AAC workshops inspire “faith in action”

ATLANTA, GA [OCA]

A series of workshops during the 18th All-American Council challenged attendees with practical ways to “put their faith into action” in their parishes and communities.

The workshops were offered twice during the AAC, on the afternoons of Wednesday and Thursday, July 22 and 23, 2015.

“The workshops were held on two successive days to afford participants the opportunity to participate in multiple sessions,” explained Archpriest Eric G. Tosi, OCA Secretary.

Workshop themes included the following.

• Mission Possible: Renewing the Vision in My Local Parish.  Priest David Rucker, a missionary in Alaska, outlined the scriptural and practical bases of Orthodox Christian Mission, noting that the “Great Commission” found in Matthew 28 is addressed to every Christian.  He reminded the participants that “we are not all called to be missionaries, going to distant lands to preach and teach the Gospel to those who have never heard it before, but we are all called to be witnesses of the Gospel in our daily lives.”
• Thirty-Five Ideas for a Mission-Minded Church.  Priest John Parker, Chair of the OCA’s Department of Evangelization, described a number of ways in which parishes and parishioners can create mission-minded communities.  This begins with our Lord’s instruction to “go home and tell how much the Lord has done for you.”  We are called to preach Christ, not Orthodoxy.  They are inseparable, but people need to see Christ first.
• Preaching the Gospel in a Campus Setting.  Andrew Boyd, OCA Youth Director, shared ideas for helping parish communities understand the social, moral and spiritual landscape faced by today’s college students and those who want to minister to them.  Among the “basic principles” he outlined are “keep it regular, keep it simple, keep it real.”
• Protecting the Youth.  Cindy Heise and Bernard Wilson of the Office for Review of Sexual Misconduct Allegations (ORSMA) offered participants a short course in the principles of child protection and addressed questions about the steps necessary to ensure the safety of children in our parishes.
• “Send Me, O Lord”—Expanding the Mission through Matthew 25 Ministries.  Donna Karabin and other members of the Department of Christian Service and Humanitarian Aid described a number of resources available to parishes to help them develop outreach ministries.  They also outlined some of the things currently being done in various parts of our Church.
• Making Yourself Visible on the Web.  Ryan Platte, Technical Manager for the OCA web site, discussed important considerations about building a parish website.  These include defining the target audience, evaluating what “first impression” the site projects, and whether the site presents a clear message about the parish.
• Creating Vibrant Orthodox Parishes.  Joseph Kormos, Parish Development Leader for the Archdiocese of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania, described a number of ways to revitalize parish communities.  He included such things as getting the parish in the press or on the web for something other than an ethnic festival, cancelling an event on a snowy day to get free publicity, and more.
• “Teach Them the Way They Should Go” (Proverbs 22:6)—Raising Orthodox Christian Children.  Matushka Valerie Zahirsky, Chair of the OCA’s Department of Christian Education, presented a number of practical ideas on how to help our children find their place in church and enable them to participate more fully in worship and prayer.
• Clergy Self-Help.  Archpriest Dr. Steven Voytovich, Dean of Saint Tikhon’s Seminary and Director of the OCA’s Office of Institutional Chaplaincies, outlined the importance of maintaining the clergy’s physical, mental and spiritual health and offered a number of ideas on developing a self-care plan to enable clergy to provide effective care to their flocks.
• Best Practices to Parish Finance.  Khouria Irene Khoury addressed ways to protect parish assets and those who handle parish finances, thereby reducing the risk of financial mismanagement.  She shared ideas on building trust and confidence between parishioners and those entrusted with the care of parish finances.