The Orthodox Brotherhood of St. Eustace (OBSE) is a lay, pan-orthodox men’s society of the Eastern Orthodox Church whose purpose is, first and foremost, to connect and encourage Orthodox Christian men to take an active and disciplined approach to developing and living out their faith. In this spirit, the OBSE exists to empower its members to conform themselves with greater depth to the image of Ch
rist in them by incorporating each into an environment of solidarity, support and mutual accountability with other, like-minded, men. Through this process, brothers of the OBSE prepare themselves to take an active role in serving the needs of the Church, their parish, their families and the immediate community of which they are a part. By developing individual members of the parish, the OBSE seeks to promote and invigorate an Orthodox way of life that is lived profoundly and visibly to the outside world. As a natural consequence of this self-development, the OBSE, secondarily, seeks to facilitate and bring fresh energy to the Church’s historic mission delivered by our Lord, Jesus Christ, to his apostles to “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…” Both as heirs of this apostolic mission, and as members of a “royal priesthood,” brothers of the OBSE seek, by the grace of God, to be transfigured into worthy apostolic successors in their service to the Church and outreach to the community. Where the service component might include, but not be limited to, education, maintenance of Church property, fundraising, event planning, donating money to parish needs, etc., the outreach component will consist of varying forms of works of charity in accordance with Christ’s injunction to the faithful in the Holy Gospels (Matthew 25:35-45) and any other contemporary needs not listed above that are consistent with the values of the Church. Finally, in light of certain historical trends and current events, it is clear that powerful sectors within the post-Christian Western cultural and political landscape have moved past a stance of indifference to the Church’s mission and values, but are now actively hostile to it, proving themselves both willing and able to use political measures to interfere with, impede and otherwise distort or destroy the life of the Church. The OBSE seeks to combat this through the utilization of every peaceful and legal means available. To this end, the OBSE takes a proactive stance by participating in limited, but meaningful civil engagement that is consistent with the traditional teachings of the Church. This is carried out not only in defense of the Orthodox faith, but also the norms and values that are essential to the peace, prosperity and proper function of society. The OBSE will work to do everything in its power to promote Orthodox Christian values in the larger cultural arena and develop mutual support and cooperation with like-minded groups and individuals who share our morals, if not our faith, while, nevertheless, continuing to preserve and strengthen our unique Orthodox identity within this arena. Given the adverse political conditions, the OBSE fully acknowledges and accepts the potential repercussions of their actions. Brothers of the OBSE will always work to cultivate within themselves courage and a loving spirit of resignation and trust in the Lord, in the same spirit of St. John the Forerunner as “a voice of one crying in the wilderness: (John 1:23) and the numerous holy martyrs and confessors of the Church that have existed in every age since the time of the Apostles. In all things, brothers of the OBSE desire to serve as living icons of the Orthodox faith, taking to heart what God the Father said to His Prophet Isaiah “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6)
