Christian group seeks members

The JMU chapter of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship, a national campus ministry organization, is in the beginning stages of its formation and actively is seeking out new members from the JMU community.

Sophomores Dean Gakos and Deena Khalil founded JMU's Orthodox Christian Fellowship at JMU.

Gakos and Khalil attend services together at St. Nicolas Orthodox Mission in Charlottesville, where they met Lee Congdon, a member of the church and a professor of history at JMU.

Through his involvement with St. Nicolas, Congdon already has made the acquaintance of several students involved in the University of Virginia chapter, and has agreed to help found a chapter of OCF on JMU's campus.

While Orthodox Christians make up a small percentage of JMU's population, Gakos said this fact gives more reason to create a campus organization that recognizes them and prevents those students from feeling isolated in their beliefs.

"Orthodox Christians are a distinct minority here, and an OCF chapter would give them an opportunity to meet and enjoy the fellowship of other young people who share their faith," Congdon said.

Khalil said, "It is my hope that the chapter of OCF that we will start here will grow so that Orthodox students who come to JMU will have a way to stay in touch with their faith while at college. By having an OCF, students will be able to reach out to one another and worship together."

The new chapter of OCF will encompass both social and spiritual activities ranging from informal gatherings, such as pizza parties and movie nights, to listening to guest speakers and participating in retreats. Members will be encouraged to help organize and participate in various fellowship events, including outreach and charitable activities.

The new chapter just is beginning to take shape, but Gakos spoke enthusiastically about plans for the future.

"One of our long-term goals is to become philanthropic," Gakos said. "Reaching out in service to the community is a very important aspect of our faith, and we look forward to any contributions we can make."

In addition to Congdon, who will serve as faculty adviser, Rev. Robert Holet of the same Charlottesville church has agreed to sign on as spiritual adviser to JMU's chapter of OCF.

Those who are interested can visit the Web site of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship at www.ocf.net.
Students also may contact Gakos at gakosdj regarding questions and additional information.