YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS
Y.A.L.—Young Adult League
Contact: Doria Gjerde (info@atlantayal.org) at 404-520-0097 or Fr. Christos (frchristos@atlgoc.org) at 404-633-5870
Membership open to: Adults 18-35 years old
Fee: None, except for outings.
Purpose: To bring young adults together spiritually, socially, athletically, and culturally.
Activities: Activities in the past have included meals and fellowship at people’s homes, an evening at Kyma Restaurant, and other events.
O.C.F.—Orthodox Christian Fellowship-National Ministry of the Archdiocese
Contact: Mari Shoji, President (mari.shoji@yahoo.com) at 678-463-2927 or Fr. Christos, Chaplain (frchristos@atlgoc.org) at 404-633-5870
Membership open to: College Students (undergraduate and graduate) and high school seniors wanted to know more about O.C.F.
Meetings are held: Biweekly on Tuesdays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Contact the President for more information.
Fee: None
Purpose: O.C.F. serves as a fellowship for Orthodox Students interested in Orthodoxy to interact with other Orthodox students while spiritually growing in the faith.
Activities: Activities include Clergy and speakers leading discussions at regular meetings, retreats in the Southeast region, alternative spring breaks around the world, community service, and social activities. Past activities have included visiting a corn maze, attending a Thrashers game, going bowling, and having a work retreat at the Diakonia Center.
COLLEGE OUTREACH – Annunciation Cathedral Ministry
Contact: Anna Kostopoulos (agkostopoulos@earthlink.net) at 770-492-0877 or Fr. Christos (frchristos@atlgoc.org) at 404-633-5870
Membership open to: College Students (undergraduate and graduate)
Gatherings are held: Usually on the 3rd Sunday of every month.
Fee: None
Purpose: To bring Orthodox students from the surrounding colleges and universities to the Cathedral for a “home cooked” meal and Divine Liturgy
Activities: Activities include Clergy leading discussions after lunch and fellowship amongst other Orthodox Students. Students also get a chance to take the “leftovers” home with them and usually a goody bag is also given.
WEDNESDAY NITE LIFE
Contact: Fr. Christos (frchristos@atlgoc.org) at 404-633-5870 for ideas on classes. Ginnie Roglin (ginnie@atlgoc.org) at 404-633-5870 for help with food preparation.
Participation: open to all Parish Families and individuals from Pre Kindergarten through 99 years of ages
Fee: None except for a free will offering
Activities: Dinner and fellowship followed by classes on our faith on Wednesday evenings in the Kartos Ball Room. The first semester begins on the first Wednesday after Labor Day in September and goes until the second week in December. The second semester beings on the first Wednesday after Epiphany and continues until the Wednesday before Memorial Day. Classes are suspended in the first week of Great Lent, Holy Week and Bright Week.
ANNUNCIATION CATHEDRAL GREEK SCHOOL PARENTS-TEACHERS ASSOCIATION
Contact: Michelle Constantinides & Connie Weimar
Membership open to: All parents of Greek School students and other interested persons.
Fee: $10 per family (50 families for 2010-2011 school year)
Meetings are held: Two times a year (September and April).
Purpose: The GS PTA is an organization that works with the Greek School Board, Church leaders, staff and parents to achieve and maintain educational excellence for children enrolled in the Greek School program. The PTA also provides financial support for many supplemental activities such as Greek culture events, art projects, religious Holiday activities and special preparations for the GS's various programs held throughout the school year. Through fundraisers and volunteerism, the PTA is able to provide the school with supplemental support to the teachers and staff for the students. Parental membership in the PTA is critical and gives parents a voice in their child's Greek School educational experience
Activities: Annual GS Christmas party, Kathara Deftera picnic & kite-flying, Valentine's Day Bake sale, Greek Novelty items sale, “Welcome back to school” picnic, “Baking Koulourakia with Yiayia”, PTA meetings, GS Parents end of the year social, decorates for all GS programs (OXI Day, Christmas program, Three Hierarchs Day, Greek Independence Day & Celebration of the Annunciation Day Program, Exetasis/Graduation day), various arts & crafts projects such as masks for Apokreas & “OXI” Day necklaces/bracelets. Other activities include: Apokreatiko Glendi (with Arcadian & Laconian Societies), Fernbank IMAX field trip for movie “Greece: History of the Past”, Carlos Museum Greek Mythology workshops.
