This year, the Orthodox Youth Mission Team (OYMT), led by Fr. Mircea Geana of Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Springfield, VT (OCA) and a team of dedicated Adult Leaders, spent a week serving with the Appalachia Service Project (ASP) in Kanawha County, West Virginia. Fr. Mircea was joined by Fr. Chris Rocknage of St. Nicholas Serbian Orthodox Church in Steelton, PA. Our team of 68 youth and adults filled an entire ASP volunteer center and was comprised of members from thirteen parishes, six jurisdictions (OCA, ACROD, GOARCH, Antiochian, Romanian, and Serbian), and six states (CT, NY, VT, NH, PA, and NM). This mission offered a unique opportunity for Orthodox high school-aged youth to come together, build lasting connections across multiple jurisdictions, and serve Christ through a meaningful and authentic mission experience. The youth were able to put their faith to work and bring the Liturgy beyond the four walls of the Church.

OYMT helped eight families make their homes “warmer, safer, and drier” through ramp and deck construction, roofing, siding, drywalling, painting, subflooring, flooring, insulation, and drainage projects. More important than the construction was our time spent with our Appalachian families, sharing the love of Christ and building deep, personal connections.

In our travels, we attended Divine Liturgy at St. Mary’s Orthodox Church in Westover, WV and were blessed to visit St. George Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral during our week in Charleston, WV, where we were welcomed with refreshments and a moving rendition of Many Years despite providing little notice. On our way home, we had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate Divine Liturgy, a baptism, and fellowship at St. Philip’s Orthodox Church in Steelton, PA, the home parish of our Pennsylvania team.

This marked OYMT’s 14th mission trip and 16th year of service, and we are deeply grateful to our Lord for this opportunity to both encounter Him and make His presence known through service to others. Thank you for supporting this life-changing mission for our Orthodox teens.