OCA reps participate in OCMC Board of Directors’ meeting
The members of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) Board of Directors met at OCMC headquarters here April 19-21, 2010.
Representatives from the Orthodox Church in America included Archpriest Dr. Chad Hatfield, Archpriest Matthew Tate, Archpriest Ted Pisarchuk, Bruce Humphrey, Esq., Bill Birchfield, and Betty Slanta.
“The OCMC continues as the official international mission and evangelization agency of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA),” said Ms. Slanta. “The OCMC sends Orthodox Christians to answer the call to make disciples of all nations through one of several initiatives—Mission Service, two-to-four week Mission Teams, the Support a Mission Priest Program, the Agape Canister Program, and the OCMC Ambassador Program, through which representatives from Orthodox Churches throughout the US assist in promoting OCMC programs.”
Board members were informed that missionaries recently departed for service in Tanzania, while other missionaries are training and raising funds for mission service in the immediate future. Currently OCMC has 117 short term mission team members approved for mission service this summer.
“While the economy continues to plague donations to the OCMC, donations are up since this time last year,” Ms. Slanta added. “The annual OCMC budget audit by Gregory Korn, independent auditor, revealed ‘quality from top down’ in describing OCMC’s financial status.”
Mr. Cliff Argue’s six-year term as Board President and Father Chad’s term as Board Vice President came to an end. Newly elected officers include Priest Dr. George Liacopulos, President; Priest Lou Christopulos, Vice President; and Dr. Gayle Woloschak, Secretary. Mr. Birchfield continues as OCMC Board Treasurer, while Ms. Slanta serves as Governance Committee chairman.
Members of the Strategic Plan Committee, led by Father Chad and Mr. Humphrey, developed a new OCMC vision and mission statement which, through “partnering with the worldwide Orthodox Church to bring people into vibrant self-supporting Eucharistic communities,” has as its goal evangelization.
The OCMC has become involved with other international Orthodox mission agencies, including a Finnish mission agency that contacted the OCMC to participate in training. Priest Martin Ritsi, OCMC Executive Director, traveled to Belarus to facilitate an Orthodox mission conference with participants from Bulgaria, Ukraine, and Greece. He also led a team to Lodwar, Kenya, and to the Turkana Region, where the focus will be on evangelizing people who have not heard the Gospel. Walks to raise funds for missionary activities in Turkana are being planned around the country.
Priest Luke Veronis, OCMC Board member and former missionary to Albania, presented copies of his recently released book, “Go Forth,” to all board members. Father Luke is teaching Missiology at Holy Cross Seminary, Brookline, MA.
The next meeting of the OCMC Board will be held November 15-17, 2010, in New Jersey.
For more information on the OCMC, visit http://www.ocmc.org.