Generous Grant Supports OCF Programming

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:43:00 GMT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

“Keeping our College Students Connected to the Church”

Generous Grant Supports OCF Programming

Fishers, IN – November 11, 2009

Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) continues to receive funding from the Lilly Endowment in support of its Just Love service learning programs, having recently been awarded a matching grant of $35,000. The grant comes as part of the Programs for the Theological Exploration of Vocation (PETV).

In the past year, OCF has been able to add several new service learning programs due to the support of the Lilly Endowment. One of these programs, Just Love, is an inner-city immersion program designed to allow students to spend a day serving the poor of their city, learn about the complexity of poverty and the challenges facing the poor, and how we are called as Christians to respond.

Another new program these funds will go to support is the Pilgrimage for Justice. This yearly event brings students together from throughout North America to experience and reflect upon some of the harsh realities of injustice in our world today such as human trafficking and homelessness. The very first Pilgrimage was held in June of this year and incorporated simulated activities, reflective exercises, and prayer to challenge students to live out the Gospel each day of their lives.

All OCF programming is designed to be transformative for the student participants, encouraging them in their journeys to love God with all their being and their neighbor as themselves. These programs would not be possible without the generous assistance of the Lilly Endowment and our donors.

If you would like to participate in the matching grant, please contact Presvytera Shyla Hadzellis, Development Director at shyla@ocf.net or 713-962-0623.

About OCF

Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) is the official collegiate campus ministry program under SCOBA. Our mission is to support fellowships on college campuses, whose members experience and witness to the Orthodox Christian Church through community life, prayer, service to others and study of the Faith. Our headquarters is located in Indianapolis, IN and supports over 270 local university chapters across North America. In addition, we provide a variety of thoughtful and innovative programming, including regional training, annual conferences, and domestic and international service learning programs.

For additional information contact:

Presvytera Shyla Hadzellis

Development Director, OCF

shyla@ocf.net

www.ocf.net

OCF HOSTS FIRST ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE FOR JUSTICE

admin — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:50:00 GMT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

OCF Hosts First Annual Pilgrimage for Justice

Fishers, IN – June 10, 2009

On Pentecost weekend (June 5 – 8, 2009), Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) hosted the first annual Pilgrimage for Justice at its North American headquarters in Fishers, IN. The event was attended by a small group of students who spent the weekend reflecting about poverty and injustice throughout the world and what our response should be as Orthodox Christians.

Unconventional by design, the Pilgrimage incorporated simulated activities, reflective exercises, and prayer into the weekend that was described by several student participants as “life-changing”.

Students arrived on Friday, June 5 not knowing what to expect from the weekend. The promotional video launched at the OCF College Conference had instructed the students not to attend unless they were ready to be taken out of their comfort zones. Students did not receive a schedule for the weekend, and so were kept on their toes throughout the weekend as they waited for what would come next.

As they arrived on Friday, the Pilgrimage seemed conventional enough as the students were treated to pizza and a concert by the Small Town Heroes, an Orthodox band from Indiana.

However, on Saturday, the students were continually taken out of their comfort zones as they found themselves in one poverty simulation after another. This began at 7am on Saturday as the students were abruptly awakened in their tents to a simulated refugee camp. They then had to cook their breakfast over a fire and take cold showers outdoors. As they did so, they were told to “keep in mind the many people made in God’s image who spent last night in tents like these, but who are not at a retreat or a pilgrimage.”

They later found themselves placed in a similar simulation dealing with American homelessness. Following lunch, they returned to their campsite to found their tents gone and all their belongings in a pile on the sidewalk. They were instructed to find materials on the property such as cardboard and plywood to construct a “shanty town” in which to sleep that night.

As they constructed their shelter, they were reminded, “Millions of Americans sleep night after night in such shelters on American streets. As you gather the materials, think about those men, women, and children. Think about how Christ calls each of us who are not in that condition to respond to them.”

Another simulated activity followed on Sunday afternoon dealing with human trafficking. Throughout the activity, the harsh realities of sweatshops, child soldiers, and the sex trade were brought home to the students.

The poverty simulations were interspersed with reflective readings, group discussions, and a series of talks by OCF Executive Director Fr. Kevin Scherer.

The weekend culminated on Sunday afternoon as the students celebrated Pentecost Vespers. Afterwards, they were presented with information about several different non-profits with which they could become involved to address poverty and injustice, while at the same time being reminded that social justice begins with simply loving the neighbor they come across each day of their lives.

“As a new program,” says OCF Service Learning Director Jordan Henderson, “we were very pleased with the first Pilgrimage for Justice. We look forward to developing and growing the program next year.”

OCF News & Events : Pilgrimage for Justice

Generous Grant Supports OCF Programming

OCF HOSTS FIRST ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE FOR JUSTICE