H.H. Pope Tawadros II presided over the first ever, 2015 Coptic Lands of Immigration Conference from May 20, 2015 – May 23, 2015. Delegations from each diocese outside of Egypt were in attendance and presented on a variety topics concerning the future of the Coptic Orthodox Church outside of Egypt. The delegations were composed of the supervising Bishop of the area, an elder priest, a young priest, an elder servant, and 2 youths. We continue to pray for the success of this conference and for the growth of the Church. I hope to have / share more information with you all about the results of the conference.
Sessions [http://www.landofimmigration.org/content/sessions]
| # | Region | Assigned Topic(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada (Bishop Mina) |
The challenges of service in the Land of immigration:
|
| 2 | Bolivia (Bishop Youssef) |
The service of Evangelism outside the United States |
| 3 | Melbourne (Bishop Suriel) |
Theology schools, seminaries, Coptic schools, and Curricula |
| 4 | Sydney (Bishop Daniel) |
Churches: Buildings, Boards, Legal issues, Bylaws and needed Policies |
| 5 | United Kingdom (Bishop Angaelos) |
Communicating our Message, Mission and Identity |
| 6 | St. Shenouda Monastery – Australia (Bishop Daniel) |
Monasteries of the Land of Immigration ‐ Consecration |
| 7 | Archdiocese – New Jersey (Bishop Karas) |
Relationship with the Mother Church ‐ connecting the youth and educating them about the Church of Alexandria |
| 8 | Los Angeles (Bishop Serapion) |
Relationships with different denominations and the Society of the Land of Immigration |
| 9 | New York (Bishop David) |
The service of Evangelism inside the United States |
| 10 | Brazil (Bishop Aghathon) |
Priest of the Land of Immigration: Scope of service, essential qualities, factors facilitating and others hindering his service, clothes, etc. |
Attendees [http://www.landofimmigration.org/content/attendees]
Selected delegates from the United States, Canada, South America, and Australia are invited to attend. Participants from the 3 continents will be divided into 10 areas as follows:
Regions
- Brazil and Bolivia (Bishop Aghathon and Bishop Youssef, respectively)
- Melbourne (Bishop Suriel)
- Sydney (Bishop Daniel of Sydney and Bishop Daniel of the monastery)
- Canada (Bishop Mina)
- Los Angeles (Bishop Serapion)
- New York (Bishop David)
- Virginia (Bishop Michael)
- Archdiocese – New Jersey (Bishop Karas)
- Archdiocese – Outside New Jersey (Bishop Karas)
- Southern United States (Bishop Youssef)
- United Kingdom (Bishop Angaelos)
Delegate Demographics
From each area, 5 delegates will be assigned by each bishop as follows:
- Elder priest – More than 20 years of service
- Recent priest – Less than 20 years of service
- Elder representative – Board member or deacon who has been living in the land of immigration for at least 30 years
- Youth representative – At most 30 years old and has been living in the land of immigration for at least 15 years
- Female representative – A servant who has been living in the land of immigration for at least 15 years
Gallery
Web Sources: