As we head into the end of the year, we have some exciting news at OCCIF. We have been blessed with many positive changes this year, including new churches to support, new investments in OCCIF and our new board members. I am now delighted to announce the hiring of our first Executive Director for OCCIF, Father Athanasius Kone.
It is hard to believe that it has been 15 years since we started OCCIF. Back then we were an informal collection of clergy and Orthodox Christian professionals that were frustrated with how difficult it was to get capital improvement loans. We felt there had to be a better way to get Orthodox churches the funds that they desperately needed.
As we all move forward into Pascha, I want to take a minute to look back on what OCCIF did in 2023. During 2023 we provided loans for new living quarters at the Holy Assumption Monastery in Calistoga, California; helped St Jacob Orthodox Church purchase and convert a building into a new church in Bend, Oregon; and helped St. Mary Magdalene Orthodox Church in Fenton, Michigan put a new roof on the church.
As the year 2023 draws to a close and 2024 dawns, I want to thank all of you for supporting OCCIF. This past year I’ve had the honor and pleasure of meeting many of you in different diocesan conferences and meetings. It’s great to see so many old friends, and introduce OCCIF to new audiences.
