Orthodox Christian Fellowship

Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF)

OCF is a Pan-Orthodox organization for college students. Please visit the OCF homepage at http://ocf.net/ to learn more. Here is a brief description of the current programs:

Real Break – You are given an opportunity to spend your spring break in amazing places like Alaska, Guatemala, Project Mexico, Greece and doing God’s work and helping others. Check out the pictures online to see what others have done. See also the article linked below, From Hell to Heaven in Guatamala, one student's account of Real Break.

College Conference – The best five days you’ll ever spend on either the east or west coast! This conference is filled with workshops, fellowships and tons of fun all with Orthodox college students. The conference happens in between Christmas and New Year’s.

National Day of Prayer – Each OCF participates in an hour of prayer for a full twenty-four hours on the first day of Great Lent. What better way to start of Great Lent?

Project Axios - IOCC and OCF partner together to provide emergency aid and development assistance with the help of your OCF.

FROM HELL TO HEAVEN IN GUATEMALA

From Hell to Heaven in Guatamala

By Joseph Mena Khalil

Real Break is an alternative to the traditional college spring break. It offers Orthodox college students an opportunity to participate in service projects, and by doing so, to make positive changes in their lives, as well as in the lives of those they help, rather than foggy memories and empty experiences many have during spring break.

I recently went to an Orthodox Orphanage in Guatemala called Hogar Rafael Ayau on an OCF Real Break trip. By God’s grace, I experienced things that have penetrated my heart and opened my eyes to many things. I wish to share my experiences and meditations with you because I desire that others benefit from this story as I have. Before my arrival, I was told that most of the orphans there have disturbing pasts. The Guatemalan government, aside from being corrupt, is ineffective in law enforcement. As a result, Guatemala City is a dangerous place, especially for children. The orphanage is located right in the center of this city (surrounded by a 17 ft brick wall). The people in Guatemala City are extremely poor and their poverty compels many of them to great sins against children. Many children are exploited by adults in order to make money or satisfy their desires. Some are sent to beg on the dangerous streets. These children are ordered to stand in the middle of the road and beg for money from cars stopped in traffic. Imagine your five year old brother or cousin in the middle of a busy street standing in between cars three times his height. The things we can barely think and talk about happen to these children every day. Some children starve to death because their parents are so hungry they will not share the food with their own seed. Many children are abused physically by their parents. Forgive me for sharing with you these tragic stories, but I ask you to take a moment and think about the situation these children are in. They have no police to protect them from their parents or exploiters. They have no one to raise them, love them, or show them any kind of positive emotion. What they learn from their parents is abuse, stealing, and selfishness. What do you think they will do when they get older? The only thing they were taught. This is where I was going and these were the children I was going to spend a week with.

A few Orthodox nuns were called by God to serve the children of this city. Children were taken away from this corrupt city and placed in the hands of these nuns. At the time of my visit, the orphanage had grown to about 150 children: 150 abandoned, abused, and exploited children. How could a few nuns be expected to raise these children? Could a few nuns show these children enough love and care so that the children could move beyond their dark past and start living a normal life? I will answer this question in time, but, for you parents who are reading, imagine being put in charge of just one of these children. How difficult it would be to try to take this child who has only seen and experienced evil and show him how to experience love. Would you be able to force this child to behave let alone teach him about Christ and the Church? In our country, children like this spend their whole life seeing psychiatrists and counselors. Remember, that is with a 1:1 ratio, child to parents.

My first day there was a Sunday, so we started the day with liturgy. We were not sure about the time change and ended up being ready an hour before liturgy, so we decided to walk around. Suddenly, a small boy, about the age of 6, ran up to two of the members from our group and gave them a hug. He walked them to the church and, we sat in one of the pews talking and playing with this boy. What love that boy had! Not knowing us and seeing us for the first time, he, without hesitation, acted as though we were his family. Soon the rest of the children had formed a line outside to enter the church. Upon entering, each would bow before the icons in the back of the church and then do three full prostrations in front of both the icon of Our Lord and the icon of the Theotokos Virgin Mary kissing the icons after the prostrations. After all completed their prostrations, the liturgy began. A nun and a young girl led all the liturgical chanting, but could barely be heard because of the overwhelming chorus of children singing. Almost every child had the service memorized and joyfully sang with a loud voice. There were points in the liturgy when I felt the church was going to shake because almost 100 loud voices were praising, resulting in one powerful and resonating sound. Can you think of anything more beautiful than young children filling the church with their voices, praising God with all their heart? I assure you the angels rushed to behold the children of God and listen to their voices directed to Heaven. Truly, a feeling of peace and calmness, which only comes from God, overcame all of us that day. It was evident God was among those children because just listening to their praising and being around them lifted us spiritually.

