On Thursday, November 13th, Fr. John Parker, the OCA's Chairman of the Department of Evangelization, offered a presentation and led a discussion on evangelism with us!

Fr. John's visit was part of a whirlwind speaking tour made possible by the diocese of New York and New Jersey in which he had travelled some 400 miles, giving four talks in two days. 

"Evangelism is not just a suggestion, but is, in fact, a commandment of our Lord" Fr. John said.  In speaking about his own journey into Orthodox Christianity he commented on the advantage of our faith in terms of beauty.  "As a former seeker myself, Orthodox Christianity is incomparably more beautiful than any other expression of Christianity in all of its expressions," he continued.

After a light meal was served, Fr. John spoke for about an hour taking questions along the way.  "It is important that we understand the need to keep our doors open to the community around us and be sensitive to the needs of our particular community when thinking about how to evangelize.  There is no formula, other than praying and identifying how to meet the needs of the people around us.  What might work in South Carolina might not work in Trenton and vice versa," commented Fr. John.

"As Orthodox Christians we don't just take the "Come and See" approach but are meant to live out the faith of the apostles who themselves went out, found people, and brought them to the Jesus Christ.  It would be my hope that all parishes, especially those in neighborhoods with so many opportunities like Trenton, would be faithful to the calling of our Lord and see how He blesses y'all."

After closing the evening talk, Fr. John graciously took questions from those in attendance on a one-on-one basis.