This year, the Orthodox Youth Mission Team (OYMT), led by Fr. Luke Mihaly of Holy Trinity in Danbury, CT (ACROD), spent a week serving with the Appalachia Service Project in Harlan County, Kentucky. Fr. Luke was joined by Fr. Mircea Geana of Holy Trinity in Springfield, VT, and Fr. Volodymyr Zablotskyy of Holy Trinity in Yonkers, NY (both OCA). Our team of 60 youth and adult leaders filled an entire ASP volunteer center and was comprised of members from eleven ACROD, OCA, GOARCH, Antiochian, and Romanian parishes in CT, NY, NJ, VT, PA, NC, and NM. This mission offered a unique opportunity for Orthodox high school 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 outside the four walls of the Church.

OYMT helped eight families make their homes “warmer, safer, and drier” by taking on projects such as roofing, siding, sheetrock, painting, sub flooring, flooring, underpinning, and ramp construction. More important than the construction was our time spent with our Appalachian families, sharing the love of Christ and building deep, personal connections. Participants also engaged in various social, cultural, and devotional activities at the volunteer center and in the community.

In our travels, we were blessed to once again visit Christ the Savior Greek Orthodox Church in Bluff City, TN (GOARCH), and to enjoy a third visit with St. Catherine Eastern Orthodox Church in Hagerstown, MD (OCA). Parishioners welcomed us warmly and offered gracious hospitality following Divine Liturgy.

This marked OYMT’s 13th mission trip and 15th year of service, and we are deeply grateful to our Lord for this amazing opportunity to both encounter Him and make His presence known through service to others.