Each summer approximately 2000 Orthodox children and youth from across North America participate in one of the Orthodox Church in America’s 30 or so camping programs. Staffed and run by committed volunteers from local parishes, these camps gather for programs ranging from 4 days, a week, two weeks, or even 7 weeks of friendship, Christian education, daily worship, and service to each other.
These programs give campers and staff the experience of living in an Orthodox Christian community 24 hours a day and provide opportunities for youth to take on leadership roles, serve others through a large variety of creative projects, and have even been the place of baptisms and chrismations of youth and adults who have ‘found the true faith.’
One way of involving older teens in your camping or vacation church school program and developing future adult staff is by having staff assistants. St. Andrew’s Camp in upstate New York refers to them as S.A.s while other camps call the...
Also see: Youth Trip Checklist What is an outing? An outing is any youth activity that involves transporting a group of youth together to a site away from the parish and or their parents. Typical outings include trips to museums, amusement parks and service projects. ...
Before the day of the outing did you ... Coordinate with the site you plan on visiting? Schedule and acquire suitable and sufficient transportation? Decide on and make arrangements for meals? Recruit or assign enough volunteers or staff for the outing? Before you leave do you...
Introduction Clarify Your Goal Receive Appropriate Blessings Pre-Camp Work Recruit Mandatory Staff Camp Director Registered Nurse, Doctor, EMT Certified Lifeguard who is also certified in First Aid Two Adult Counselors for each group Recruit Additional Staff Games/Sports Coordinator Crafts Coordinator Christian Education Session Coordinator ...
Also see: Camp Planning Checklist Introduction The Orthodox Church in America has one of the largest networks of Orthodox summer camping and rally programs in North America. They are some of the most successful and dynamic youth ministry efforts in our Church. Thousands of Orthodox ...