FOCA Convention Closing Remarks

As we draw this 98th FOCA Convention to a close, thanks be to God for the work that you have put forth.  Your discussion has given all of us many things to think about.  The question was raised, “who are we, and what are we?” In the brief time that I have had to reflect on that, I have to say that we are the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in America.  We pray, study, toil and be temperate.

The life of the Church must have three things to thrive.  First and foremost, there must be a substantial spiritual life.  Without that, there is no purpose to exist.  Secondly, there must be a financial element.  There has to be a way to pay for clergy, maintenance, and all of the other financial obligations.   Finally, there has to be a social connection for parishioners.  That, my fellow members, is what we have been doing for nearly 100 years.  Do we need an organization to make this happen at our individual parishes? The straight answer is no.  However, if we want to be connected beyond our own parishes, we must build on what we have always been and what the Holy Synod has recognized us to be.  

How many of you know people from other parishes only because of the FROC and the FOCA?  How many of your fellow parishioners not in the organization know few, if anyone else, from other parishes in your deanery and beyond.  We have been connecting with others for decades!

The entire crux of this definition of who we are and what we are is that we are the organization that “binds us together” as Orthodox Christians everywhere.  Somehow, we have allowed ourselves to become complacent with living in our own communities and not realizing what we are missing by not getting together.  What may be missing is that drive to connect with others.  

So many of our parishes have gone through a period of time when we had many more funerals than baptisms and chrismations.  All we could do is focus on “how are we going to survive?”  Perhaps, we forgot to stay connected to those who were with us through all of the joys and sorrows of life. 

Thanks be to God, so many of our parishes are now experiencing growth.  As admitted here, we have so many converts to Orthodoxy now present in our parishes.  The joys and sorrows that we share with our FOCA family in every member, chapter, and district should be something that we preach about to newcomers.  They need to learn from us how we are connected as a fellowship.  

As Metropolitan Tikhon said in his brief address: “the FOCA is not a fraternal organization or a club working for its members.  You have dedicated yourselves to the whole needs of the Orthodox Church in America.  Matushka Olga saw the needs of her friends and neighbors and addressed them.”

We are charged to do just that.  Christ and his disciples had no internet.  They grew the Faith.  We must clearly define who we are and what we are by really examining what brought us into this organization and share with others why they should want to connect with others across the FOCA.  

We have work to do.  I fully believe that Christ Himself knows that you have always answered the call to “go and make disciples.”  We all must pray even more to find the best path for each of us to share the true meaning of the FOCA and bring others to our understanding of who we are, what we are, and why we do it.