Christ is risen! TONIGHT, May 12, 2016, we invite you to participate in a live webinar giving parishioners across the Archdiocese a chance to hear from and interact with the group responsible for designing and implementing the Becoming Truly Human program. We will also share how this program is helping parishes across the Archdiocese offer God's sacrificial love to their non-Orthodox friends, family, and co-workers.
Earlier in his ministry Jesus foretold the crucifixion and its value when teaching his disciples that "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15:13). How often are we sacrificing ourselves for those we love? Jesus also told us to love our neighbor as ourselves, which means we should be demonstrating a sacrificial love to everyone we meet. The Becoming Truly Human program gives us an opportunity to demonstrate this sacrificial love by closing our mouths and opening our ears.
Father Michael Nasser, pastor of St. Nicholas in Grand Rapids, MI, will tell the story of how the Becoming Truly Human program helped him have 60 people at his Orthodoxy 101 class.
Nathan Jacobs, Ph.D., was hired by the Archdiocese to produce a feature film designed to engage both Orthodox Christians and the "nones," a growing demographic of the spiritually unaffiliated in America. On Wednesday, May 12, 2016 we will watch a short video in which he explains the film. Nathan will join us live on Thursday, May 18 to answer questions.
We will also be joined by Jim Blackstock, who has been a discussion leader for the program since March of 2015. In less than six months, Jim was able to grow a group of four to about 20 by using the discussion techniques of the program. Come hear how Jim has done this and how you can have this happen at your church as well.
In the final segment of the webinar, Sdn. Adam Lowell Roberts, Program Coordinator since July of 2014, will share the details you need to run the program at your parish. The webinar will be on May 12 at 8 p.m. Eastern, with a duplicate on May 18 at 1 PM Eastern. Subscribe to the first webinar online, and sign up for the second one here.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support, and we acknowledge with gratitude the guidance of our Metropolitan in this fruitful ministry.