Throughout the service, we noticed children doing many prostrations. Nobody was forcing them to do these prostrations, but it was out of their own will that they subjected their bodies. Some children started prostrations at the beginning of service and didn’t stop until the service ended. When we asked one of nuns about this, she told us that some of the children say that they lied or did something wrong and felt they needed to repent.

That Sunday happened to be the first Sunday before the Great Fast. A special service called Forgiveness Vespers is celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox on this day. Towards the end of this service, the two priests did full prostrations before each other, kissed each other’s hands, and asked each other for forgiveness. The nuns then did the same before the priests, each one prostrating before the other, kissing each other’s hands, and asking for forgiveness. This was an act of great humility, but what I saw next I will remember for the rest of my life. The children lined up before the priests and nuns. Each child did a prostration before the priest while the priest prostrated before the child, each kissing each other’s hands, and asking each other for forgiveness. Each child followed this same pattern with the nuns also. After completing this process with all the nuns, the first child stood next to the last nun in line. Then the next child would stand next to that first child in the same line and this process would repeat until there was a circle of priests, nuns, and children all the way around the church. This continued for about 30 minutes until everyone in the church had prostrated before everyone, kissing their hand, and asking them for forgiveness. Overall, everyone prostrated before about 100 people, most of which were under the age of 11. I am still amazed by this service. First of all, these nuns were the authority in the orphanage. They had to be strict in order to control the children. Essentially, they were the parents of the house, yet these nuns gladly prostrated before every one of their children. More incredible than this though, was seeing the children bow before their authority figures and before each other. Picture yourself prostrating before your parents. Picture yourself prostrating before your children or your younger sibling. Certainly it would be difficult.

Personally, I benefited greatly from all the prostrations, kissing of hands, and begging for forgiveness. At first I was embarrassed. It was hard for me to allow priests, nuns, and innocent children to kiss my hand. They did not know they were kissing a defiled hand. I wanted to pull my hand away but was afraid this would offend them. After a little while, when the prostrations became more difficult and my body became weaker, I began to feel as though I was prostrating before Christ Himself, asking Him for forgiveness. I no longer saw orphans. With every kiss of the hand, I felt I was pulling Christ’s hand begging Him to forgive me. By the grace of God working through these orphans, I was able see Christ in all those around me. Surely, if one can feed, clothe, and visit Christ through others, then one can humble himself and ask for forgiveness from Christ through others as well (Matthew 25:35). I urge you all to prostrate before as many people as you can, especially those whom it is the hardest to prostrate before. If not physically then spiritually prostrate before them; for it is not them whom you prostrate before, but it is Christ Himself.

Apart from their actions in church, I noticed great faith and love in these children. One of them was walking outside and didn’t know he was being watched. He made the sign of the cross and then continued to walk. Moreover, all the children would repeatedly hug us when they saw us. Many of the children made us cards expressing their gratitude for our presence. One girl’s words touched me the most, though. This young girl was talking to us about all the noise we could hear coming from the city. She told some of us that our parents shouldn’t be worried because this (the orphanage) is a holy place and nothing will happen to us. She then made the sign of the cross. There was not a doubt in her mind that she was protected by God.

How could these be the same Guatemala City children I described earlier?

As for my earlier question, “Could a few nuns show these children enough love and care so that the children could move beyond their dark past and start living a normal life?” The answer is no. A few people cannot accomplish such a transformation which I just described to you. These children went from hell to heaven, from hate to love. It is clearly the love of God that has caused this transformation. It is this same transformation God wants to accomplish with all of us. I have written about many sad things: orphans, abuse, and abandonment. But now I ask you to rejoice with me. Rejoice because God has dwelt among these orphans! Rejoice because these orphans are learning to become strong spiritual soldiers! Rejoice because these orphans are among nuns whom God works through! Rejoice because these children have returned to the image of God! What a great service these nuns and others are doing for these children. What is more important than loving God’s children and teaching them about Him?

