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4 THE SHEPHERD • AUGUST 2026 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO August’s quick tip for families: Connect be- fore you Correct. If you’ve ever attended one of George Papageorge’s seminars from the Metropolis Family Wellness Ministry, you will have heard this before. Kids and teens (and adults) generally respond better to cor- rection when they feel seen and heard first. A quick internet search of “Connect before you Correct in Christian Parenting” will give you some great examples of how to get start- ed with this great tip. Our Vacation Church School this year was our best attended since we restarted af- ter Covid! We had many new families and Youth Leaders join! Each day of VCS, we learned a little bit more about God’s creation and of His glory in our world today. The kids created a “Terrarium of Creation” and had Creation-themed snacks, such as fish cup- cakes and galaxy cheese and crackers. The crafts included making pet rocks to remind them about Day 3 of Creation and hand mirrors so the kids could look at themselves, knowing that they were made by God and for God! They played games that matched each themed day, such as Sharks and Min- nows and Glow Stick Hide and Seek. Our memory verse this week was “And God saw everything He had made, and indeed, it was very good.” Genesis 1:31. We hope you will memorize it too! VCS 2027 is tentatively scheduled for June 28 through July 2, 2027! In the beginning of July, St. Spyridon led a van carpool from San Diego to St. Nicholas Ranch Camp. We filled two vans with kids and teens from St. Spyridon, plus kids from St. Constantine and Helen, St. Gregory, St. George (Arizona), and St. Demetrios (Ca- marillo)! On the drive home, the campers described the relationships they had made, the fun they had, and the faith that they grew from the trip. The photo in the newsletter is from the return trip lunch in front of In and Out! Parents of babies & toddlers Kids’ Corner will remain open on Sundays through the summer. Little Angels Play- group (ages 0-4) will meet on August 5th and August 26th in the Lower Education Build- ing! Siblings are welcome for this summer playgroup! Sunday School Please join us in welcoming this year’s Sun- day School Teachers: Zoe Maude, Angie Gozum, Megan Manos, Rini Sissons, Hit- omi Shue, Rhad Brown, Anastasia Polles, Marcella Bothwell, John Jooyan, and Renee Maude. Our memory verse for the 2026- 2027 school year is: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 Sunday School begins our new school year on August 23! Our Sunday School program serves all children Preschool (age 3) to 12th grade! On August 23 and August 30, all classes (Preschool through High School) will meet in the Youth Room after receiv- ing Holy Communion for a Sunday School lesson and activity. Parents are encouraged to come with their children and teens to meet the teachers during these two Sundays. Please note that child and teen Catechumens are welcome to join Sunday School. As in the past, the Sunday School students and teachers will be allowed to receive Holy Communion first, followed by the remain- ing Faithful, at the direction of the Parish Council. We appreciate your patience as you wait for our students and families to receive Communion as this allows the students to get to their classes and begin their lessons. Sunday School goes from 11:25-12:00pm (approximately) each Sunday. Tina Perri, Sunday School Director Sophia Thiros, Sunday School Asst. Director GOYA (Greek Orthodox Youth Association) GOYA will continue with the current struc- ture of the GOYA Youth Board. Our GOYA Kick-Off Party will be this month. Keep an eye on your emails for the details AND save the date for GOYA Family Camping at Green Valley Falls in Cuyamaca State Park on Labor Day weekend - September 4th-7th! Meráki-HOPE-JOY I attended the Clergy Laity Conference in July and participated inmultiple training ses- sions on the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese’s new youth group curriculum and guidelines for all ages from kindergarten through high school. And they are really good! This school year, each youth group will continue meet- ing once per month or so. We are going to begin forming a Monthly Volunteer Parents (MVP!) team for the Preschool through 5th grade Youth Groups. More information on how parents can participate will be coming later this month. This age youth group will start this year’s activities in September. Last note on all of the Youth Ministries at St. Spyridon: all activities and a calendar for the year can be found on our Youth Ministries website. You can even subscribe to the calen- dar of all events, or to individual calendars at https://tinyurl.com/stspyridonyouth. If you have questions about Youth Minis- tries at St. Spyridon, call or text Julie Den- nis, Youth Ministries Director, 619-618-5116 or email youthministries@stspyridon.org . Learn more about St. Spyridon Youth Min- istries on our website: https://tinyurl.com/ stspyridonyouth Follow us on social media: Facebook - St. Spyridon GOC San Diego and Instagram - @youthstspyridon YOUTH MINISTRIES https://tinyurl.com/spyridonplaygroup Questions: 619-618-5116 youthministries@stspyridon.org Parents of Babies and Toddlers: St. Spyridon GreekOrthodoxChurch at Kids Corner - a place to play and hang out with other parents! Each Sunday after Holy Communion in the Education Building Little Angels - a playgroup with activities and fun! Meets monthly in the Education Building Toddler Totes - quiet activity bags for little hands to use during Divine Liturgy In the Narthex, ask a volunteer for a bag, bring it back at the end of Divine Liturgy. https://tinyurl.com/spyridonplaygroup Questions: 619-618-5116 youthministries@stspyridon.org Parents of Babies and Toddlers: St. Spyridon GreekOrth xChurch at Kids Corner - a place to play and hang out with other parents! Each Sunday after Holy Communion in the Education Building Little Angels - a playgroup with activities and fun! Meets monthly in the Education Building Toddler Totes - quiet activity bags for little hands to use during Divine Liturgy In the Narthex, ask a volunteer for a bag, bring it back at the end of Divine Liturgy. https://tinyurl.com/spyridonplaygroup Questions: 619-618-5116 youthministries@stspyridon.org Parents of B bies and Toddlers: St. Spyridon GreekOrthodoxChurch at Kids Corner - a place to play and hang out with other parents! Each Sunday after Holy Co mmunion in the Education Bui ding Little Angels - a playgroup with activities and fun! Meets monthly in the Education Building Toddler Totes - quiet activity bags for little hands to use during Divine Liturgy In the Narthex, ask a volunteer for a bag, bring it back at the end of Divine Liturgy. https://tinyurl.com/spyridonplaygroup Questions: 619-618-5116 youthministries tspyridon.org Parents of Babies and Toddlers: St. Spyridon GreekOrthodoxChurch at Kids Corn r - a place t play and hang out with other parents! Each Sunday after Holy Communion in the Education Building Little Angels - a playgroup with activities and fun! Meets monthly in the Education Building Toddler Totes - quiet activity bags for little hands to use during ivine Liturgy In the Narthex, a l nt er for a bag, bring it back at t Divine Liturgy.