Source: Amazon.com Divinely Energized: : Spiritual Messages to Bring Out the Best in You by Melvin Haynes, Jr. Divine Renewal Publishing, Fruitland Park, FL 2016. Foreword by George Matsoukas: Divinely Energized: Spiritual Messages to Bring Out the Best in You, by the Reverend Dr. Melvin Haynes Jr., is an amazing read. It is more than a practical self-help guide that is interlaced with Christian spiritual principles. It is an autobiography; it is a history of our time and place; it is a reference of related and illustrative topical books; it is a folk tale; it is a tribute to family and friendship;…
Browsing: George Matsoukas
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity I had prepared myself to go to Chania, Crete and see, as a reporter, the events and hear the commentary and behind-the-scenes events that would be part of the excitement and surroundings of this monumental historical event, the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church. I sent in the information that was necessary to be approved as an observer. The approval came. I was excited about going. I have been an advocate for the Council for 28 years. In 1994, I was a member of a delegation sent to meet with His All Holiness Bartholomew. …
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity The theme of the 42nd Clergy Laity Congress, “The Orthodox Christian Family: A Dwelling of Christ and A Witness of His Gospel,” is very appropriate for us in this time of transition. For it is truly within the home that the Orthodox faith will be learned, survive and grow by the example and actions of each of us. However, for many, parish life and archdiocesan settings are an antithesis to the theme of the 42nd Congress. HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE On September 18, 1999, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios was enthroned as the sixth Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox…
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity by George E. Matsoukas In 2008, a Meeting of Patriarchs of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches convened in Switzerland under the auspices of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, and charged the Bishops, in the lands outside of the traditional Roman Empire, to meet together in Assemblies of Bishops. The purpose of these meetings of Assemblies of Bishops is to develop blueprints to establish canonical order within their geographic areas. The Churches in these areas have Bishops of different Orthodox Christian groupings overlapping in the same geographic areas. There is no comprehensive directory of priests. There is great duplication…
“After this I will pour out my spirit on all humanity….Your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions.” Joel 2:28 Since the imposition of a Charter on the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America without the input and approval of the Clergy and Laity within that particular Orthodox grouping in the United States, the consequences have been chaotic. There is no accountability within the Archdiocese. The Metropolitans each report directly to the Patriarch in Istanbul. They see the Archbishop as a figurehead. Each Metropolis sees itself as an independent entity. The Metropolitans in these geographic areas…
Pentecost 2013 As we take leave of the Paschal Liturgical Cycle of Lent through Pentecost, I want to take this opportunity to reflect upon a book I re-read during this period: Christ in Our Midst by Father Theodore Stylianopoulos. The book was written in 1980, and I was familiar with it when I was putting together the Chapter on “Spiritual Renewal” in the OCL publication “Project for Orthodox Renewal”. You can read this work online on our website. The discussion and insights presented in Christ In Our Midst, which was written by Father Ted as he worked on the Commission…
by George Matsoukas, Executive Director of Orthodox Christian Laity The Orthodox Christian Church is in the Paschal Season. Having attended the many services of preparation for the Resurrection of Christ and as we await Pentecost, we know that the Holy Spirit is present everywhere and that brothers and sisters must dwell together in unity, which is the Christian norm. During this season, we must continue to pray that the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops finds the humility to move ahead with their work of developing the blueprint and foundation for a unified Church in the United States. We must pray…
George Matsoukas, Executive Director of OCL
Source: The National Herald For the last two decades the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) and other Orthodox Christian groupings have been tested by internal and external forces. The OCA has been humbled by its testing. It remains to be seen if it will be able to rise up with wisdom. The OCA’s internal problems have been presented impartially by Dr. Andrew Walsh in the Spring 2012 issue of Religion in the News. Vol. 14, No. 1. Dr. Walsh asks an important question: “Does or should anyone outside the group care what happens to a tiny, historically ethnic religious body…
George Matsoukas, Executive Director of OCL
Source: The National Herald | George Matsoukas, Executive Director of Orthodox Christian Laity Having looked over the information concerning the recently completed National Assembly of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, which took place in Phoenix, AZ and having talked to some members of my local community in Southeast Florida who attended, I conclude that there were no workshops, discussions, or information presented on the work of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America. Unity of the Orthodox in America was not on the conference’s agenda. I find this amazing and shocking. The 14 Patriarchs of the worldwide…
Source: The National Herald WEST PALM BEACH, FL – Since 1987, Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL) has been the independent voice advocating for a unified Orthodox Christian Community in the United States. That there exist 14 ethnic Orthodox Christian groupings in the United States is incomprehensible to even Orthodox and causes greater confusion for others. Orthodox Christianity is seen as fragmented and in a state of disunity, when in fact no sacramental disunity exists within the liturgical life of these different ethnic group churches. The Orthodox Church is united in its liturgical and sacramental life here and all over the world.…
By George Matsoukas The Orthodox Christian Laity Winter Board Meeting took place in Columbus, Georgia the last week of February 2012 at the Hilton Gardens Inn. Advisory Board member and former mayor of Columbus, retired Colonel Robert S. Poydasheff, was the host of the productive meeting. President Bill Souvall from Salt Lake City, UT presided. The Orthodox Christian Laity Winter Board Meeting took place in Columbus, Georgia the last week of February 2012 at the Hilton Gardens Inn. Advisory Board member and former mayor of Columbus, retired Colonel Robert S. Poydasheff, was the host of the productive meeting. President Bill…
By George Matsoukas The Orthodox Christian Laity Winter Board Meeting took place in Columbus, Georgia the last week of February 2012 at the Hilton Gardens Inn. Advisory Board member and former mayor of Columbus, retired Colonel Robert S. Poydasheff, was the host of the productive meeting. President Bill Souvall from Salt Lake City, UT presided. The Orthodox Christian Laity Winter Board Meeting took place in Columbus, Georgia the last week of February 2012 at the Hilton Gardens Inn. Advisory Board member and former mayor of Columbus, retired Colonel Robert S. Poydasheff, was the host of the productive meeting. President Bill…