ATHLETIC PROGRAMS
YOUTH BASKETBALL
Contact: Cathedral Office (foffice@atlgoc.org) at 404-633-5870
Participation open to: Boys age 7-14 years old and Girls age 7-14 years old by September 1st of the current, participating School year.
Games are held: Games played on a 7-game per season schedule with a tournament. Game days are Saturday mornings, from January to February. Practices are on Sunday afternoons from Mid-November thru February.
Fee: $115.00 per child (2010)
Purpose: To learn the virtues of good teamwork and the fundamentals of the game as well as winning and losing well, in an atmosphere of fun and Christian fellowship.
WINTER YOUTH RALLY—Sponsored by Metropolis of Atlanta
Contact: Presbytera Marilisse Mars (youth@atlmetropolis.org) at 404-634-9345 for Metropolis-wide concerns. Fr. Christos (frchristos@atlgoc.org) at 404-633-5870 for Local Parish concerns.
Participation open to: 7th thru 12th graders who participate in and meet the requirements of GOYA
Dates: December 27-30 every year
Fee: $235 (for 2010: Parish registration / Hotel / Food / T-Shirt Fee)
Purpose: The WYR encourages athletic competition and fellowship on a Metropolis-wide scale. The program has an average, annual participation of over 15 Parishes, with about 500 participants and consists of three days of sporting, spiritual and social events.
ADVENT RETREAT— Sponsored by Metropolis of Atlanta
Contact: Presbytera Marilisse Mars (youth@atlmetropolis.org) at 404-634-9345 for Metropolis-wide concerns. Fr. Christos (frchristos@atlgoc.org) at 404-633-5870 for Local Parish concerns.
Participation open to: Children 6th thru 12th Grade Goya.
Dates: Usually 2nd week of November, at the Diakonia Retreat Center
Fee: $90 (2010)
Purpose: To promote the Orthodox Christian way of life in an informal camp-like setting, discuss relevant moral and social issues confronting young people, and discover Orthodox solutions and response to those issues.
Activities: The Retreat in South Carolina includes Learning Sessions, worship, diakonia, and free time for athletics. Chapel is part of everyday life at the Retreat.
Contact Fr. Christos for information on van-pooling from the Cathedral.
LENTEN RETREAT— Sponsored by Metropolis of Atlanta
Contact: Presbytera Marilisse Mars (youth@atlmetropolis.org) at 404-634-9345 for Metropolis-wide concerns. Fr. Christos (frchristos@atlgoc.org) at 404-633-5870 for Local Parish concerns.
Participation open to: Children 6th thru 12th Grade Goya.
Dates: Usually in March, depending on when Great Lent begins, at the Diakonia Retreat Center.
Fee: $85 (2011)
Purpose: To promote the Orthodox Christian way of life in an informal camp-like setting, discuss relevant moral and social issues confronting young people, and discover Orthodox solutions and response to those issues. Contact Fr. Christos for information on van-pooling from the Cathedral.
Activities: The Retreat in South Carolina includes Learning Sessions, worship, diakonia, and free time for athletics. Chapel is part of everyday life at the Retreat.
H.D.F. - Hellenic Dance Festival — Sponsored by Metropolis of Atlanta
Contact: Gerry Clonaris, Chairman at 704-574-6179 or Presbytera Marilisse Mars (youth@atlmetropolis.org) at 404-634-9345
Participation open to: Dance groups 9 years to adult
Dates: February 2011 (President’s Day Weekend)
Fee: $150 for full participant package, excluding Hotel Accommodations (2011).
Purpose: To develop an awareness and appreciation for Hellenic and Orthodox Culture and tradition. To inspire youth to understand the concept that a healthy body leads to a healthy mind. To establish the principles of this Diakonia in the same spirit of Hellenism used for the original Olympics.
SUMMER PROGRAMS
ANNUNCIATION SUMMER DAY CAMP
Contact: Susan Marinos (smarinos@atlgoc.org) at 404-633-5870 or Fr. Christos (frchristos@atlgoc.org) at 404-633-5870
Participation open to: Children 4 to 14 years old by September 1st of that School year.
