Metropolitan Jonah expresses support for Orthodox Christian Fellowship campus, national Initiatives Orthodox Church in America

and Protodeacon Joseph Matusiak”]

Orthodox Church in America

SYOSSET, NY [OCA] — His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, met with Father Mark Leondis, Chair of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship Board of Directors and OCF Interim Executive Director, at the Chancery here Thursday, June 3, 2010.

Also present for the meeting was Protodeacon Joseph Matusiak, who represents the Orthodox Church in America on the OCF Board.

OCF was established by the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas over four decades ago as a pan-Orthodox outreach to college and university students. Today, as an agency of the recently established North American Episcopal Assembly, it embraces over 200 local campus groups and sponsors a variety of regional and national ministries for young adults, including the popular alternative to the secular Spring break — “Real Break.”
Father Mark shared with Metropolitan Jonah recent changes in OCF’s administration, based in central Indiana, with the recent resignation of the fellowship’s Executive Director.

Metropolitan Jonah, who on many occasions has emphasized the importance of campus ministry for the upbuilding and growth of the Church, expressed his hope to see the development of a chaplaincy program for college students and recent graduates in the areas of leadership, counseling, and pastoral formation, calling OCF “a training ground for future Church leaders.” The possibility of developing a college chaplains’ network was also discussed.

The OCA has been involved in OCF since its inception; many of its clergy and lay leaders today got their “start” in the OCF, especially in the late 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s.

Related Resources:

For more information on OCF and its numerous ministries, visit www.ocf.net.

For more information on the OCA Department of Youth, Young Adult and Campus Ministries, visit http://yya.oca.org.

To read/subscribe to the OCA’s young adult blog, “Wonder,” visit www.ocawonder.com.

For information on the OCA’s Young Adult Youth Rally, slated to be held in conjunction with the Parish Ministries Conference on the campus of Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, OH [in suburban Cleveland] June 27-30, 2010, http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event

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