stepstomarrow
When granddaughter, Jada, was born with leukemia, a donor-match was located and Jada made a miraculous recovery. In honor of her grandaughter's health, Jeanna has decided to walk across the country (in the dead of winter) to raise awareness and build support for the bone marrow registry (all that's required is a cheek swab). Follow Jeanna's remarkable journey as she travels the United States by foot.

“I’m thankful to have participated in an OCMC Mission Team. It was a great experience. The Orthodox Church is the same worldwide. We all pray the same and worship the same. I feel a kinship to the Orthodox Christians of Uganda,” reported a participant on the 2009 Health Care Team that treated over 4,000 individuals in two weeks in the Gulu region of northern Uganda.

Biblical narratives portray the loving and compassionate Lord, Jesus Christ, healing blind men, lepers, and the woman suffering from an unceasing flow of blood. He traveled throughout Galilee, teaching, preaching, and healing disease and sickness. He healed a servant, a daughter, and the demon possessed. Christ’s love and compassion for His creation was made tangible as He combined caring for the physical needs of His Creation with preaching the Good News of salvation.

In this spirit of offering a tangible witness of love, OCMC will be responding to an invitation to send another Health Care Team to the Gulu region of Uganda. This is an opportunity for Health Care providers (doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and med students – just to name a few) to make a difference in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Africa.

OCMC invites you to help make this ministry possible. If you are a health care provider, please prayerfully consider applying to serve on this Team. If you are not, but know Orthodox health care providers, please tell them about this life-giving ministry and encourage them to get involved.

Team members not only make a difference in the lives of those they meet and serve, but their own lives are transformed as well. Giving of our time and talents to minister to God's people is an expression of our love for Christ. Our works speak without words, demonstrating Christ’s love for all the world and His desire that all come to know Him.

Make a difference this year: share in a journey of faith!

“I’m thankful to have participated in an OCMC Mission Team. It was a great experience. The Orthodox Church is the same worldwide. We all pray the same and worship the same. I feel a kinship to the Orthodox Christians of Uganda,” reported a participant on the 2009 Health Care Team that treated over 4,000 individuals in two weeks in the Gulu region of northern Uganda.

Biblical narratives portray the loving and compassionate Lord, Jesus Christ, healing blind men, lepers, and the woman suffering from an unceasing flow of blood. He traveled throughout Galilee, teaching, preaching, and healing disease and sickness. He healed a servant, a daughter, and the demon possessed. Christ’s love and compassion for His creation was made tangible as He combined caring for the physical needs of His Creation with preaching the Good News of salvation.

In this spirit of offering a tangible witness of love, OCMC will be responding to an invitation to send another Health Care Team to the Gulu region of Uganda. This is an opportunity for Health Care providers (doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and med students – just to name a few) to make a difference in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Africa.

OCMC invites you to help make this ministry possible. If you are a health care provider, please prayerfully consider applying to serve on this Team. If you are not, but know Orthodox health care providers, please tell them about this life-giving ministry and encourage them to get involved.

Team members not only make a difference in the lives of those they meet and serve, but their own lives are transformed as well. Giving of our time and talents to minister to God's people is an expression of our love for Christ. Our works speak without words, demonstrating Christ’s love for all the world and His desire that all come to know Him.

Make a difference this year: share in a journey of faith!

taste_buds
Holidays provide a built-in excuse for indulgent entertaining. This all-purpose foodie community covers everything from homemade hangover cures to dinner party menus. Need quick advice? Get five-minute snack suggestions, low-fat ingredient substitutes, and even measurement conversions. Delicious recipes garnished with humorous advice. Yum.

naturesbeauty
Always on the lookout for compelling images, we were delighted to discover this flourishing community of artists who share a love of nature. Honoring the subject with photographs, paintings, sketches, prose, poetry, and other creative works, you'll be simultaneously riveted to your monitor and inspired to run helter skelter towards the nearest wooded dale.

Hello everyone,

I hope the spirit and the joy of the holiday season enthralls you to seek and find happiness and peace for the New Year. I would also like to bring up two things..

1) I would like to recommend Ancient Faith Radio to listen to weekly Orthodox podcasts. It really helps me learn more about my faith and gain a fresh perspective!

2) Would anyone know where I can find Orthodox icons...for my livejournal, please? Thank you :)

backpacking
Want to embrace your wanderlust on the cheap? If you're tall on adventurous spirit, but short on funds, this community can help you plan a trip to anywhere. Offering plentiful tips on how to travel light, you can post about bargain hotels and hostels if you're into urban exploration or discuss camping gear and mosquito netting for the great outdoors. Hitch your backpack, pitch your tent, and carpe diem!

**FINAL EDIT Thu Dec 10 02:15:47 UTC 2009**

So there is the final update... Over the past day we have processed around 11 million jobs out of the 12 million that were in queue at that time. Please bear in mind that over this past day, more jobs for notifications are also created. So while the queue has been dropping, we are still not fully caught up at this point, due to backlog and new jobs. We have roughly 3 million jobs still pending that involve the notification system in some manner. We had hoped we could have fully cleared the queue in a day, but unfortunately we can't clear it too quickly, since we need the rest of the site to operate normally. From our current perspective on the amount of jobs that are left in queue, and how many it has processed thus far, we believe it will take around another 8 - 12 hours to process everything.

And finally some answers to some questions:

( Read More and Get Some Answers... )

freeskiers
While some of us long to escape the cold, dark stretch of winter for hot tropical beaches, for others, there's nothing quite like whoooooshing down those shimmering sugar alps. If you're fond of freestyle skiing, get ready to slide down the slippery slopes in good company. This passionate, international community shares travel/gear tips, anecdotes, photos, and videos for those who can't get enough of the sweet stuff.

seasonal_icons
Need some extra twinkle to decorate your place? Check out these dazzling holiday-themed icons. If you're an artist, you can post your own creations, provided you abide by the simple rules (which is to say, all cheer and no politicking). Be sure to comment and give credit if you wish to borrow a little spirit (no direct links, please). If you're feeling a touch of humbug this season, this is an instant shot of festivity.

handmade_gifts
High on creativity, but low on cash? You'll find tons of brilliant suggestions for do-it-yourself crafts sure to please everyone on your holiday gift list. Offering detailed instructions, photos, budgets, timelines, and active support, you'll soon turn spare remnants of fabric and time into cherished keepsakes. Be sure to search entries and read user guidelines before you post for help!