Welcome!

A group is forming in Houston, TX for students training to be health care providers and young professionals in the medical/health care field (broadly defined) who desire to practice health care within the context of the Orthodox Christian Church and according to the Orthodox Christian mind (Gr. phronema). Our primary focus is not the integration or synthesis of Christian theology and Western scientific treatment methods, academic ideas, political proposals, or and philosophical theories. The person of the healer and the person of the one in need of healing are our primary concerns. Our purpose is not just to offer information "worth considering" in the rational mind, but to provide guidance for those who want to become the best providers of care for the sick by living the fullness of the spiritual life and practicing medical care as a ministry of love in the name of Christ.

Issues that we may address include:

• The spiritual life (ascesis) of the medical provider.

• Philanthropia ("love for mankind") as the motivation for Christian medical care.

• The Church as the context of the healing of soul and body, and the life of the Church as the Way of healing of the soul and body.

• The necessity of humility and repentance among medical staff (doctors, nurses, administrators, and so on).

• The relationship between a patient's medical treatment and spiritual life.

• The harmonious coordination of health care providers and the clergy of the Church.

• The relevance of an Orthodox understanding of anthropology and healing.

• The difference between the spiritual knowedge of the heart and the knowledge of the rational mind.

• Bioethics/Bio-theology.

• The lives of physicians in the Church (such as the Unmercenary Physicians and those who worked in the hospitals of the Eastern Christian Roman Empire) who offer examples of medical care as Christian ministry.

If you are interested in being placed on our email list, please send me your name, email address, field of study and current school (if still a student) or professional field. Those studying to be or who are now physicians, nurses, mental health professionals, physical therapists, etc. are all welcome. In your email, please indicate whether you are an Orthodox Christian and, if not, tell us about your religious background. This group is for members of the Orthodox Christian Church, but we also welcome non-Orthodox Christians and others who want to learn about the Orthodox Christian Church, the original, ancient Church founded by Christ Himself and our Way of Life that has been passed down and lived from generation to generation since the time of the Apostles.

Hopefully, the first group meeting can be schedule for January, perhaps on a Sunday afternoon in Houston, TX. Please share this information with others who may be interested.

If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact me.

Sdn. Symeon Kees

(The icon of Christ healing the blind man is from the IconoGraphics ColorWorks collection, TheoLogic Systems, theologic.com.)