HOPE/JOY: Our Hope/Joy program is open to all children between the ages of 4-12. Our children are offered an opportunity to learn about their faith while having fun with their friends. Some of the activities include: movie matinees, cookie decorating, Christmas ornament making, and much more. For more information, please email our HOPE/JOY advisor, Erasmia Benakis, at zmeea@hotmail.com. 

G.O.Y.A.: The Greek Orthodox Youth of America is open to all children between the ages of 12-18 and meets each month to plan events for the upcoming month. GOYA members participate in many diverse activities at Annunciation and with other local parishes, some of which include retreats and outreach activities. For more information, please email our GOYA advisor, Andrew Wideman, at amhaselassie21@gmail.com. 

CAMP SAINT PAUL: Camp Saint Paul, is the summer over-night youth camp of the Direct Archdiocesan District. All HOPE/JOY children (grades 3-6) and GOYANs (grades 7-12) are welcome to participate. Camp Saint Paul is a Christ centered environment where our youth can grow in their Christian faith, and make life long friendships. Located on Lake Bantam in the Berkshire Hills of Litchfield Connecticut, the children of our district pray together each day, sing around the campfire, and play on the athletic field. They discuss scripture, theology and major social issues in their daily sessions, and express their creativity in arts and crafts. Campers also swim, canoe and waterslide on Lake Bantam, enjoying the blessing and silence of natural surroundings. Please visit www.campsaintpaul.org for more information. 

IONIAN VILLAGE: Ionian Village is a unique summer camping program located in Greece and operated by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Located in Greece, Ionian Village offers its participants a unique experience that is unavailable elsewhere. At the end of the program, staff and campers return to their homes with strengthened faith and with a greater appreciation for the Church and for Greek culture and heritage. Teens and young adults have the time of their lives while at Ionian Village. Staff and campers from across the United States form bonds and friendships at Ionian Village that last a lifetime. Since 1970, over 15,000 teens and young adults have experienced a 35 year old tradition committed to building, “Faith and friendships that last a lifetime.”

Ionian Village is a newly renovated resort facility located on several hundred acres on the northwest coast of the Peloponnese, approximately 45 miles west of the city of Patras. Overlooking the crystal blue waters of the Ionian Sea, the campground is nestled between a private beach and pine forests, and is designed to look and feel like a traditional Greek village. Ionian Village participants become part of a village community as they dwell in white-washed cabins, worship in a Byzantine chapel, swim in an Olympic size swimming pool, play sports on athletic fields and courts, dine in a renovated cafeteria, and perform in an outdoor amphitheater.

Teens and young adults that participate in Ionian Village travel across Greece, venerate the relics of saints, walk in the footsteps of the Apostles, and visit significant sites of Greek history and culture. Please visit www.ionianvillage.org for more information.