19th AAC Forum themes announced
With the blessing of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, six forums will be offered during the 19th All-American Council, slated to be held in Saint Louis, MO July 23-27, 2018.
“These forums are based on of the document titled ‘Of What Life Do We Speak?: Four Pillars for the Fulfillment of the Apostolic Work of the Church,’ authored by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon,” according to Archpriest Eric G. Tosi, OCA Secretary. “This document will serve as the study guide for the 19th AAC and will be sent out to all parishes and institutions prior to the AAC. Parishes and Institutions can utilize this in preparation for the forums.”
The forums will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, July 24 and 25, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., thereby allowing delegates to participate in two of the six presentations.
Forum themes include the following.
- Forum 1: Spiritual Life – How Can We Improve Our Personal Relationship With Christ
- Forum 2: Spiritual Life: - How Can We Better Care for Our Clergy?
- Forum 3: Stewardship – How Do We Properly Steward What God Has Entrusted to Us?
- Forum 4: Relation With Others – How Can We More Effectively Communicate And Interact With The World, North America, Non-Orthodox Groups and The Community?
- Forum 5: Evangelization – How Can We More Effectively Establish Missions And Revitalize Our Churches?
- Forum 6: Evangelization – How Can We More Effectively Reach Our Parishioners?
“These forums will be vital in charting the future of the Church,” Father Eric added. “They are invaluable as they will allow for an open discussion on a Church-wide level and offer the tools necessary to begin planning for the future.”