OCF Board of Directors holds fall meeting

The Orthodox Christian Fellowship [OCF] Board of Directors held its fall meeting December 1-2, 2011, at its new North American Office, headquartered at Hellenic College here.

A major focus of the meeting was a proposed restructuring of the chaplain and student leadership structure of OCF. OCF’s North American Chaplain, Father Michael Nasser explained, “Recognizing a need for enhanced communication and support between the local chapters of OCF and the North American Office, we are developing a new tiered structure that will facilitate a more effective ministry to college students. The new vision utilizes students, clergy chaplains, lay coordinators, and college faculty on district and regional levels to implement OCF resources and programs, which in turn will strengthen the efforts of the local chapters.”

With the full support of the Board, Father Michael and the OCF staff will continue to gather input on this comprehensive design by hosting several informational meetings in the coming months, with the hope of piloting the model in September 2012.

In the process of reevaluating OCF’s organizational framework and the Board’s exploration of new administrative structures, Executive Director, Jennifer Nahas and North Carolina Triangle Director, John Stonestreet completed a comprehensive review of OCF’s activities in the region. Ultimately, it was decided to suspend the specialized NC Triangle program. However, local chapters will continue to function in the area. Mr. Stonestreet has been a faithful servant to campus ministry, and we thank him for his years of dedication to the college students of the NC Triangle.

The board enthusiastically approved the development of an OCF Alumni Network. This new effort, spearheaded by Michael Andrzejewski, a 2011 OCF graduate from the University of Connecticut, will investigate ways for OCF alumni to support campus ministry. The Alumni Network will begin its work in early 2012.

Father Mark Leondis, OCF Board Chairman, thanked the students, staff and board members for their tireless work. He remarked, “OCF’s stability as an organization is a direct result of the efforts of its students, clergy, and lay leaders, and we look forward to growing our Board in order to continue serving the needs of Orthodox college students.”

Board nominations are currently open and recommendations for membership should be directed to the North American Office.

Orthodox Christian Fellowship is the official collegiate campus ministry program under the North American Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops. Its mission is to support fellowships on college campuses, whose members experience and witness to the Orthodox Christian Church through community life, prayer, service to others and study of the Faith. Its headquarters is located in Brookline, Mass. and supports more than 300 local university chapters across North America.  In addition, it provides a variety of thoughtful and innovative programming, including regional training, annual conferences, and domestic and international service learning programs.