Everyday Orthodox

Join us one last time, as we talk about 8 wonderful years of getting to know Everyday Orthodox people! AFR's Melanie DeRenzo will join Elissa for a retrospective conversation and to offer a bit of Elissa's own story!

You may remember Martha Condra from her Ancient Faith podcast about food and faith called Wheat, Wine, and Oil. Martha holds a degree in culinary arts and has developed recipes at Cooking Light and Health magazines. She is a mother and grandmother in Birmingham, Alabama.

Angela Cory is a homeschooling mother of three who is thankful for her family’s life in the Orthodox Church. Her husband is a new deacon, so now she's a Matushka. Recently, her family was honored to care for a foster child who has since transitioned back home.

Meet Claire Vlachos-Martin, Director of Operations for FOCUS North America. Claire resides in St. Louis with her husband of 23 years, as well as her 19 year old son, Leo, and her 16 year old daughter, Eleni.

Dylan is the founder and president of the St. Nicholas Cabasilas Institute for Orthodoxy & Liberty, a research fellow at the Acton Institute, and has a PhD in theology. He is the husband of Kelly and the father of his four children: Brendan, Aidan, Erin, and Callaghan.

A poet and a presbytera, Elizabeth Scott Tervo is the author of the new The Sun Does Not Shine Without You: a Memoir of Soviet Georgia, which tells the gripping story of her time as an exchange student in the Soviet Union on the eve of its collapse.

Kevin Goodman is an Orthodox convert in Baltimore. He volunteers with the St. Nicholas Tele-Santa program, a free service in collaboration with the GOA, offering video calls with children to teach about the original Santa Claus, St. Nicholas of Myra.

Jessica and her husband Josh are touring with their acclaimed new film set in a fictional Spith Texas monastery, El Tonto por Cristo. Hear about how the whole family worked on what Jonathan Pageau called “A dangerous film, in the best possible way.”

Christina Andresen is the mother of three growing humans and also the Director of Ministries for OCF. We'll hear about what OCF is up to across the nation and how it's connected to what's happening in her own kitchen every day.

Sonia is originally from South Africa, where she grew up in a Greek community - until she and her husband left for Texas, where they've raised a beautiful family.

Elissa's back, and she's joined by AFR's Fr. Evan to talk about his new book!

Dear listeners and friends, I want to share a quick update to explain our unexpected absence. The podcasts are on a bit of a pause — but I'll be back soon. I was diagnosed this summer with a benign acoustic neuroma, and i underwent surgery to remove it. The big challenge was to be a loss of hearing on one side -- I have a cool cyborg implant to share with you when I get back! While the procedure itself went well, recovery hasn’t been as smooth or as simple as we hoped. i've had challenges requiring physical, speech and occupational therapy -- I'm learning more patience! and it has brought me into contact with very wonderful people i wouldn't have met otherwise, and it's giving me the chance to be on the receiving side of such beautiful prayers and gestures! I’m healing every day, and slowly but surely I will work my way back to you! Thank you for your patience, your support, and of course for your prayers! Our God always provides, and He continues to do so. With love in Christ, Elissa Bjeletich Davis

Corina is a wife, mother to 7 grown children, and grandmother to 3! A licensed midwife, author, speaker, and advocate, her recently published book, ‘The Chicken with the Red Feather’, portrays the true story of a family's journey with Huntington’s Disease

Matthew Robb Brown was born in Michigan. He has been a published poet since 1969 and has had many jobs. He became Orthodox in 1998. He is a subdeacon, and his wife, Kay, choir director at St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral in Fort Wayne, IN. He has 3 books of poetry on Amazon.

Abraham and Desirre Ghebremicael are from Eritrea–a small nation along the coast between Ethiopia and the Red Sea–but are raising their kids in Austin, Texas. We'll hear about Abe's journey and about how he finds that life in Texas compares to his homeland.

