clergy and laymen) thousands of Tanzanians have been baptized. At the same time, with the help of the Holy Metropolis, a number of new buildings have been erected including an Orthodox Clinic, three grade schools, two high schools, one kindergarten, and now the St. Stylianos Orphanage.
St. Stylianos, the first Orthodox orphanage of the Holy Metropolis, which was inaugurated by Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Kition and Metropolitan Dimitrios of Irinopolis, has been completed.
This important and necessary work for the district was undertaken with the blessing of the Metropolitan of Kition, the help of “The Association to Fight the Scourge of Hunger, Cyprus,” and the philanthropic contributions of the sisters Norma and Alice Dimitriou of Lanarka, in the memory of Athena Dimitriou and Stella Papayianni.
The compound accommodates six residence rooms, baths, a kitchen, a dining room, a reading area, and areas for recreation and prayer. It is intended to house and protect 24 orphaned children, most of whom are suffering from the scourges of AIDS and malaria.
There, where the Muslims rule, after hard struggles, devout prayer, and systematic missionary work by the Greek and Cypriot missionaries (consisting of both clergy and laymen) thousands of Tanzanians have been baptized. At the same time, with the help of the Holy Metropolis, a number of new buildings have been erected including an Orthodox Clinic, three grade schools, two high schools, one kindergarten, and now the St. Stylianos Orphanage.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Hoppe Missionary Family arrives in USA for Home Assignment
Nathan and Gabriela Hoppe arrived at the Mission Center in St. Augustine, Florida, direct from Albania on August 4th for an eleven-month "Home Assignment." The Hoppes participated in a "Re-entry Workshop" designed by the Missionary Department to welcome Missionaries back from service in other countries and equip them for their time in the USA. OCMC's new Missionary Training and Administration Building allows all such events to take place on-site. This workshop concluded on Friday morning (August 7th), and Nathan and Gabriela left to join their children Tristan and Katherine, waiting for them in Minnesota, where they will live until July 2010.
This time in the USA, referred to as "Home Assignment," will be filled with much hard work. For the Hoppe family this includes further studies to enhance their ministry work in Albania, spending time with their existing support team members, and meeting new supporters for their next term on the field. They will also be travelling across the country speaking on behalf of Orthodox missions and evangelism world-wide.
During these months, Tristan and Katherine are looking forward to reconnecting with extended family and friends; they are also preparing to welcome a new addition to their family! The Hoppes have announced that they are expecting a baby, which is due in January. Please pray for the Hoppes during this time of anticipation, especially for Gabriela's strength and health.
You can catch up on this past year's news about the Hoppe family by visiting http://nhoppe.ocmc.org. They will be available for meetings and appointments here in the USA through July 2010. This is an excellent opportunity to hear about the resurrection of and the opportunities for the Church in Albania. The Hoppes are grateful for your continued prayers and financial support as they try to raise up new partners for the vital missionary work going on in Albania during their time in the United States. For more information, check www.ocmc.org or contact the Hoppes directly at n.hoppe@ocmc.org.
This time in the USA, referred to as "Home Assignment," will be filled with much hard work. For the Hoppe family this includes further studies to enhance their ministry work in Albania, spending time with their existing support team members, and meeting new supporters for their next term on the field. They will also be travelling across the country speaking on behalf of Orthodox missions and evangelism world-wide.
During these months, Tristan and Katherine are looking forward to reconnecting with extended family and friends; they are also preparing to welcome a new addition to their family! The Hoppes have announced that they are expecting a baby, which is due in January. Please pray for the Hoppes during this time of anticipation, especially for Gabriela's strength and health.
You can catch up on this past year's news about the Hoppe family by visiting http://nhoppe.ocmc.org. They will be available for meetings and appointments here in the USA through July 2010. This is an excellent opportunity to hear about the resurrection of and the opportunities for the Church in Albania. The Hoppes are grateful for your continued prayers and financial support as they try to raise up new partners for the vital missionary work going on in Albania during their time in the United States. For more information, check www.ocmc.org or contact the Hoppes directly at n.hoppe@ocmc.org.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Apoyo: Thank You! Medical Mission Team Returns from Uganda
Apoyo, Apoyo, Apoyo!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
The medical mission to Uganda was a great success. We operated clinics for nine days, and we were able to help about 4000 people! Without the support of many people this valuable work would not have happened. Our team of ten consisted of three doctors, two nurse practitioners, three nurses, and two medical students. We worked well together, enjoyed being with each other, and developed some great friendships.
Our time in Uganda started with a program given by the children of the Orthodox primary and secondary school in the capital city of Kampala. The children prayed, sang, and danced for us. Most days started with a trip to the local pharmacy to get the medicines that would be prescribed and given out that day. Then we would drive thirty minutes to two hours to the village where we would setup our clinic for the day. Some of the villages that we visited were very impoverished; simply surviving seemed to take great effort.
