wfn.org | Orthodox Christian Mission Center Opens New Facility

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Completion of the Archbishop Anastasios and Archbishop Demetrios
Missionary Training and Administration Building

St. Augustine, FL - On April 13, 2009 the staff of the Orthodox Christian
Mission Center began working in the Archbishop Anastasios and Archbishop
Demetrios Missionary Training and Administration Building. The opening of  this
facility marks a new era in North American Orthodoxy?s mission movement.  The
building will prove to be a vital resource of the Church as more Orthodox
Christians answer their call to share the Faith with people around the world
through participation in the ministries of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center
(OCMC).

This is the first permanent facility of an agency of the Standing Conference of
the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA); it will serve as an
international missions headquarters for North America?s estimated 1.5  million
Orthodox Christians.

Formal dedication ceremonies will be held on May 21, 2009. Both His  Beatitude
Anastasios, Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania, and His Eminence
Demetrios, Archbishop and Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of
America and Chairman of SCOBA, together with other hierarchs of SCOBA, will
be at the dedication to celebrate this historical moment in Orthodox  missions
and to lead the gathered faithful in praying for the continuation of this vital
work of the Church.

OCMC currently has 12 long-term Missionaries serving in three countries; and
is in the process of deploying 6 more Missionaries this year. In 2009, OCMC will
also send nearly 100 volunteers on 11 short-term Mission Teams that will
serve in 8 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Central America, and North
America. The OCMC is committed to training and equipping these individuals
and has developed intensive training programs for long-term Missionary
Candidates and Mission Team Members. With an interactive learning center, a
training room, and seven dormitories, over half of the building's 12,000 square
feet are dedicated to training these mission workers. Commenting on the
completion of this facility, OCMC's Executive Director Fr. Martin Ritsi
stated, "The new Mission Center was designed for the needs of today, with a
vision for the needs of tomorrow."

In response to Christ's final command to "make disciples of all nations,"  the
OCMC is dedicated to helping the Church realize its missionary vision. In
addition to sending Missionaries and Mission Team volunteers, the OCMC
subsidizes the salaries of over 350 indigenous clergy in 18 mission countries. It
helps train new church leaders by supporting seven seminaries around the
world, and it funds numerous ministry and philanthropic projects of the  Church
abroad. In the new state-of-the-art Missionary Training and Administration
Building, these programs will be able to work toward sharing the Gospel of
Christ in more areas around the world in the years to come.

The ground for this new facility was broken in 2006, and its completion is  the
culmination of decades of growing prayer and support for missions among the
various canonical Orthodox Churches of the Americas. The new building stands
as a tribute to the many people who made its construction possible, and it
reflects the Orthodox Church's growing commitment to missions.

The Orthodox Christian Mission Center is the official mission agency of the
Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA).
It is dedicated to proclaiming the fullness of the Orthodox faith in response to
Christ?s last commandment to make disciples of all nations. For more
information on OCMC and the May 21 Dedication go to www.ocmc.org.

> ###

> For More Information Please Contact:
> Alex Goodwin
> Communications Director
> Orthodox Christian Mission Center
> Phone: (904) 829-5132
> E-mail: communications@ocmc.org

> An Image for this release can be fount at:

http://www.ocmc.org/images/articles/hires/OCMC_Building_1(3_30_09).JPG

> The caption for this image is as follows:

Over half of new 12,000 square foot Archbishop Anastasios & Archbishop
Demetrios Missionary Training & Administration Building will be used for training
and equipping new missionaries and Mission Team members. It is a state-of-
the-art facility that has been built for the Church?s mission needs of  today,
but with a vision for tomorrow.