American Orthodox Philanthropy and Outreach: Global Ventures since 1989 in Russia and Eastern Europe 

Matthew Lee Miller

The collapse of European communism in 1989 served as a catalyst for new projects of U.S.-based Orthodox philanthropy, with several jurisdictions sponsoring a variety of global outreach programs and organizations. Two nationwide, pan-Orthodox agencies for global ministry have also formed: International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) and the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC). This article shows how political, economic, and demographic shifts since 1989 have created new opportunities for global Orthodox philanthropic connections, with U.S. Orthodox churches continuing traditions with deep roots. Examples from Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, a research location, illustrate national trends.1 

Pre-1917 Russian Orthodox Charity

A growing number of historians are paying special attention to the history of Orthodox philanthropy. Over the centuries the Russian Orthodox Church developed its own distinctive approach to charity.2 In Russia, as the proverb states, bednost’ ne porok—poverty is not a vice. Spiritual leaders did not celebrate or condemn wealth, but challenged those with riches to practice stewardship and use their wealth to help the poor. Wealth did not suggest superiority—but an obligation. Sermons claimed that beggars were an incarnation of Christ. One word used for the poor was ubogie (belonging to God). Therefore the rich and poor ideally lived in symbiosis: the rich provided, and the poor prayed for them. Orthodox authors often opposed poor taxes or state programs, since genuine charity should be voluntary and private. The most common form of charity was giving to beggars on the street, especially near churches. Moscow was well-known for generosity to beggars—one estimate in the late nineteenth century suggested that residents gave over one million rubles in alms per year. 

Before the imperial period Russian law made poor relief the primary responsibility of the church. However, during the reign of Peter I poverty became an issue of public policy as well as religious piety. Peter established new laws, and the state created more than 90 almshouses which housed over 4,000 people. Catherine II made a more concerted effort to provide government assistance through social welfare boards, which operated orphanages and hospitals.3 In the nineteenth century emperors supported poor relief primarily through organizations which brought together state and private enterprise. The Department of the Institutions of the Empress Maria and the Imperial Philanthropic Society operated with this approach. Voluntary associations were secular Western imports that appeared in Russia in the eighteenth century. The establishment of a charitable association required personal permission from the emperor.4 

The strong development of voluntary associations under Alexander II showed that philanthropy had become an integral part of Russian society. During the era of his reforms, society pressed for the opportunity to organize and make contributions. In 1855, Russia possessed 40 private charitable societies, but by 1880 that number had increased to over 300. The government showed lenience in approving associations but evaluated groups for political loyalty.5 In the 1880s the work relief movement appeared in St. Petersburg. The peak of charitable organization was the period 1896-1900, when over 1,000 new associations were founded. Donations to charity often became symbols of status; associations often relied on lotteries, balls, and other fashionable public fundraisers.6 After the October Revolution the Soviet government initiated a harsh campaign to limit the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church, which led to the closing of a variety of philanthropic organizations.

Orthodox Philanthropy in an American Context 

The Russian Orthodox churches of the U.S. continued many aspects of this legacy of philanthropy as they developed roots in a new land. In the twentieth century Russian, Ukrainian, Greek, and other Orthodox jurisdictions in the U.S. developed an ethnocentric approach in social ministry. However, a greater desire for unity, outreach, and social responsibility has emerged since 1989.7 This process has often been the result of transnationalism, the dynamic of immigrants maintaining connections and involvement with their homelands.8 Two episcopal organizations have made special contributions to unity in the U.S.: the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the Americas (SCOBA) and the Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches in America (SCOOCH). Founded in 1960 and 1973, they brought together the leaders of most jurisdictions for discussions of common concerns and contributed to closer relationships and cooperation. In 1994 bishops from 28 SCOBA member jurisdictions met at Ligonier, Pennsylvania, in the largest meeting of this type held in the U.S.9 The Orthodox Church in America (OCA), the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, and Ukrainian, Greek, Romanian, and Serbian churches participate in the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, which replaced SCOBA in 2009.10 The Armenian, Coptic, Eritrean, and Ethiopian jurisdictions take part in SCOOCH. These two episcopal organizations possess limited influence since they have no authority over member jurisdictions; any decisions must be approved by the bishops and/or European homeland hierarchs. 

