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	Major Issues Dominate Proceedings of Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas Greek News October 9, 2006 http://www.greeknewsonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=5546 Chicago, IL – Twenty-seven canonical hierarchs of the Orthodox Christian Church in the Americas convened in Chicago last week under the chairmanship of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios to "solidify the bond of brotherhood that exists among canonical Orthodox Churches in the Americas and provide the opportunity for the hierarchs to review the work of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas." The Conference, headquartered at the O'Hare Marriott Hotel is the third such SCOBA Conference, the two previous being held in 1994 and 2001. The opening session began with a prayer service and welcoming remarks followed by a series of reports regarding the philanthropic and social work of SCOBA Agencies. There was extensive discussion regarding the work of International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), currently involved in several parts of the world including Ethiopia, the West Bank and continuing Hurricane Katrina assistance. Extensive discussion also took place on the work of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) and its many national and international missionary projects, the Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF), a growing campus ministry and the newly organized Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM). The evening concluded with official welcoming remarks by Archbishop Demetrios who challenged the participants to work towards full cooperation of all Orthodox to expand programs and cooperation and social interaction for all age groups, particularly the young. The Orthodox Church officials, represent churches formed by Greek, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Syrian, Lebanese and other immigrants. The assembly will "exemplify the bond of brotherhood that exists" among the churches, Archbishop Demetrios, head of the Greek Orthodox Church in America and chairman of the Standing Conference, told the Associated Press. Two papers on the Diaconate, Remembering and Reclaiming Diakonia of Deacon Dr. John Chryssavgis and Toward a Complete Expression of the Diaconate: Discerning the Ministry Women Deacons of Dr. Kyriaki Karidoyannes FitzGerald, presented a thorough insight and understanding of the diaconate in the historical Church and its significance today. The presentation on Sexual Abuse and Misconduct by Father Alexander Karlgut informed the hierarchs of the practical aspects of dealing with sexual abuse and misconduct and stressed their ability to lower the risk of misconduct through preventative measures. Also, he said that SCOBA has a unique role to play in coordinating a unified educational approach on sexual abuse and misconduct-workshops in seminaries and for the clergy throughout North America. Father Jonathan Ivanoff presented the report on Issues in Coordinating and Establishing New and Mission Parishes, which looked at the challenges of establishing a viable and healthy North American mission field. Keeping Young People Connected in the Church was presented by Fathers Mark Leondis, Jonathon Tobias and Kevin Sherer and Natalie Kapeluck. A major program in this effort will be a Summit of Youth in the Church scheduled for 2008. The leaders represent an ancient tradition that has nearly 220 million followers worldwide, according to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Hamilton, Massachusetts. Yet the Orthodox presence in the United States is relatively minor. Collectively, they serve about 5.9 million people -- and several of the jurisdictions are shrinking, according to the center's research. The Conference was concluded Friday morning with a Divine Liturgy at Holy Resurrection Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Chicago.
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