Share the Faith is pleased to announce a new Business Development Coordinator has joined its staff! Tasked with expanding awareness of the critical need for Orthodox missions in America, and the role Share the Faith plays in meeting that need, Deacon Christopher brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience.
Rev. Deacon Christopher Purdef was born in Columbus, OH. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The Ohio State University in 1997, and then his MA in Applied Orthodox Theology from the Antiochian House of Studies in 2013.
He has been married to his wife Valentina, a schoolteacher, since 2001 and they have a son, Andrej, who loves aviation and writing short stories in his spare time.
Deacon Christopher has been a member of St. Ignatius Antiochian Orthodox Church in Mesa, Arizona since 2007. He was a two-term member of the Parish Council, guides the Men of St. Ignatius study group, directed community outreach for the parish, and has led a parish group meal service for the Greater Mesa Homeless Community since the beginning of his deaconate. Deacon Christopher was ordained in March 2013 and is attached to St. Ignatius under the spiritual guidance of the Very Rev. Dr. James Coles.
In the past, Deacon Christopher worked as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer writing small to medium sized grants for community development projects as well as soliciting funding for these grants from expat NGOs raising over 10,000 USD for the Municipality that he served. In addition, he has worked in outbound sales and account management for an online advertisement firm based out of San Francisco, while the last ten years have been dedicated to counseling students for various on-line Universities.
Deacon Christopher is dedicated to growing the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church in North America. He believes that nurturing new missions and supporting priests is paramount to achieving Christ’s Great Commandment:
My life’s work is embodied in Matthew 25:14-30. Our life as Christians is encompassed by our continual repentance and our life in Christ to acquire the Holy Spirit. In synergy with this, we are called to humbly speak the truth, live an example of Christ, and utilize the talents given to us by the Lord – be they meager. The Lord will make great use of them. But we mustn’t shirk away from this responsibility, nor allow others to downplay our role so that we inadvertently bury our talents, thinking ourselves unable to pursue the ministry He has called us too. His very ministry has been given to us to sow the seeds of the True Church with understanding that our almsgiving is tied to our repentance and acquiring of the Spirit. We must not bury what the Lord has entrusted in us rather utilize it to grow His Church and spread His Gospel, His Traditions, and His Mysteries.
Please join us in welcoming Deacon Christopher to his new and challenging ministry. To reach Deacon Christopher, please email him at DnChrisOCMA@outlook.com.
To help Deacon Christopher in his new role, please donate to help Orthodox missions!