If you would like to be a part of this type service that has taught me and others so much and has placed God in the midst of Guatemala City orphans, please contact the Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) by visiting its website, www.ocf.net/realbreak, or by calling the Main Office at (800)-919-1623. Go on a Real Break!

Joseph Mena Kahlil is a senior pre-med student at Miami University. He participated in Real Break in 2005.

OCF’s Next Big Direction: Board Takes Steps to Ensure the Longevity of the Ministry

Boston, MA - The Board of Directors of Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF), meeting at its regularly scheduled fall meeting, took important steps to insure that the vital ministry now being offered for college students will continue perpetually. The revitalized ministry is in its 5th year of operation, following a three-decade lapse as an organized Orthodox North American ministry to college students.

“Since beginning our renewed effort to support our young people on college campuses, we were very aware of the reasons the ministry stopped functioning in the early 1970s. Simply put, the funding just wasn’t there,” said the Rev. Mark Leondis, current Chairman of the OCF Board and Director of the Department of Youth for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

The steps taken include expanding the Board of Directors, currently comprised of youth ministry leaders from various Orthodox jurisdictions, and bringing in leadership from other areas of Church leadership, especially those who can work toward the long-term financial viability of the inter-Orthodox ministry. Additional steps include increasing the budget to include new ways of serving our Orthodox students on campus and guiding the over 225 local OCF chapters. The Board plans to grow the ministry with increased funding budgeted to come from donations from individuals and parishes as a whole.

“As Orthodox, we pride ourselves on how we do everything we can for our children. When we go to our people and ask them to support what we’re trying to do for our kids who face such tremendous pressures on today’s college campuses, I know they’ll respond,” said the Rev. Kevin Scherer, who began his work as OCF’s full-time Executive Director in September 2006. Fr. Kevin made his first report to the Board at this meeting and shared many exciting developments from an ambitious resource curriculum that will be undertaken over the next few years to numerous parishes and organizations he has presented to and been received with great enthusiasm for the ministry.

The meeting concluded with the election of new board officers for 2007. They include the V. Rev. Peter Gillquist, Chairman; Rev. George Pyle, Vice-Chairman; Mrs. Natalie Kapeluck Nixon, Secretary; and the Rev. Dn. Paul Zaharas, Treasurer.

“I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to be back involved in campus ministry, and to be a part of what OCF is doing,” Fr. Peter shared following the election. “We just have to be there for our young folks out there struggling on campus, as well as increasing the Orthodox presence in the modern-day marketplace of ideas. I can’t tell you how happy I am to have the opportunity to serve in this capacity.”

OCF humbly asks each Orthodox Christian to continue to offer prayers and support for this crucial and growing college ministry.

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Orthodox Christian Fellowship is the official campus ministry program of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA). It is a Pan-Orthodox effort which is overseen by a Board of Directors and assisted by a Student Advisory Board. Additional information on the all OCF programs can be found on the OCF website at www.ocf.net, or by calling toll-free at 800-919-1623.

College Student Sunday

Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas

College Student Sunday
September 17, 2006

You therefore beloved, beware lest you be carried away with error…But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (II Peter 3:17-18)

The Hierarchs of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas

To all the Clergy and the Laity of the Holy Orthodox Churches in the Americas

Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As Hierarchs of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops (“SCOBA”) in the Americas, we greet you with the love of Christ, on this first Sunday after the Feast of the Exaltation of His most precious Cross. Each year, we designate this day as College Student Sunday, a day when we ask all of you, our beloved faithful, to keep our young college students in your minds, thoughts, and prayers as they grow in the knowledge of Christ and learn to walk in His love.

For many students, the college years are perhaps the most formative ones in life. The task of learning how to balance study and recreation, the prospect of encountering challenging ideas in the classroom, the idea of living in close quarters with a roommate who might offer an entirely foreign worldview or perspective on life, and the first encounter with total and complete freedom outside the family environment can be altogether exciting experiences for the college student. However, they can also be quite confusing and disorienting.

