Sunday of Cheesefare and Mission Sunday
2/8/2007
February 18, 2007
Sunday of Cheesefare and Mission Sunday
Behold, I have set before you an open door,
which no one is able to shut… (Revelation 3:8)
The Hierarchs of the Standing Conference
of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas
To all the Faithful Clergy and the Laity of the Holy Orthodox Churches in the Americas
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As
the Hierarchs of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops
in the Americas (SCOBA), it has become our sacred custom each year to
designate this day, Cheesefare Sunday, as "Mission Sunday." Today, we
invite you to study and embrace the words of the Lord from the Book of
the Revelation of John, the last book of the New Testament: "Behold, I
have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut…"
(Revelation 3:8). These words of the Lord to the Church clearly
indicate the tremendous opportunity for the promotion of the Gospel.
The door for evangelism is and will remain open since, as the Lord
assures us, no hostile human or demonic agency is able to shut it. As
Orthodox Christians, we are called to serve as witnesses of the Gospel,
which is the most valuable of gifts that we can share with others. The
open door urgently calls us to action.
It is for these
purposes that SCOBA commissioned its international missions agency, the
Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC). The OCMC offers us, as
recipients of God's grace, a way to serve as ushers through this door
for the salvation of the people throughout the entire world. Our
witness of Orthodoxy is made manifest through evangelism and indeed
through many more ways, such as our distinct way of worshipping God as
a community united by the bonds of His love, our steadfast prayer to
Him, our exercise of philanthropy to others, and our discipline of
fasting. These spiritual practices also allow us to discern the manner
by which God calls each of us to best heed His call to missions.
Through
the dedication and support of the Orthodox faithful in America, the
Mission Center has been able to send priests, missionaries, teachers,
mission teams, and medical workers to minister to those around the
world who hunger and thirst for Christ. In 2006, 120 Orthodox Mission
Team volunteers were sent to 9 countries, devoting over 15,240 hours of
service. The Mission Center also now supports 289 indigenous priests
and has 19 long-term missionaries and their families serving in 6
countries. 2006 also saw $105,000 in grants awarded to clergy abroad.
The additional distribution of $120,000 dollars in aid to the Church in
developing countries resulted in 25 Orthodox churches being built or
restored, 2,200 people receiving medical, dental, and counseling
services, and the catechization of thousands of new Orthodox Christians.
It
is through love, prayer and sincere effort that the life-saving work of
missions must continue. At this hour, in the day that precedes the
season of Great and Holy Lent, we keep our eyes fixed upon the open
door, through which we can share with all humankind the gift of
salvation, proclaimed in His Gospel. We pray for your fervent support
of missions through your prayers, your service, and through any
financial contributions to the OCMC which you may wish to offer
according to your means. We also pray that you may have a blessed
Lenten journey, one that draws you and those around you nearer to
eternal salvation, furthering belief in Jesus Christ to the ends of the
earth.
With paternal blessings and love in Christ,
+Archbishop DEMETRIOS, Chairman
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
+Metropolitan PHILIP, Vice Chairman
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
+Metropolitan CHRISTOPHER, Secretary
Serbian Orthodox Church in the USA and Canada
+Metropolitan NICHOLAS of Amissos, Treasurer
American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese in the USA
+Metropolitan HERMAN
Orthodox Church in America
+Archbishop NICOLAE
Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America and Canada
+Metropolitan JOSEPH
Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church
+Metropolitan CONSTANTINE
Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA
+Bishop ILIA of Philomelion
Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America