Lectures hosted by Oklahoma City’s Orthodox church promote Ancient Faith

Oklahoma City’s Orthodox church community has been chosen to host a pilot series of informational lectures about the Orthodox church. The lectures will be June 19-20 at St. Elijah Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, 15000 N May.

“We want to make as many people as possible in Oklahoma aware of the Orthodox church as the church of the first century,” said John Maddex, founder of Ancient Faith Radio and chief executive of Conciliar Media, which operates under the auspices of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America. Ancient Faith is a 24-hour Internet radio station.

Maddex said Oklahoma City is the test model to see whether people will attend such lectures. Guest speakers will be Kevin Scherer, executive director of Orthodox Christian Fellowship, the college campus ministry program of the Orthodox Church in North America; and Michael Gallatin, author of “Thirsting for God in a Land of Shallow Wells.”

“We really picked Oklahoma City because you have a tremendous group of priests and parishioners — a great infrastructure. You have people that can teach others about the Orthodox church and parishioners who will welcome them into their churches. Oklahoma City is a model … in that regard,” he said in a telephone interview.

Several metro-area Orthodox priests have been meeting to plan the event and coordinate volunteers from their parishes. They said they have been talking about the event to others in the community and distributing yard signs that promote it. The program also is being promoted on local broadcast stations.

The Rev. Constantine Nasr, priest at St. Elijah, said he hopes the lectures will draw people who want to know more about the Orthodox church.

Leaders said visitors will have an opportunity for fellowship and coffee after the lectures. Follow-up sessions also are being planned, they said.

“This is for people to learn more about us,” said the Rev. John Tsaras, pastor of St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church, 2101 NW 145.

Nasr said he thinks the lectures may fill a need.

“Sixty to 70 percent of people who have been members of a church — baptized in the church — are not now in the church,” he said. “For those who don’t belong to any church, they are more than welcome to look into the ancient church.”

Source: