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ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

“Keeping our College Students Connected to the Church”

OCF Board of Directors Hold Fall Meeting

Brookline, MA – December 2, 2012 - The Orthodox Christian Fellowship Board of Directors met November 14-16, 2012 at its North American headquarters on the campus of Hellenic College/Holy Cross School of Theology in Brookline, MA.  The productive meeting focused on building upon past successes in order to best serve students on college and university campuses throughout the United States and Canada.  

The Board recognized the great strides that have been accomplished to build a strong, reliable and open infrastructure for campus ministry.  Executive Director Jennifer Nahas provided an update regarding the on-going implementation of OCF’s new chapter-district-region design saying, “The key to Orthodox Campus Ministry is to continue developing strong relationships with our chapters.  When our office put out the call for volunteers interested in supporting chapters, we had an explosion of OCF alumni interested in serving as mentors and facilitators of local, district and regional activities. With the help of the Student Advisory Board, we have seen a dramatic increase in energy and excitement for new activities on all levels, including retreats, service projects and coffeehouses.  In response to this increase we are beginning to focus on training and support for these volunteers so that they can best serve students.”

Board Chair, Deacon Paul Zaharas, applauded the work of the staff, and focused the Board’s attention on its commitment to meet the growing needs of OCF.  “It is imperative that the Board of Directors not be satisfied with the successes of OCF, but significantly increase its engagement moving forward for the benefit of our college students.  We are encouraged by the tremendous growth that has been seen over the last year, but we must continue taking necessary steps to implement OCF’s new structural model through strong and transparent policies and procedures, as well as appropriate levels of funding.” 

In 2013, the North American Office will introduce a revitalized Parish Partner Program which will cultivate the synergy of support and service between OCF and local parishes.  At the center of this partnership will be OCF’s First Forty Days initiative which strives to establish contact with recent high school graduates so that they will already be connected to OCF before arriving on campus.  As the official campus ministry of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops, OCF serves all Orthodox parishes and is a natural continuation of their successful youth programs. 

Board members were notified during the meeting that registration has opened for the 2013 Real Break trips and that new support materials are being provided to assist students in preparing for their trips.  Real Break, OCF’s alternative spring break, brings students to areas around the country and the globe to serve others and grow in their relationship with Christ.  Also open is registration for OCF’s College Conference.  Students continue to fill limited slots for the East and West Coast Conferences which focus on Christian fellowship and education.