The collapse of European communism has contributed to immigration, but it has also served as a catalyst for many new projects of ministry and philanthropy.11 Jurisdictions sponsor a variety of global outreach programs and organizations. OCA has sponsored a Christmas Stocking Project to provide aid for children abroad and the Russian Child Adoption Project. In addition, OCA has initiated practical partnerships between individual U.S. and Russian parishes. Ukrainian congregations support the St. Andrew Society, which provides aid for Ukraine, while the U.S. Armenian Archdiocese has operated the Fund for Armenian Relief and the Women’s Guild, which provides aid for Armenia.12 

As noted previously, two national pan-Orthodox organizations for global ministry have emerged: the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) in 1992 and the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) in 1994. These ventures have encouraged believers from a variety of jurisdictions to work together in relief and development work and global outreach. IOCC has worked in Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Albania, Greece, Georgia, and Palestine. This organization, led by executive director Constantine M. Triantafilou, is based in Baltimore, Maryland. Projects have included aid for orphans, schools, hospitals, refugees, and the elderly. OCMC, based in St. Augustine, Florida, has been working in multiple locations in Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia.13 Minnesota believers have actively supported both of these ventures.

IOCC Abroad 

A small group of experienced philanthropists in the U.S. founded IOCC as an organization under the direction of SCOBA; the founders were Charles Ajalat of Los Angeles, Andrew Athens of Chicago, and John Rangos of Pittsburgh. Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow traveled to the United States in 1991 and met with Greek Orthodox Archbishop Iakovos, the head of SCOBA, requesting social service assistance. At that point, Russian Orthodox possessed limited expertise in social service work, since all programs had been administered by the state. SCOBA leaders understood that a legal organization was needed to apply for available U.S. government grants; organizations such as World Vision, Catholic Charities, and Lutheran World Relief had been receiving government funding for global aid projects for many years. 

The first IOCC leaders were Orthodox believers who had gained experience working with Catholic relief agencies. This was the first Orthodox attempt to cooperate among jurisdictions and access government funding. The first wave of IOCC projects focused on Russia and other former Soviet states. U.S. parishes were asked to give donations for projects in the 1990s. At one point, annual private donations totaled one million dollars, and annual government grants provided 35 million dollars from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other sources. The second wave of projects in the 1990s focused on Yugoslavia and its successor states. During the war in the region, the U.S. Department of State asked IOCC to apply for grants to help in Serbia with refugee resettlement, agricultural co-ops, and microenterprise development. The third wave of projects centered on refugee and resettlement projects in Syria and other locations in the Middle East. Currently IOCC employs approximately 30 U.S.-based staff and 200 international workers, with locals assessing needs and recommending sustainable solutions. IOCC has only four U.S. and Canadian expatriate employees working overseas.14

Minnesota Orthodox Philanthropy 

Local Minnesota Orthodox parishes have supported global and local service projects in a variety of ways. Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in St. Paul takes three collections a year for a variety of philanthropy and missions programs: recent donations have supported an African education fund and displaced Ukrainians.15 St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church in Minneapolis supports an active missions and evangelism committee. For nearly 20 years St. Mary’s parishioners have traveled to Guatemala to help with an Orthodox orphanage. The parish also supports Anastasia Barksdale, an OCMC missionary working in Albania. Half of the proceeds from St. Mary’s annual Greek festival support mission and outreach programs.16 St. Sahag’s Armenian Church works with the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia in building one house a year in Armenia to help address the housing shortage created by the 1988 earthquake. The parish also supports orphanages in Armenia.17 

OCMC Abroad 

Fr. Luke Veronis has played a leading role in the formation of OCMC. A Greek Orthodox priest, he led the development of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Mission Committee in 1966. This body evolved into the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Mission Center in 1984 and the OCMC in 1994. At this point the organization came under the direction of SCOBA. As of 2014, 2,500 short-term and 115 long-term missionaries have served with the organizations in 30 countries. Two executive directors have provided leadership: Fr. (later Bishop) Dimitrios Couchell (1984-1998) and Fr. Martin Ritsi (1998 - present).18 

As of 2017, the active OCMC career missionary team includes several staff members working in Eastern Europe: four individuals or families in Albania and two in Romania. Twelve additional individuals or families serve in Guatemala, Kenya, Mongolia, New Zealand, the United States, or multiple countries. The variety of endeavors includes church leadership, teaching in schools and seminaries, youth outreach, musical training, social service, counseling, and liturgical translation. OCMC also recruits and sends short-term teams to support career missionaries and church programs in a variety of locations, including Albania, Ghana, Guatemala, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Uganda, and the United States. In 2017, volunteers served in summer camps, educational programs, health ministries, and construction projects. Leaders and administrative staff members are based at OCMC headquarters in St. Augustine, Florida. The OCMC magazine, available online, promotes the programs of the organization and provides information on recent developments.19 

