Fellowship of St. John the Divine

The Fellowship of St. John the Divine is a group of leaders who, representing different dioceses, come together at one table to develop and administer programs, projects, and activities that are intended to help each local parish find ways to fulfill its true calling in Christ. The Fellowship is therefore a catalyst for action in three areas:

Some of the activities the Fellowship supports or has itself developed include: mission trips, pan-Orthodox fellowship events at conferences, the production and dissemination of education materials about Church unity, the St. Philip’s Prayer Discipline program, young adult retreats, the Food for Hungry People program, the Creative Festivals, and the Oratorical and Bible Bowl Festivals. The Fellowship communicates opportunities for involvement through periodic bulletin inserts. For more information visitors can explore the links provided below.

Fellowship Footnotes

from The Word, May 2009

Serving the needs of the parish: that is the mission of the Fellowship of St. John the Divine. Unlike other organizations of our Archdiocese, the Fellowship’s ministries are developed from the bottom up, since we are serving the needs of our particular parishes with the blessings of our parish priests. The Fellowship of St. John the Divine is living the gospel through witness, worship, fellowship and service. We are defined by need. We serve these needs through our individual talents. We are guided by the Holy Spirit and we serve to the glory of God.

Perhaps to many people, “serving the needs of the parish” is vague, so let’s be more specific: it means donating blankets and clothing at our local homeless shelters; establishing and maintaining a food pantry for those who come to our parish doors hungry; hosting breakfasts to raise money for the missions in our diocese after liturgy; learning more about our Orthodox saints at a new book club called Saints Alive; joining our St. Philip’s Prayer Discipline; meeting the needs of the “20/40” age group, facilitating the transition from Teen SOYO and college contact into the Fellowship; having a parent’s club that meets, socializes and raises money for extras in the Sunday School; holding a Saturday morning men’s Bible study; having a parish-wide Bible study; and much more. Our needs are many and different throughout the Archdiocese, yet many of our projects are the same.

2009 Delegates Meeting of the Fellowship of St. John the Divine, Diocese of Miami and the Southeast

from The Word, May 2009

In late January 2009, the clergy and delegates of the Diocese of Miami and the Southeast joined His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN, for the annual meeting of the Fellowship of St. John the Divine (FSJD) at St. Andrew the Apostle Mission in Pensacola, Florida. The clergy arrived on Thursday, January 22, to pray the Akathist to St. Raphael and for a fellowship meal. They then met on Friday morning with Sayidna ANTOUN, preceded by a spiritual talk from Fr. Gregory Rogers, who elucidated some pastoral examples and instruction from his patron saint, Gregory the Theologian. Friday evening saw the arrival of the rest of the delegates and Teen SOYO members, who joined the clergy to pray Vespers at the church. The parish and the local FSJD then provided a delicious meal.

The delegates’ meeting began with a exhortation by Bishop ANTOUN to encourage more lay participation throughout our diocese. His Grace also made clear his expectations for increased attendance at future meetings, expressing his disappointment with the low level of clergy attendance and the lack of financial commitment by some parishes to the Fellowship and missions. During the Fellowship meeting, the Teen SOYO met with their spiritual advisor, Fr. Philip Rogers, as well as with Fr. Joseph Purpura and Bishop ANTOUN. Fr. Andrew Moore also addressed the Antiochian Women with a spiritual talk on the theme, “How to be Sisters of Sarah.”