Why Support Share the Faith?

“Indifference for Missions equates to a denial of Orthodoxy”                                                         
– Archbishop Anastasios (Yannoulatos) of Albania

Dearest in the Lord –

The Lord’s Great Commission: “Go forth.. make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit, teaching all I have commanded you ; and lo, I am with you .. to the end of the age” (Mt: 28: 19-20) Our Lord’s commandment compels us to fulfill what is proclaimed in our Baptismal service: namely, that God “desires all to be saved” (I Tim. 2:4).  In that however, “our actions prove what we really believe”, how much do we really care?

The facts on the ground seem to indicate that we don’t really care that much.

Many Orthodox Christians are under the mistaken belief that the Orthodox Christian Mission Center coordinates missions in the United States and Canada? Actually, that is not the case. OCMC is limited by its charter to only assist Alaska and Mexico in North America. OCMC is doing great work around the world, but what about the 49 other American states? Who is trying coordinate bringing the Orthodox Faith to the rest of our American people?

Only Share the Faith. No one else. 

Orthodox missions in America have simply been staggering along as a disjointed mess. In some places some jurisdictions succeed to varying degrees, while others barely hang on to the people they already have. Rich parishes flourish, while in other areas (often close by), priests work menial jobs to provide minimal liturgical services to struggling parishes. Overall, Orthodoxy in America has substantial financial resources, but those are never organized to meet the needs on the ground. 

In Proverbs, we are reminded that “Where there is no Vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). Working together though, we can find a way to organize our resources to effectively evangelize our own country. As the ancient saying goes:

 “H iscus en th enwsei/The strength is in the unity.”

Share the Faith provides the necessary unity, across all canonical jurisdictional lines, to spread the Gospel to all corners of the United States and Canada.

Our Mission is to:

  1. Remind and inform our Brothers & Sisters of our responsibility to as Orthodox Christians “go …” (Mt. 28:19, Lk. 14:23) to God’s people as Christ directs. Mt. 25: 31- 46: “Did you feed & clothe Me, visit Me in prison or when I was sick?”
  2. Keep always before our people the reality that each of us will give account to Him on judgement day as to how …we have lived: simply and with love for suffering mankind? Or frivolously, wasting days and dollars on things which don’t last?
  3. We mentor and educate the parish councils of mission parishes and those in need of revitalization on effective evangelism. To find out more about how we help our supported parishes, click here.
  4. We are thus, raising monies to make available sizable grants for vetted and worthy priests, with the blessings of their bishops, who are in need of financial assistance to fulfill the work of the Gospel (Mt. 25 & 28) in places where:
    • New Missions are needed
    • Existing Missions need support to thrive
    • Prisoners (including many on death row) are in need of Christ
    • Students on College campuses can be motivated to walk the way of Christ & His saints
    • Lonely in nursing homes, in Hospice, at the local Mission Shelter can be comforted if not moved to consider converting if we prove ..that we care

Many areas of America have tremendous potential for growth, but local Orthodox missionaries do not even have a building to work out of nor do they have the ability to even be full-time clergy. More than 50% of all Orthodox priests in the United States must work a secular job just to keep food on the table.

Do the heterodox care more about the Great Commission of Our Lord than the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church? The numbers seem to indicate so:

  • Just for their domestic missionary work in N. America, Baptists allotted in 2018, $61,185,207.25 to reach ..Americans!
  • The Assemblies of God in America, grown by 12% in the last decade to over 3.2 million adherents, allotted this year $59 million just to reach …Americans!
  • Examining some Non-denominationals shows astonishing results. $7,800,000 of assistance was given by just 1 (one) community [Northview Church of Carmel, IN]; and it was raised in 4 months!! Part of this money was used for “wiping medical debt clean for entire cities. [And,] recipients did not have to be part of the church to qualify. Since the original announcement of the plan, other churches have done the same. [But] 1 (one) Other… First Capital Christian ..in Corydon.. helped several local communities [with] $6.2 million [More] for those in need.” $14 million from just 2 churches! And, yet this is what happens when people have hearts to promote Christ Who is “love in the flesh” (St. John of Kronstadt).
  • The LDS “Latter-day Saints/Mormons” of which approximately ½ or 7 million of their 14 million members are here in America manage to annually deploy more than 67,000 missionaries worldwide, most under 25 years of age.

We, Orthodox Christians in North America, number between 2-3 million, worshipping in roughly 2,000 parishes. Included within our ranks are some of the richest, most successful Americans to ever live. Yet, our total commitment for domestic missions is a tiny fraction of what small, non-denominational heterodox “churches” routinely manage. Do any of us what to face the Dread Judgement Seat of Christ having failed the Great Commission so egregiously?

The funding of Orthodox Missions in America is in our hands – if not us, then who? If not Now, then, then when? We need an army of Orthodox men & woman committed to meeting the call of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

You can help Share the Faith by:

    • Donating any amount towards funding Orthodox missions. Click the button to securely donate to Share the Faith.
        • Spread the word about Share the Faith to all your Orthodox family and friends, especially on social media. Share our blogs, our Website, and our informational flyer.
        • Ask your Parish Council & Assembly to approve a significant donation to Share the Faith so we may reach on your behalf souls in our country, who would otherwise, never have the chance to experience the gift of Orthodoxy. Or, could you print and post our flyer, distribute it to members, or attach it to an email? Most Orthodox Christians do not know that only Share the Faith supports pan-Orthodox Missions in the United States.
        • Ask monasteries to help the front line clergy through donations and prayer
        • Prayer for Share the Faith, for the success of Orthodox missions, and for the missions we have alreaqdy selected to help
        • Become spiritually formed, mature & healthy so that you too can offer powerful outreach to attract and invite new people to our God’s holy Church.

May God bless all the Orthodox Christians in North America, and may our humble efforts bring the peace of Christ to our land!