2014 ACM Fall Newsletter

This year we celebrate 10 years of Annapolis Pan-Orthodox College Ministry (ACM).  We think of the hundreds of students and midshipmen who have been exposed to Orthodox Christianity and the fullness of the life in Christ along with the fourscore who have embraced Christ and His holy Church over these past 10 years.  We give thanks to God for your faithful participation in this ministry, which has made this ministry possible.  Some of you have been with us since our founding in 2004 and some of you have become participants in the ministry more recently.  All of you have been used by God to enable this outreach to continue.

ACM was one of the first full-time discipleship-oriented college ministries in the Orthodox Church.  Sadly, it’s now one of but a few.  Arguably, there’s never been a greater need for faithful Orthodox Christian college ministry than now!  Our youth face a barrage of secular, nihilistic and relativistic peer pressure from our culture and fellow students and need the anchor that formation in the time-less truth of Christ provides. 

ACM has given 10 years worth of students and midshipmen the opportunity to come to Christ and His holy Church, and those already Orthodox to grow in and ‘own’ their faith.  For others, ACM has given them the opportunity to consider the timeless truth of Christ and the Good News of salvation in Him for the first time. 

Now, as we celebrate our 10^th year, ACM is facing one of its greatest financial challenges.  While our budget (and my support for my growing family of five) has NOT increased for several years, contributions from our faithful supporters have sadly declined.   We do not take any contributions for granted.  We thank God for you!

Here’s a short synopsis of the last 10 years: Take a look!

• ·       ACM founds two new chapters of Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF)—our North American-wide Orthodox college ministry—at St. John’s College and the U.S. Naval Academy.
• ·       2005.  Then Sub-Deacon Robert begins Full-time college ministry in Annapolis with weekly services on the campuses, teaching, and discipling in the Faith.  Annual Fall retreat begins!
• ·       By 2006, several St. John’s students and a mid have converted to Orthodox Christianity.  Plebe Summer ministry begins each summer at the U.S. Naval Academy.  More ‘seeds’ are planted.
• ·       2007-2008, another several students and another midshipmen embrace Christ and His holy Church.  Many of those Orthodox grow in applying their Orthodox Faith in Christ to their daily lives! 
• ·       2009.  Several others come to Christ and His holy Church.  Fr. Robert ordained to the diaconate.
• ·       2010.  Plans begin for a Mission in Annapolis so the students and midshipmen can worship and receive the Sacraments locally (instead of traveling to Baltimore or D.C.).  Fr. Robert ordained to the priesthood.
• ·       2011.  More students “put on Christ” in baptism (Gal. 3:27) as Holy Archangels Mission founded in Annapolis by the students.
• ·       2012-13.  Additional baptisms and chrismations of students at the new Mission.  In 2012, Fr. Robert begins leading the OCF Realbreak trips to the orphanage at Valea Plopului, Romania for college students across North America.
• ·       2014.  ACM celebrates 10 years of ministry to the student and mids of Annapolis.  Fr. Robert and Psa. Krissy welcome their third child into the world—Simeon Mihai Miclean.

Hundreds of students and midshipmen have been given the opportunity to grow in their Orthodox Faith and come to Christ and His holy Church. Click here to read the rest

2014 ACM Lenten Newsletter

Dear Friends of Annapolis Pan-Orthodox College Ministry:

OCF Romania RealBreak 2014

Christ is in our midst!  It’s with great joy that I write to you following our 2014 OCF Realbreak mission trip to Romania.  The mission trip and pilgrimage with Orthodox student leaders from around the country took place from March 22-29.  It was a tremendous blessing to minister Christ’s love to “the least of these.”  And Christ gave us so much in return.

After arriving in Romania’s capital, Buchuresti, the ten of us traveled to Valea Scrazii and the Pro Vita (“For Life”) ministry, where we jumped right in encouraging the adults who care for the orphans, abandoned or abused children,  and the women, families, and elderly who have sought refuge in this safe haven of Christ’s holy Church.  

We prayed Evening Prayers with the children and I served Vespers for them, which was a particular blessing since they no longer have a priest serving in the village.  We played with the children and brought many smiles to their faces, we read to them, we held them, we shared the love of Christ and His Church with them.  We became part of their family. 

There were some things that made us sad: one beautiful little girl, three years old (the same age as my daughter) also shared the same name, Anastasia, which means “the resurrection.”  She has a brain tumor and is not expected to live.  We spent time taking turns holding her as she is not able to walk.  God gave us comfort in such situations, seeing that our love and affection was ministering to the children and their care-takers alike.  The children opened their hearts to us and enabled us during those days to love them, pray for them, play with them, and remind them that they are not forgotten by their brothers and sisters in Christ far off upon the seas. 

We came to minister to the 400 plus children of Pro Vita, our little brothers and sisters in Christ, but we found that Christ was using us in far more ways than we could have even anticipated: I was able to hear the life confessions of two of the women who have sought refuge at Pro Vita, fleeing abuse and the girls on the trip ministered to the women of Pro Vita in diverse ways. 

While we came to be a blessing and to minister to others, we found that we were at least equally, if not more, blessed ourselves.  As a priest, I was so greatly blessed and humbled to lead this group of young adults and to see God working in each of their lives through their encounters with the children, adults, and others they ministered Christ’s presence to. 

