The Young Adult League (YAL) warmly welcomed Archbishop Elpidophoros of America at their 2019 conference, which was organized by the Metropolis of San Francisco in Long Beach, California, under the supervision and coordination of Metropolitan Gerasimos.
The conference was attended by more than 350 young people between the ages of 18 and 35 from 22 US states representing the Archdiocese. The theme of the conference was “Proclaim” and it was taken from the First Epistle of St. John, Chapter 1:3.
Asked about Archbishop Elpidophoros’ presence at the conference, Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco said that “it was a special blessing because he shared his vision about the future of our Church in America. The members of the YAL got to know him and received his blessings.”
In his speech, Archbishop Elpidophoros said that “often when we think of proclaiming the Gospel, we think about talking to people outside of the Church about Jesus Christ. In this verse from the First Epistle of Saint John, however, the goal of the writer is to proclaim Christ to those who are in the Church, who are already believers in the Lord. He sent this epistle to his fellow Christians for a special purpose. That purpose is κοινωνία.
This is translated into English with the word ‘fellowship’; but ‘fellowship’ does not express the full meaning of κοινωνία. It means more than friendship or spending time together. This word κοινωνία means mutual sharing, participation in the most important things in the world. It means ‘communion’: communion as a full and free exchange of all that is good in life; and above all, communion as Holy Communion, sharing the Last Supper, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ. This Communion is the reason for proclaiming.”
SOURCE: The National Herald
