Four billion. This is the estimated number of non-Christians in the world today. With conservative estimates of global population reaching nearly 6.7 billion, only 33% of people the world over count themselves as members of the Body of Christ. What is the vision of our Church for the other 66%? What is our individual response to this vision?

Traditionally, one of the functions of the Church has been to invite those outside the Body into a relationship with Christ. Historically, the form this work has taken has varied from generation to generation; and over the centuries, the chapters of the Church’s disciple making efforts have been colored and characterized in many ways. But, what is the current state of the missions movement among the Christian faithful? How will this impact the four billion non-Christians in the world?

Among Orthodox Christians, interest in missions and missionary activity seems to be on the increase. The Church appears to be growing in countries where it is newly emerging or remerging. Leading this charge is a cadre of mission-minded hierarchs deeply committed to sharing Christ with the world. Orthodox mission agencies from Greece, Russia, Finland, and North America to name a few are undertaking disciple-making initiatives across the globe; the administrative heads of these agencies will be meeting in Minsk later this year to discuss these efforts.

For over 20 years, the current generation of North American Orthodox Christians have been cultivating and growing an expression of their faith to take to others. They’ve been learning from the past and applying the tools of today. Each year the Orthodox voice in the world grows louder, resulting in more people coming into the open arms of the Church.

But what are North American Orthodox Christians doing toward missions in the coming year? In 2010, through the Orthodox C hristian Mission Center (OCMC), the Orthodox Church will continue to offer a witness to the Faith by ministering to the spiritual and physical needs of others in over 20 countries.

Eighteen long-term missionaries who will be, or have been, dedicating two or more years of their lives to missions will coordinate and operate ministries of the Orthodox Church in Albania, Romania, and Tanzania. Fourteen mission teams comprised of volunteers from nearly all the canonical Orthodox jurisdictions of North America will serve in 12 countries, supporting the mission efforts of the Church by teaching catechism, providing health care, organizing youth camps, and offering outreach. Ten philanthropic ministries of the Church in seven countries will receive funding from grants awarded by the OCMC; 400 priests in 19 countries will receive the support they need to continue serving the needs of their growing parishes.

As much as the scope and interest in this vital work of the Church has grown, more resources and a deeper dedication to making disciples will be needed if we are to see profound changes in the percentage of people who identify themselves as Christian. We would be hard pressed to find any work of greater importance. After all, what do we have to share with others if not the fulness of the Orthodox Faith? What cure to the ills of the world is there but Christ?

It is when the missionary vocation is unapologetically embraced by all Orthodox faithful that this generation’s proclamation that Christ is Risen, which began as a whisper, will become a shout; and then all those who have never heard will be filled with the good news of the Gospel and the hope of eternal life.

The Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) is the official missions agency of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) dedicated to fulfilling Christ’s last command to make disciples of all nations.

Malulani just sent me a Hawaiian translation of this prayer:

E ka Haku a ke Kahu o ko‘u ola,
e kala mai ia‘u i ka ‘uhane o ka palaka,
ka lepahū, ke kuko mana, a me ke kakahili.

Akā, e hā‘awi mai ‘Oe ia‘u, Kou ‘ōhua, i ka ‘uhane o ke kūkapu, ka ha‘aha‘a, ke ahonui, a me ke aloha.

E ka Haku, a ka Mō‘ī e!
E ‘ae ‘Oe ia‘u e ‘ike i ka‘u mau hewa
a e ho‘ohalahala ‘ole aku i ko‘u hoahānau;
no ka mea, Nou ka pōmaika‘i
mai kēia manawa ā mau loa aku a i nā kau ā kau.
‘Āmene.

Listen here:

You can also download the PDF for easy practice.

In English, it goes like this:

O Lord and Master of my life, give me not the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power and idle talk. But grant unto me, Thy servant, a spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love. Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see mine own faults and not to judge my brother. For blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.

There is a very nice commentary on this prayer written by Fr. Alexander Schmemann, available here.

Highlights include:

Greek culture is super into God. I stay looking at some iconograph tingies and mostly everybody get one circle behind their head. Das da halo, suppose to symbolize dat da person is one saint cuz da bugga radiate, not radiation bu, radiate like sunlight. But no really look like da kine halo above their head like da angel fo’ da Krismiss tree. Da circle is direckly be-hine da guys’ head okay like da kine get da circle, anden boom get da guys’ head right smack dads in da middle of da circle, look like could be one holy air bubble jus in case gotta go dive.

So the Greek artist man who drew the pics I looking at, his name Diamantis Cassis (howz dat for a name pretty classic ah), anyways, uncle said they would have square halos too but da square ones was for the buggas dat was still alive, dey neva did cross ova yet. Greek mythology is like Hawaiian mythology, and das one of my main supporting arguments in why we should breed more hapa Greeks.

Diamantis said dat what makes Greek art classic is da fack dat is all based on God. It’s holy mythology, sacred like moolelo. And let me tell you, Greek sculptures are so beautiful you almost like lick da marble man arms I no joke you. You tink he’s all pretty and nice little do you know he’s just mathematics and optical illusions. These guys with circles around their heads was makawalu, maybe even makaiwa but nah let’s not get into prophecy today.