20 Feb Real Break Constantinople Brings Mission Home
Presentation of recent mission efforts inspires continued outreach.
On the most auspicious feast day of the Holy Apostle Bartholomew, the name-day patron of the reigning Patriarch of Constantinople, the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church welcomed back from mission (and school) its very own Irini Hatzopoulos and Christina Rotas.
Working through the Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) sponsored spring break program known as “Real Break,” the two graduate students chose to commit their spring break to missionary service in Constantinople.
The presentation which they prepared was illuminating.
Constantinople (Istanbul), which in 1923 was the home to about 130,000 Greek Orthodox Christians, sadly holds now somewhere between 2,000 and 4,000.
However, as both speakers learned, despite these many grievances we were not called to hatred but to hope.
Employing a useful analogy, our lives are just like the plaster-covered icons in many of the ancient churches of the City. We can either apply this plaster to our lives and prevent Christ’s light from shining through, or we can choose to let this light to shine as living icons of his creation.
Both speakers are currently completing their post graduate programs away from home. Irini Hatzopoulos attends the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Christina Rotas is completing her studies at Boston University.
The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church is committed to the support of both international and domestic missionary efforts through its Mission and Endowment funds.
For a .pdf link to their presentation, click here.
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