OCN Ministry Overview

Orthodox Christian Network (OCN), an agency of SCOBA, has been established to create a national, sustainable and effective media witness for the Orthodox Christian Church in North America. OCN produces high-quality programs and media tools for local parishes that reach people for Christ 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Our Mission

To strengthen the Orthodox communities of North America and to share the timeless faith of Orthodoxy with the contemporary world by using modern media: radio, the Internet, podcasts, DVDs, television and more.

Our Vision

To inspire the faithful everywhere; raise up our children; call back the wayward; and reach beyond to our cities and towns with the joyful, Christ-centered message of the Orthodox Christian Church.

Our Current Programs and Services

• Come Receive the Light: A weekly radio program heard in 100 cities in the U.S. and the Bahamas.
• The Ark: A 24/7 Internet radio station with contemporary Orthodox music and teaching programs with some of the best Orthodox speakers in North America.
• The Rudder: A 24/7 Internet radio station with traditional Orthodox chant from around the world and the same teaching programs and special features as the Ark.
• Podcasts: Including archives of CRTL and other special features, interviews, and programs.
• Sunday's Divine Liturgy: Broadcast online live from St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Fort Lauderdale, FL (home of OCN).
• Parish Arks: 24/7 Internet radio stations for local parishes. OCN partners with parishes who creates a customized version of the Ark that features local programming for each parish.
• MyOCN.net: a popular Web site that hosts the programs listed above and other material, including The OCN Blog and articles from a number of Orthodox scholars, priests and lay theologians.

OUR FOUNDER

Shaped by a life of service to Christ's Church, the Rev. Dr. Christopher T. Metropulos is dedicated to spreading the light of Orthodoxy across America by using all the tools God has placed at his disposal.

As founder and Executive Director of the Orthodox Christian Network, an official agency of SCOBA (The Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas), he shepherds a dynamic and rapidly expanding ministry that is bringing joy, hope and salvation in Jesus Christ to faithful Orthodox and those seeking the truth throughout the world.

Rev. Dr. Christopher T. Metropulos

In addition to his role as the Executive Director of OCN, Fr. Christopher has served as the pastor of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Fort Lauderdale, Forida since 1990-- a very active and vibrant community of more than 500 families. As Vicar of South Florida since 1998, he also oversees 11 parishes. Fr. Christopher ministers to a growing flock while reaching out to seekers across the region. Together with his wife of 28 years, Presbytera Georgia Mitsos, he labors to raise and guide six children. Presbytera Georgia is also from a priestly family. Her father, Fr. Constantine Mitsos, served the Church for 33 years in Cincinatti, Ohio.

Fr. Christopher holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Hellenic College of Brookline, Massachusetts; a Master of Divinity Degree from Brookline's Holy Cross School of Theology; and a Doctor of Ministry Degree from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and the Antiochian House of Studies. He has served the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America as Representative to the United Nations and United States Missions; Director and Dean of Admissions of Hellenic College and Holy Cross School of Theology; member of the Archdiocesan Council; President of the Archdiocesan Presbyter's Council for two consecutive terms; and council member of the Metropolis of Denver and Metropolis of Atlanta. He has also faithfully served several other parish communities: St. Demetrios Cathedral in Astoria, NY; Archangel Michael Church in Roslyn Heights, NY.; and Assumption Cathedral in Denver, CO.

OUR STAFF

OCN has been blessed with a dedicated group of professional staff members. We come from a variety of relevant professional backgrounds and are all committed to building a national, sustainable and effective media witness for the Orthodox Church. As a team, we bring a wide range of expertise to this ministry, with many decades of combined experience in broadcasting, Internet technologies, audio/video production, design, journalism and customer relations.

Our current team includes:

Rev. Dr. Christopher T. Metropulos
Executive Director and CEO

Fr. Chris is the founder of OCN and host of Come Receive the Light (CRTL), our flagship radio program. Fr. Chris believes passionately in OCN’s mission and brings 27 years of experience as an Orthodox clergyman to his successful ten-year tenure at OCN’s helm.

Anne Danckaert
Office Manager

Anne oversees the daily operation of OCN’s main office and serves as OCN’s bookkeeper. She came to OCN from Harvard Business School, where she created complex databases for the world’s largest collection of business-related historical material.