In conclusion, U.S. Orthodox churches have recently grown in visibility as they have practiced their faith on a global scale. Many of its parishes have built new links with their surrounding communities as they have simultaneously developed new philanthropic connections across borders. ♦ 

Notes 

1. This article builds on the author’s experience as a historian of Orthodoxy and Russian-American cultural relations. See Matthew Lee Miller, “Eastern Christianity in the Twin Cities: The Churches of Minneapolis and St. Paul, 1989-2014,” Modern Greek Studies Yearbook, 30/31 (2014/2015): 101- 44; and Matthew Lee Miller, The American YMCA and Russian Culture: The Preservation and Expansion of Orthodox Christianity, 1900-1940 (Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books, 2013). In this article, Orthodox refers to churches and believers of both Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox jurisdictions. For an introduction, see John Binns, An Introduction to the Christian Orthodox Churches (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002); Thomas E. FitzGerald, The Orthodox Church (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995); John H. Erickson, Orthodox Christians in America: A Short History, 2nd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008); and Anton C. Vrame, ed., The Orthodox Parish in America: Faithfulness to the Past and Responsibility for the Future (Brookline, MA: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2003). 
2.  Adele Lindenmeyr, Poverty Is Not a Vice: Charity, Society and the State in Imperial Russia (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1996), 3-4.
3. Lindenmeyr, Poverty, 7-36. 
4. Lindenmeyr, Poverty, 75, 99-110. 
5.  Lindenmeyr, Poverty, 60-65, 72-73, 112-19, 121-24, 130-39. 
6.  Lindenmeyr, Poverty, 169-73, 198-202, 207, 214-15, 237. Excellent photos and a lengthy bibliography of Russian philanthropy are found in Viktoriia Nikolaevna Zanozina and Elena Anatol’evna Adamenko, Blagotvoritel’nost’ i miloserdie v Sankt-Peterburge: Rubezh xix-xx vekov (Saint Petersburg: Liki rossii, 2000). 
7. Alexei D. Krindatch, “Orthodox (Eastern Christian) Churches in the United States at the Beginning of a New Millennium: Questions of Nature, Identity, and Mission,” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 41 (September 2002): 558
8. Peter Kivisto and Thomas, Beyond a Border: The Causes and Consequences of Contemporary Immigration (Los Angeles: Pine Forge Press, 2010), 159.
9. Erickson, Orthodox Christians, 105; See 109-12 for the Ligonier Statement. 
10.  “About the Assembly of Bishops,” Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America website, http://assemblyofbishops.org/about. 
11.  FitzGerald, The Orthodox Church, 129; Frances Kostarelos, “The Eastern Orthodox Christian Church in North America: Continuity and Change in the Twenty-First Century” in Holding On to the Faith: Confessional Traditions in American Christianity, ed. by Douglas A. Sweeney and Charles Hambrick-Stowe (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2008), 173. For an Orthodox reflection on globalization, see Archbishop Anastasios (Yannoulatos), Facing the World: Orthodox Christian Essays on Global Concerns (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2003), especially the chapter “Globalization and Religious Experience,” 179-99.
12. Krindatch, “Orthodox (Eastern Christian) Churches,” 552-53. 
13.  Krindatch, “Orthodox (Eastern Christian) Churches,” 559; OCMC website, http://www.ocmc. Org.
14.  Interview of Mr. Dan Christopulos, IOCC, Edina, Minnesota, 1 October 2014. 
15. Interview of Fr. Jonathan Proctor, Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, St. Paul, Minnesota, 24 September 2014. 1
16.  Interview with Fr. Thomas Alatzakis, St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 20 August 2014. 
17.  Interview with Fr. Tadeos Barseghyan, St. Sahag Armenian Church, St. Paul, Minnesota, 23 September 2014. 
18.  Fr. Alexander Veronis, “The Orthodox Christian Mission Center,” http://www.hchc.edu/missions/ articles/articles/the-orthodox-christian-mission-center. 
19.  OCMC website, https://www.ocmc.org/about/ open_teams.aspx.

Matthew Lee Miller is professor of history at the University of Northwestern, St. Paul, Minnesota.