STSA Ministries OPEN HOUSE Launches Today

November 6, 2020

I have some exciting news to share! Today we’ll be launching our 2nd annual STSA Ministries Open House, but like everything else in 2020, it’s gonna look a little different.

As opposed to coming here for an entire weekend conference (remember those?), we’re bringing the Open House to YOU! That’s right. This Open House is entirely ONLINE and 100% FREE to anyone who wants to participate. And not only can you attend from the comfort of your own home, you’ll also get to set your own schedule as well.

That’s because this year’s Open House is a "choose your own adventure” virtual experience where we provide several topics and resources to choose from, and you select the ones that are relevant or interesting to you.

Here’s a quick preview of what’s in store.

PODCAST: Gaining Inspiration from Vacation

July 16, 2020

"The devil never takes a vacation so priests shouldn’t either.”

That’s something I used to hear - and tell myself - early on in my priesthood. But I’ve since repented and changed my ways. I’ve “seen the light” and realized that getting rest for your soul, your body and your spirit is an essential element of being an effective leader.

Besides, why would I want to make the devil my role model in any area of life :)

In this month’s episode of Bringing An Ancient Faith to a Modern World, I share about my recent vacation and talk about why you might want to consider taking one yourself - especially if you’re in a position of leadership.

PODCAST: The Church and the Community

June 22, 2020

In this month’s episode of Bringing An Ancient Faith to a Modern World, I am joined by Steve Messeh of HOPE Multiplied (and my brother) and we discuss the history and impact of community service at STSA and why all churches should be looking for opportunities to invest in their own communities as well.

MOMENTUM 2020: What Does Love Require?

June 17, 2020

We’re bringing MOMENTUM to you!

That’s right. For the first time ever, you don’t need to book a flight, or a hotel, or figure out whose couch you’ll be sleeping on…this year, MOMENTUM is coming to your home, your laptop, and your TV screen (and maybe even your phone, but hopefully not).

For only $20 per person, you can register for this year’s conference on June 27 – a one day virtual event where you’ll get to learn from a diverse group of speakers from across the globe. Such as,

IN IT TOGETHER: A Conversation about Race

June 4, 2020

Obviously there’s been a lot of discussion around the topic of race in America these days and I believe that we – aka, the Church, the Body of Christ – need to be at the forefront of such discussions, speaking truth and shedding light into some difficult areas.

So in place of our regularly scheduled Bible study last night, we hosted a special event called “IN IT TOGETHER: A Conversation about Race” where I was joined by 3 members of our church family and we had very candid conversation around the topic of race.

PODCAST: The Next Phase

May 20, 2020

In this month’s episode of Bringing An Ancient Faith to a Modern World, I share my thoughts about the “next phase” of church ministry and leadership. In light of the unique circumstances that we’re living in. the thought on everyone’s mind is this: where do we go from here?

STSA Ministries Community Check In

April 9, 2020

We’re inviting the STSA Ministries community to come together tomorrow night at 8:30 PM EST to discuss the strategies we’ve been using to adapt to this unprecedented time in church/world history.

So if you’re wondering how to approach Holy Week and Easter, or what this all means for life after Holy Week, join us tomorrow night as we share how we’re adjusting to this “new normal.”

Go to STSAministries.org and click JOIN NOW to receive details.

NEW YEAR, LESS ME - Part 5, The Selfless Church

February 24, 2020

“I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting, and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.” Pope Francis

We wrapped up our New Year, Less Me series and special thanks to Steve Messeh for talking to us about what it means to apply these principles at the church level. Just like our personal lives, we need to make sure our churches are “others-focused” and continue to be the Body of Christ in our local communities.

Why? Because as we’ve been saying throughout this series, “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45).

PODCAST: Influencing A Culture of Inclusion

February 13, 2020

"The Church is a hospital, and not a courtroom, for souls.” St. John Chrysostom

If such is truly the case, then we need to take an honest look at how we (the Church) are doing at welcoming and accepting people from all walks of life and with various “spiritual ailments”.

In this month’s episode of Bringing An Ancient Faith to a Modern World, we discuss how we can influence a culture of inclusion in our churches and help make them the safest places on the planet for people to approach.

ST & SA: Who Are They? Part 2

January 14, 2020

It’s part 2 in the series ST & SA: Who Are They? And this week we looked at the life of one of the truly great figures in Christian history: ST. ATHANASIUS.

This man was a true giant of the faith and in this week’s message we see what lessons we can learn from his life and his legacy. You’ll also hear the story of how I almost ended up with his name as well :)

ST & SA: Who Are They? Part 1

January 6, 2020

Happy new year! We kicked off 2020 with a bang yesterday as we started a two-week series called ST & SA: Who Are They?

