Share the Light Sunday
At that time Jesus went on
through cities and villages,
preaching and bringing the good
news of the kingdom of God.
(St. Luke 8: 1-3)
Share the Light Sunday
17 January 2010
To the Most Reverend Clergy, Venerable Monastics, and
The Devout Faithful of the Holy Orthodox Churches in the Americas
Dearly Beloved in the Lord,
We, the Hierarchs of SCOBA, greet you in the Name of our Lord and Savior. Daily we offer prayers to God for you and your family. Our dedicated priests offer untiring care for the flock of Christ which has seen many changes and challenges this past year.
During His earthly ministry, our Lord traveled during His time on earth from city to city and village to village bringing the Good News of His Kingdom. As we travel throughout our pastoral folds, we experience much of the same as we share your love and as we share the love of Christ with you. It is our great privilege to reach out and share the message of the Gospel with everyone in our communities. It is also our responsibility to reach out to those who have left the embrace of the Church, as well as those who have never heard the saving message of Christ.
It is precisely this commitment to mission and outreach that compels us, your spiritual shepherds, to support and endorse the outreach work in our communities of ministries like the Orthodox Christian Network (OCN). Using the communication tools of the day, the OCN is producing weekly radio programs syndicated all over the country, as well as study guides to help those who listen to the programs. OCN operates three full time Internet radio stations: The Ark, The Rudder, and now The Anchor, an all-talk radio station with an Orthodox Christian perspective. Our faithful and interested seekers can hear not only contemporary Orthodox music, but also the timeless beauty of the hymns of the Church from around the world. OCN also produces regular programming to edify, educate and evangelize with the life-giving Good News of Orthodox Christianity.
On this special and national Share The Light Sunday, your Hierarchs ask you to stop at this first part of the year and consider how you can join together with your fellow Orthodox Christians from around the nation in providing the vital support that allows OCN to do so much to serve you and your children with the timeless beauty of our faith.
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 North and South America
+Metropolitan NICHOLAS of Amissos, Treasurer
American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese in the USA
+Archbishop NICOLAE
Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas
+Metropolitan JOSEPH
Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church
+Metropolitan JONAH
Orthodox Church in America
+Metropolitan CONSTANTINE
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA
+Archpriest Alexander Abramov
Acting Representative of the Moscow Patriarchate in the USA
+Bishop ILIA of Philomelion
Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America