Source: Orthodox Christian Leadership Initiative ANNOUNCING A NEW INTENSIVE PROGRAM IN SERVANT LEADERSHIP The Orthodox Christian Leadership Initiative in partnership with St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary is developing an Intensive Program in Servant Leadership. Components include: Foundations of Servant Leadership Creating Effective Ministry Teams with an Emphasis on Parish Councils Creating a Vision Together and Leading Through Change Getting Things Done – Project and Program Management Inspiring Generosity and Stewards Nuts and Bolts: Organizational Finance and Administration Phase 1 focuses on a 3-day program, divided into six half-day modules that can be deployed individually or in combination with other modules at the local parish…
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Source: The National Herald By TNH Staff JERUSALEM – On January 23, His Beatitude Theophilos III, Patriarch of Jerusalem, expressed his joy as he welcomed the progress towards the release of Naama Issachar, following a meeting today between His Beatitude, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His Beatitude had previously met with President Putin in November 2019, raising the case of Ms. Issachar and passing a letter on from her mother Yaffa Issachar. His Beatitude, speaking on hearing the news: “It is with great joy that we heard the assurances from His Excellency President Putin that everything…
Source: The National Herald CONSTANTINOPLE – United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback visited the seat of Ecumenical Patriarchate and met with His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Ambassador Sam Brownback, who had visited earlier the Holy Trinity Monastery, which houses the historic Theological School of Halki discussed with the Ecumenical Patriarch issues regarding the ministry of the Mother Church of Constantinople, both locally and internationally, the Greek Diaspora, and the status of Christians in Turkey. The Ecumenical Patriarch, in turn, made reference to his future visit to the United States this coming May and his planned meeting with…
Source: Boston Globe By Travis Andersen Globe Staff Hellenic College Holy Cross in Brookline has been placed on probation following concerns about the school’s financial resources and planning, according to the school and an accreditor. In a joint statement Thursday, the Greek Orthodox school and the New England Commission of Higher Education said the commission voted in November to place the college on probation for two years. According to the statement, the “Commission found that Hellenic College, Inc. does not now meet the Commission’s standards on Institutional Resources and Planning and Evaluation. The Commission also issued a Notation to the College that it is in…
Source: AGAIN Magazine Originally published in the Fall 2005 edition By Fr. Thomas Zell One of my earliest childhood memories is of piling into the back of our family car on Sunday morning and heading off to our little Baptist church in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Along with ensuring that my brother and I were properly cleaned and dressed for the occasion, my father would always drop several coins into our hands, so that we, in turn, could drop them into the offering plate at church. Tithing was something Dad faithfully practiced all his life, and he wanted to make sure…
Source: Middle East Eye Christmas for much of the Middle East’s Christian population falls on the 7th January, but it’s not just the date that’s different By Nadda Osman For many Coptic Christians in the Middle East, Christmas falls at around the same time as decorations in the West are being packed away. On 7 January, many Orthodox Copts and other Orthodox Christians (including those in Russia and Ethiopia) celebrate their Christmas Day. The difference in date lies simply in the calendar being used. Many Orthodox Christians follow the Julian calendar, which predates the Gregorian one introduced by Pope Gregory in 1582. The calendars are 13 days apart, pushing celebrations for…
Source: Orthodox Christianity [Montenegro – January 3, 2020] Tensions continue to run high in Montenegro after the Parliament and President pushed through a law that the Serbian Orthodox Church views as a blatant attack, aimed at seizing Church property from the canonical Church in favor of the miniscule schismatic “Montenegrin Orthodox Church.” The Episcopal Council of Montenegro, consisting of every hierarch of the Serbian Church serving in Montenegro, gathered on December 29, with the exception of His Grace Bishop Metodije of Diokleia, who was hospitalized after being beaten by police at a peaceful protest, for joint prayer and a meeting where it adopted a special statement in…
Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY [OCA] A message from Archpriest Alexander Rentel, Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America: On Wednesday, November 13, 2019, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America concelebrated the Divine Liturgy for the feast of Saint John Chrysostom. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy His Eminence Archbishop Michael of New York and New Jersey, Secretary of the Holy Synod, read a proclamation of the Holy Synod announcing the anniversary celebrations for the Canonization of Saint Herman of Alaska, and the reception of the Tomos of Autocephaly. In its proclamation, the Holy Synod…
Source: Friends of ASOR By Joan E. Taylor Everyone knows what Jesus looks like: he is the most painted figure in all of western art, recognized everywhere as having long hair and a beard, a long robe with sleeves (often white) and a mantle (often blue). But what did he really look like, as a man living in Judaea in the 1st century? This subject has long been of interest. I have already written on John the Baptist and his clothing, but not about Jesus. Nevertheless, over the years, numerous television documentaries have asked me for guidance on dramatizing aspects of ancient life. In…
Source: Orthodox Christianity Podgorica, Montenegro – Despite strong protests from the hierarchs, clergy, monastics, and faithful of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the majority religion in the country, the Montenegrin Parliament adopted the anti-Church law “On Freedom of Religion and Belief and the Legal Status of Religious Communities” yesterday. Large crowds of Orthodox faithful took to the streets in several cities and towns to protest the new law, which resulted in the Montenegrin police severely beating His Grace Bishop Metodije of Diokleia and several faithful with batons, reports the official website of the Metropolis of Montenegro. “The bishop and individual believers were…
Source: Orthodox Christianity AFRICA – Last week, an open letter from 27 African Orthodox priests from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia was published in which the signatories express their disagreement with their Patriarch’s decision to recognize the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” and to commemorate its primate, Epiphany Dumenko. The priests also note that the decision to recognize the schismatics was made without consulting the African clergy and laity, although they make up the majority of the Church. The clerics write with respect and restraint: “We would like to express our opinion and say that we do not agree with…