OCF holds first campus chaplains’ conference

BOSTON, MA [OCF] — Orthodox Christian Fellowship [OCF] held its first chaplains conference for clergy and lay leaders May 2-4, 2006 at the Antiochian Village Conference Center, Ligonier, PA.

The conference brought together 20 clergy and lay OCF chaplains from Pennsylvania State University, University of Arizona Tucson, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and elsewhere for the purpose of sharing approaches, successes, and obstacles. With an estimated 40,000 Orthodox College students on campus each year, the conference was an essential time to allow chaplains to network together to learn how to more effectively minister to the students.

The three-day event included round-table discussions, break-out sessions, daily worship services, and team building activities. It will continue OCF’s vital growth, particularly resulting in sustenance and growth of the 200+ established OCF chapters, thus breaking the current pattern of making an OCF vulnerable when a motivated student leader graduates or an effective chaplain is relocated.

“This conference served as a great blessing, networking our chaplains for the first time, to help them shepherd our flock on college campuses,” said the Rev. George Pyle, national OCF chaplain. “We are setting the course to continue and expand this conference to work towards OCF’s goal of not leaving one student behind.”

The closing activities of the conference included strategizing for future growth and setting goals for the 2007 conference.

The conference was made possible by an extremely generous grant from The Order of St. Ignatius of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.

OCF is the official campus ministry program of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas. It is a Pan-Orthodox effort which is overseen by an executive committee and assisted by a student advisory board. Additional information on OCF can be found on the OCF web site at http://www.ocf.net or by calling toll-free 800/919-1623.