Dn. Anthony is originally from England, but married his wife Ruth in southern Africa. The two moved to East Asia, spending years in Hong Kong and Singapore, then emigrated to the US. They have been instrumental in building a vibrant Orthodox community in Appalachia.

Sophia Kellachow joined us in June, and we ran out of time as we talked about the sudden death of her husband and the conversion that followed. Join us as we welcome Sophia back to hear the rest of the story, and to learn about the wisdom these years have yielded.

From life in war-torn Berlin to the relative peace working in insurance in Canada, Mother Karitina was looking for something more—and she found it in a monastery. (Once she confirmed that she could still eat chocolate in the monastery, she was in!)

Sophia Kellachow is a vibrant Orthodox Christian who gives of her time, talents, and love freely. She seeks out those who are hurting and need encouragement and shows Christ's love. Passionate about the Church, she uses her gifts to teach and lead youth ministry.

It's time to get to know our new live show by producer, Mike DeGan! He has been with Ancient Faith Radio for just a few months, but he's already part of the family.

Matt's the oldest of four brothers who are just as comfortable weaving through traffic as hiking trails. Son of a southern Baptist preacher, Matt loves films and is a successful stuntman. He met his wife on a tv set, and they have three daughters.

Daniel felt a spiritual yearning, but filled it with the wrong things, becoming an alcoholic and occultist. A friend suggested he venerate the Inexhaustible Cup icon for healing, and the Theotokos rescued him. He recently converted and shares his faith journey on YouTube.

Elissa's new book is out, and Christian Gonzalez is here! We'll talk about myrrhbearing and Christian service, and its role in the Christian life.

Elissa's new book, The Art of Myrrhbearing, comes out in just a few days! Her daughter, Helena, is back to ask her a few questions about what inspired the book, and of course, what's inside it!

Judge Nicholas Ayoub grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he serves on the 61st District Court. He enjoys playing music and spending time with his wife and daughter, and serves as Protopsalti at St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church.

Laura Pavlik is a homeschooling mother of three who teaches the preschool Sunday school class and sometimes sings in the choir. She loves teaching and learning, writing (which is part of both), swing dancing, and baking bread. She is also the author of the adorable new board book from Ancient Faith Kids, Today My Priest Wears White.

For 35 years Charlene worked in Cincinnati Public Schools as a teacher, Assistant Principal, and Principal. She focused on inner city schools, and responded to food insecurity by starting a Food Pantry. Today she is the Director of FOCUS Cincinnati.

Elissa is joined by her friend, Bill Malloy, who was among the founders of St. Anthony's Orthodox Church in Spring, Texas. He loves to do volunteer work—at Texas Children's Hospital for years, and now at Institute for Health Quality and Ethics in Santa Fe.

Elizabeth worked as a child life specialist at her local children’s hospital for 10 years. After her first YES trip her outlook on serving others forever changed. She found greater awareness of the needs of every person, and how Christ uses each of us to fill those needs.

Jason is an algebra and geometry teacher in Phoenix, Arizona, and a former national teacher of the year for Teach For America. He is passionate about helping all students receive college degrees, especially his former students -- which is why he founded Camp Catanese. https://www.campcatanese.com/

On the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, Michael Carr let go of his life as a Lutheran pastor to embrace a new life in the Orthodox Church. He serves as operations manager for Philoxenia Charities, which provides housing free of charge to any Mayo Clinic patient.

The director of FOCUS Detroit, Adam enjoys cooking, songwriting and performing, exploring, and spending time with his pitbull, Henry. He has 3 theology degrees (BA, MA & MDiv), and he started the Motor City Orthodox Christian Conference.

Nicky Lamanna studied kinesiology, anatomy & nutrition. Working through his own health issues, he and his brother, Nathan, developed a philosophy for optimal health through a holistic approach, and went into business together, creating the online company, Mitigate Stress. To learn more please visit mitigatestress.com

Kirk Ries, LSW, MNPA, is entering his third year as Director of St. Herman House – FOCUS Cleveland. He has over 30 years of social work experience in public schools, foster care, business development, and residential treatment. He and his wife, Amy, have 3 adult children.

