Youth and Family
The Antiochian Archdiocese is home to a range of ministries laboring for the sake of our youth and our families. Although all of these programs together encompass a broad range of activity and age groups, all share the same goal: to encourage full participation in the life of the Church through worship, witness, service, and fellowship. All of these ministries are looking for ways to help Orthodox parents navigate the challenging parenting climate of today. This page compiles all of the departments serving kids and parents, and provides a roadmap for Antiochian Christians who are looking for resources and support within our Archdiocese. Are we missing something important? Is there a book, an article, a camp, a youth activity that should be here? Email us at editor@antiochian.org with input and suggestions.
FOCUS Launches Youth Equipped to Serve Website
FOCUS North America has announced the launch of a new website and video for its youth-based domestic outreach program “Youth Equipped to Serve” (YES). The website can be found at http://www.yesnorthamerica.org/ The video can be found at www.yesnorthamerica.org/yesvideo.
"We are so excited for you to get to know the YES Program through our new website and YES video! Read testimonies from students, view videos that they made and hear firsthand how God is working in the lives of the youth that become His hands and feet in service to the poor," said Katrina Bitar, FOCUS North America YES Program Director.
Feedback from student participants has been enthusiastic.
“The website is fantastic and lively. The new YES video does an excellent job showing the many encounters that happen on a YES trip.” - Peyton Powers
“The website is awesome! The bright colors are great and show how fun these trips are. The video perfectly captured our trip!” - Grace Farha
FOCUS North America believes that engaging all of the faithful, especially our youth, in the Gospel work of serving the poor in our own communities is essential in keeping the youth faithful to Christ and active in the Church for a lifetime. The YES Program has dramatically influenced the spiritual lives of its hundreds of participants. For more information on the YES program or to schedule a trip, visit: www.FOCUSNorthAmerica.org/YES.
FOCUS North America and its programs are committed to serve those in need, support Orthodox Christian social action ministries and supply parishes and others with the education, resources and training to initiate social action ministries in their own communities. In all of this, FOCUS North America continues its work in Restoring Living Icons.
FOCUS North America Launches New Website and Video for Youth Equipped to Serve Program
November 3th, 2009– Kansas City, MO
FOCUS North America is excited to announce the launch of a new website and video for its youth-based domestic outreach program “Youth Equipped to Serve” (YES). The website can be found at www.YESNorthAmerica.org. The video can be found at www.yesnorthamerica.org/yesvideo.
"We are so excited for you to get to know the YES Program through our new website and YES video! Read testimonies from students, view videos that they made and hear firsthand how God is working in the lives of the youth that become His hands and feet in service to the poor," said Katrina Bitar, FOCUS North America YES Program Director.
Feedback from student participants has been enthusiastic:
Generous Grant Supports OCF Programming
Fishers, IN – November 11, 2009
Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) continues to receive funding from the Lilly Endowment in support of its Just Love service learning programs, having recently been awarded a matching grant of $35,000. The grant comes as part of the Programs for the Theological Exploration of Vocation (PETV).
In the past year, OCF has been able to add several new service learning programs due to the support of the Lilly Endowment. One of these programs, Just Love, is an inner-city immersion program designed to allow students to spend a day serving the poor of their city, learn about the complexity of poverty and the challenges facing the poor, and how we are called as Christians to respond.
Another new program these funds will go to support is the Pilgrimage for Justice. This yearly event brings students together from throughout North America to experience and reflect upon some of the harsh realities of injustice in our world today such as human trafficking and homelessness. The very first Pilgrimage was held in June of this year and incorporated simulated activities, reflective exercises, and prayer to challenge students to live out the Gospel each day of their lives.
Raising Godly Children (Bishop THOMAS)
These notes are from a presentation by His Grace Bishop THOMAS at Orthodox Institute 2009, Antiochian Village Heritage and Learning Center, Bolivar, Pa., November 5-8, 2009. Download a printer-friendly version.
Parents, take the initiative to find out what your children are learning in Church School. Build upon the weekly lessons at home with supplemental teaching.
Register for Winter Camp at Antiochian Village
The days are becoming chilly at the Village and the nights are downright cold. That can only mean one thing - Winter Camp must be around the corner. We have two sessions of Winter Camp planned for young people in grades 7 through 12 on the observances of Martin Luther King Jr. weekend (Jan. 15-18) and Presidents weekend (Feb. 12-15). There are two ways to register: online or mail-in paper forms. If you register online, you will need to download and mail the Medical and Snow-tubing forms. We are also accepting Winter Camp Staff applications. Our tentative theme for both sessions of Winter Camp is "The 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make." Don't wait another day, register today! Check back soon for more details and visit our Winter Camp page for additional information.
Orthodox Christian Camp & Youth Worker Conference + January 28-30, 2010
January 28-30, 2010 + Silver Spring, MD
Click here for more information
Download event flyer (PDF)
Camp directors, youth workers, administrators, cabin staff and youth advisors from all SCOBA jurisdictions are welcome! Featured keynote speaker will be His Grace Bishop DANIEL of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA.
The 2010 Orthodox Christian Camp and Youth Worker Conference will be held January 28-30, 2010 in Silver Springs, MD (30 minutes from Washington, DC) and hosted by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA. This year's theme is "Communicating the Gospel in the 21st Century." We invite all youth workers, church school teachers, camp directors, camp staff, and anyone interested in working with youth to attend this annual conference.
Christian Education Department Launches New and Improved Web Resources
The Antiochian Archdiocese’s Christian Education Director Carole Buleza, department web editor Timm Wenger, and the team at antiochian.org, have redesigned and significantly improved the department’s popular web pages this fall. At www.antiochian.org/christianeducation, browsers can find resources for parents, Sunday School teachers and directors, youth workers and homeschoolers. Curriculum is readily available, and a special section created for small church schools helps instructors in communities where resources are limited. The Department of Christian Education now has a Facebook presence as well, and teachers can log in by clicking the Facebook button for that purpose posted on the web page’s right-hand column.
October 2009: Archdiocese Youth Month
Convention SOYO Leadership Training 2009October is the month to introduce teens to the many opportunities to minister in the Church, including such activities as reading the Epistle, taking the collections, chanting, singing in the Choir, helping in the Church School, and giving sermons approved by the priest. While we want teens always to be active in the services of the Church, October has been set aside in particular to recognize our teens and to give them more opportunities to serve.
One way our teens can get involved is by being encouraged to participate in the Creative Festivals, and the Bible Bowl and Oratorical Festival in 2010. This year’s theme revolves around ecology, and its central Scripture is: “The earth is the Lord’s and its fullness. The world and all who dwell therein.” God created all; all that is in that world, in the air, on the land, and in the sea; and the people of God. Complete topics, rules, and a recommended reading list are available online at: http://www.antiochian.org/festivals.
Please visit our Youth and Family page, and more links follow (click "Read More"):