Dates: Usually first two weeks of June
Fees for 2010: $140 for ages 4 to 12 years old
$155 for ages 13-14 years old (Adventure Camp)
Non-Pledging Members add $25 to each price
Purpose: To promote the Orthodox Christian way of life in an informal camp-like setting.
Activities: Worship, Orthodox life, arts and crafts, recreational activities, swimming, and snacks, are all part of the program. Adventure Camp is for the 7th and 8th graders, who participate in offsite field trips, in addition to the activities listed above.
ANNUNCIATION CATHEDRAL BASKETBALL CAMP
Contact: Cathedral Office (foffice@atlgoc.org) at 404-633-5870
Participation open to: Children 6 to 14 years old.
Dates: Usually 4th week of June
Fees for 2012: $140 for Cathedral Members
$185 for non-members
Purpose: To learn the virtues of good teamwork, along with the virtues of sportsmanship, in an atmosphere of fun and fellowship in Christ.
Activities: Children work on improving their Basketball fundamentals.
ST. STEPHEN’S SUMMER CAMP—Metropolis of Atlanta Sponsored Event
Contact: Presbytera Marilisse Mars (youth@atlmetropolis.org) at 404-634-9345 for Metropolis-wide concerns. Fr. Christos (frchristos@atlgoc.org) at 404-633-5870 for Local Parish concerns
Participation open to: Boys and girls, 7th - 12th grade.
Fee: (based on 2010 costs)
$350.00 per child by March 31st
$375 per child by April 30th
$400 per Child by May 31st
Second Child is $25 less per month
Purpose: St. Stephen’s Camp brings together children in fellowship, as well as social and athletic fun. The Christian experience through the many programs is “deeply rewarding and a source of spiritual enrichment…St. Stephen’s is a camp of people reaching out, feeling, caring for everyone who takes part...”
Activities: The weeks of Camp in South Carolina includes time for swimming, boating and athletics, Orthodox Life, Hang Time, and diakonia. Chapel and meditation are also part of everyday life at the camp. The Event is held at the Diakonia Retreat Center.
IONIAN VILLAGE—Archdiocese of America Summer Camp Program in Greece
Contact: Fr. Christos (frchristos@atlgoc.org) at 404-633-5870 or Presbytera Marilisse Mars (youth@atlmetropolis.org) at 404-634-9345
Participation open to: Boys and girls, 7th -12th Grade.
Fee: $3900.00 per child (2009) includes everything except Atlanta-New York-Atlanta airfare. Fundraising and Scholarship opportunities are available.
Purpose: Ionian Village (IV) is an Orthodox Christian ministry whose mission is teaching the Gospel and instructing young people in Christian living. IV provides a safe, Christ-centered, fun environment in which campers and staff members can fully discover the joys of our Christian tradition: interacting as a community of Orthodox Christians; gaining a greater appreciation for the Holy Orthodox faith as well as Greek culture and building life-long friendships with other Orthodox teens from around the US and Canada, based on Christian love.
Activities: In fulfilling this mission, the young people live at the camp along the Ionian Sea. They interact in daily camp activities that include: Aquatics, Arts & Crafts, Athletics, Music and Greek Culture, and Orthodox Life. They participate in daily prayer services and travel to significant religious and cultural sites of Greece. They walk in the footsteps of the Apostles, and venerate the relics of saints such as St. Dionysios and St. Nektarios.
For More Info: www.ionianvillage.org
CROSSROADS—Archdiocese of America Program
Contact: Fr. Christos (frchristos@atlgoc.org) at 404-633-5870 or Presbytera Marilisse Mars (youth@atlmetropolis.org) at 404-634-9345
Participation open to: Boys and girls, high school juniors and seniors.
Fee: Cost of Airfare to Boston and personal spending money
Attention high school juniors and seniors, before you decide what to do with the rest of your life, decide what to do with your summer! CrossRoads is an engaging,10-day summer institute for Orthodox Christian high-school juniors and seniors of all jurisdictions, that takes place every summer on the campus of Hellenic College/Holy Cross in Brookline, MA. Students from the United States and Canada are invited to take part in an exciting, summer vocations exploration program designed to help them discern their life callings and match their God-given gifts with the needs of the world.
For More Info: crossroad.hchc.edu