Rheta lives in the mountains of Pennsylvania with her husband, 2 children, and several cats. She loves reading, watching old television, being outside, and exploring small towns. But truthfully, going to a church service is her favorite thing to do. She is the author of the newly published, Stubborn Love: A Story of Saint Maria of Paris.https://store.ancientfaith.com/stubborn-love-a-story-of-saint-maria-of-paris/

Christi was on the first-ever episode of Everyday Orthodox and she's back with good news! She recently produced and brought to market a children's (ages 3-92) card game called FEAST DAY FUN! She developed the concept based on a learning game she has been using for over twenty years at church and at home. Feast Day Fun game can be purchased at;https://store.ancientfaith.com/feast-day-fun-activity-card-game/

Peter Poulos (a.k.a. Peter Santa) is the delightful co-founder of the online children's ministry, StNicholasTeleSanta.com, which offers free video calls with Orthodox children and their families during the Christmas season.

Kendra homeschools her four children, runs a successful business, and is passionate about helping people accept who they are and be gracious with others. She is thrilled to be on the team which wrote the companion guide to Parenting Toward the Kingdom.

Alexandros is the first ever full-time Orthodox Christian Campus Missionary! He met his wife, Rachel, at OCF's college conference, and now they have two children and are serving the community at Texas A&M, with great success.

Jaleen is the Executive Director of the Treehouse, serving women in need of comfort and confidence along their parenting journey. A wife and mother of four, Jaleen meets moms who have experienced trauma with compassion, empathy, and action plans to move families forward.

Spyridoula Fotinis is interested in the intersections of faith and social policy, specifically related to homelessness. She currently serves as the Director of Inter-Parish Associations for the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA.

The assistant priest at St John of the Ladder in Greenville, SC, Fr. Alexander is a senior fellow of philosophy and theology at the Pacifica Center for Philosophy and Theology. He is a contributor to the forthcoming book, Into the Light: Classical Education and Orthodox Christianity.

Presbytera Maria is the Principal of St. Raphael School. An educator for over 25 years, she has loved every minute of it—in both public and private schools. She holds degrees from Holy Cross, and she and her husband, Fr. Dionysios, live in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Born in Thailand, Yam grew up in the U.S. and lives in the Western NC mountains with her family. New to Orthodoxy, she has been led back into the East and deeper into the Kingdom of God where her interests in family life, monasticism, and good storytelling overlap.

The wife of a priest, Sarah is a mother of three and a middle school teacher. She co-authored both 101 and 102 Orthodox Saints. She loves helping students discover a love of reading and going on adventures in nature with her family.

At 16, Wadeed fell in love with Youth Equipped to Serve's mission of loving and serving all people. He is now the new Director of YES, the FOCUS ministry dedicated to creating formative opportunities that equip participants to serve each person as the image of Christ.

Susan founded and directs Thrive Life Skills, an international ministry organization and has worked for over 30 years with suffering people around the world. She wrote A New Song: Our Journey Toward Healing and lives with her daughter and family in Michigan

Clarissa grew up in South Africa, and has a background in acting. She homeschools three fiercely spirited girls and is wife to a man who gets paid to make actors look like superheroes. The Murrays live in downtown Atlanta, with their 90-lb Doberman named Blaise.

Dr. Jenkins is the Director of the St. Basil Center for Orthodox Thought and Culture at Eastern University He has taught History, Theology, Greats, Latin, and Greek, and recently published A Perilous Realm: Confronting Dragons, Angels, and Saints in the Ordering of the Soul.

Dr. Mark Faries, professor in behavioral medicine and adjunct faculty with the College of Medicine with Texas A&M College of Medicine and School of Public Health, Mark is the Director of the Well Church Initiative. He specializes in theology in health, health behavior change, and the role of religious beliefs in chronic disease prevention.