Click Here to read more (please note that the faces of the children have been blurred for online presentation and for their safety)

ACM 2013 Christmas Newsletter

Dear Friends of Annapolis Pan-Orthodox College Ministry (ACM):

Glory to Jesus Christ!  Glory to Him forever!  I pray that this newsletter finds you healthy and well, full of the light of this holy season of preparation for the Nativity of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I have much to report to you on our shared ministry to the college students of Annapolis!  I say “shared” because your prayers and financial support of this ministry are a vital and indispensible participation in this ministry that is helping form these young men and women in the knowledge and love of Christ at St. John’s College and the U.S. Naval Academy. 

There is perhaps no greater time of formation in a person’s life than those four years of college where boys and girls enter and leave young men and women.  College is truly a ‘testing ground’: no parents to make them say their prayers and participate in the life of the Church, and college life is full of many temptations, as well as a growing secularism.  ACM is here only by God’s grace and your participation to encourage, challenge, provide Christian fellowship, teaching, discipleship, and the Sacramental life that these students and midshipmen need. 

Because of your support, I can be on campus in the middle of the day to pray the Sixth Hour at the Naval Academy, hear confessions, meet for coffee with a midshipman or St. John’s student in between classes, hold special services on campus—just as we did last week: the Nativity Paraklesis at St. John’s, a beautiful preparatory service for the Advent season, and the strengthening Akathist to St. Nicholas on his Feast Day, 6 December, at the Naval Academy.

We started something new this Fall at St. John’s College: our weekly “Applied Orthodox Theology Discussion.”  Every week a new topic of import for our Christian lives was discussed, the topics chosen by the participants.  This was also a great opportunity to invite others from campus to join us.  Our visitors included a Sikh student and others new to Orthodox Christianity. 

I want to thank you for valuing the difference for Christ that this ministry is making in the lives of the Orthodox students at St. John’s College and the U.S. Naval Academy.  I also want to use this opportunity to ask for your prayers:

As you know, three years ago we started Holy Archangels Orthodox Mission to better minister to the students and midshipmen of Annapolis.  While we meet just two miles from the Academy, we are looking for worship space for our church within walking distance of both campuses. 

Click Here to read more

ACM 2013 Summer Newsletter

Dear Friends and Faithful Supporters of Annapolis Pan-Orthodox College Ministry (ACM):

The Need for ACM has Never been Greater

Glory to Jesus Christ!  The need for ACM has never been greater: Our culture continues its godless, secular trajectory, leading our college students into greater confusion.  Many are formed by the culture and not by the Church. 

ACM brings the timeless, changeless truth of Christ and His Church to the college students on their campuses—St. John’s College and the U.S. Naval Academy.  ACM is present to help the students and midshipmen of these two venerable and historic colleges to use their four years of formation to grow in their knowledge and love of Christ and not be conformed to the culture.  ACM helps others to come to Christ and His Church, so that, they may not be, “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine… in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting…” (Eph. 4:14).  ACM provides the refuge of the Church in the midst of the confusion of the culture.

Some two dozen have come to Christ and the holy Orthodox Faith through ACM since its 2004 inception.  This Fall marks our ninth year sharing the love of Christ and the Orthodox Faith with them.  For those already strong in their faith, ACM provides a place to continue to grow and invite friends to experience the divine worship and teaching that Christ first entrusted to His disciples.  For those struggling, ACM provides a safe harbor to learn God’s love and purpose for their lives and experience sacramental healing.

Ministry this Summer at the USNA

This summer has been full of ministry opportunities at the U.S. N.A.  Our ministry to the incoming class of plebes (freshmen) started June 30 and continues through August 15, the Feast of the Holy Dormition.  In addition to offering Sunday services, Fr. Robert is with the plebes every Friday night for prayers, fellowship, and a teaching on one of the ‘military’ Saints: inspiring luminaries and lovers of Christ  like St. Alexander Nevsky, St. Stephen the Great, St. Tamar, King of Georgia, St. George the Great Martyr.  It’s a chance to instill in the plebes the truth that a good leader is a godly leader, as they can witness in the lives of these and other Saints, who also served in the military and glorified God with their lives. In August, the two Great Feasts of the Transfiguration and the Dormition will be served at the Academy so that the plebes and any midshipmen serving this summer, won’t miss out.  Our Mission, Holy Archangels, an outreach that came out of ACM, will join us for the services. 

 Click Here to read more

ACM 2013 Lenten Newsletter

Dear faithful friends of Annapolis Pan-Orthodox College Ministry:

We have so much to be thankful for: This ministry, started in 2004, has been blessed to keep going and growing.  Holy Archangels Orthodox Mission has emerged out of the desire of the college students for local worship and a place to bring their friends and classmates seeking the truth of Christ.  Weekly services and pastoral counseling and mentoring are offered students at St. John’s College and the midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy and for the first time, we have engaged in outreach efforts at Anne Arundel Community College. 

Among the many who have journeyed to the Orthodox Faith in Christ through the ministry, begun their journey through the ministry, or were strengthened in Christ through the ministry there are family men and women, now parents, seminarians, teachers and educators, and many others making a difference for Christ and His Church in this country and even overseas. 

Serving the students during the day-time hours, in the midst of the week, in the evening, meeting with them individually takes time that only a full-time missionary chaplain could afford.  Your faithful monthly support makes this outreach to the students possible.

This Lent I have been offering the students a weekly teaching on the LORD’S PRAYER at our Presanctified Liturgies served at the St. John’s Boathouse, which is an opportunity for them to invite their friends.  The midshipmen too are invited and encouraged to attend—the Boathouse is just across the street from the Academy. 

Click Here to read  more