Latest Hopes and Dreams

Hello, fair readers! It's time for a "Hopes and Dreams" update.

Here's where I'm at at the moment. I see a new approach to Orthodox Evangelism in my mind's eye, and it goes something like this:

Personally speaking: Continue to take steps towards increased Reading and Acolyting experience, perhaps culminating in "the next step." Enjoy this process and don't rush things.

Discipleship: Start the small group Orthodox Bible Study soon, and grow it to the point where a mid-week praise and worship session / hymn-sing can be included. Eventually institute praying with each other. Throw in the best elements from protestant "cell groups."

When enough growth occurs, start up "men's groups" along the lines of John Eldredge or Marked Men for Christ.

Evangelism: Start helping one of my fellow parishoners with lay readers services down here in Parker.

Make the new goal absolutely packing out Saint Marks Orthodox Church to the point where a new mission in our area becomes necessary.

Methodology: The way we gain new members is to be a regional AND loyal sub-group of the larger group with our own unique emphasis and philosophy. We "hang out" together, just like those members of the so-called "house church" down the street from my wife and I, but we always convene at Saint Mark's on Sundays and we continue to give our time, talent and treasure faithfully to our mother parish.

In my opinion, some of the people we draw this way will stay with Saint Marks. They won't want the hassle of a new mission. But some of the most energetic will want a new mission when Saint Marks just can't hold all the people anymore.

The end result will be TWO vibrant Orthodox parishes.

Models to look at: I think the major way Saint Mark's can grow numerically is to take the approach that Emmanuel Orthodox Church and Saint Stephen's Orthodox Church has taken. We maintain our liturgical and musical standards but also allow for additional expressions and activities in our common life.

We do our uniquely Orthodox alternative to the Vatican II model: Always preserving the Divine Liturgy and its Holy integrity, while practicing the best things that we did when we were protestant christians "on the side", so to speak.

If we had a vital and dynamic small groups / cell groups ministry, I think many more people would strongly consider Holy Orthodoxy as a spiritual home.

And I plan to state UP FRONT that one of the goals is church growth and new missions, provided we fill up and improve life at Saint Mark's first.

This small groups ministry can bridge the gap for new converts, giving them the encouragement they are used to from their past traditions, allowing them to "catch their breath" figuratively speaking in doing the (for many of them) hard work of Orthodox worship and living. We practice a rigorous form of Christianity that many just aren't used to. One thing we aren't is "laid-back." Converting to Orthodoxy is an adjustment for a great many converts. We can help make that adjustment a much smoother one.

Our religion is "the Maximalist form of Christianity." Let's live like it and go after new families.

I believe Saint Marks is a special place, and that makes it something I want to see duplicated.

So "The Dream" is back, but with this new focus I've written about here.

Let's overcome the obstacles in our way and convert both lost people and heterodox christians, bringing them into the blessings of Holy Orthodoxy.

Saint Mark's first, then in God's good time, Saint Ambrose!

Forgive me,

Columba Siluoan.