orthodoxy in a hostile world

ORTHODOXY IN A

HOSTILE WORLD

QUIZ TIMEWHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO

FIND AT YOUR CHURCH NEXT SUNDAY??

HOW ABOUT A NEW PAROLE OFFICER IN YOUR TOWN

WHO ALSO TELLS YOU HE WOULD LOVE TO WORK WITH YOUR YOUTH IF YOU

NEED HIM

HOW ABOUT A MAN WITH LONG DREDLOCKS

WHO TALKS TO YOU IN “RASTA-ESE” AND YOU CAN’T REALLY UNDERSTAND A

WORD HE IS SAYING

WHO DO YOU CHOOSE?A OR B

HOW ABOUT A WELL DRESSED SMILING MAN

WHO TURNS OUT TO BE INCREDIBLY WELL READ IN ORTHODOXY AND IS

LIVING A VERY PIOUS LIFESTYLE.

HOW ABOUT A MEAN ANGRY LOOKING MAN

WHO JUST STARES AT YOU AND NEVER SAYS A WORD

WHO DO YOU CHOOSE?A OR B

HOW ABOUT AN ORTHODOX MONK ICONOGRAPHER

WHOSE ABBOT HAS SENT HIM TO FINISH THE ICONOGRAPHY IN YOUR

CHURCH FOR FREE!

HOW ABOUT A MAN WITH TATOOS ALL OVER HIS ARMS

WHO SEEMS TO BE ANGRY WITH EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING

WHO DO YOU CHOOSE?A OR B

TO SWEETEN THE DEAL ALL OF THE A’s ARE GOING TO TITHE 10%

3 OF THESE MEN WILL BE WAITING AT THE DOOR OF YOUR CHURCH THIS SUNDAY…

WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

BEFORE GRADING YOUR QUIZ SCORES, HERE’S

TWO HINTS TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR ANSWERS

COULD YOU CHOOSE BETWEEN THESE TWO?

BA PROSTITUTE FROM

YOUR TOWN

(PICTURE NOT AVAILABLE)

A ST. MARY OF EGYPT

HOW ABOUT THESE TWO?

BA MURDERER AND A

ROBBER

(PICTURE NOT AVAILABLE)

AST. MOSES OF ETHIOPIA

YES! EACH OF THESE PICS REPRESENT THE SAME MAN!

Each one is made in the image & likeness of God!!

LORD, HELP US TO SEE OTHER PEOPLE THROUGH YOUR EYES!

• Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man. Genesis 9

• “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. Matthew 5

HOSTILE AND UNLOVELY PEOPLE CAN AND DO BECOME

SAINTS

MAY WE SEE PEOPLE NOT AS THEY ARE BUT AS THEY COULD BECOME THROUGH THE HOLY

ORTHODOX FAITH

DID YOU KNOW?

• U.S.A. HAS 5% OF THE WORLD’S POPULATIONAND IN 2008 HAD 25% OF THE WORLD’S PRISONERS• BY END OF 2009, U.S.A. HAD 7,225,800 PEOPLEON PROBATION, PAROLE, OR IN PRISON/JAIL• LAST PUBLISHED RESULTS ON RECIDIVISM WERE FOR

SOMEONE BEING RELEASED FROM PRISON IN 1994IN 3 YEARS TIME 67.5% OF THEM WERE RE-ARRESTED • DID YOU KNOW THAT THE U.S.A. IS #1 IN THE WORLDINCARCERATION RATE WAS 743/110K IN 2009

Icon of Christ the Prisoner Courtesy of OCPM Minnesota

VISITING JESUS IN PRISON

When the Son of Man comes in His Glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His Glory…Then the King will say to those on His right hand: “Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you for the foundation of the earth…for I was in prison and you visited me.”

Then the righteous will answer Him: “Lord, when did we see You…in prison and visit You? And the King will answer and say to them: “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:31-46

www.ocpm-scoba.org

ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN PRISION MINISTRY

BRINGING THE LIGHT OF CHRIST

TO THOSE WHO LIVE IN DARKNESS

WHAT IS OCPM DOING•OCPM ministers to nearly 1,000 men and women who are in prison or who have recently been released.  Many have embraced the Orthodox Faith, while others who were already Orthodox found their way back to The Church.

•Five men have been tonsured Orthodox monks in prison and several others have become Iconographers.

•There are currently over 300 Orthodox catechumens in jails and prisons across America.

MORE OF WHAT IS OCPM DOING

•Many of the men and women whose lives have been touched by OCPM are now out of prison and leading productive, Christ-centered lives as active members of their local parishes.

•OCPM has published 8 books and distributed more than one million copies to prisons.

•Over two million icon prayer cards have been printed and distributed.

MORE OF WHAT IS OCPM DOING

•OCPM ministers monthly to more than 300 homeless and needy people, including families of those in prison.

•OCPM sends more than 5,000 personal letters to those in prison each year offering them spiritual guidance and hope. 

OCPM BOOKS

PRAYER CATECHISM READINGS JOURNEY PRISONBOOK MINISTRY TRAINING GUIDE

OCPM PAMPHLETS

OCPM ICONSOCPM HAS 22 DIFFERENT ICONS

MORE OCPM ICONSALL CAN BE SEEN AT OCPM-SCOBA.ORG

Current & Future Programs• Development of a seminary-level prison ministry

curriculum similar to the one currently in place at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, and the encouragement of prison ministry as a priestly vocation.

• Development of a certifying body for Orthodox prison workers.

• Development of a parish training program to facilitate the creation of parish-level prison ministries all over North America.

More Current & Future Programs• The continued publication and distribution of Orthodox

materials for people in prison and prison workers.

• Organization of Orthodox in-prison retreats.

• Provision of mental health and substance abuse counseling to people in prison.

• Maintenance and growth of weekly prisoner correspondence programs.

• Maintenance and growth of Aftercare program.

And More Current & Future Programs• Ministry to the material and spiritual needs of

the families of people in prison.

• Aggressive lobbying for the recognition of the Orthodox Faith in every prison. (Currently, the Orthodox Church is recognized in only a few institutions.)

• Provision of a convenient source of materials and networking opportunities for Orthodox prison workers throughout North America.

HOW CAN YOU BECOME INVOLVED?

BECOMING AN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN PRISON MINISTRY VOLUNTEER

20 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO VOLUNTEER IN A JAIL OR PRISON

(HANDOUT TO DISCUSS)

HOW CAN YOU BECOME INVOLVED?

BECOMING A PARTNER WITH ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN PRISON

MINISTRY

ACCOMPLISHING THE MISSION AND VISION OF OCPM WILL TAKE RESOURCES. YOUR DONATION WILL HELP BRING THE LOVE OF CHRIST TO SOME

BROKEN LIVES.

BECOMING A DONOR• OCPM is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, so all

donations are tax-deductible.

• DONATIONS CAN BE MADE RIGHT NOW

• OR SEND YOUR DONATION VIA POSTAL MAIL TO:

• OCPM P.O. Box 468Fleetwood, PA 19522-0468

BECOMING A DONOR• For added convenience, you

can now donate online using your credit or debit card

DONATE SECURELY ONLINE AT:www.ocpm-scoba.org

“Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to

one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.”

Matthew 25:31-46

www.ocpm-scoba.org