Connect with Christ
As Orthodox Christians it is important for us to learn how to connect with Christ by learning about Him and His Church. Learn more about OrthodoxyFind answers to Life's QuestionsWhat is Orthodoxy
What is Orthodoxy?
The Orthodox Christian Church, founded by Jesus Christ and with its beginnings chronicled in the New Testament, is the oldest Christian Church in the world. All other Christian churches and groups can be traced historically back to the Orthodox Church.
With roughly 250 million members worldwide, Orthodoxy is second in size only to the Roman Catholic Church. However, in spite of its size, relatively few Americans are aware that it exists.
The Orthodox Church has deep and lasting roots in Christian antiquity and is steeped in rich Biblical tradition. It has been the context of Christian living for millions of Christians for almost twenty centuries.
Read more about Orthodoxy and the Church that Jesus founded through some of the articles below.
I Can Do All Things – and the SLB!
Flashback to one year ago this spring: I was sitting in my dorm room when I got a call from my Regional Student Leader (RSL) telling me to apply for the OCF Student Leadership Board (SLB) and that I would make a great College Conference Student Leader. I wasn't fully...
Making Room for Christ
Do you know the story of Wally? He was a nine year old second grade. He should have been in fourth grade but everyone knew that Wally had difficulty in keeping up. He was big and clumsy, slow in movement and mind. Wally fancied the idea of being a shepherd in the...
Ebb and Flow: On Mental Health and Coping With Ambiguity
I’ll begin by spilling my heart. I have the deepest respect for you all who are OCF students and I would do all I could for you. So, what is mental health and what is ambiguity? Basically, mental health is an ability to cope with stress, connect with others, and...
Deepen Your Spiritual Practice
Praxis is the Greek word for “practice.” In the Church, praxis refers to the actions which flow from our relationship with Christ. Praxis is living theology and active love. Check out some of these articles about how you can commit to Praxis in your everyday life or use one of our Praxis Programs for your chapter.
I Can Do All Things – and the SLB!
Flashback to one year ago this spring: I was sitting in my dorm room when I got a call from my Regional Student Leader (RSL) telling me to apply for the OCF Student Leadership Board (SLB) and that I would make a great College Conference Student Leader. I wasn't fully...
Making Room for Christ
Do you know the story of Wally? He was a nine year old second grade. He should have been in fourth grade but everyone knew that Wally had difficulty in keeping up. He was big and clumsy, slow in movement and mind. Wally fancied the idea of being a shepherd in the...
Ebb and Flow: On Mental Health and Coping With Ambiguity
I’ll begin by spilling my heart. I have the deepest respect for you all who are OCF students and I would do all I could for you. So, what is mental health and what is ambiguity? Basically, mental health is an ability to cope with stress, connect with others, and...
Get to Know the Saints
As Saint Paul did in his epistles, the word we use for “saint” is the Greek word for “holy”- agios. By calling someone a saint, in a real sense we are celebrating the presence of holiness in the world. Every baptized and chrismated member of the church is already a saint and every one of us has the vocation to become a saint. The saints are human examples of those among us who have loved Christ above all else, and are examples that we strive to emulate. Read about some of the saints in our blog or talk about the lives of the saints at a chapter meeting.
There’s A Saint For That : St. Lazarus
St. LazarusThe Life of St. LazarusSt. Lazarus of Bethany was brother to Mary and Martha and a known close friend of Jesus. He was very sick; some historians believe he had leprosy. He was a poor man and was often found lying at the gates of rich men begging for table...
There’s A Saint For That : St. Macarius the Great of Egypt
St. Macarius the Great of Egypt The Life of St. Macarius St. Macarius is a fourth century saint from a small village in Egypt. In obedience to his parents, he married a young woman despite wishing to remain alone. However, he left to rest in the wilderness for a few...
There’s a Saint for That: The Seven Holy Youths of Ephesus
The Seven Holy Youths (“Seven Sleepers”) of Ephesus The 7 Holy Youths “Seven Sleepers” of Ephesus—Maximilian, Iamblicus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodianus (Constantine) and Antoninus—lived in Ephesus in the third century. Friends from childhood, the Seven...
