TSN0824

4 THE SHEPHERD • AUGUST 2024 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO VACATION CHURCH SCHOOL: From July 15th – 19th, over 40 children and teens participated in our Vacation Church School Program, Going for the Gold! More than 15 volunteers worked together to form a terrific staff, volunteering their time and energy (lots of energy!) to see that the program was fun and educational, as well as spiritually uplifting. Our Youth Leaders came with their best foot forward and led ac- tivities and groups, stayed late to help with After Care, sang, danced, and mentored our VCS Participants. I say it all the time, but I will say it again, our Youth Leaders are out- standing and contribute so very much to our community! The children learned all about the feasts of Palm Sunday, the Ascension, Pentecost, the Exaltation of the Cross, and the Acts of the Apostles. Our theme helped the children think about being spiritual athletes, training themselves so they could become more like Jesus Christ. He is the “Gold” they are seek- ing to win! They learned songs that included “Going for the Gold”, “Go Spread the News,” “The Incredible Race,” and “Ready, Set, Go.” A special thanks to Hope Factory for creating lyric videos for our VCS songs. The children and teens memorized the Bible verse, “So I run straight toward the goal, in order to win the prize which is God’s call through Christ Je- sus to the life above” Philippians 3:14. Special crafts (Training book, Olympic Torch, Mosa- ic Cross, Jesus Christ Conquers Gold Medal, and flip flops and sunglasses to help on their way to Spread the News!), snacks that em- phasized strength they need to serve God, and games (follow the leader, obstacle cours- es, relay races) that showed the children to Choose the Course, See the Prize, Get the Power, Lift the Gold and Walk the Way. They especially enjoyed helping our friend, Fabio, each day in our Closing Assembly, as he tried to explain what they had learned. We even had our very own St. Spyridon VCS Olympic Games! New this year, we offered a Preschool Class and After Care for all ages! During our After Care hours, kids played games, had a water day, had snacks, and made crafts. These new additions were such a success, we will be of- fering them again next year! The children, teens, and parents were very ex- cited to learn about Paws for Purple Hearts, our service project this year. Our children and teens brought dog food, dog toys, and dog treats to VCS to donate to this organi- zation that trains service pets for veterans in San Diego. We even spent time making our own dog toys to donate! You can donate too at www.pawsforpurplehearts.org Save the date for next year’s Vacation Church School – July 14th – July 18th, 2025! The theme is Super Saints – Heroes of our Faith! Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook (St. Spyridon GOC San Diego) and Instagram: @youthstspyridon. To volunteer or get more information with any of the Youth Ministries at St. Spyridon, contact Julie Dennis, Youth Ministries Director: 619-940-5167 or email youthministries@stspyridon.org . ST. NICHOLAS RANCH CAMP: Youth from St. Spyridon attended the Me- tropolis Summer Camp at St. Nicholas Ranch from July 7th – 13th. They all rode a bus to Dunlap, CA and spent a week at camp worshipping, singing by the campfire, craft- ing, playing, attending services at the Holy Monastery of the Theotokos the Life-Giving Spring, and meeting other youth from all over our Metropolis. Next year’s camp dates are July 6th – 12th, ages 8 – 18. CLERGY LAITY CONGRESS: To kick off the Clergy-Laity Congress, St. Spyridon youth participated in the Synodal Hierarchical Divine Liturgy singing in the Youth Choir and serving in the Altar. The Youth Choir’s voices rang true, clear, and beautifully as they sang parts of the Divine Liturgy. Teadora Brown sang “Somewhere over the Rainbow” and “For Good” at the Philoptochos Agape breakfast. Thank you to all of the Youth Leaders and Volunteers who made the Cowabunga Kids’ Zone a huge suc- cess for the families of clergy from all over the nation! His Eminence Archbishop Ger- asimos even came and turned the rope for jump rope with the kids! You can hear and read all about it at www.goarch.news GOYA (Greek Orthodox Youth Association) 2024-2025 school year kick off party is on August 17th at 4:30pm at La Jolla Shores. We will have dinner, play beach games, and en- joy a great San Diego beach day! Sunday School Sunday School resumes September 8th . Save the date for a Fun Fellowship! YOUTH MINISTRIES July 14-18th 2025 St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church