Mission Statement

The origins of the Ambassadors dates back to the 1960s when it was an organization for newly married couples.  In the 1980s it experienced a rebirth by expanding its scope to include all young adults from 25 to 40.

The Ambassadors is an organization whose mission is to engage young adults who are busy starting their careers and families back into the church.  Most young adults age 25-40 have spent the past 10 years or so off at college, focusing on getting their first job, and/or starting a family.  The importance that church plays in our lives has changed from when we did not have these other responsibilities. 

The challenge we face today is to assure that we make a commitment to Christ.  We should strive to make our role within Church and everyday life to be “Ambassadors for Christ”.  We must develop new and creative ways for us to have an ongoing forum for young adult Melkites to express our faith. 

Through our local parishes, Ambassadors strives to create more opportunities to involve young adults in the Melkite Church on a regular and continuous basis.  Members should make the effort to reach out and contact those parishioners who have lost touch with the church.  Through spiritual and social activities we hope to invigorate the participation of young adults on the local and national level, as we are the future of our church. 
Due to the many external responsibilities placed upon us, our goal is to attract people to the organization by making our events relevant and practical to our every day lives as well as spiritually enlightening. We envision discussions that will better our lives and expand our religious horizons.  Topics may include foundations of a Christian Marriage, seminars on careers and health care, and raising children in a Melkite family.
We should learn from our fellow Eastern Christian churches, many of which have very strong, and active young adult groups.  Regularly scheduled events include choir practices, regional and national retreats, camping and ski trips, and Lenten dinners.  Coming together on a regular basis in a relaxed atmosphere helps foster friendship and strengthens the bond between members.
We see the national organization as a vehicle through which information can be gathered and then disseminated throughout the country to local parishes.  A website will be maintained and members from local parishes can share ideas for the group with others throughout the country.  Details of successful events can be spread across the country and the events can be repeated on the local level.  We need to be able to learn from each other how to most efficiently grow this new organization.

A goal that would energize the national community of young adult Melkites would be a mid-year meeting.  The planning and organizing would occur on the national level, with help from local leaders.  It would consist of a three to four day agenda involving organizational meetings, spiritual discussions and a strengthening of the social network of the group.  This event would serve to propel the group stronger into the future and continue the momentum started at the National Convention in Rhode Island.

NAMY has done an excellent job in getting the youth involved in the church.  However, there is insufficient community support for the young adults – at the most critical time in one’s spiritual life.  For the future health of the Diocese, we hope we will get the support we need to make this new organization a success – not only from the young adults across the nation, but also from the other organizations, parishioners, and clergy.