Officers' Christian Fellowship

Officers' Christian Fellowship (OCF) is a nonprofit Christian parachurch[1] organization of 17,000 U.S. Military officers, family members, and friends found at installations throughout the military. Founded in 1943,[2] the organization's purpose remains to glorify God by uniting Christian officers for biblical fellowship and outreach, equipping and encouraging them to minister effectively in the military society.[3] OCF operates Spring Canyon (CO) and White Sulphur Springs (PA), Christian camps and conference centers serving active duty military, veterans, enlisted soldiers, and families along with Christian church organizations.[4] Although the Military Religious Freedom Foundation accused OCF of improper proselytization[5] in 2008, journalist Jeff Sharlet reported that the Obama administration saw no significant problems with this organization or its activities.[6]

Officers' Christian Fellowship
Officers' Christian Fellowship
Formation1943 (1943)
FounderGeneral Hayes Kroner
Founded atWashington, D.C.
TypeNonprofit, parachurch
Region served
U.S. Military
Membership
17,000 officers
First President
General Hayes Kroner
President (1954-1972)
Lieutenant General William Kelly Harrison Jr.
WebsiteOfficial site
Formerly called
Officers' Christian Union

Origins

Officers' Christian Fellowship started as a small Bible study group in Washington, D.C., in the World War II-era. Founded as the Officers' Christian Union in 1943, the name was changed to Officers' Christian Fellowship in 1972. One of the Bible study group's original members, General Hayes Kroner, became OCF's first president. By 1947, after a year at West Point and Annapolis, membership of the organization grew to 41 army cadets and naval mid-shipmen. It was these members and other working officers, rather than a professional staff, who were responsible for the organization's growth in its early years.[7]

History

Its president from 1954 until 1972 was lieutenant general William Kelly Harrison Jr.[8]

White Sulphur Springs, PA Eastern OCF Retreat Center main lodge bears name of Lt General William K Harrison, USA Spring Canyon, Colorado Springs, CO Western OCF Retreat Center

See also

Further reading
  • More Than Conquerors: A History of the Officers' Christian Fellowship of the U.S.A., 1943 to 1983. Robert W. Spoede. OCF Books, 1993. ISBN 0-913991-02-3.

Notes
  1. Air Force Chaplains Interfacing with Para-Church Groups Archived 2012-02-27 at the Wayback Machine Fahner,David W. APR 1986
  2. "American Evangelicals and the US Military, 1942-1993"
  3. "About".
  4. "Spring Canyon is a Refuge for Vets"
  5. "This atheist finds he needs a foxhole - Tampa Bay Times". Archived from the original on 2012-09-07. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
  6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PriLtIfeAOk "The Crusade for a Christian Military: Are US Forces Trying to Convert Afghans to Christianity?". Democracy Now. Jeff Sharlet et al. Broadcast 5/6/09.
  7. American Evangelicals and the US Military, 1942-1993. Anne C. Loveland. Louisiana State University Press, 1997. ISBN 0-585-30006-2. pp.28-29
  8. "Leadership and the Christian Officer; the Basis of Successful Leadership". Retrieved 2009-07-10.


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