OCF is proud to partner with FOCUS on multiple projects and missions, including YES College Days and Real Break trips. As such, it is our pleasure to announce that FOCUS is launching their first annual Servant Leadership Conference (SLC) on Memorial Day Weekend (May 25th – 28th). Open to high school seniors and college students, the SLC represents an opportunity for young people looking to learn more about servant leadership, community work, and their faith. For more information on the SLC and to register, visit FOCUS’s site here.
We sat down with Larissa Hatch, a staff member with FOCUS, to learn a little bit more about the conference. You can read our interview with Larissa here:
1. Give us a little background information on the conference–where, when, what are the topics, how much does it cost, why should a student attend?
The conference takes place in the beautiful Phoenix area (a great place if you’ve never seen a cactus!) where Assumption Greek Orthodox Church will be hosting YES! The registration fee is $175, which will cover all meals, housing, and activities; it is also a donation to the program so we can keep serving those we encounter on future YES trips across the country. You should go if you want to continuing growing into your leadership skills. Chances are, you already (definitely) have the stuff it takes to be a leader and this conference will be an opportunity to reveal your real strengths while connecting with some other amazing people in the YES family from all over the country.
2. What was the impetus behind creating the conference? What void in high school/college students’ lives are you hoping to fill?
The best part about all things YES is that the goal is very simple: leave a little more aware and a lot stronger! A lot more happens, and the experience always evolves as we go. Everything happens on God’s time and His agenda.
Young adults don’t always get recognized for the leadership and direction they can provide to their communities. We hear that they are inexperienced, too young to get it, or are just ignored. It is important to honor everyone’s perspective and experience, especially the students as they have more to offer than we’ll ever know.
3. Why should prospective students be excited about the idea of attending the conference? What is special or unique about the conference that students can’t get elsewhere?
We will never tell anyone how they should feel or what should happen for them. THAT is what is unique to YES–we simply exist for the sake of the group and our growth, and God handles the rest. Students are encouraged to show up as they are–you are the introvert, great! you are the life of the crowd, awesome! The beauty of YES is that it isn’t even imposed, it is innate, for everyone to embrace each other and share in this unique experience which reveals a level of vulnerability and love unmatched elsewhere.
Remember, to register or learn more about the conference, follow this link to FOCUS’s site!
With #GivingTuesday just around the corner, we thought we’d help you learn more about some of the great Orthodox ministries that need our support as a Church to keep doing the great things they’re doing! Consider making a donation to one or more of them this year! Click on the logos to go directly to their online giving sites.
Ancient Faith Ministries
Ancient Faith Ministries started as an online radio program streaming Orthodox music and has grown to include a plethora of audio and video podcasts, blogs, a publishing house, a store, and a film production division. Ancient Faith provides a constantly growing and updated library of Orthodox resources on topics ranging from dogmatic theology, spiritual growth, marriage and family life, philosophy, ecumenical dialogue, fasting, saints lives, daily readings, and more. OCF is proud to host our own campus ministry podcast through AFR, and we are so appreciative of the support and guidance they have provided us in our own media outreach.
Antiochian Village
Many of you, I’m sure, are very familiar with Antiochian Village and its camping ministries. OCF houses our College Conference East there every year! We’re also proud to say that many of our OCF leaders give back to AV as counselors every year. Donations to AV help maintain its facilities as well as provide scholarships to campers who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend.
CrossRoad Institute
This ten-day academic institute is designed to help high school juniors and seniors connect Orthodox theology and spirituality to the big decisions they are preparing to face–like going off to college! We’re so proud to say that over the years, many, many of our OCF chapter presidents and Student Leadership Board members have been alumni of CrossRoad. We know they’re doing it right when it comes to preparing young people for the challenges of college and beyond!
FOCUS North America
FOCUS North America is a US-based charity that provides food, occupation, clothing, understanding, and shelter through a number of community-based FOCUS centers as well as programs like Operation: Lace Up which provides shoes to school-age children in need in various cities across the country. They also run a youth program (YES) to help youth and young adults better understand poverty and get involved in serving their communities. OCF partners with FOCUS North America to run Real Break Cleveland where we volunteer at their center there, St. Herman’s House (a men’s homeless shelter).
Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society
Philoptochos is the largest Christian women’s philanthropic organization in the US, providing services to local communities as well as through national initiatives to those in need. Their focus is charity to the poor, preservation of the family, and perpetuating and promoting Orthodoxy, and they support programs as broad as aid to Greece and Cyprus, Hellenic College/Holy Cross, health related organizations, IOCC, and a variety of local social service organizations. OCF has been blessed to receive Philoptochos support, especially in regards to the First Forty Days Initiative and the Summer Leadership Institute.
