Saint George Orthodox Military Association



MISSION/VISION STATEMENT

"To find new opportunities to support and assist our Orthodox Military Members serving in the US Armed Forces Stateside and around the World, their Dependents, Retirees and Veterans, because the spiritual wellness of our Orthodox Troops, those who love and support them, and those that have served, matters."

MOTTO

"Supporting our Eastern Orthodox Christians serving in the U.S. Armed Forces"

OUR GOALS FOR THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS IN THE US ARMED FORCES

Saint George Orthodox Military Association seeks from SCOBA/Episcopal Assembly (EA) and our Orthodox people a greater awareness and pastoral support for our Orthodox military by:

1.  SCOBA/EA and individual Bishops officially encouraging more of our seminarians to become Chaplains in the US Military;

2.  Encouraging SCOBA/EA to form an association similar to Orthodox Christian Fellowship for our military Brethren.  Our Orthodox military people need an official SCOBA/EA organization to serve them as OCF serves college students;

3.  Encouraging SCOBA (and the subsequent “Episcopal Assembly” called for by Chambesy) to establish a “Military Vicariate” that will be a military diocese constituted solely to serve our military and dependents as an Orthodox diocese on all US military bases with all the obligations and responsibilities as such.  This diocese will be the sole source for authorization of Orthodox Chaplains serving in the military and it will give endorsements for seminarians to study for its diocese.  This diocese will have an Orthodox Bishop and ecclesial structure all its own;

4.  Encourage more Orthodox clergy to investigate becoming “contract chaplains” with the military on bases in the US;

5.  Encouraging our Orthodox clergy and parishes near military bases to reach-out to Orthodox Christians on local bases as a distinct, sustained and dynamic parish ministry all its own;

6.  Encouraging an awareness of the needs of our Orthodox military brethren and for all parishes and individual Orthodox to pray daily for our Orthodox military personnel and dependents and to understand the deep sacrifices they make for our freedom and nation;

7.  Encouraging the inclusion of Orthodox military personnel and dependents in jurisdictional web sites so none of our military Brethren are unattached or unrecognized.  We need to seek military people out on the parish level and publicly recognize them!  We also need to recognize our Orthodox veterans on Veteran’s Day and memorialize our Orthodox reposed on all Memorial Saturdays in the liturgical year and to remember both our living and dead military Brethren specifically on the respective feasts of Saints George, Cornelius and Dimetrios and other military saints;

8.  Encouraging a catechetical program of “Orthodox Home Instruction” so that Orthodox Christians deployed over-seas or on remote US bases may pass-on the Holy Faith in both integrity and ease of delivery to their children with age appropriate materials.  We also desire all military dependents to participate in Orthodox camping and scouting programs;

9.  Develop a “distance learning” program (for credit with one of our Orthodox institutions of higher learning) over the Internet for adult Orthodox Christians and inquirers into the Holy Faith.  The purpose of this “distance learning” is to promote Orthodox Christian evangelization and to promote a mature Orthodox Christian Faith among those who are Orthodox yet uncatechized or poorly catechized.

10. SGOMA seeks to become an advocacy agency for Orthodox Christian issues with appropriate military departments.  Furthermore, SGOMA seeks to become a fraternal organization, over time, for the Orthodox Christians in the US military.  SGOMA also seeks grants, gifts and donations so as to fulfill this mission.

We want to be adaptive to the needs of our Orthodox military personnel, their dependents, and our retiree's and veterans. We are here to support and assist our Orthodox military in any way possible.

Saint George Pray for our Troops.