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4 THE SHEPHERD • DECEMBER 2023 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO YOUTH MINISTRIES As we eagerly await the Blessed Nativity, one of the many blessings that I love is seeing our families throughout our Parish life. It warms my heart to see families with children of all ages in the Divine Liturgy, Sunday School, Youth Groups, Greek Dance, and Youth Choir. Thank you all for a wonderful year! Our small group for high school juniors and seniors – Coffee and Conversation – will fin- ish up this 4-week session on December 3rd. We will be starting the next group up again in January. Stay tuned for details. I truly applaud the teens who have joined the group, especial- ly knowing just how busy lives are for teens. If you have a junior or a senior in high school, we would love to have them join our small group! Our hope is that through groups such as Coffee and Conversation, connections with other Orthodox Christians and their faith will drive them through adulthood, in careers, college, and all of their endeavors. During the Christmas season, many families take stock of their children’s toys and donate less used toys. Our nursery in the Narthex and our Kids’ Corner could use a toy refresh. If you have infant or toddler toys that you would like to donate, bring them to the Kids’ Corner in the lower education building on any Sunday. We want to let you know about an exciting opportunity for families this winter – The Metropolis Family Winter Camp at St. Nich- olas Ranch and Retreat Center. It is a four-day camp that includes fun, adventure, a snow day at Kings Canyon, a visit to the Monastery of the Theotokos the Life-Giving Spring, and engaging activities for the whole family. Reg- ister at www.gosfyouth.org/family We plan on launching our Moms, Pops, and Tots Program in late winter in the New Year – a group for small children and parents or grandparents. We will use play, songs, games, and stories to learn about God. If you have small children and are not on the youth min- istries email list, please reach out to Julie Dennis, 619-940-5167 or youthministries@ stspyridon.org Be sure to sign up for the Youth Ministries email list on our website: https://sites.google. com /stspyridon.org/stspyridonyouthmin- istries. Follow us on Facebook (St. Spyr- idon GOC San Diego) and Instagram: @ youthstspyridon. To volunteer or get more information on any of the Youth Ministries at St. Spyridon, contact Julie Dennis, Youth Ministries Director, at 619-940-5167 or email youthministries@stspyridon.org GOYA (Greek Orthodox Youth Association) November was a great month for GOYA! Our GOYA Youth Board President spoke at our General Assembly. GOYA used some of the funds from previous fundraisers to purchase a multi-game arcade game for the Youth Room. Building it was a team effort including teens and parents! We also packed over 180 snack bags for a local homeless support group at our November service event. We did make time for some fun and went ice skating over Thanksgiving break! Our Christmas party is scheduled for December 16th at 5:30pmat the Maude home. We will have a gift exchange, dinner, stuff stockings for the Philoptochos Angels Party, and continue the new tradition of walking to see Christmas lights at nearby Christmas Card Lane! We are so grateful to have spent this wonderful year with you all! December 13th is the deadline for youth grades 7-12 to sign up to participate in the Annual Cross Dive for the Epiphany Feast on January 7th. Please email Bill Navrides to sign up. HOPE &JOY (Holy Orthodox Primary Education &Junior Orthodox Youth): HOPE and JOYkidsmet to pack snack bags for a local homeless support group in November. The kids wrote our YouthMinistriesTheme on the front of each snack bag: “Be strong in the Lord” from Ephesians 6:10. During our meet- ing, we talked about another Bible verse that is about service from 1 Peter 4:10-11 – “Each of you should use whatever gift you have re- ceived to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”The kids each shared gifts that they can use to serve people around them. Save the date on December 9th for the return of the Breakfast Gingerbread House Decorat- ing Party! If you are curious, a Breakfast Gin- gerbread House is made from pop-tarts and decorated with colorful cereals. It is a fun new take on the traditional gingerbread house! We