Hogar Rafael Ayau
Hogar Rafael Ayau (San Miguel del Lago) is an Orthodox orphanage outside of Guatemala City, Guatemala run by the nuns of the Orthodox Monastery of the Holy Trinity. The children are educated and cared for all within the context of the Orthodox life. OCF partners with the Hogar to run Real Break Guatemala where our students play with the children and work on repairs and other projects needed by the monastery.
International Orthodox Christian Charities
IOCC is perhaps the most well-known and respected Orthodox charity, providing communities around the world with immediate disaster relief as well as long-term sustainable, community-oriented solutions to poverty, housing, education, and health. IOCC provides assistance without discrimination in places as diverse as Syria, Greece, USA, Haiti, Camaroon, and Bosnia. OCF partners with IOCC to run Real Break New Orleans where we work with them and with Habitat for Humanity to help build homes.
Ionian Village
Ionian Village offers young people an opportunity to not only attend a great summer camp, but to go on a spiritual pilgrimage to encounter the saints, deepen their faith, and experience the life of the Church in a way that is unique among camping programs. We’re so proud to say that many of our OCF leaders are IV alumni and often go back as staff to minister to the next generation of Orthodox young people.
Orthodox Christian Fellowship
Yep, that’s right. Did you know our own ministry is entirely supported by donations and grants? We’re blessed to be able to able to provide you with things like free retreats, the Summer Leadership Institute, all sorts of chapter resources, and College Conference scholarships thanks to the generosity of our supporters. And we’re always trying to come up with new ways to help your chapters grow, connect more college students to the Church, and give back to the student leaders who make OCF the amazing ministry that it is.
Orthodox Christian Mission Center
OCMC is an agency of the Assembly of Bishops that helps send missionaries around the world to share the message of the Gospel to those who have not heard it. They currently have long-term missionaries in Albania, Guatemala, Kenya, Mongolia, Romania, and the United States.
Orthodox Christian Network
OCN provides news, radio, blogs, and other resources for Orthodox Christians of all ages. They even have a live-stream Bible study on Wednesday evenings!
Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry
A newer agency of the Assembly of Bishops, OCPM ministers to men and women, Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike who are in prison or have been recently released. They provide spiritual guidance and catechism to those who are interested as well as train clergy and lay people on prison ministry. OCPM currently ministers to over 1,000 people in prison including five who have become monks and over 300 catechumens.
Project Mexico & St. Innocent Orphanage
Located in Tijuana Mexico, Project Mexico helps build homes for families in need while St. Innocent Orphanage cares for and educates orphaned boys in a loving, spiritually-rich environment. OCF has partnered with Project Mexico in the past to run Real Break trips where students worked on home builds and served at the orphanage. In addition to giving, you can always sign up for a summer team with your family, friends, or parish to volunteer.
St. Basil’s Academy
Located in upstate New York, St. Basil’s Academy takes in orphaned and at-risk Orthodox children where they can live and be educated in a safe and nurturing environment that addresses all of their needs. In existence since 1944, they take in children from all Orthodox backgrounds and care for them with Christ’s healing love.
St. John the Compassionate Mission
St. John the Compassionate Mission offers a variety of social services to the needed of Toronto, Canada. Their work includes weekly community dinners, kids programs, a thrift store, a community house for those in need of subsidized housing, an organic bakery staffed by those who would otherwise find it difficult to find work, counselling services for individuals and families, an Orthodox mission parish, and a lived theology school. OCF has partnered with St. John the Compassionate in the past to run Real Break Toronto, and we encourage our students to check out the lived theology school.
ZOE for Life!
ZOE for Life! is a pan-Orthodox outreach ministry that provides services such as counseling, housing assistance, medical assistance, prenatal care, adoption assistance, and a variety of other services to women in crisis pregnancies.
The conference takes place in the beautiful Phoenix area (a great place if you’ve never seen a cactus!) where Assumption Greek Orthodox Church will be hosting YES! The registration fee is $175, which will cover all meals, housing, and activities; it is also a donation to the program so we can keep serving those we encounter on future YES trips across the country. You should go if you want to continuing growing into your leadership skills. Chances are, you already (definitely) have the stuff it takes to be a leader and this conference will be an opportunity to reveal your real strengths while connecting with some other amazing people in the YES family from all over the country.
