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Orthodox Christian Fellowship Holds Spring Board Meeting

OCF BoardOCF BoardCHICAGO, IL, 5/04 -- The spring meeting of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship Board of Directors was held at Holy Resurrection Serbian Orthodox Cathedral April 22-23, 2010.

Board members discussed a wide range of topics and evaluated the delegation of day-to-day responsibilities, due to the recent vacancy of the executive director position, in order to ensure the normal operations of the OCF offices in Fishers, IN. Ongoing preparations for programs -- College Conference, Real Break, College Student Sunday, and Day of Prayer -- will be overseen by various board members. A search committee was formed to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the executive director position and to develop a formal search process, which will begin at a later date. Father Mark Leondis, OCF Board Chair, serves as the Interim executive director.

A report prepared by Brigham and Nahas Research Associates, summarizing student focus group surveys carried out in December at the East Coast College Conference at Antiochian Village in Pennsylvania, was reviewed. Seventy of the 238 student participants volunteered to take part in the surveys, which provided valuable insight into the effectiveness of the OCF ministry. Board members initiated a process to strategize methods of utilizing the results of the report, which was performed in cooperation with the Office of Vocational Ministry at Holy Cross School of Theology.

National OCF Chaplain, Father James Coles, updated the board on progress made in establishing the regional chaplain structure implemented earlier this year through the generosity of the Order of Saint Ignatius. This new network of chaplains throughout various regions of North America has begun to function as a vital link between the OCF office and the local chaplains who serve the 270 OCF chapters. The regional chaplains work cooperatively in their respective regions with members of the Student Advisory Board, an annually appointed body of student leaders. Student Advisory Board applications for the 2010-2011 school year will be available soon on the ministry website, www.ocf.net.

The board's standing committees also met to discuss new resource planning and organizational governance and to develop strategies designed to further OCF's core mission of providing an Orthodox Christian presence on college and university campuses. Reflecting on the incredible growth of OCF chapters, programs, and support in recent years, board members look forward to building on OCF's tradition of sharing the message of Christ with students during their formative college years.

The 2009-2010 Orthodox Christian Fellowship Board of Directors is comprised of 19 members, including appointed representatives of the nine SCOBA jurisdictions as well as elected members. OCF is the official collegiate campus ministry program under SCOBA. It 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. The OCF headquarters is located in Indianapolis, IN and supports over 270 local university chapters across North America. In addition, OCF provides a variety of programs, including regional training, annual conferences, and domestic and international service learning programs. For additional information contact Presvytera Shyla Hadzellis, OCF Development Director, at shyla@ocf.net or visit the OCF web site.