On November 29, 2009, servants of the churches in the southern region of the Diocese gathered at St. Mary and St. Verena Coptic Orthodox Church in Anaheim for a Servants’ Meeting.
His Grace Bishop Serapion opened the meeting with a prayer followed by a lecture entitled "Who is the Orthodox Servant?" This lecture addressed stereotypes concerning practices and attitudes in the service that are considered Orthodox and not Orthodox. His Grace taught the gathering that the true Orthodox servant is the one who adopts the Mind of Christ in both word and deed. The Mind of Christ is something that is learned from the Church, which is the Body of the Christ and which stands on three pillars of Living Tradition: the Holy Scriptures, the Patristic heritage, and the Divine Liturgy. His Grace also encouraged servants in today’s modern society to reach out to people who embrace the Orthodox Faith from other nationalities, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds. His Grace described this missionary work as one of the challenges in the modern service. Also, His Grace emphasized the importance of the Living Tradition of the Church.
After His Grace’s lecture, the servants enjoyed a break and agape meal in the church hall, followed by discussion groups for each level of service (i.e., college, high school, etc.) Participants then entered the church for a Q&A session with His Grace concerning issues in the service.
We thank God for this spiritual and edifying gathering to enrich servants in the Diocese through the teachings of the Church from the mouth of our beloved bishop.
Audio
Who is the Orthodox Servant? by Bishop Serapion
Video
Who is the Orthodox Servant? from Coptic Diocese of Los Angeles on Vimeo.