It is the common experience of many young college students that within a matter of months upon entering college, and indeed throughout the college experience, the college student is challenged by central questions of identity: “Who am I? What am I supposed to do with my life? Who do I consider my close friends in this newfound environment?” are among the myriad of such questions. Inevitably, the question of identity as it pertains to the question of God also arises, a question that, once in the calm and comfort of home had been long taken for granted, suddenly arises with a sharp pang as if from nowhere: “What exactly is my religious identity?”

This question is a burning question that begs for an answer, and this is precisely why the Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) was instituted, to provide Orthodox Christian students in college with a community to support them as they seek the answers to the questions that they face. Today, the OCF has over 200 chapters on college and university campuses throughout North America. For six years now, OCF has been formally reestablished as the official campus ministry of SCOBA, and its evolution is noteworthy. What once began as a grassroots movement among Orthodox Christian college students now receives our full and committed support. Its impact on our Orthodox students’ lives is significant.

On many college and university campuses, Orthodox students have their meals together, socialize together, and on some campuses have even established formal housing arrangements with their college’s housing departments. Though many students are able to attend a weekly Vespers service through the visitations of a nearby priest who has placed college outreach as a vital part of his active ministry, it is not uncommon for Orthodox Christian college students and their friends to travel to nearby Orthodox Churches for Sunday Divine Liturgy, Vespers, and the full cycle of Lenten services. These students, who away from their homes are seeking answers to burning questions of faith, bring a renewed vitality and a passion for the Gospel which can very often serve to energize the entire parish. They sing in the choir, chant the Epistle, serve in the Altar, teach in Church School programs, and host coffee hours. Their impact is noticeable, and their role in building up the Orthodox Church is vital.

In affirming our support as hierarchs to our OCF program, we kindly ask our clergy to take a collection from every parish to support this important national ministry, which aids students in their search for religious meaning and fellowship. Equally important, we ask that our clergy afford college students in their parishes with the opportunity to speak to parish members about their experiences with OCF during their college years, and to be mindful of the many college and university campuses that still do not have OCF chapters. Our national OCF office in Boston, Massachusetts, is fully staffed with professionals who are ready to assist students and area clergy who would like to begin the process of starting a chapter.

With warm thanks for your support of this ministry, we extend our heartfelt prayer to our college students that they may experience their college years as St. Peter describes in his epistle, as years to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

With paternal blessings and love in Christ,

†Archbishop DEMETRIOS, Chairman †Metropolitan HERMAN

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Orthodox Church in America

†Metropolitan PHILIP, Vice Chairman †Archbishop NICOLAE

Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in

of North America America and Canada

†Metropolitan CHRISTOPHER, Secretary †Metropolitan JOSEPH

Serbian Orthodox Church in the USA and Canada Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church

†Metropolitan NICHOLAS of Amissos, Treasurer †Metropolitan CONSTANTINE

Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese in the USA Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA

†Bishop ILIA of Philomelion

Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America

College Student Sunday Packet

Every Orthodox Parish in North America should receive their College Student Sunday packet in the mail a week or two before September 17th. If you need one, please download from http://www.ocf.net/css

I am a student... What can I or my OCF do?

Please make sure your parish's clergy are aware of College Student Sunday and encourage them to support the day.
Get involved in the College Student Sunday (It's your day!). Make yourself visible at church, ask the clergy if you could talk to the parish about your own OCF experience or use some of the information provided above. Encourage your entire OCF to show up and be available after Divine Liturgy. It is a great chance for your OCF to find support. So many people are willing to help!
If you don't have an OCF, College Student Sunday could be a launching pad to start one, find students, talk to your parish and your off!

