OCMC Continues Strategic Planning Process at Its Annual Spring Board Meeting in St. Augustine, FL.

Members of the Strategic Planning Committee, led by OCMC Board President Fr. George Liacopulos, kicked off this year’s Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) Annual Spring Board Meeting on Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011, at the Archbishop Anastasios and Archbishop Demetrios Missionary Training and Administration Building in St. Augustine, FL, with lively discussion focused on examining the opportunities and challenges facing the ministries of the Mission Center as they strive to share hope and salvation in Jesus Christ with the world.

His Grace Bishop Savas of Troas, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America liaison to the OCMC, joined the all-day strategic planning session later in the day as important topics like the aim of missions and the goal of making disciples were discussed. Information that will be gathered by the committee through surveys and interviews conducted among OCMC supporters, missionaries, North American clergy, and hierarchs at home and abroad to help shape OCMC’s next strategic plan which is to be rolled out sometime in 2012.

On Thursday, February 24th, 2011, following an evening Executive Committee meeting on the 23rd, the OCMC Board gathered for its regular meeting. Highlights from this meeting included a presentation from His Grace Bishop Savas about the current state of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America and his plans to travel with an OCMC Mission Team to serve the Turkana of Northern Kenya in mid-March. OCMC long-term missionary Christina Semon also made a presentation to the gathered board that reported on the ministry work she has been doing in Romania over the past two-years, and the work she will be beginning in The Republic of Moldova as she starts her next term of service later in May.

OCMC Executive Director Fr. Martin Ritsi gave a report to the board summarizing all that had been accomplished in 2010 and the financial health of the organization going into 2011. Other reports focused on some of OCMC’s newer initiatives like the Ambassador Program, Friends of Missions, and Hunger Strike.

The board and staff enjoyed spending time together and are looking forward to what the new strategic planning process will bring and the continued opportunities for sharing the Gospel and the making of disciples that it will encourage.

The 2011 Annual Fall Board Meeting will be held at St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Parma, OH, this October.