There’s a Saint for that
There’s a Saint for That is a simple program any chapter can follow to get to know a new saint together! We’ve created a template, and you can do the research online to apply it to any saint. Use this as a personal Praxis Program or develop it into a whole meeting with a discussion and an akathist.
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Life’s Challenges & Questions
A Guide for Orthodox Christian college students to live better in body, mind, community, and spirit.
I Can Do All Things – and the SLB!
Flashback to one year ago this spring: I was sitting in my dorm room when I got a call from my Regional Student Leader (RSL) telling me to apply for the OCF Student Leadership Board (SLB) and that I would make a great College Conference Student Leader. I wasn't fully...
The Transfiguration of the Secular World
Last month I was in Washington D.C., and I met up with a friend of mine from the Antiochian Village. We spent the day walking around the National Mall just enjoying the city and each other’s company. Afterwards, she said that it was, “a nice break from the secular...
Make a “Small” Decision: Discover Where Christ Leads You
Have you ever made a seemingly small decision that changed your life? Maybe you sat next to someone new in class who became your best friend or maybe you spontaneously bought a book that influenced your career choice. Looking back, you probably did not give much...
Share the Gospel On Campus
Day of Light
As Orthodox Christians, it is important to Share the Gospel. Started at the University of Pittsburgh, Day of Light is an easy way for OCF chapters to set up a table about OCF on their campuses and share the Gospel. During the Day of Light, your chapter takes prayer requests from all students, and offers them a chance to light a candle at a Paraklesis service. The hope as an OCF chapter is to share the Light of Christ with our neighbors by doing something we do every Sunday, lighting candles for ourselves and for our loved ones!
Apologetics
I Can Do All Things – and the SLB!
Flashback to one year ago this spring: I was sitting in my dorm room when I got a call from my Regional Student Leader (RSL) telling me to apply for the OCF Student Leadership Board (SLB) and that I would make a great College Conference Student Leader. I wasn't fully...
Making Room for Christ
Do you know the story of Wally? He was a nine year old second grade. He should have been in fourth grade but everyone knew that Wally had difficulty in keeping up. He was big and clumsy, slow in movement and mind. Wally fancied the idea of being a shepherd in the...
Ebb and Flow: On Mental Health and Coping With Ambiguity
I’ll begin by spilling my heart. I have the deepest respect for you all who are OCF students and I would do all I could for you. So, what is mental health and what is ambiguity? Basically, mental health is an ability to cope with stress, connect with others, and...
Pan-Orthodoxy
OCF is a Pan-Orthodox ministry by the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America. It is made up of all the active, canonical Orthodox bishops of the United States of America, of every jurisdiction. The purpose of the Assembly of Bishops of the United States of America is to preserve and contribute to the unity of the Orthodox Church by helping to further her spiritual, theological, ecclesiological, canonical, educational, missionary and philanthropic aims. To accomplish this, the Assembly has as its goals:
- the promotion and accomplishment of Church unity in the United States
- the strengthening of the common pastoral ministry to all the Orthodox faithful of the region
- a common witness by the Church to all those outside her, and
- the organization of the Church in the United States in accordance with the ecclesiological and the canonical tradition of the Orthodox Church.
I Can Do All Things – and the SLB!
Flashback to one year ago this spring: I was sitting in my dorm room when I got a call from my Regional Student Leader (RSL) telling me to apply for the OCF Student Leadership Board (SLB) and that I would make a great College Conference Student Leader. I wasn't fully...
Making Room for Christ
Do you know the story of Wally? He was a nine year old second grade. He should have been in fourth grade but everyone knew that Wally had difficulty in keeping up. He was big and clumsy, slow in movement and mind. Wally fancied the idea of being a shepherd in the...
Ebb and Flow: On Mental Health and Coping With Ambiguity
I’ll begin by spilling my heart. I have the deepest respect for you all who are OCF students and I would do all I could for you. So, what is mental health and what is ambiguity? Basically, mental health is an ability to cope with stress, connect with others, and...