Source: Orthodox Youth and Young Adult Ministries (OYM)
April 2023
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” (John 11:25)
Dear OYM Friends,
As we approach the all-holy days of our Lord’s crucifixion and resurrection, I find myself contemplating the only inevitable thing other than taxes: death.
No, not because I have a morbid fascination with death, but because it is central to the journey of Holy Week, and rightly approached, it can draw us deeper into the mystery of the days ahead.
Believe it or not, one of my favorite services is the Orthodox funeral service. It’s a beautiful juxtaposition of sorrow and joy, of mourning loss and hopeful anticipation of life beyond. It is, as Fr. Alexander Schmemann describes the Lenten season, a time of “bright sadness.”
Many funerals today focus on a “celebration of life.” Of course, it’s good to remember the happy moments in the life of the departed, but a funeral that doesn’t give a chance to grieve deprives us of something important – a collective moment to pause and reflect on the significance and brevity of life. It skips over a fundamental paradox of the Christian faith: that life springs forth from death. That through the Cross, joy comes into the world.
And so we grieve, but not as those who have no hope. For Christ’s death is not the end of the story; it’s the beginning. On the other side of death is life eternal.
On the glorious morning of Pascha, we dance and celebrate His victory over death and the ushering in of new life. As Orthodox Christians, we know that being in Christ is about the total transformation of death to life. Christ came that we may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10)!
Ultimately, we can take comfort that after all the ups and downs of this life, Christ will give rest to the souls of His servants where sickness and sorrow are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting. Our prayer and goal at OYM is that our youth (and all of us) can learn how to die with Christ, that we might truly live. We hope you will join us in this endeavor.
Yours in Christ,
Ken Liu
Executive Director
Ministry News & Events
OYM is Coming to You!
3Etreats are a Pan-Orthodox opportunity to connect with other Orthodox Christians in your area. Ministry leaders, parents, teens, and young adults are all invited to our Friday night gathering for refreshments and conversation. Saturday will be a day-long retreat (9am-5pm) and consist of two separate tracks: a youth track (6th-12th grade) as well as a track for parents and ministry workers. Saturday evening, OYM will host an event for young adults to enjoy refreshments, conversation, and connection with others. We hope that you will join us because we’d love to get to know you!
3ETreat in Orange County, CA
Join us in Irvine at St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church on April 28th-30th.
Open to ministry leaders, parents, youth and young adults!
REGISTER HERE
For more information, click here.
CLICK HERE or on the flier for the PDF.
Want to host a E3Treat?
If your parish is interested in hosting a 3ETreat, please contact Sandra Glisic at [email protected]. You can request more information on the retreats or ask about open dates.
Apply to be a Telos Parish!
Joining Telos is about having the support you need to become a community where young adults thrive. Each parish assembles a team of young adults and older adults who commit to learn together for a single year.
Learn more
The Assembly of Bishops is Hiring!
The Assembly of Bishops seeks to hire a fully-remote, part-time (20-hours per week) Project Manager to execute operational and marketing tasks of Peace of Mind programming under the Assembly’s Mental Health Ministries. This position reports directly to the Director of Mental Health Ministries.
For More Information
Please consider a donation to support OYM’s ministry to youth, young adults, and those who care for them. OYM is a non-profit 501(c)(3) that relies on the generosity of our donors.
