OCA hosts annual pan-Orthodox camp, youth workers’ conference, attracting 60 participants

St. Seraphim Cathedral, Dallas, site of annual pan-Orthodox conference.

DALLAS, TX [OCA]—Saint Seraphim Cathedral here was the site of the annual pan-Orthodox Camp and Youth Workers’ Conference, “Equipping the Saints,” sponsored by the Orthodox Church in America’s Department of Youth, Young Adult, and Campus Ministry January 27-29, 2011.

The conference attracted 60 participants from the OCA, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, and the Armenian Apostolic Church. Among those representing the OCA was Andrew Boyd, a student at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary.

Archimandrite Meletios [Webber] of Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco Monastery, Manton, CA, delivered the keynote talk, “Putting on Christ, Removing Ourselves: Learning How to Remove the Obstacle of ‘Self’” when engaging in youth and camp ministry. Practical workshops on how to present the faith in a campus setting and leading a “prayer walk” also were offered.

In conjunction with the conference, a meeting of representatives from the OCA, Greek, Antiochian, and Ukrainian youth departments was also held.

The annual gathering is open to all clergy and laity desiring to provide the best possible camping and youth ministry experience for their parish, deanery, or diocese. It is sponsored on a rotating basis by each jurisdiction’s respective youth departments. The 2012 conference will be sponsored by the Antiochian Archdiocese.

• A wealth of general youth ministry resources and programs are available on the OCA’s Department of Youth, Young Adult, and Campus Ministry web site at http://www.yya.oca.org.
• For camp resources, visit the web site of the Orthodox Christian Camp Association at http://www.orthodoxcamps.org.
• Visit the Orthodox Christian Fellowship web site at http://www.ocf.net for campus ministry resources and programs.