Groundbreaking for new mission center to be held May 5th

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL [OCMC] — His Grace, Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos, knows the Orthodox Christian Mission Center [OCMC] very well. As a priest in the mid-1980’s, he was called upon by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese to establish the Archdiocesan Mission Center in St. Augustine, FL and was assigned as its first executive director along with similar duties at the Saint Photios Shrine.

In 1994, the Archdiocesan Mission Center came under the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas [SCOBA] and was expanded to represent all Orthodox jurisdictions in America, thus becoming known as the Orthodox Christian Mission Center. Father Couchell continued as executive director before being elevated to the episcopacy in 1998 and moving to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in New York.

After outgrowing its facilities three times, OCMC embarked on a major campaign effort to respond to that growth. On May 5, 2006, the groundbreaking of OCMC’s new Missionary Training and Administrative Support Center will be celebrated. Bishop Dimitiros, who also serves as the general secretary of SCOBA, will return to officiate at the ceremonies on the 20-acre property.

The 12,000 square foot Mission Center will be an international beacon of Christ’s love, reaching out to those around the world who have never heard the Gospel. It will bring a greater awareness to Orthodox mission work and will further provide the facilities needed to prepare missionaries for service abroad and to train volunteers and seminarians for service on short-term mission teams.

The celebration will begin with groundbreaking ceremonies on the property at 9:30 a.m. on May 5, 2006, to be followed by a luncheon at the Renaissance Hotel located in the World Golf Village. Ticket price is $50 per person.
Those who are interested in attending this event may contact the Mission Center directly at 877-GO-FORTH (463-6784).

Please pray for the continued expansion of missions as OCMC embarks on this momentous occasion of the groundbreaking for the new Missionary Training and Administrative Support Center and as our organization continues to evolve to fulfill the Lord’s command to “Take the Gospel to all Nations.”