INDONESIA ST. DEMETRIOS VIRTUAL MISSION TEAM
"Every member of the community that I interacted with had such zeal and love for the Orthodox faith, and it was such a joy to experience the faith with them each day.” – Lesia, ’19 Indonesia Team leader
MEDAN, Indonesia – Welcome to the Medan Virtual Mission Team. St. Demetrios Paroikia Orthodox Church will gather for 2-3 hours each day on November 4 and 5 to learn more about the Orthodox Faith. Under the Archdiocese of Singapore and South Asia, this community has been shepherded by Fr. Chrysostom Manula since its inception. Situated in the bustling city of Medan, St. Demetrios has provided a model of Christian love to this majority Muslim nation. One of Fr. Chrysostom’s first accomplishments was to establish the St. Demetrios Paroikia and soon after he opened the St. Paul Seminary next door. The goals of this Virtual outreach are to enrich people with the knowledge of God, to empower them to share the Orthodox Faith and the hope of Christ during this time of the Covid pandemic.
Indonesia is a country with over 230 million people, where only six religions are officially recognized: Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Catholicism and Protestantism. Bali is a predominantly Hindu region of Indonesia. Christianity accounts for less than 2% of the population, with many of them concentrated in. Most of the other islands are predominantly Muslim. Islam’s strength, influence in numbers, and power allow it to exert itself on the religious, political and social scenes, taking preferential treatment and limiting the activities of other faiths. Indonesia has a growing and diverse economy. Economic improvement was significantly reduced by economic crises in the last decade; recovery and new growth are still hampered. Endemic corruption exists and the need for economic reform still remains.
OCMC continues to support the strategic mission potential of the Metropolis of Singapore and South Asia and the Orthodox Church in Indonesia. Team members will provide support and assistance to the Church’s missionary initiatives which began thirty years ago in this nation where Christianity continues to be a minority faith.
Team members will teach, encourage and provide an expression of Christian love by giving of their time and talent to show how connected the Orthodox world truly is. Team members who have experience in parish ministry, youth work, camps or teaching (English, religious education) are needed.
Dates: November 4 & 5, 2021
Cost: $60
Fund raising – Team Members are encouraged fund raise to make this event successful and to support the unending work of missions.
Share in a journey of faith… Orthodox Mission Team members are challenged to view the world with God's eyes and seek how He wants to use them to fulfill His plans. This cross-cultural experience, combined with outreach, offers participants a life-changing learning experience. This experience is about people, culture and missions. It is also about prayer, for you and others; it is about God, those you serve, and about yourself, as you serve Him.