O.C.F.
Orthodox Christian Fellowship

Phone: 800-919-1623
Fax: 617-850-1464
Email: info@ocf.net
Web: www.ocf.net

OCF Growth Surges: First Full-time Executive Director in 30 years and Charlotte Area Chaplain Hired

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Orthodox Christian Fellowship
August 21, 2006 P.O. Box 300249
Boston, MA 02130
1-800-919-1623
www.ocf.net

OCF Growth Surges: First Full-time Executive Director in 30 years and Charlotte Area Chaplain Hired

Boston, MA – Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) continues its fantastic growth as a vital ministry of the Orthodox Church with its recent full time hiring of Rev. Fr. Kevin Scherer as the Executive Director of OCF and Mr. John Stonestreet as full-time OCF Chaplain in Charlotte, North Carolina. Fr. Scherer will be the first full-time Executive Director since the initial establishment of Orthodox campus ministry over 30 years ago. The OCF Team of four full-time staff are dedicated to the mission given to OCF from the hierarchs to become the Church on the college campus— ensuring each student has the opportunity to stay connected to the church.

OCF is a recent recipient of an Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100 Endowment Fund grant. OCF is honored to partner with Leadership 100 to serve Orthodoxy by providing a transition for our young adults from college and reintegrating them into our parishes. The grant enabled OCF to establish an Executive Director position to lead the OCF ministry.

“There is nothing more critical to the future of our Orthodox faith in America than to minister to our youth, especially as they are intellectually and spiritually challenged and their values tested during their college years,” said George D. Behrakis, Chairman of Leadership 100. “Leadership 100 is proud to support such a needed and significant outreach program as the Orthodox Christian Fellowship.”

As well as maintaining the Boston office, Fr. Scherer will organize national and local events, solicit grants and acquire funding, facilitate communication between the National OCF Office, local chapters, and all OCF chaplains. Additionally, Fr. Scherer will further develop and execute the OCF’s vision and mission with its Board of Directors.

Fr. Scherer comes to the OCF after having spent the previous four years at St John’s Antiochian Orthodox Church in Orinda, California. A 1990 graduate from San Diego (CA.) Christian College where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology, Fr Scherer went on to receive a Master of Divinity degree from Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, in 2002. Fr. Kevin and his wife, Robin, are the parents of three children: Hannah, 10; Julia, 6; and Clare, 4.

During his pastorate at St John’s, Fr. Scherer established a national teen program, Orthodox Youth Outreach. The purpose of the program is to encourage youth to live out their faith through Christian service to others. Fr Kevin hopes to bring some of the same ideas that are successful with Orthodox Youth Outreach to his new position with the OCF.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of OCF, the Rev. Mark Leondis, spoke of his excitement with these milestone achievements: “With Fr. Kevin now at the helm of OCF, I am more hopeful than ever before about our ministry and our ability to attain our goal of having the Orthodox Church present in the faith-challenging environment of the college campus. Additionally, having John present full-time on the campuses in the Charlotte area is another watershed event as we begin to realistically put our resources where they are needed to have the proper impact to stem the exodus of our young people from the Church.”

Mr. Stonestreet comes to the OCF as a result of a request made by the Charlotte Orthodox community. The locally funded North Carolina OCF Chaplain program serves as the model for other communities throughout North America. A 2006 graduate from St Vladimir’s Seminary, Mr. Stonestreet will minister to students, concentrating mainly on three campuses: Duke University, North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Although his immediate focus will be on these three campuses, Mr. Stonestreet will coordinate regional events and visit surrounding schools as his schedule permits. His presence should serve to significantly change the Orthodox campus ministry environment in North Carolina.

Together, Fr Scherer and Mr. Stonestreet will join the current National OCF team of Mr. Joseph J. Samra III, the Program Director; and the Program Coordinator, Ms. Veronica Stavila. Mr. Samra’s work will expand to include development, while continuing to oversee all national programs. Ms. Stavila will work with Mr. Samra to expand the national programs and will continue to be the primary contact point between the national office and the local chapters.

“I am extremely excited to be a part of the OCF team,” Fr. Scherer said. “To help nurture and shape the future of the Orthodox Church on the North American continent is unbelievably exciting. The OCF will continue to assist in shaping future generations of Orthodox workers in Christ’s vineyard.”

OCF humbly asks each Orthodox Christian to continue to offer prayers and support for this crucial and growing college ministry.

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Orthodox Christian Fellowship is the official campus ministry program of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA). It is a Pan-Orthodox effort which is overseen by an Executive Committee and assisted by a Student Advisory Board. Additional information on the all OCF programs can be found on the OCF website at www.ocf.net, or by calling toll-free at 800-919-1623.

