Parish Ministry article recounts one parish’s mission efforts
The OCA Department of Christian Service and Humanitarian Aid [CSHA] recently posted a new article, “Where is Your Jerusalem,” in its Parish Ministry Resources, formerly known since the 1980s as the Resource Handbook for Ministries.
Written by Dr. John G. Demakis, the story of how his Greek Orthodox parish went through the step-by-step process to establish a program for missionary and charity outreach. It was so successful that other local parishes partnered with the parish, and the program eventually developed into an exemplary Pan-Orthodox outreach ministry striving to fulfill Acts 1:8: “You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and to the end of the earth.”
“The words of the Lord in Acts 1:8 present us with a significant goal in our personal lives and in the life of the Church,” said Donna Karabin, who chairs the CSHA department. “We recognize this especially as we ponder the upcoming 18th All-American Council [AAC] with its theme, ‘How to Expand the Mission.’ Our faithful witness in missionary outreach and charitable service has a natural outcome in expanding the mission. We’ll be talking more about this at the AAC.”