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…
Browsing: Orthodox Christian Mission Center
Source: Orthodox Christian Missions Center The Translation Department at the Mission Center is proud to announce the launch of DOXA Version 1.0 (Digital Orthodox Akolouthia), a digital platform built to protect, preserve, publish, and expand Orthodox liturgical translations. For decades, native translators have struggled with data loss, outdated or out-of-print editions, and inconsistent texts. DOXA solves these challenges by providing secure Cloud storage, version control to recover past drafts, and collaborative tools that allow translators to share work across dioceses. Templates and reference systems simplify the process, while digitization ensures that historic texts are preserved alongside new translations. Once entered, texts can be published…
Source: Orthodox Christian Mission Center Today, on behalf of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center Board of Directors, Board Chair Dr. Gayle Woloschak announced the selection of Dr. Nathan Hoppe as the organization’s new Executive Director. Dr. Hoppe will succeed Fr. Martin Ritsi and transition into his role in January 2026, following Fr. Martin’s retirement after more than 26 years of dedicated service. “We have been exceedingly blessed to have Fr. Martin chart the course of the organization all these years and we couldn’t be more confident in Dr. Hoppe’s ability to build on the legacy that Fr. Martin will leave,” stated…
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America A team of twenty-one faithful parishioners from Saint Mark Greek Orthodox Church in Boca Raton, Florida, led by His Eminence Metropolitan Sevastianos of Atlanta, parish priest Fr. Mark Leondis and OCMC (Orthodox Christian Mission Center) Development Director, Dan Christopulos, recently returned from a transformational mission pilgrimage to Kenya, where they celebrated the consecration of the newly built Saint Mark Orthodox Cathedral in Kapsabet. The delegation represented nearly 800 families of the Saint Mark Church who had prayed for, funded, and spiritually supported the building of this sister church through a partnership with OCMC. This…
Source: Orthodox Christian Mission Center On Thursday, January 30, Fr. Martin Ritsi, Executive Director of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center, led a delegation of Mission Center Board, staff, and missionaries at the funeral service commemorating the life and falling asleep of His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durrës, and All Albania at the Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Tirana, Albania. Fr. Martin––together with Board member and former missionary, Fr. Luke Veronis, and Assistant Missionary Director, Rev. Dr. Stephanos Ritsi––participated in the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, Funeral, and Interment services with Orthodox clergy from throughout the world. His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew,…
Source: Orthodox Christian Mission Center Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Today, on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center, we announce the launch of an Executive Director search in support of the planned retirement of our beloved Father Martin Ritsi. It is with both heartfelt gratitude for his service and great optimism for the future that we embark on this new chapter. Fr. Martin’s unwavering dedication to Christ, to Orthodox missionary work, and to our organization has prepared us well for this moment. Beginning in 2020 and together with Fr. Martin, we established a…
Source: Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) OCMC is looking for Ambassadors in all-sized parishes, whether actively involved in missions or just exploring. Ambassadors play a vital role in spreading awareness and understanding of missions, answering the call to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Represent OCMC to foster a missions mindset in your community. Join existing Ambassadors to expand the Gospel’s reach, contribute to global mission work, and help spread Christ’s message worldwide. There are more than a billion people who have yet to hear the Gospel message. Yet less than 1% of the Orthodox Faithful in the United…
Source: Orthodox Christian Mission Center by Niko Birbilis This Friday, May 8, we’ll be interviewing another of our newest missionaries live: Elaine Piniat! Elaine is currently preparing to serve in Sweden and has had a remarkable journey that has led her to follow God’s calling to serve as a missionary.While she initially drew back from the idea of serving as a missionary, God gradually called her to get more and more involved in serving in the Church. Her first experiences of serving abroad were with short-term mission trips to China, Guatemala, and Albania. Meanwhile, she also spent a great deal of…
Spring Board Meeting at Orthodox Christian Mission Center – OCL Board Members and spouses attending. (L-R): Susan Haikalis – CA; Christ Xeros – TX; John Regule – FL; Roy Snyder – MO; Harriet Pontikes – IL; George Karcazes – IL; Andrew Kartalis – OH; His Eminence Archbishop Nathaniel – MI; Peter Haikalis – CA; Catherine Kartalis – OH; Bell Petkas – TX; Peter Zarras – NJ; George Matsoukas – FL; Peter J. Petkas – TX; George Pontikes, President – IL. Present but not in the photo: Bill Souvall – UT. [subscribe2]
Source: Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) (08/22/2014) This year the parish family of the Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Cathedral in Accra, Ghana, marked the 25th Anniversary of its founding. A Mission Team from the Orthodox Christian Mission Center was invited to join in these celebrations. This was also the 25th Anniversary of the first OCMC Mission Team to Ghana! The 1989 Mission Team helped with the construction of the Cathedral in Accra.Events surrounding the celebrations included an all-night Vigil, Memorial services, Vespers, and Divine Liturgy; presentations on the history of the Church in Ghana, the Cathedral, and health education; visitations to…
Source: Orthodox Christian Mission Center Help care for the physical and spiritual needs of people in Tanzania in Kenya by serving on an OCMC Medical Mission Team in 2014. Doctors and Medical Personnel Needed for OCMC Health Care Missions in 2014 by Andrew Lekos (11/22/2013)The Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) will be offering numerous Health Care Mission Team opportunities in 2014 to East Africa. OCMC is seeking doctors and medical personnel to participate on these teams and minister to the physical and spiritual needs of people in East Africa. While health care has improved over the last two decades, many…
Source: Pravolavie This summer, Father Vladimir and Matushka Suzanne Aleandro of Christ the Savior Church in Southbury, Connecticut, will head back to Kenya for their fourth mission trip with the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC). Father says he and Matushka’s work with the people of Turkana has deepened their faith and expanded their horizons. “I grew up in an Italian household,” explains Father Vladimir. “My grandmother couldn’t read or write, but she could pray and I grew up watching her pray for missionaries who were all around the world. This stayed with me.” In 1991, Father founded Christ the Savior…