Στο κεντρικό του κάλεσμα ο π. Martin Ritsi αναφέρεται στο μήνυμα του Ορθόδοξου Ευαγγελισμού των Εθνών, που γίνεται χωρίς πολλά υλικά μέσα και χωρίς πολλούς εργάτες του Ευαγγελίου, χωρίς αρκετούς Ορθόδοξους Ιεραποστόλους. Από τις 250 βαπτίσεις νεοφωτίστων Ορθοδόξων Χριστιανών στη Βόρεια Κένυα, στη φυλή Τουρκάνα, μας μεταφέρει στην ελπιδοφόρο, νεοσύστατη και διαρκώς αυξανόμενη Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία στη Μογγολία! Ο Θεός εν Αγίω Πνεύματι ας ανοίξει πύλες Ορθόδοξης Ιεραποστολής σε όλο το κόσμο !
September 2011
“When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, ‘Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’” (Mark 8:34)
It is a joy for me to bear witness to you the fact that over this past year that OCMC has participated in nearly 250 of our brothers and sisters in the Turkana region of northern Kenya being baptized into the Body of Christ. While I was visiting with them in late July, a river that is dry for most of the year swelled with recent rains and permitted the baptism of over 100 on just one afternoon. I hear from many that it truly is a rare occurrence for the river to flow the way it always seems to flow during our visits, and many locals see this as a miracle from God for our visits. As I have grown closer to the Turkana people it has been beautiful to see how the Holy Spirit has prepared their hearts for the Orthodox faith. The joy that is felt when throngs of people line up to receive baptism, and begin a new life in Christ, in this swollen river is beyond words.
The Holy Spirit is preparing hearts of people like the Turkana throughout the world, but it is up to us, as Christ’s Church, to follow Him and the Church to bring the Gospel to these people.
It is with this same faith that we now follow Christ into the City of Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia, where Fr. Alexy Trubach and a small, but growing group of Orthodox faithful are just beginning to reach out into the predominantly Buddhist areas around the city.
Led by the Holy Spirit, the ministries of OCMC will be ready to respond as the future of the Church in these lands is revealed.
Through Christ’s example and teaching, each of us is called to “take up his cross” and follow Christ into the parts of the world where the Gospel has yet to be heard. Through your support of OCMC ministries, you are able to do this as you join the m issionaries and mission priests who have answered this call, and have often denied themselves many comforts, in order to bring more of our brothers and sisters into the Body of Christ.
Please prayerfully consider renewing your commitment with a gift for this vital work today as the Church becomes rooted in northern Kenya and as we continue to explore the potential of the Church in Mongolia. Thank you in advance for your renewed commitment to this work; we pray that you have a wonderful Feast of the Holy Cross, and a blessed new Church year!
In Christ,
Fr. Martin Ritsi
Executive Director
Ορθόδοξη Ιεραποστολή -Orthodox Mission -Mission Οrthodoxe - Misión Ortodoxa - Missão Ortodoxa - Missione Ortodossa - православная миссия- Misiunea Ortodoxă- 东正教使命 - रूढ़िवादी मिशन 