The series is about our patron saints at STSA: St. Timothy (ST) and St. Athanasius (SA). In this week’s message, we learn about St. Timothy from his namesake, Fr. Timothy! We learn not just about the life of this great saint, but also a) what we can learn from it and b) why his name was chosen for our church.

THANKS TO YOU [sermon video]

December 9, 2019

“We exist to transform lives in the DC metro area through an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ founded upon the life and teachings of the Orthodox faith.”

That’s our mission statement at STSA and yesterday, we decided to take a step back and reflect upon how God is using us to accomplish that in our local community and beyond.

So if you’re one of the many people have supported the ministry at STSA - whether through prayer, or giving, or serving - then you NEED to know that you are making a difference in the world.

Check out this week’s message to learn more about the great work God is doing in the lives of so many - and it’s all THANKS TO YOU.

Episode 2: THE HIDDEN GEM OF THE OPEN HOUSE

August 7, 2019

Episode #2 of the podcast is up and this week, the subject is something we’ve been getting a ton of questions about regarding the STSA Open House: THE BREAKOUT SESSIONS.

Last week I mentioned how I personally think this will be the most beneficial part of the STSA Open House and in this week’s podcast, I explain why.

And remember, the early bird pricing for the Open House ends this Sunday. Be sure to sign up before the price jumps. See www.STSAministries.org for more info or click HERE for a list of Open House FAQ’s.

Open House BREAKOUT Sessions

July 30, 2019

We’re just one month away from our STSA Open House event and I’ve gotten a ton of people who are pumped up and asking for more information. And the area that seems to be generating the most excitement (and rightly so) is the BREAK OUT SESSIONS.

If you ask me, this will be the most valuable part of the weekend. Yeah, you’ll get to hear from me in the main sessions, but what will make this weekend really worth your while are the breakouts.

Look Ma, I'M A PODCASTER!

July 25, 2019

Yep! That’s right! I’ve finally decided to enter the podcasting realm. It only took me 20 years but I finally jumped on the podcasting bandwagon :)

The name of the podcast is BRINGING AN ANCIENT FAITH TO A MODERN WORLD. In Episode 1, I talk a little bit about the mission and vision behind STSA Ministries and what our motivation was in starting it. I also answer questions about the STSA Open House event on Labor Day weekend and what you can expect to find if you register.

Introducing STSA Ministries

July 23, 2019

One of my dreams when we started STSA Church back in 2012, was to one day be able to “give back” to the Church at large and help other churches that were trying to get off the ground as well. I always believed that being self-focused would be the death of the church and that to truly be healthy and God-honoring, we’d need to help other churches grow, not just ourselves.

At the time, it was a bit of a far-fetched dream because, simply put, there was too much to do at the local level to be concerned with things outside.

But the time has now come! Say hello to STSA Ministries!

The Road Ahead (sermon video)

January 23, 2019

THE WELL IS BACK!

I apologize for the loooong layoff, but what was supposed to be just a 3-week hiatus for the holidays turned out to be much longer due to several factors outside of our control. But thanks be to God, we finally got back to work this past weekend and the video is above.

That’s the good news.

The bad news however is that we – once again unfortunately – had technical difficulties and the recording is both INCOMPLETE (first 5-6 minutes didn’t record) and well BELOW THE QUALITY that you’re used to and deserve. For that I apologize but it was really out of our control.

GENUINE LOVE FOR OUR COMMUNITY - Family Matters, Part 5

November 13, 2017

"Everybody matters to God, even if God doesn't matter to them."

That's what our 10th core value is all about. It's about God taking flesh in our local community and "making some waves" through His Body, the Church. It's about us following the example of Christ and the early church and offering no-strings-attached love and compassion for others, especially those deemed of little to no value by society.

And while we may be questioned for what we believe, we should be embraced for how we love.

IRRATIONAL GENEROSITY - Family Matters, Part 4

November 6, 2017

IRRATIONAL GENEROSITY: We genuinely believe it is more blessed to give than to receive and we seek opportunities to express our love to God by sacrificing our time and our money.

It's part 4 in our Family Matters series and this week we're talking about everyone's [least] favorite topic: GIVING. But this wasn't just a message about money; it was a message about WORSHIP and the connection between your heart and your wallet/checkbook.

If you've never been inspired or motivated to give generously, I challenge you to listen to the message above and see if God changes your mind/heart.

FAITH-FILLED VISION - Family Matters, Part 3

October 30, 2017

It's time for our third installment in Family Matters and it's also time to discuss my absolute favorite of all the core values - the one that I believe can change your outlook on life the most!

STSA Core Value #6: FAITH-FILLED VISION
We believe in a BIG God and we rely on Him to do extraordinary things in our lives. We are not surprised when God does a miracle; we are more surprised when He doesn’t.

Trust me, understanding and embracing this message WILL change your life!