The Global Orthodox Witness in Tanzania - Orthodox Christian ...

ment to become an 'Icon of an AmericanOrthodox Church.' In order to fulfill thisvision, the founding members conceivedthe mission as having two prongs: missionin North America and mission internationally.“The faithful of St. Luke have a beautifulpresence here in our community. Overthe years, they have cultivated local ministriesthat include: monthly prayer serviceand fellowship at a home for mentallychallengedadults; annually hosting an ecumenicalmemorial service for September11th; weekly hosting of homeless womenand children as part of a network of localchurches; offering meeting space for threeself-help groups; and making availablean open air public shrine so anyone canpray and light a candle 24 hours a day. Amonthly offering is taken to help a varietyof charitable causes and this amount collectedis matched by an endowment fund.“Missions beyond our community beganat St. Luke with Project Mexico, andhave since grown to also include work onNative American reservations throughYoung Orthodox Christian AmericanMissions Association. Through OCMC,short-term mission team members havebeen sent for teaching in India, two youthcamps in Romania, church constructionand medical mission in Tanzania, andserving at the Hogar Raphael Orphanagein Guatemala. This year, six individuals arepreparing to serve in Alaska as part of anOCMC team!“One may ask, has all this missionaryactivity added numbers to the congregation?The answer to this question is‘slightly. Our parish of 80 families has replacedthose who move on and has addeda few new members each year. The purposeof this missionary activity is not to gainnew members. The Lord will send themif His work is being done. The purpose isto fulfill the grand commission of JesusChrist. Jesus Christ calls all Christians tothis task. People who join St. Luke parishare expected to heed the call. Christsaid, ‘The fields are ripe for harvest but thelaborers are few.’ To be a member of St.Luke parish, it is expected that a memberwill take on some ministry. All ministrieshave but one purpose, to fulfill the grandcommission: from parish council presidentto candle stand cleaner. The grandcommission includes making disciples. Ifall members continue to fulfill their ministry,then they are becoming disciples andwill eventually join the mission field.”Another community that I havecome to know is Holy Cross AntiochianOrthodox Church in Yakima,Washington. For many years now, HolyCross has offered a generous monthlystewardship offering to the OCMC. Fr.Joseph Copeland, priest at Holy Cross,offered the following reflection on whymissions stewardship is important:LEFT : In the midst of growing ministries and capitalprojects, Fr. Joseph Copeland maintains missionsas a core activity that the parish must continue tosupport on a monthly basis.ABOVE : Missions is just one of the ministries centralto the work of the faithful at Holy Cross in Yakima. TheSt. John of Kronstadt School is another, pictured here.Fr. Joseph Copeland, Holy Cross AntiochianOrthodox Church, Yakima, Washington“In 1987 our little group of 75 folkswas received into the communion of theOrthodox Church through the lovingkindness of His Eminence MetropolitanPhilip of the Antiochian OrthodoxChurch. We are now about 300 soulsand have planted, participated in planting,and are planting other missions inour area. If we believe that the OrthodoxChurch is the True Church establishedby Jesus Christ according to the Apostolicwitness, that the Church is the sacramentalreality of Christ’s Kingdom onEarth, and that it is in that sacramentalreality that we are joined to Christ andparticipate in His eternal life, then it isour greatest calling and privilege to laborfor the planting of that Church allaround us and throughout the world!That is why we are so glad to supportthe work of OCMC with our small offeringeach month. May God bless itand the work of OCMC.”Parishes are discovering the joy thatresults from a holistic approach thattouches both the local community aswell as around the world. The witnessoffered by those who serve and/or supportinternational missions inspiresand encourages those serving the localcommunity and vice versa. The OCMCremains a resource for internationalmissions for all Orthodox faithful asyou consider your response to Christ’sGreat Commission to “make disciplesof all nations,” whether as an individual,within your family, or as part of yourlocal parish. We are able to offer a varietyof resources for your Bible Study,Sunday School, Youth Group, as well asyour family!To brainstorm and discuss opportunitiesto further engage your parishcommunity or group in the work ofinternational missions, and begin theprocess of building an internationalmissions program, please give OCMCAnnual Gifts Officer Kenneth Kidd acall at 904-829-5132, ext. 161, or sendhim an e-mail at kenny@ocmc.org.OCMC MISSION MAGAZINE • SPRING 201323