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The Mission of the Orthodox Church in America, the local autocephalous Orthodox Church, is to be faithful in fulfilling the commandment of Christ to “Go into all the world and make disciples of all Nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all [things that He has] commanded” so that all people may be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth:

To preach, in accordance with God’s will, the fullness of the gospel of the Kingdom to the peoples of North America and to invite them to become members of the Orthodox Church.

To utilize for her mission the various languages of the peoples of this continent.

To be the body of Christ in North America and to be faithful to the tradition of the Holy Orthodox Church.

To witness to the truth, and by God’s grace and in the power of the Holy Spirit, to reveal Christ’s way of sanctification and eternal salvation to all.

Adopted by the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, 1990.

Ancient Faith Ministries exists to carry out the Great Commission of Jesus Christ through accessible and excellently-crafted publications and creative media that educate, edify, and evangelize, leading to a living experience of God through His Holy Orthodox Church.

Ancient Faith Ministries is a department of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America with a pan-Orthodox outreach.

IOCC, in the spirit of Christ’s love, offers emergency relief and development programs to those in need worldwide, without discrimination, and strengthens the capacity of the Orthodox Church to so respond. We envision that, by God’s grace, IOCC will enable those suffering and in need to continue to improve their own lives and communities and to have means to live with dignity, respect, and hope. Since its inception in 1992, IOCC and its partners have provided more than $600 million in relief and self-help programs to people in more than 60 countries. Current programs focus on emergency relief, agriculture and food security, education, health, water and sanitation, and economic opportunity in places including Syria, Greece, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, the Balkans, and the United States. 2017 marks IOCC’s 25th anniversary celebration.

Our Mission

As the official missions agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States it is OCMC's mission to make disciples of all nations by bringing people to Christ and His Church.

Our Vision

That all people may come to know the saving love of our Lord: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Our Values

  1. We value proclaiming and witnessing Christ to all people with priority given to those who have never heard or accepted the Gospel.

  2. We value sharing the love of Christ for the care of the total person – spiritual and physical.

  3. We value ministry in the language and culture of the people.

  4. We value our people – well-trained Missionaries, Staff, Board, Supporters, Indigenous Leadership and those being served.

  5. We value communities, parishes, and individuals that are mission-minded and have active mission involvement.

  6. We value being an open and transparent agency that values the gifts of stewardship provided to us by the faithful.

Fr. Stephen is an Orthodox Priest under the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church in America. He serves as the Rector of St. Anne Orthodox Church in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

He is the author of numerous published articles and the book, Everywhere Present: Christianity in a One-Storey Universe. He is also the author of the popular podcast, Glory to God, on Ancient Faith Radio.

Fr. Stephen has a B.A. in Classical Languages from Furman University (1977), a M.Div. from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary (1980), and a M.A. in Theology from Duke University (1991). His thesis at Duke was entitled
The Icon as Theology.