OCMC grants help 10 seminarians serve on mission teams
The Orthodox Christian Mission Center provided 10 grants to students at four Orthodox seminaries in order to enhance their education with field experience by serving on OCMC short-term Orthodox Mission Teams in 2014. These students had the opportunity to preach the Gospel, offer catechism, and assist in youth programs in Kenya, Albania, Ghana, and Moldova.
The OCMC Mission Team Grants were awarded to students from Saint Tikhon’s Seminary, South Canaan, PA; Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, NY; Christ the Savior Seminary, Johnstown, PA; and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline, MA. These students were given the opportunity to witness the Holy Orthodox Faith in action by implementing Christ’s Great Commission to “go and make disciples.”
The mission team experience bolsters one’s faith through service and engenders compassion. One seminarian grant recipient learned this firsthand, stating, “It is very important for us to sacrifice our will to God on a daily basis and trust that He will guide us in the right path, and by doing so, we allow ourselves to be ‘wounded by His love.’ It is important to trust God and be fearless in the roads that we undertake through Him because He will provide us with all we need.”
Mission service is a unique way to be challenged. The insights gained and lessons learned in this cross-cultural ministry change one’s outlook on the world. Another grant recipient reflects, “Although my time in Albania was brief, it was unbelievably life-changing. I have been inspired and motivated to spread the Gospel to wherever I can, near or far. I hope this motivation stays within me, and I can’t wait to see where God takes me next.”
Participating on short-term missions is an important and exciting step into possible long-term missionary service. These mission experiences offer seminary students the experience to broaden horizons, strengthen leadership skills, and develop a vision for the needs of the world by sharing the Gospel. It is an opportunity to participate through work, witness, and worship and to become a visible expression of love, unity, and support in the Orthodox Church.
The OCMC Mission Team Grants for seminarians provide funding towards the cost participating on an OCMC Orthodox Mission Team and a cash stipend to qualified students. Over the past 10 years, the OCMC seminarian grant program has distributed $183,000.00 to over 50 Orthodox seminary students.
Teams in 2015 will serve Orthodox in Alaska, Albania, Guatemala, Indonesia, Kenya, Moldova, and Uganda. Applicants for Mission Team Grants must have completed at least one semester in an Orthodox seminary at the time of application, be in good academic standing, and demonstrate Church involvement. The application deadline is January 9, 2015.
If you are a seminary student and would like more information about the grants, applications, and mission teams, please visit OCMC’s web site or contact Andrew Lekos toll-free at 1-877-463-6784 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).