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.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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!By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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/By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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://sto…

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:…

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.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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 MichiganBy Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

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.…

Zachary Porcu is a professor of history and theology and a catechist. His is the author of Journey to Reality. He earned his PhD in church history from the Catholic University of America and holds degrees in philosophy, classics, and interdisciplinary humanities.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

A mother, writer, and teacher of college students and preschoolers, Laura received her Ph.D. from Harvard, earned tenure, published her first academic book, and then left to homeschool her children. She's working to set up Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in her parish.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

Aleksandr Jovic just made his directorial debut with the documentary, Beyond the Peak. He has spent years in Hollywood, working in various roles in both production and post-production. Get to know Aleksandr, and learn about his lenten documentary!By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

Kristi grew up with a Yiayia who truly lived the faith. In one of the hardest experiences of Kristi’s life, she was diagnosed with MS and Lyme. She relied on prayer, like Yiayia, and this struggle led to her true calling - author and illustrator of Orthodox children’s books!By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

Evan and his wife discovered Orthodoxy in 2008 and soon established Otherworldly Productions, a video production company specializing in quirky commercials (Adidas, Clif Bar). Now, they're focused on Facing Phantoms, a feature-length documentary on the beauty of Orthodoxy.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

With years of experience in prison ministry, Fr. Michael Pejovic serves as a Prison Relationship Manager for OCPM, responding to the spiritual needs of prisoners and supporting the community surrounding them. Serbian-American, he serves as an OCA priest in New Jersey.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

Fr. Nick specializes in negotiation, diplomacy, peacemaking, and change leadership. He has used those gifts in service to the GOA, the Patriarch of Constantinople, the Assembly of Bishops, and the UN––and now he's part of the effort to translate the Divine Liturgy into ASL.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

Artist Emanuel Burke found Orthodoxy through icons. His art, rooted in Orthodox tradition, portrays saints in fresh ways, exploring the boundaries of light and dark, life and death, and sketching out the path of salvation. He and his wife, Yam, have 3 young children.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

You know Jonathan Jackson from General Hospital, Tuck Everlasting and Nashville -- but now get to know him as a fellow Orthodox Christian. We'll talk about his faith, his role in the upcoming film, Unsung Hero, and his new album, The Harrowing of Hell.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

Richard Ramsey co-wrote and co-directed the feature film, Unsung Hero. He and his brother, John, make comedic short films which have been featured in numerous film festivals. Richard and his wife live in Nashville and have five children (all named after Beatles songs).By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

Fr. John Kowalczyk serves as chaplain at S.C.I. Waymart’s Forensic Treatment Center. He is an executive member of the board of Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM), and advocates for prison inmates in need of Christ and pastoral care.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

Michael is a husband and father of three, a parish council president, the son of an Orthodox priest, and the President of The Antiochian Men. We'll hear his story and learn why and how he founded this impressive new group.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

Eleanor is a delightful woman whose deep faith has carried her through tragedy, including the loss of her sweet son. A wife and mother, she works in the banking industry and has taught Sunday School, sung in the choir, and baked prosphora.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

Pres. Melanie and her husband, Fr. Joseph, have one son, Michael Seraphim, whose special needs greatly impact his health and independence. She works to encourage families who face similar challenges and to dispel cultural stigmas associated with disabilities.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

Fr. Eugen is the author of Church Ministries on a Shoestring Budget, a subject he knows well, having established mission churches in Pittsburgh, PA, and Columbus, OH. A husband and father, he has been a priest for 32 years, and speaks on Pastoral Theology and other topics.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

Michael Witcoff is one of Elissa's AHOS classmates. He grew up Jewish, and then became a Freemason, before converting to Orthodox Christianity. His book ‘On The Masons And Their Lies’ was written to help communicate the fraternity’s incompatibility with Christianity.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

Marie is cradle Orthodox from the coal region of Pennsylvania. She married her best friend and they have three adult children. She is outgoing and fun, and works as a Medical Assistant. Her family was always active in the Church, laying a firm foundation for her.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

Katherine is a wonderful author, and has been an editor at Ancient Faith since 1993. She has written several children's books, as well as the Crime with the Classics series of traditional mysteries for adults. She and her husband have recently moved to the Pacific Northwest.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis

Christopher is a figurative artist working primarily in a type of Biblical Narrative. He has a degree in Drawing and Painting from Biola University and has been a work-from-home artist and homeschooler. He and his wife lead the Burial Society ministry at their parishBy Elissa Bjeletich Davis

Fr. Patrick is Elissa's Liturgical Theology professor at AHOS, and author of Come, Let Us Worship. Though he grew up Protestant in New Jersey, he spent most of his life as an Orthodox priest on the West Coast.By Elissa Bjeletich Davis