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Orthodox Christian Network (OCN) has announced its appointment of Melinda Johnson to the post of blog chief for “The Sounding” and the addition of new writers and topics to the blog. The revitalized “Sounding” will feature posts by an impressive collection of contributors.

• Jan Bear is a former staff writer for The Onion Dome website and author of Daily Prayer for Orthodox Christians; she writes about the odd junctures where the mundane becomes prophetic.
• Hollie Benton is an adviser to Orthodox Christian Fellowship at University of Washington-Seattle and works with the Antiochian Orthodox Department of Education.
• Grace Brooks is a lifelong culture-watcher who looks for the bright spots in the sublime and ridiculous world around us.
• Matushka Constantina strives for an Orthodox mindset: studying theology, painting icons, learning Byzantine chant, and visiting as many monasteries as possible while living in Greece.
• Bev Cooke is a writer for young adults and mid-grade kids. Her interests encompass almost everything, but she has a special spot for faith, jazz, cats, the disadvantaged and the underdog.
• Fr. Lawrence Farley is a priest in the Orthodox Church of America who loves preaching and writing about the Scriptures.
• Magnus Frangipani is an Orthodox poet and caregiver living in the Pacific Northwest who contributes a travel and nature column and poetry for The Sounding; glory to God for all things.
• James Hargrave is an OCMC Missionary serving in Tanzania who writes about the work of the Church in Africa.
• Jennifer Hock is married with four children. She writes about Orthodox education, traditions, homeschooling, infertility, and adoption.
• Katherine Johnson, author of evlogia and developer of the Orthodox homeschool curriculum Ages of Grace, will be sharing her thoughts and reflections on the many blessings of Orthodox family life as a wife and mother of seven.
• Maria C. Khoury, Ed. D., is an educator, internationally recognized human rights activist, and author of the beloved Christina books for children.
• Kelly Lardin is a wife, mother, and convert to Orthodoxy, offering her perspective on how to grow and to raise children in the Orthodox faith.
• Sylvia Leontaritis, author of the children's book A Pocketful of Seeds and creator of orthodoxmom.com, will be sharing her experiences with raising children in the Faith and creating an Orthodox atmosphere at home.
• Keith Andrew Massey is an author, Latin teacher, and scholar of biblical languages who writes on matters ranging from modern culture, to history, and the Bible.
• Theron Mathis, author of The Rest of the Bible, writes and lives in Louisville, KY, where he is involved in Parish Education focusing on the intersection of the Church and Scripture.
• Jane G. Meyer is an author, editor, and reviewer of children’s books, who will write “Behind the Book,” a special blog exploring the inside story on Orthodox books and authors we all enjoy.
• Fr. Ernesto Obregon will write about the ways Scripture and Holy Tradition speak to our life today and to the challenges our culture faces.
• Nicholas Papas is a master iconographer who puts his introspections, often inspired by icons, into words.
• Christy Pessemier, a daughter of a Greek immigrant, was raised in the Greek Orthodox Church and enjoys sharing her thoughts and experiences relating to her Orthodox Christianity and popular culture.
• Heather Zydek is a writer, teacher, middle-grade fiction author, and gardener who lives in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Learn more at www.heatherzydek.com.

The blog’s mission is to support the spiritual and natural well-being of its readers by providing well-written, positive, and thought-provoking Orthodox Christian content and fostering discussion of its application to life. The content of “The Sounding” has been expanded to address the breadth of topics Orthodox Christians encounter and ponder in their daily lives. New contributors specialize in subjects such as popular culture, education, spiritual journeys, children’s literature, adoption and infertility, Biblical commentary, health and nutrition, and Orthodox poetry.

Melinda Johnson, the new blog chief, joined the staff of OCN in December 2011. She is the author of Letters to Saint Lydia (Conciliar Press, 2010) and founder of the popular “Orthodox Writers, Readers, and Artists” series, which first appeared on her blog, “Saint Lydia’s Book Club.” The series will move to “The Sounding” this month. Melinda received a Master of Arts in English Literature from The College of William and Mary, and worked as an editor specializing in projects for non-native English speakers before becoming a full-time writer.

The Orthodox Christian Network has been an official agency of SCOBA since 2003 and is now working within the new Episcopal Assembly. Commissioned by our hierarchs to create a national, sustainable and effective media witness for Orthodox Christianity throughout North America, OCN produces the only nationally syndicated Orthodox Christian radio broadcast, as well as several other outreach programs, including DVDs and internet-based media, in direct collaboration with sister assembly agencies (e.g., IOCC, OCMC, OCF, OCPM), as well as with various Orthodox Christian jurisdictions and pan-Orthodox, para-church organizations. Our goal is to engage the broader culture of North America with Orthodox Christianity’s rich theological, spiritual, and moral heritage, and to thereby strengthen the Orthodox Church’s witness and contribution to the culture in which we live.

THIS WEEK FROM THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN NETWORK

THIS WEEK FROM THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN NETWORK