OCF News & Events : News

Northeast and NY/NJ Region Update!

admin — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:35:00 GMT

Welcome to the 2009 Northeast, NY/NJ regional update!

The Northeast has been combined with NY/NJ for the 2009-10 school year! What does this mean???? It means our region is going to be hopping with events and retreats. Make sure you join the facebook group in your region, search either "Orthodox Christian Fellowship--New England Region" or "New York/ New Jersey Region" to get updates on all the events in our area.

So far we have have had College Student Sunday, our first retreat and have settled into our local chapter meetings! Which brings us to an important announcement:

If you have not updated your OCF chapter's contact information, please do so now by filling out the following form: OCF Local Chapter Update Form

Ok, that is all for now... keep an eye out for upcoming events! God bless!

SCOBA Agencies combine efforts with Archons and Ladies Philoptochos

Gabriel Otte — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:29:00 GMT

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 a 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 www.ocf.net , The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese www.goarch.org and OCN at www.myocn.net to view daily progress of the trip as well as photo's 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.

OCF Student Advisory Board Regional Representative Applications!

Gabriel Otte — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 13:15:00 GMT

Anyone who is wishing to be on the Student Advisory Board as a Regional Representative for the upcoming school year should fill out these applications as soon as possible. The applications are due March 10, 2009 so get started right away! Hope to see you next year! You'll find the application under Attachment right underneath this post.

OCF Student Advisory Board Program Coordinator Applications!

Gabriel Otte — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 13:07:00 GMT

Anyone who is wishing to be on the Student Advisory Board as a Program Coordinator for the upcoming school year should fill out these applications as soon as possible. The applications are due March 10, 2009 so get started right away! Hope to see you next year! You'll find the application under Attachment right underneath this post.

Facebook Integration

Gabriel Otte — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 07:02:00 GMT

For the people that have been trying to access their OCF.net accounts, your facebook and ocf accounts will link but currently the bio information and friends will not be pulled over from facebook to ocf. The powers that be are working on this problem and will resolve it as soon as possible. Thanks!

2008 OCF College Conference Highlighted by New Programs, New Location, and Record Numbers

admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:18:00 GMT

Fishers, IN – Creating a “Revolution of Love” was the theme explored by around 400 Orthodox college students, speakers, and hierarchs at the 2008 OCF College Conference. Students from around the United States and Canada gathered for worship, fellowship, workshops, reflection, and fun at three locations: the Antiochian Village in Bolivar, PA; the St. Nicholas Ranch in Dunlap, CA; and one new location, the Diakonia Center in Salem, SC.

The College Conference takes place each year on Dec. 27 – 31. Speaking to the theme of a “Revolution of Love” in 2008 were three keynote speakers: Fr. Kevin Scherer, Executive Director of OCF (Antiochian Village), Fr. Nicholas Triantofilou, President of Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (Diakonia Center), and Mr. Dan Christopulos, Development Director for International Orthodox Christian Charities (St. Nicholas Ranch).

How Orthodox Christians should respond to poverty, homelessness, human trafficking, and genocide were among the questions reflected upon by each of the keynote speakers.

“There’s only one response to poverty and injustice for the Christian,” noted Fr. Kevin Scherer, “and that is love.”

During the conference, OCF officially announced a new program called the Pilgrimage for Justice. This unconventional conference will take place on Pentecost weekend (June 5 – 8, 2009) at the Antiochian Village, and will further immerses students into the world of poverty and injustice, equipping them in the process to respond with Christ’s love to the broken world around us.

OCF was also very pleased to open a new location in the South for 2008 at the Diakonia Center. Nearly 50 students participated in our first College Conference in this location. One of the highlights of this location was the Service Project where the students headed into Atlanta, GA to share meals with the homeless, thereby putting into practice the theme of the conference. One student noted of the experience, “I can’t begin to discuss how this has changed my views.”

For more reports on the 2008 College Conference, as well as information for the 2009 conference and other OCF programs, visit www.ocf.net.