North West Regional Conference At Kelowna

Kelowna : The North West Regional Conference was held at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus from July 1 thru 4^th, 2010. Over 150 people from the following participating churches attended the conference: St. Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Church, Edmonton, St. Mary’s Malankara Orthodox Church, Calgary, St. George Malankara Orthodox Church, Vancouver, St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Seattle, St. Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Mission Parish in Spokane and St. Ephrem Malankara Orthodox Mission in Olympia, along with members from our congregation in Fort McMurray, Alberta.

Our Diocesan Metropolitan, H.G. Alexios Mar Eusebius attended and led the conference. Very Rev. Fr. Michael Chor-Episcopa (Spokane), Rev. Fr. Anthony Creech (Spokane), Rev. Fr. Michael Durka (Olympia), Rev. Dn. Gabriel Pike (Spokane) and Seminarian Mr. Joel Mathew from Dallas attended and led the various sessions and services.

The conference programs commenced with the evening payer and the opening speech by H.G. Alexios Mar Eusebius on Thursday, July 1, 2010 followed by the introduction by the General Convener, Mr. George Geevarughese. The messages from the Diocesan Conference Director, Rev. Fr. George Daniel, and the Regional Director, Rev. Fr. Philipose Philip, who could not attend the conference due to the sudden demise of one our youth members, Soni Varughese in Edmonton, were also presented during the opening session. Our Thirumeni led special prayers and offered sensory prayers for the departed Soni Varughese.

There were various sessions and panel discussions based on the theme “Christ is our Peace” (Ephesians 2:14) on Friday and Saturday during the day time. Separate meetings for the Sunday School, MGOCSM, Martha Mariam Samajam and the Men’s Group were also held during the conference. Along with our Diocesan Metropolitan, the Clergies from Spokane and Olympia and Seminarian Joel Mathew led the various sessions and meetings. Variety entertainment programs were also presented by the children and adult groups from various churches after the supper and evening prayers on both Friday and Saturday. The concurrent programs for the children under 11 years old (while the adults and youths were attending the conference sessions), were organized by Mrs. Liz Pike. The children really enjoyed the various activities such as crafts, songs, Bible games, sports, etc., which were guided by various volunteers. A good number of people attended the confessions and received the Holy Qurbana.

The conference programs were concluded with the Holy Eucharist service on Sunday morning, followed by the concluding session and Lunch. Thirumeni made the concluding speech and the General Coordinator made the vote of thanks.

The allotted leisure time on Friday and Saturday enabled the attendees to explore and enjoy the beauty of the Okanagan Valley. This included lakes, orchards, and wineries in and around Kelowna, one of the most beautiful resort areas in Western Canada.

This was the first time we had a conference of this nature in our region. It enabled the adults, youth and children from the various locations of this region to get to know one another and develop valuable relationships. All the participants enjoyed the sessions, meals, accommodations and the beautiful facility at the University campus. Overall, the conference was a huge success and most of the participants are looking forward to attend next year’s conference.

We express our heartfelt thanks to our Diocesan Metropolitan, H.G. Alexios Mar Eusebius for his esteemed leadership, as well as the clergies and organizing committee members for their dedication and hard work, which contributed a great deal to the success of the Conference.

Article Submitted by George Geevarughese, General Convener and Coordinator