Pan-Orthodox group forming at Wofford
When sophomore Eleni Ouzts found there was no direct resource for her faith on Wofford’s campus, she began formulating plans to bring “something new to Wofford that hasn’t been here before.”
As a practitioner of the Orthodox faith, Ouzts believes a Pan-Orthodox group will be beneficial for her own religious needs, and also as a way to “bring together not only Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, and American Orthodox but (to bring) us together into one group.”
Though the Orthodox faith is a minority religious group at Wofford, Ouzts said the beliefs of the faith aren’t “far-fetched” compared to other popularly practiced religions on Wofford’s campus. She also recognizes a popular misconception that the Orthodox faith is rigid, to which she countered, “I never have seen the faith as inhibiting,” and instead, praised the structured guidance put in place within the faith.
Ouzts, in cooperation with the college chaplain, Reverend Ron Robinson, is in the process of establishing a chapter of a Pan-Orthodox campus ministry on Wofford’s campus through a nationally established group called Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF). Ouzts was introduced to the organization when she participated in the ministry’s sister-program for high school students, a ten-day event called CrossRoad.
Though an official chapter for OCF is still in the process of being formally established on Wofford’s campus, Ouzts has already begun her involvement with the program, participating in multiple conferences and retreats offered by the organization since her freshman year at Wofford.
“I have the template, now it’s just [a matter of] putting it in place,” she said.
Ouzts is eager to see how the ministry will serve Wofford’s student body. As part of her preparation for the official establishment of an OCF presence on campus, Ouzts has already begun connecting with other Orthodox students who have expressed interest in the ministry. She hopes that the group will encourage an already small population of Orthodox Christians to gather together and erase lines of ethnicity that often separate varieties of the Orthodox church. Ouzts intends for the OCF chapter at Wofford to be a place where students of other faiths, or no faith, can come to learn about the Orthodox faith.
Wofford, a place which Outzs says already encourages religious pluralism based on respect and awareness, makes her optimistic about the campus reception of OCF.
Photo Caption: The Orthodox Cross is a symbol that unites all Orthodox Christians and eliminates barriers between nationalities and ethnicities.
