Thanks (and an Important Favor)
A preview of upcoming posts and a Lenten campaign for Orthodox college ministry.
First, thanks to everyone who’s emailed about or commented on our last post exploring whether online Orthodoxy is compatible with our basic ecclesiology.
You’ve asked a lot of great questions and offered a ton of thoughtful responses which are helping to sharpen to my thinking.
Thank you!
Next week, I plan to dig deeper into your responses in a followup piece on the way our contemporary, Secular3 world has affected the way we organize the Church.
(Hint: When it comes to ecclesiology, I’m not sure we practice what we preach.)
And by Holy Saturday, God willing, I plan on publishing a piece exploring the way our view of the world is shaped by pursuit of property, power, and prestige. Because that pursuit is a concrete consequence of the individualistic, Secular3 worldview we’ve been analyzing on this Substack.
A worldview we need to understand if we’re going to lead effective ministry in our postmodern world.
So stay tuned for that…
But right now, while we’re still in the midst of our Lenten preparations for Pascha (which include almsgiving), I want to ask a quick favor:
Will you help support transformational, Christ-centered college ministry?
I serve on the Board of Directors of Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF), which is the official campus ministry of the Orthodox Church here in the United States.
OCF offers college students rich community in Christ, inspiring a life-long love of God and neighbor.
I’ve seen this transformation in the lives of so many college students over the past decade, but OCF’s impact is only going to deepen with the development of our latest project: Campus Missionaries.
Here’s a brief Fact Sheet that highlights this groundbreaking initiative:
I’m deeply passionate about real, effective, Christ-centered ministry in the Orthodox Church.
(And I’m sure you are, too: after all, why else would you read this Substack?)
That’s why I’m so grateful to serve on OCF’s Board and play a small role in helping to build the rich community that leads college students to Christ in His Church.
To give you a better sense of OCF’s scope and impact, here are just a few highlights from the 2022-23 academic year:
Launch of the Campus Missionary Initiative (don’t forget to open the Fact Sheet!);
Over 250 OCF chapters on college campuses across the country;
Over 250 students participated in a daily Lenten spiritual renewal;
Student leadership training for chapter leaders;
Two December College Conferences with approximately 300 students in attendance; and
26 students who went on a pilgrimage to Egypt last May.
OCF’s work with college students is vital for both the present and future of the Church here in the United States. We on the Board are so proud of the many ways OCF serves college students.
And we hope you’ll consider partnering with us as we keep them close to Christ during their college years, setting them up for a lifetime of faith in the Church.
Our Board is in the midst of a campaign to raise $40,000 during the 40 days of Lent.
Will you help us reach our goal with a donation today?
If everyone who reads this Substack contributes just $10 to this campaign, we can easily surpass this $40,000 goal ourselves.
I offered my contribution to this special Lenten campaign earlier this morning—I wouldn’t ask you to support this campaign unless I was willing to first donate myself.
Because I believe in supporting transformational, Christ-centered ministry.
And I hope you’ll join me.
You can offer your donation at this donation page or by mailing a check payable to Orthodox Christian Fellowship to our office at 50 Goddard Avenue, Brookline, MA 02445.
Our work is only possible because of the generosity of friends like you. We are so grateful for your advocacy, passion, and prayers for the ministry of OCF.
So please support Orthodox Christian college ministry and contribute to our Lenten campaign today.
I’ll follow up next week with my next post.
How exciting! I would have loved to have/be an Orthodox Christian campus missionary when I was in undergrad.