Information
The Orthodox Fellowship
of the Transfiguration
Mission
The Orthodox Fellowship of the Transfiguration exists to hallow God’s Name “on earth as it is in heaven” by seeking the transfiguration of creation through the activation of the Christian calling toward transfigured life.
In the context of the liturgical life of the Orthodox Church, the Fellowship seeks to extend the transfiguring activity of the sacraments into all creation through ascetic practice, the keeping of the commandments, and the acquisition of virtue, thus restoring the beauty and integrity of God’s earthly temple.
Goals and Objectives
The Fellowship will initially undertake the following tasks:
- produce educational materials which support care of creation with an Orthodox understanding of the challenge;
- present Orthodox parishes and organizations with the rationale for care of God’s creation;
- convene conferences and gatherings on the implications of Orthodox faith and the environment;
- support His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I in his call for 1,000 “Green” Orthodox clergy and His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius IV’s call for the transfiguration of creation; and
- connect the spiritual practice of discipleship to the practical care of creation.
Additional long range tasks include:
- bring concern for God’s creation into every Orthodox parish and home;
- form local chapters to deepen understanding of responsibility for creation;
- construct ecological models for the faithful as a witness to the Orthodox doctrines of creation;
- address issues of environmental degradation from an Orthodox perspective;
- publish such materials as are consistent with the educational and spiritual goals of the Fellowship; and
- promote observance of September 1st as the Days of Prayers for God’s Creation.
Initial Programs
To initiate the work of the Fellowship we begin with a membership service and an occasional newsletter. Once administration for these programs is functioning, these will be supplemented with a literature service, a speakers’ bureau, and a library of resources.
In 2008 into 2009 we will host conferences, offer materials for Creation Sunday as well as youth and adult education, plus other resources dealing with respect for God’s creation. A website will emerge on the Transfiguration of Creation as well as a video service and chapter organization. We will also establish and expand a program called Christ in the Wilderness which restores awareness of the patristic understanding of lessons from creation that leads to the acquisition of the virtues.
