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4 THE SHEPHERD • SEPTEMBER 2023 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO continues 6 YOUTH MINISTRIES The new school year has started for many St. Spyridon students and Youth Ministries has been busy preparing for your students! Our theme for the 2023-2024 school year is Be Strong In The Lord! Our memory verse is from Ephesians 6:10, “Finally my breth- ren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” Throughout the year, we will take time to focus on this theme and how it applies to our lives. This school year we will see the return of Moms, Pops, and Tots and a pilot program for High School Seniors. If you have a high school senior, please contact Julie Dennis at youthministries@stspyridon. org as soon as possible to save a place for your senior. Our Vision and Mission Committee met in August and started the process of developing a roadmap for St. Spyridon Youth Ministries. Wonderful ideas included the desire for our youth programs to be an anchor for our chil- dren and teens, with a solid foundation in faith to inspire and allow kid-to-kid sharing of their faith and experiences. We hope to see you and your family this school year at St. Spyridon! If you would like to be on the Youth Ministries email list, sign up on our website: https://sites.google.com/ stspyridon.org/stspyridonyouthministries Follow us on Facebook (St. Spyridon GOC San Diego) and Instagram: @youthstspyr- idon To volunteer or get more information on any of the Youth Ministries at St. Spyridon, con- tact Julie Dennis, Youth Ministries Director, at 619-940-5167 or email youthministries@ stspyridon.org GOYA (Greek Orthodox Youth Association) GOYA stands for Greek Orthodox Youth As- sociation and is St. Spyridon’s Youth Group for kids grades 7-12. We have monthly events that include fun, faith, and service opportu- nities. This year, we will also be including small groups for our high school students. Our GOYA members and families all had a great time at La Jolla Shores for our An- nual Kick-Off Party! We held GOYA Board elections. Our new board members are post- ed on the Youth Ministries Website GOYA page. If you aren’t on our mailing list, email Julie Dennis at youthministries@stspyridon. org. We are also looking for college-age and post-college age volunteers to participate in our GOYA events! Text 619-940-5167 to get involved! HOPE &JOY (Holy Orthodox Primary Education &Junior Orthodox Youth): Holy Orthodox Primary Education (HOPE) is St. Spyridon’s Youth Group for kids in Transitional Kindergarten – 3rd grade. Ju- nior Orthodox Youth (JOY) is St. Spyridon’s Youth Group for kids in 4th – 6th grade. Our youth groups meet monthly to build rela- tionships with other kids in our Parish and form a foundation of faith. This school year, we would like to increase our opportunities for service in our Parish and Community. If you would like to help with service events for our HOPE and JOY groups, please contact the Youth Ministries Director. We hope to see all of our HOPE and JOY kids and families at our first event of the year: Bounce House, BBQ, and more on Septem- ber 17th, immediately after Sunday School. Sunday School Sunday School begins the 2023-2024 school year on September 10th. Our Sunday School classes are Preschool ages 3-4 (room 2),