For what purpose does He [Jesus] go up into the mountain? To teach us that loneliness and retirement is good when we are to pray to God. With this view, you see, He is continually withdrawing into the wilderness, and there often spends the whole night in prayer, teaching us earnestly to seek such quiet in our prayers, as the time and place may confer. For the wilderness is the mother of quiet; it is a calm and a harbor, delivering us from all turmoil.
St. John Chrysostom
347 - 407 A.D.
About the Orthodox Fellowship of the Transfiguration
Ecumenical Patriarchate US Visit 2009 >
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Charlie Rose - Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch >
Charlie Rose - audio >
WELCOME to the Fellowship
I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly
Greetings in our Lord Jesus Christ!
It is with great joy that we, the members of the Steering Committee of the Orthodox Fellowship of the Transfiguration, introduce this website to the Orthodox Christian faithful of America and to all interested visitors.
In 2006 , our Fellowship was made an endorsed organization of SCOBA, the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in America. Our purpose is to provide an Orthodox response to the growing ecological crisis of our day and to be of service to the Church in a variety of ways. These include:
- to inform and educate regarding the nature of the environmental challenges that face us, to offer appropriate responses, and to show why it is important for us as Orthodox to do so;
- to explore and explain the teachings of our faith that call us to care for God’s creation, as obedient servants;
- to offer practical means to make our parish properties and our homes more environmentally friendly; and
- to call public attention to environmental degradation, both to people today, and to generations yet unborn.
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ declared that He came to grant us abundant life. This means an abundance of His presence, vigor, vitality, wisdom and light. It has never meant an indulgence in more than the planet can support, and it has never been at the expense of the fruitfulness of the creation.
We invite you to join us by becoming a member of the Fellowship. We also invite you to communicate with us. We humbly ask for your prayers, that our Lord may bless our endeavor and help it to grow.
We also ask for your financial support, which is always appreciated, but especially now, as we begin our work.
Fr. Christopher Bender
CHAIRMAN
