Since 1983, Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) at the University of Illinois has been the largest OCF organization in the United States. Students meet on campus at the NIKA House, the only permanent meeting facility for Orthodox college students in America. With over 4,000 square feet of space, the NIKA House is open every day for OCF members from 8 AM to midnight and offers amenities such as a ping pong table, a Nintendo Switch, board games, a basketball hoop, two 75-inch TVs, a music room, a library, a kitchen, multiple study rooms, chapel, prayer room, a fire pit outside and so much more! Safety wise, the property has secure entry doors and surveillance cameras to ensure student safety within the NIKA House and surrounding campus area. The NIKA House has a MTD bus stop right in front of the building, the University of Illinois has an exceptional public transit network, which makes it easy for students to attend OCF meetings. The University of Illinois is a world-class university, and for Orthodox college students, OCF Illinois allows them to grow in their faith away from home. Every week, we host religious and social events for our members, beginning on Sunday with carpooling to church.
Each Sunday, OCF students attend Three Hierarchs Greek Orthodox Church in Champaign through an OCF carpool system. You can expect to see around 40 students attending Sunday Liturgy, helping with Sunday School, serving in the altar, and cooking in the church’s kitchen. OCF meets at the NIKA House every Tuesday at 6 PM for its weekly meeting. OCF provides free meals thanks to Merry Ann’s Diner. Students then lead a discussion with our Spiritual Advisor, Fr. Michael Condos, priest at Three Hierarchs. On Wednesday, OCF participates in intramurals, playing soccer, basketball, indoor volleyball, beach volleyball, flag football, tennis, bowling and more. OCF reimburses students for their intramural memberships so they can play with OCF for free. On Thursday, OCF also holds a weekly Bible study at the NIKA House. Social events at the NIKA House range from Girls’ Nights and Movie Nights to sporting event watch parties, study sessions, bonfires, playing Quiplash with Metropolitan Nathaniel, and more. OCF students go kayaking and canoeing, take road trips to Chicago, St. Louis, and Wisconsin Dells, visit local monasteries in the Midwest and the Saint Iakovos Retreat Center. Every University of Illinois Football home game we host a large tailgate in Lot 31, which is just steps from the football stadium. OCF also attends Illinois basketball games together, and organizes OCF Dads’ Weekend, OCF Moms’ Weekend, OCF Illinois Homecoming events.
If you have a son or daughter who is looking to enrich their Orthodox faith with others, look no further than the University of Illinois. Established in 1867, the University of Illinois is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in the world. It is also home to the largest OCF in the country and the only university with a dedicated OCF meeting facility. OCF Illinois also has the Orthodox Christian Alumni Association in Action (OCAA) Board, a 501(c)(3) organization that oversees OCF Illinois and the NIKA House. Its sole focus is to ensure that OCF Illinois and the NIKA House live on for generations to come. No other college in America offers what OCF Illinois at the University of Illinois provides for students. We are truly one of a kind. Just two hours from Chicago, Indianapolis, and St. Louis, the University of Illinois provides an ideal location, close enough for easy trips home and convenient for families to come visit. With a metropolitan population of over a quarter of a million residents, the Champaign-Urbana area offers OCF Illinois students access to a diverse array of recreational, cultural, and entertainment opportunities. Since OCF Illinois was established, there has been a pipeline of Orthodox students from the Chicagoland and St. Louis metro areas to the University of Illinois. Our OCF alumni become involved in YAL Chicago, serve on local parish councils, and even become Greek Orthodox priests. OCF Illinois hosts multiple priests from the Metropolis of Chicago each year to lead discussions at the NIKA House. OCF Illinois will give your son or daughter a safe space to grow. They will easily form friendships from a large pool of Orthodox students and be part of a club that keeps them connected and engaged through many religious and social events.
Check out our Instagram (@ocfillinois) and Facebook (Orthodox Christian Fellowship – The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) to see what the excitement is all about. All links to our social media pages and website are listed below. Contact us at any of the numbers below, and we will quickly connect you with current OCF Illinois members at the University of Illinois. If you would like to tour the NIKA House, call or text (217) 766-9050 or send us a direct message on Instagram at @ocfillinois.
Contacts
(217) 766-9050 – Yianni Laros | OCAA Board Member
(217) 766-3104 – Foti Kutil | Manager of the NIKA House and OCAA Board Member
(217) 714-0758 – Fr. Michael Condos | OCF Spiritual Advisor and Priest at Three Hierarchs Greek Orthodox Church, Champaign, Illinois”
… or direct message us on Instagram
OCF Illinois at the University of Illinois | NIKA House 810 W Oregon St, Urbana Illinois, 61801