Record Turnout for OCF College Conferences

Record Turnout for OCFCollege Conferences

Boston, MA – The annual Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) College Conferences are accustomed to large turnouts. Over the past 10 years, the College Conferences have attracted thousands of college students, high school graduates, and young adults to the five-day winter event. Yet, this year’s conferences – held December 27-31, 2005 – were different. Since records are indeed made to be broken, then this year’s college conferences will long be remembered. Young adults turned out in record numbers, and in the process set the bar very high for future OCF College Conferences.

The combined East Coast Conference at Antiochian Village in Bolivar, PA, and the West Coast Conference at Saint Nicholas Ranch in Dunlap, CA, drew more than 330 young adults. They actively participated in workshops, listened to Keynote Addresses from V. Rev. Thomas Hopko and Rev. Hieromonk Jonah Paffhausen, attended worship services, were involved in service projects, and enjoyed the fellowship of Orthodox Christian brothers and sisters from throughout North America.

“This was one of the most uplifting experiences of my life,” one participant enthusiastically offered.

The College Conferences are sponsored by the OCF, the official campus ministry program of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA). College students and young adults from all but one of the nine SCOBA jurisdictions were represented at either of the two College Conferences last month.

The theme of this year’s conference was “Abide in Me, and I in You” (John 15:4-5). Fr Hopko, Dean Emeritus of Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, NY, and Fr Jonah, Abbot of the Monastery of St John of Shanghai and San Francisco, CA, and himself a St Vladimir’s Seminary graduate, spoke dynamically during their Keynote Addresses. Their words, and the entire five days for that matter, made a profound impact on Tara Powley, who was attending her fourth OCF College Conference.

“The conference is always a wonderful time of renewal for me,” said Powley, a senior at Colorado State University-Pueblo. “Everything about the conference – the workshops, keynotes, worship services, projects and fellowship - provides the type of refueling I need in order to face another semester of college. The week I spend at the college conference is almost surreal. I find myself leaving the conference every year, for four years now, on such an amazing spiritual high!”

East Coast Workshop leaders included Fr Luke Veronis, Mother Magdelena, and Mr Daniel Abraham. Fr Christopher Salamy, Mr Michael Kallas, and Ms Katrina Bitar led the West Coast Workshops. Bitar has been to several College Conferences, but admitted as well, this one was special.

"Every gathering in the name of Christ should be as this one was, each person uplifting and serving the other,” Bitar said. “I was truly blessed to talk with such an exceptional group of young adults. They truly inspired me in ways that no group of people has before. When it was time to be serious, it was automatic for them. When it was time to be silly and laugh at themselves, it was just as automatic. I feel blessed by God to have experienced the great peace and comfort that can be produced when personal agendas disappear, and only God's agenda is on the table."

No College Conference would be complete without service to others. This year’s Service Project was a bit more high tech than usual, according to East Coast Conference Service Project Coordinator Alexey Petrides, a sophomore at Penn State University.

“We recorded Hierarchical Vespers on an mp3 recorder, burned it onto CD’s and sent them, along with our prayers and a short handwritten note, to our service men and women abroad,” Alexey said. “We also held an outstanding blood drive, organized by a local American Red Cross chapter. Our goal was 20 pints of blood, but we far exceeded that number. We surprised the Red Cross by our large response. They were very encouraged and asked us to set up another blood drive next year.”

The College Conferences are scheduled each December after the Feast of the Nativity and prior to the beginning of the New Year. The conferences continue to grow annually in terms of young adult participation. New friendships are established, still others are renewed, yet the spirit of Orthodox unity and the spiritual development which takes hold, indicates the importance of the OCF College Conferences on the Orthodox Christian landscape. Many of the same students which attend College Conference often participate in Real Break Trips, also sponsored by the OCF.

“Overall, it was an excellent conference,” another participant said. “The workshops, the keynote addresses, and worship services were the highlight for me. Additionally, the unplanned social interaction between the participants was quite special.”

The Orthodox Christian Fellowship is committed to the continued development of its College Conferences. Their impact is powerful, and long lasting. Additional information on future conferences, as well as all OCF programs, can be obtained by contacting the OCF office at 800-919-1OCF, or logging on to www.ocf.net.

