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Every parish of the Orthodox Church in America is the local flagship of the Body of Christ. It is where we do the work of ministry: singing praises to God, learning and growing in the knowledge of our Savior, equipping young Orthodox Christians to face the latest challenges in our ever-changing world, serving the poor and infirm of our local communities, and planting new missions to support the growing number of seekers and inquirers of the Orthodox Faith. All of these works are crucial to the ongoing life of the local church.
From now through Steward Sunday on November 20, 2022, and with the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, we are asking every member of the OCA to participate in supporting this essential work. The yearly campaign of the Stewards of the Orthodox Church in America is crucial to the ongoing work of the Departments and Offices of the OCA. By giving to the Stewards of the OCA you support the continuing creation of educational material, programs, videos, pamphlets, sheet music, and other resources by providing much needed funding for the various ministries of the OCA like:
- the Mission Planting Grant Program and informative pamphlets from the Department of Mission and Evangelism
- the voluminous liturgical resources created by the Department of Music and Translations
- training for ministry leaders sponsored by the Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministry
- contemporary educational materials created by the Department of Christian Education
- Clergy Peer Learning through the Office of Pastoral Life
All of this and much more has one goal: to support local OCA parishes,clergy, and parishioners in their local ministries and work as the Body of Christ. Please consider supporting this crucial work which benefits the parishes of the Orthodox Church in America by supporting the Stewards of the OCA.
Every parish priest is asked to encourage the generous gifts of the faithful to support the Stewards of the OCA through individual online giving at oca.org/stewards and through including the Stewards as a line item in the yearly parish budget. Parishes may also choose to hold a special collection on this day and the proceeds can be forwarded directly to the Orthodox Church in America.
May God bless you for your prayerful support.
