February, 2012 - Orthodox Christian Laity

Monthly Archives: February, 2012

Nicholas Chakos

FOCUS Board appoints Nicholas Chakos as Executive Director

By admin on February 28, 2012 Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: Orthodox Church in America KANSAS CITY, MO [FOCUS] The Board of Directors of the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians United to Serve (FOCUS) North America, has announced the appointment of Nicholas J. Chakos as their new Executive Director. Says FOCUS NA Chairman Charles Ajalat, “The Board of Directors is extremely blessed and excited to have found such a great leader to take FOCUS North America to the next level.” Nick Chakos has over 15 years of experience in Orthodox non-profit leadership, fundraising, strategic planning, and program development. In his 13 years with the IOCC, he served as Interim Executive Director,…

The 1872 Council of Constantinople and Phyletism

By admin on February 23, 2012 Governance & Unity Essays

I. The Definition Phyletism is the name of an ecclesiological heresy which says that the Church can be territorially organized on an ethnic, racial, or cultural basis so that within a given geographic territory, there can exist several Church jurisdictions, directing their pastoral care only to the members of specific ethnic groups. A Church council in 1872 officially defined and condemned this heresy. It reacted to a proposition made by Bulgarians of the Patriarchate of Constantinople who wanted to establish a Church jurisdiction, sanctioned by the Turkish government, on the territory of the Patriarchate: The formation in the same place…

George Matsoukas: Report on the Orthodox Christian Laity 2012 Winter Board Meeting

By admin on February 23, 2012 Governance Top Stories

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…

George Matsoukas: Report on the Orthodox Christian Laity 2012 Winter Board Meeting

By admin on February 23, 2012 Orthodox News Top Stories

The Role of the Laity in the American Church

By admin on February 23, 2012 OCL Forums

God works with and through people. As the body of Christ, the members of the Church (clergy and laity) are called to work together in synergy with the head who is Jesus Christ and with each other. The Orthodox Church is based on a conciliar form of governance. In the current atmosphere of working toward jurisdictional unity in North America and other regions of the world, what is the role of the laity?

St Vladimir's Seminary Community

St. Vladimir’s Seminary Implements Fully Paid Tuition Plan

By admin on February 20, 2012 Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary | Deborah (Malacky) Belonick [SVOTS Communications, Yonkers, NY] “It is now possible for students to come to our seminary with their tuition fully funded,” announced Archpriest John Behr, dean of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, NY, as he unfolded a new plan designed to help theological graduate students cover the cost of their education. “Effective for this coming academic year,” explained Fr. John, “we’re instituting a newly devised ‘matching grant’ program for students seeking either a Master of Divinity or Master of Arts degree in theology, and we’re expanding tuition grants available to students in…

Funding Unity

By admin on February 13, 2012 OCL Forums

How do we undertake and develop a plan to finance a unified Orthodox Archdiocese in the United States from the fragmented-jurisdictional Archdioceses that exist? What does the transitional stage of finances look like? Will the fragmented Archdioceses merge legally? How will the unified archdiocese be funded? This concept and questions need the input of the People of God who are the stewards of the Church. We need to provide input to assist the committees formulating regional and financial planning. Those with legal and financial expertise are invited to address these questions. Those knowledgeable with concepts of mergers are invited to…

National Philoptochos President Aphrodite Skeadas

National Philoptochos Issues Appeal for the Welfare of the People of Greece

By admin on February 8, 2012 Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America NEW YORK – National Philoptochos President Aphrodite Skeadas on January 17, 2012 issued an immediate appeal to all Philoptochos Presidents, members nationwide and their respective communities to support a drive for the welfare of the people of Greece. President Skeadas stated, “We enter 2012 mindful of the dire economic circumstances and supreme hardships faced by our brothers and sisters in economically ravaged Greece, our ancestral homeland. We cannot and will not turn our backs to the needs of our people.” Daily news reports document widespread poverty in Greece where many parents can no longer…

Byzantine Music School members present the first copy of their guide to Archbishop Demetrios - Photo: DIMITRIS PANAGOS.

School of Byzantine Music Publishes Guide

By admin on February 8, 2012 Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: Orthodox Observer | Archdeacon Panteleimon The Greek Archdiocesan School of Byzantine Music (ASBM) has recently published Byzantine Music: Theory and Practice Guide to assist novice-level Byzantine music students and to enrich liturgical music programs in local parishes. Prior to the guide’s publication, the only sufficient Byzantine music textbooks were available in Greek. After the first year of the school’s operation, officials re-evaluated the teaching methods and the resources offered to ASBM students. They concluded that a theory book in English was needed and formed a committee to produce a student-friendly beginner’s level textbook. An audio CD also was created…

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church: Angels and Demons?

By admin on February 7, 2012 Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: The Sofia Echo | Clive Leviev-Sawyer [January 27, 2012] If there is a hell with a department specially set aside for Bulgaria’s communist-era State Security and leaders of the atheist state, they may be chuckling right now, between being prodded with pitchforks and otherwise tormented. In its early history in power, the communist regime used brutal tactics against all its enemies, the church included. Clergy were executed or murdered, jailed with or without trial, sent to “labour education” camps. While the tactics changed over time, to seeking to subvert and manipulate the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, one tactic was consistent…

David Aikman

The Worldwide Attack on Christians

By admin on February 2, 2012 Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: Commentary Magazine | David Aikman February 2012 Abstract On October 2011, when the so-called Arab Spring took a dark turn in Cairo, Egypt, the social media and smartphone technologies that had aided protesters in their fight for freedom captured new and dangerous developments. On video-hosting websites such as YouTube, one can see footage of the Muslim mobs that began throwing rocks at Coptic Christians on October 8. These young Copts had been protesting the burning of a Coptic church in Aswan and the failure of the Egyptian authorities to respond satisfactorily. Frustrated with the traditional Coptic adoption of a…

Assembly of Bishops Secretariat, Committees Conclude Meetings

By admin on February 1, 2012 Governance Top Stories

Source: The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America NEW YORK, NY As reported on the web site of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America, a number of meetings were conducted at the end of January 2012. Members of the Assembly’s Secretariat held their annual “face-to-face” meeting at Saint Andrew Church, Riverside, CA, January 24-25. An overview of the work accomplished at the meeting will be included in a forthcoming Assembly media release, which will report to the Church-at-large on the work of the Assembly during 2011. The Secretariat, which also meets…

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Monthly Archives: February, 2012