The 16th Annual Ancient Christianity Conference hosted by the Brotherhood of St. Moses the Black is scheduled to take place May 29-31, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana at the Martin House Hotel. The theme of the conference this year is “Jesus Christ: Joy and Sorrow“. The conference features prayer, spiritual music, Divine Liturgy, and fellowship, with a focus on Orthodox spiritual life. To learn more, View the Conference Poster.
This past March the St. Mary of Egypt family and Reconciliation Services welcomed the arrival of Fr. Justin Matthews, Matushka Katherine/Jodi and sons. We are blessed to have them here as members of our parish and as co-workers in the ongoing effort to help those in need.
Fr. Justin is the Executive Director of FOCUS (Fellowship of Orthodox Christians United to Serve) which was started this year as a “network of Orthodox Christian social action ministries and social action workers“. This newly formed non-for-profit organization is a much needed and long awaited aspect of mission and outreach for the Church. The Mission of FOCUS is “to express Christ’s love in North America for those who are hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick or in prison (Matt. 25:35-6) by providing aid including food, occupations, clothing, understanding, and shelter.”
Please visit the website and find out more at http://www.focusnorthamerica.org/
Father Paisius (David) Altschul, Executive Director and Clinical Social Worker at Reconciliation Services in Kansas City, is the 2009 recipient of the Shirley Chisholm Leadership Award. The award is sponsored by the University of Central Missouri in honor of Shirley Chisholm, notable politician and activist who espoused the viewpoint: “Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on the earth.”
Fr. Paisius obtained a Bachelor’s in Social Work from the University of Central Missouri in 2005, and a Master’s in Social Work from University of Missouri/Kansas City in 2006. This education enabled him to receive further training in psychotherapy, community development, program evaluation, and co-occurring disorders to better serve the community around the Troost Corridor. Practicum training was provided at Jewish Vocational Service, Operation Breakthrough, and Don Bosco’s “Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages” (TESOL) program. Prior to founding Reconciliation Services, Father Paisius was the Social Work Coordinator with Jewish Vocational Service, working primarily with refugees and “Temporary Assistance for Needy Clients” (TANF) program recipients. In the Fall of 2005, he helped to establish Reconciliation Services.
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