OCF Real Break Program Achieves Milestone

After a hard day’s work, this Real Break Project Mexico Team pauses for a minute to capture their “smiles of accomplishment” alongside the family they helped in the Mexican countryside.

April 10, 2006
Boston, MA – The Orthodox Christian Fellowship’s Real Break program continued its amazing growth this year, reaching a significant milestone – 500 students - in the process. In late February and March, 2006, 101 college students, participating in nine trips, actively engaged themselves in this life-changing experience. This brought the seven-year Real Break total to 518 students who have chosen this college ministry as an alternative to the traditional warm weather Spring Breaks that college students normally go on, often participating in a life style which can limit personal spiritual development.

“It felt so good working hard all day for someone else,” said Caroline Dickinson, a senior at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, who traveled to Project Mexico and St Innocent Orphanage. “To fall in bed at night, exhausted and sore because I did something important for my brother, is an awesome feeling. To look around at everyone I was with, and realize that we were all there for that same selfless purpose, was overpowering.”

In addition to the three groups of students who traveled to Project Mexico and St Innocent’s Orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico, other work sites included Hogar Rafael Ayau Orphanage in Guatemala (two groups), Rafael House in San Francisco, CA, Holy Monastery of the Twelve Apostles in Greece, and for the second consecutive year a group of students traveled to a an orphanage in San Salvador, El Salvador. Orthodox Christian students participating in Real Break also joined thousands of other college students this year from throughout North America in Louisiana’s Gulf Coast through a Hurricane Relief project to help Americans rebuild their lives after last summer’s two devastating hurricanes, Katrina and Rita.

Helping to assist in the on-going clean up of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in New Orleans left a lasting impression on eight OCF Real Breakers.

“Our five days at Holy Trinity started when we began to wipe off the muck of flood waters, and ended with the moving of boxes and the beginnings of setting up a new home, and a renewed life,” one student recalled. “All in all, the eight of us were all deeply affected by the tragedy we witnessed, but also the resiliency of those who have endured and fought to regain their previously peaceful lives.”

Rachel Cattell, a junior at Penn State University in State College, who has participated in previous Real Breaks trips, was one of a group of students who traveled to Rafael House, a shelter for children and families. Adding to the students' experiences this year was an extended visit by The Rt. Rev. Bishop BENJAMIN, Bishop of Berkeley (CA), Diocese of the West (Orthodox Church in America).

“The whole week was amazing,” Rachel Cattell offered. “It was a once in a lifetime experience to be able to spend so much one-on-one time with a bishop. Bishop Benjamin was washing dishes and working right along with us. He showed us that he is a real person. In the process we were able to show that college students care and are willing to give up their Spring Break in order to spread the love and life of Jesus Christ.”

Real Break has historically been a time for great personal spiritual development, increased prayer, and fellowship. Above all, Real Break provides each student with an opportunity to live the Gospel of our Lord, to grow into a meaningful life in Christ, and hopefully to contribute to their very own salvation. Traditionally, Real Break is a week of personal sacrifice that demands physical work, and a time for selflessness. It provides each student with an opportunity to look into the eye of their brother, sister and each child they encounter, and to know with great clarity they have served their neighbor in Christ. A Real Break trip is indeed life-changing.

Mr. Joseph J. Samra III, Program Director for the OCF, has seen the growth of Real Break through its seven years. It astounds him to know that hundreds of Orthodox Christian students are forever changed because of their Real Break experiences.

“The importance of Real Beak is significant in the lives of so many young adults, especially at such a critical time in their life,” he said. “Being able to offer our Orthodox students the possibility to participate in these short-term mission trips, will hopefully keep them not simply connected to the church, but inspire them to devote always a part of or their entire lives to assisting those throughout the world who are in such great need. Real Break has a major role in the landscape of the Orthodox Christian college student. To be able to say Real Break has had more than 500 students participate in just seven years is quite significant. We look forward to the continued growth of this outstanding ministry.”

The Orthodox Christian Fellowship is the official campus ministry program of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA). It is a Pan-Orthodox effort which is overseen by an Executive Committee and assisted by a Student Advisory Board. Additional information on Real Break and all OCF programs can be found on the OCF website at www.ocf.net, or by calling toll-free at 800-919-1OCF (1623).