The school year is off to a fresh start and so is the OCF year! While planning your year, it’s important not to forget about the four pillars of OCF. Here are some suggestions for ways to incorporate all elements of OCF so you can have a blessed, fruitful year.
Fellowship
- Hold an off-campus potluck dinner.
- Go to your school’s sporting events together.
- During midterms or finals week, have a study party…and don’t forget the snacks!
- Organize a friendly game of Capture the Flag or Ultimate Frisbee.
- Go out for Sunday brunch together after Liturgy.
Education
- Invite a guest speaker. See if there are any priests in your surrounding area who don’t regularly come to OCF, a professor from your school, or a member of the parish you attend.
- Watch a Christian movie, listen to an Ancient Faith Radio podcast, or read an article and have a discussion afterward.
- Play a game of “Stump the Priest” with your spiritual advisor – everyone comes up with their toughest theological questions for the priest until he can’t answer one!
- Pick a book to read together. Each week one person reads a chapter, summarizes it for the group, and leads a discussion.
Service
- During your normal meeting time, bake cookies or write cards to send to nursing homes, hospitals, or soldiers.
- Take a Saturday afternoon to volunteer together at a soup kitchen or nursing home.
- Volunteer as a group with one of the service clubs on campus.
- Host a bake sale on campus and donate the proceeds to charity.
Worship
- Learn a new hymn together – maybe in a chanting style different from your own.
- Make prayer ropes.
- Have Forgiveness Sunday vespers together before Lent starts.
- Hold a Paraklesis service as part of Day of Light.
- Participate in Day of Prayer.