Source: Orthodox Christian Missions Center
Celebrating 40 Years, Fr. Martin Ritsi, and Incoming Director Dr. Nathan Hoppe
The Board of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center convened on Nov 18-19, 2025 at its headquarters in St. Augustine, FL for a very special semi-annual meeting. Highlights included recognizing our 40th year of service and celebrating the upcoming completion of Father Martin Ritsis’ 27-year tenure as Executive Director. The Board also welcomed the incoming Executive Director, Dr. Nathan Hoppe.
In his report, Fr. Martin reflected on his ten years as a missionary in East Africa and Albania and his nearly three decades of service as Executive Director:
“In the first years of OCMC’s history, the annual budget was only $100,000. There were just two missionaries and only a few staff members,” he said. “Today we have 20 US-based staff and a budget of over $6 million. We’ve sent out over 140 missionaries since our inception. More importantly, OCMC helped churches rise from the ashes, established new churches in places where Orthodoxy was not present, trained countless leaders, built over a hundred churches, schools, and mission centers. Through all this, thousands of people have been evangelized, catechized, and baptized, and are now being nurtured in vibrant parishes worshipping in their own languages. As I reflect on this, I want to highlight that it was only accomplished through the efforts of a myriad of people: Dedicated Board members, a professional staff, missionaries living sacrificially among the people they serve, thousands of faithful Orthodox donors and the many hierarchs, clergy, and faithful Orthodox laboring in the mission field.”
Fr. Martin’s report was followed by strategic plan progress reports. Directors from the Missionary, Grants, Translations, and Development departments highlighted the important work of our missionaries and translation staff, as well as the strides made in fundraising and communication efforts. Of special note: the Mission Center plans to deliver over $1.6 million in grants this fiscal year, including new grants to 21 dioceses. The Mission Center currently manages almost 40 active grants.
Two special presentations book-ended the deliberations. Dr. Nathan Hoppe, who will become the new Executive Director on January 1, 2026, made a special presentation on his missionary service in Albania the past two and a half decades, centering on the importance of creating vibrant local eucharistic communities. And Rev. Protopresbyter Kwame Joseph Labi, a priest from Ghana and former Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Accra, delivered a personal perspective of Orthodox missions in Africa and how to employ the lessons learned.
In her closing remarks, Board President Dr. Gayle Woloschak thanked Fr. Martin Ritsi for his many years of dedicated service, stating, “It has been a particular blessing having Fr. Martin as our Executive Director these many years. I want to thank him personally, and on behalf of all the Board presidents he has served with these past 27 years. Fr. Martin has faithfully created an environment for Nathan to guide us into our next forty years.”
This meeting marked a significant moment in the Mission Center’s history, as both the current Executive Director, Fr. Martin Ritsi, and the incoming Executive Director, Dr. Nathan Hoppe, were in attendance together for the first time. Their presence at the meeting was part of a smooth and prayerful transition of leadership, grounded in the same vision and love for the Church’s global mission. As January 2026 approaches, the Board expresses gratitude for Fr. Martin’s decades of faithful service and renewed excitement for the future, under Nathan’s leadership.
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