The document outlines the proposed administration structure for the Young Adult Ministry of the Northeast American Diocese, including a director, secretary, treasurer, and parish representatives. It then discusses several faith formation objectives and series, including understanding repentance from dead works. Repentance is defined as a change of mind and return to God that involves remorse, resolution, and restoration, accepting responsibility for sins through humility and orienting oneself towards God. It is a permanent action that brings joy and is a gift requiring tears.

1. Young Adult Ministry of the
Northeast American Diocese

2. Proposed Diocesan Level FOCUS
Administration
 FOCUS Director
 Secretary (chosen from Parish Reps)
 Treasurer (chosen from Parish Reps)
 Each Parish shall select a Secretary, Treasurer for the
Parish FOCUS Unit and one Parish Representative to
serve in the Diocesan Central Committee and Area
Committee as well.
 Central Committee for Diocese shall Composed of Parish
Representatives from each Parish
 Parish Representatives from each area shall form Area
Committee as well.

3. Announcements
 Pre-Marital Preparation – 4 times a year
 Feb. 2nd
 June 1st
 Family Conference
 Nov. FOCUS Conference
 Unit Registration
 Family and Youth Conference – July 10-13th

4. FOCUS Faith Series - Objectives
 Understanding about the Orthodox Faith
 In depth study of Hebrews 6:1-3
 Understanding the Basic Teaching about Christ
 What is Repentance from dead works

5. Hebrews 6:1 – in context
 Hebrews 4:14 ff Jesus’ priestly office and saving work –
Pressing onto maturity (5:11 ff)
 Journey from infancy to maturity - Moving toward &
leaving behind. – Spatial imagery – journey. From one
stage of learning to another.
 5:1-10 Exposition; 5:11 ff hortatory
 Christian experience is path from being a child
(nepios) to being a mature person (teleios)
 Third warning passage of Hebrews
 Goal is perfection or maturity

6. Hebrews 6:1 - Foundations
 5:12 – elementary truths. Elementary teachings
 Foundation – 1 Cor. 3:10-11
 Extensive Catechetical Instruction – prior to baptism
(Rom. 6:3; 1 Cor. 6:2-3; Gal 5:21; 1 Thess. 3:4; 1 Cor. 15:3;
1 Cor. 11:23-26)
 Ancient writers described basic education in grammar
and mathematics – 6 arranged in 3 groups of 2.
(personal ; social; unseen world; )
 Not a comprehensive list.
 Most likely catechetical instruction to new converts.

7. Repentance and Faith as a Pair
 Acts 2:38; 4:2, 33; 8:16ff;
 Wisdom 11:23; 12:2 – Repentance and Faith
 “Therefore thou dost correct little by little those who
trespass, and dost remind and warn them of the things
wherein they sin, that they may be freed from
wickedness and put their trust in thee, O Lord.” –
Wisdom 12:2
 Repentance FROM dead works; Faith TOWARDS God

8. Elements of Repentace
 Remorse
 Resolution
 Restitution – Penance (for healing)
 Restoration

9. Repentance as change of mind
 Metanoia – change of mind;
 First and Last words of Christ in his earthly sojourn
 St. Matthew 4:17 – “Repent for the KOHeaven is at
hand.”
 St. Luke 24:45-49 – “Repentance for forgiveness of sins
should be proclaimed in His name”
 Renewal of Mind - Romans 12:2

10. Repentance as Return
 O.T – Shub – return
 "Even now," declares the Lord, "return to me with all your
heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” (Joel 2:12)
Compare to 1 Sam 7:3
 “Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.” – Isaiah 55:6-7
 Prodigal Son – Return to the Father

11. Repentance is taking responsibility
 I have sinned. Accepting responsibility.
 ...let us not lay the blame for the sins we have
committed either on our birth or on anyone else, but
only on ourselves. St. Antony the Great
 Humility Romans 7
 Admits inability to get out of own sinfulness and the
absolute need for God’s saving power in Jesus.
 Humans have freedom of choice – not fatalism

12. Repentance is orienting ourselves
 Realigning the internal compass
 Orientation – “making the look backward into a force
for the future.”
 “All who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they
turned to the Lord” (Acts 9:35).

13. Repentance is permanent
 Repentance as a permanent action in the soul. – It is a
shovel brought out to clean the garbage accumulated
after baptism.
 “The work of purification is realized by the powers
which flow from the Mysteries of Baptism and
Repentance, just as illumination is an actualization of
the powers given by the mystery of Chrism, while
union with God is an effect of the Eucharist.” –
Staniloae, D Orthodox Spirituality, p. 135.

14. Repentance is permanent
 St. Isaac the Syrian – “If we are all sinners and no one
is above temptations, not one of the virtues is above
repentance. Its work can never end.”
 “Repentance is the hypostasis of the judgment of our
conscience not only for our sins but also for our
virtues, because we always realize them in an
imperfect form. Nothing escapes it; it absolves
nothing.” – Staniloae, D. Orthodox Spirituality p. 137
 Repentance is the road to love. - from insufficient
love to more love.

15. Repentance and Joy
 Repentance and Joy. Prodigal Son – Joy of the Son who
returns back to his father’s house.

16. Repentance as gift
 Repentance is a gift –Acts 11:17-18 ; both Jews and
Gentiles received it. Romans 2:4

17. Repentance and Tears
 First steps out of fear
 Higher steps out of love
 “Cleanse us, Lord, by repentance and by tears of
compunction from every passion and stain and
defilement of sin” – Introductory Prayer Saturday 3rd
hour
 “and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she
began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped
them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume
on them.” – St. Luke 7:38

18. Repentance and community
 Restoring the sinner back to the fold of People of God
 Repenting for the community
 Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of
Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves
and for your children. – St. Luke 23:28

19. Repentance and Great lent
 Great Lent as a school of repentance. “It is indeed a
school of repentance, to which each Christian must go
every year in order to refresh the understanding of his
faith. It is a wonderful pilgrimage to the very sources of
Orthodoxy, a rediscovery of a truly Orthodox way of
life.” - Fr. Alexander Schmemman

20. From Dead Works
 Dead works (nekron egron) – Ephesians 2:5; Col 2:13
 All act of man by himself –
 Dead works related to works of the law
 Heb. 9:14 – “dead works”
 Acts 8:22 (metanaeson apo tes kakias)