OCMC Board meeting held in Portland, OR
The Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC), with headquarters in St. Augustine, FL recently held their Board of Trustees meeting here from May 12-14, 2003. Thirty people committed to seeing the Gospel brought to all nations, came together for the official international mission agency of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in America (SCOBA) with members representing jurisdictions within SCOBA.
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Twice a year, in the fall and in the spring, the OCMC Board convenes to review the ministries of the Mission Center and to provide direction for its continued growth. The OCMC Board meetings are regularly held in different parts of the country and hosted by different jurisdictions, giving new local areas the opportunity to become more aware and involved in missions abroad.
This season, the Board met in Portland, Oregon, which boasts a long-standing cooperation between its local Orthodox churches. The newest member of the OCMC Board is Fr. Matthew Tate, rector of Holy Annunciation Church in Milwaukie, OR and president of the Presbyter’s Council of the Greater Portland Area. During the board meeting, clergy from the Orthodox churches in Portland announced plans to pledge funds for the construction of a church in the mission field.
Another important announcement that came during the gathering was a new endowment in honor of Fr. Elias Stephanopoulos of blessed memory of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. This endowment will annually enable a seminarian interested in missions to participate on an OCMC short-term mission team. The funds for the establishment of the endowment of the Fr. Elias Stephanopoulos Summer Mission Team Scholarship were also raised by the Orthodox community in the Greater Portland Area.
For more information about OCMC and their mission efforts around the world, log onto their website at www.ocmc.org.