Seraphim Danckaert
Coordinator of Annual Giving

Seraphim oversees volunteers, all donor programs and related publications, as well as customer support and advertising for all Internet radio affiliates. He received his M.Div. with highest distinction from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology.

Rev. Fr. Spiro Bobotas
Producer

Fr. Spiro has worked at OCN for seven years in many capacities. He currently runs our on-site studio and produces CRTL, as well as many of our teaching programs and special features on The ARK, The RUDDER and our Web site.

Ron Spiegel
Engineer

Ron serves as the on-site engineer for all programming at OCN, especially Internet media. He has more than 30 years of professional technical and production experience and owns Astoria Communications, Inc., a full-service audio/visual presentation company.

Mike Trout
Syndication Director/Post-production

Mike has worked in broadcasting since 1967. He is internationally recognized for his high-profile career as Senior VP of Broadcasting and co-host of Focus on the Family. He and his team at Next Wave Radio produce and distribute CRTL, The ARK and The RUDDER.

Emmy Louvaris
Internet Media Producer

Emmy has been with OCN since its earliest days and has served as a co-host of CRTL. She continues to produce media segments, especially music-related content on The ARK. She also records special features and breaking news segments.

Cameron Thorp
Graphic Designer

Cameron creates our logos, publications, and material for our Web sites and weekly newsletter. He has won many professional awards, and his company, Thorp Design, has many well know clients, including the History Channel, Texaco Racing and Scholastic.

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Honorary Chairman/Advisor
His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios, Honorary Chairman/Advisor
Rev. Dr. Christopher T. Metropulos, Executive Director
Dr. George Mekras, Chairman
Nicholas Furris
Evangeline Gouletas
Tom Leon
Alex Machaskee
Garry Paxinos
Lee Zapis

NEED FOR FUTURE GROWTH

The Orthodox Church has been blessed with the true Faith, but, as St. Paul once asked the Romans, how can people hear about the truth unless someone tells them? Very few people even know of the Church’s existence, and many of our own faithful don’t always have access to Orthodox spiritual and theological teachings in a format that they can easily access and enjoy on a daily basis.

And yet, according to the Census Bureau’s annual Statistical Abstract of the United States, the average American spends more time watching TV, listening to the radio, surfing the Internet and reading newspapers than anything else, except breathing. Yes, you did read that correctly!

Whether we like it or not, the truth is now undeniable: We live in a media-dominated culture. And that means that media messages exert an unparalleled influence on people’s daily lives.

Let’s face it. The modern world desperately needs to hear the joyful message of Orthodox Christianity. Our own parishes need to be able to communicate with, encourage and engage their faithful more often than on Sundays. The best way to meet these pressing needs is to use the mass media tools already available to us.

Most Christian Churches and even many other types of organizations have well funded, sophisticated media outreach programs. It’s time for the Orthodox Church to stand up once again for Christ and share the light of our precious Orthodox Faith with the world! That’s exactly what our SCOBA hierarchs have commissioned Orthodox Christian Network to do, and, with your prayers and support, we’re succeeding!

HOW YOU CAN HELP

• Call us and ask how you can help bring Come Receive the Light to a radio station in your area.

• Sign up on our Web site, www.myocn.net, to receive our FREE weekly newsletter via e-mail.

• Help your parish become a “Share the Light Parish.” When you do, your parish will receive its own fully programmed Orthodox Internet radio station, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your parish will also receive a CD album with a year’s worth of Come Receive the Light programs to start a listening library.

• Ask about becoming a Share the Light Partner. A Share the Light Partner is a financial supporter who commits to helping OCN create a truly sustainable national media outreach for the Church. When you become a Share the Light Partner, you will receive a special gift from Fr. Chris and a quarterly newsletter mailed to you to keep you informed about OCN’s growth.

• Tell others about Come Receive the Light, the national Orthodox radio program, and OCN’s new programs like The ARK and The RUDDER, available online EVERY DAY of the week!

• Become a member of our Global Advancement Team, a group of volunteers who are helping us share the light of Orthodoxy with the world!

CONTACT INFORMATION

Orthodox Christian Network
PO Box 4690
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33338-4690

Phone: 954-522-5567
Toll free: 877-273-2348
Fax: 954-467-0212
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
URL: www.myocn.net