Typically, we would be greeted by a welcoming committee of some of the women who would sing and dance for us. Then we would go about setting up the exam rooms and pharmacy. We listened to the patients, examined them, prescribed medicines, filled the prescriptions in our pharmacy, and explained to the patients how to take their medicines; all with the help of local interpreters, who were usually students. We saw and treated between 300 and 500 patients at each clinic. Common ailments included: malaria, parasitic infestations, dysentery, pneumonia, TB, dehydration, and infections of all sorts. The medicines that we provided were prescribed to reduce pain and suffering and reduce cases of infant and child death from preventable diseases.
We stayed at hotels in the two cities that we worked out of. The ride back to the hotel after a day of work was always a mesmerizing combination of being tired and looking out the window at a very different world. In the evenings we would pray, eat dinner, enjoy our time together, and get ready for the next day.
On Sundays, we celebrated Divine Liturgy in a local Orthodox church, which was always a joy. The Ugandans love to sing and worship. After church there was more visiting, singing, and dancing outside. It was truly a day of rest and worship. Many of us became quite close with the priests, nuns, students, and others that we met or spent time with daily. I now have an African brother, Fr. George. We developed a close bond and I miss him.
For fun we visited Murchison falls on the Nile River: they were spectacular, and the mist was very refreshing (Uganda is hot and humid, and we were just a degree north of the equator). The next day we took a ferry across the Nile as the sun rose and went on a safari. We saw baboons, birds, wart hogs, a lion, a crocodile, many giraffes, lots of water buffalo, many hippos, all kinds of antelopes and some elephants too.
I am left with the faces of the Ugandan children in my mind. They are God’s children and our brothers and sisters in Christ. This sense of connection now serves as a powerful reminder of the Bible verse: "For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me....assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me" (Matthew 25:35-40).
Author: Darrell Fox, 2009 Uganda Medical Mission Team Member
The medical mission to Uganda was a great success. We operated clinics for nine days, and we were able to help about 4000 people! Without the support of many people this valuable work would not have happened. Our team of ten consisted of three doctors, two nurse practitioners, three nurses, and two medical students. We worked well together, enjoyed being with each other, and developed some great friendships.
Our time in Uganda started with a program given by the children of the Orthodox primary and secondary school in the capital city of Kampala. The children prayed, sang, and danced for us. Most days started with a trip to the local pharmacy to get the medicines that would be prescribed and given out that day. Then we would drive thirty minutes to two hours to the village where we would setup our clinic for the day. Some of the villages that we visited were very impoverished; simply surviving seemed to take great effort.
Typically, we would be greeted by a welcoming committee of some of the women who would sing and dance for us. Then we would go about setting up the exam rooms and pharmacy. We listened to the patients, examined them, prescribed medicines, filled the prescriptions in our pharmacy, and explained to the patients how to take their medicines; all with the help of local interpreters, who were usually students. We saw and treated between 300 and 500 patients at each clinic. Common ailments included: malaria, parasitic infestations, dysentery, pneumonia, TB, dehydration, and infections of all sorts. The medicines that we provided were prescribed to reduce pain and suffering and reduce cases of infant and child death from preventable diseases.
We stayed at hotels in the two cities that we worked out of. The ride back to the hotel after a day of work was always a mesmerizing combination of being tired and looking out the window at a very different world. In the evenings we would pray, eat dinner, enjoy our time together, and get ready for the next day.
On Sundays, we celebrated Divine Liturgy in a local Orthodox church, which was always a joy. The Ugandans love to sing and worship. After church there was more visiting, singing, and dancing outside. It was truly a day of rest and worship. Many of us became quite close with the priests, nuns, students, and others that we met or spent time with daily. I now have an African brother, Fr. George. We developed a close bond and I miss him.
For fun we visited Murchison falls on the Nile River: they were spectacular, and the mist was very refreshing (Uganda is hot and humid, and we were just a degree north of the equator). The next day we took a ferry across the Nile as the sun rose and went on a safari. We saw baboons, birds, wart hogs, a lion, a crocodile, many giraffes, lots of water buffalo, many hippos, all kinds of antelopes and some elephants too.
I am left with the faces of the Ugandan children in my mind. They are God’s children and our brothers and sisters in Christ. This sense of connection now serves as a powerful reminder of the Bible verse: "For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me....assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me" (Matthew 25:35-40).
Author: Darrell Fox, 2009 Uganda Medical Mission Team Member
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Albania Teaching Team interviewed on Ancient Faith Radio
The 2009 Albania Teaching Team was interviewed by Fr. Thomas Hopko while in Albania. You may hear the interview on Ancient Faith Radio, "Speaking the Truth in Love." Short-term Team Members Angelica Sotiriou-Rausch, Aaron Gall, and Susan McCullough, along with Long-term Missionary Pamela Barksdale, are featured in this 20-minute interview. Visit http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/hopko and click on '4 U.S. Missionaries in Albania' to listen.
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