It is a fundamental part of the Orthodox Youth Mission Team’s mission to seek the support and involvement of each team member’s parish. We believe our team functions best when interest and support stem first from the Pastor, are backed by the Parish, then flow down into the youth. Just as when Biblical fishermen went out to sea, the entire village had already built their nets, our Youth Participants (and Adult Leaders) have a more enriching missions experience with the support and investment of their home parish. In turn, team members bring their experiences and strengthened Faith back home after each trip.
While Stock Sales are our largest fundraiser of the year, we are constantly looking for new fundraising ideas. Each OYMT Youth Participant is required to plan and host a fundraiser at their home parish each year between January and May. Parish fundraisers are a great way to not only raise funds but also spread the word about OYMT and get parishioners involved!
Please reach out to your OYMT Parish Rep (if applicable) or Lexi to plan an OYMT fundraiser. These can be hosted any time of year!
This option is best for parishes whose parishioners already know about OYMT and support us through Stock Sales.
Each August-October, we host shareholder presentations at participating parishes. Youth Participants and Adult Leaders share their experiences and pictures from the most recent mission trip. While we host a presentation by default at each parish our members belong to, we are happy to host one anywhere - just reach out to Lexi in July or August to schedule!
This option is best for parishes whose parishioners are generally unfamiliar with OYMT's work.
We often host recruiting presentations at parishes that would like to hear more about our work and get an overview of our mission year-to-year and for the future. While we have a standard presentation, we can tailor it to your parish's needs, interests, and level of familiarity with OYMT. We are available to host these from July to October each year - email Lexi to schedule!
There are a number of local parishes that choose to support OYMT by simply writing a check each year and praying for us. Often these are parishes that don't have a ton of youth or adults who can participate in our mission trips, but support our mission and work nonetheless. While our goal is always to bring new parishes, and youth, into the fold, we are beyond thankful for this support and can accept general donations any time of year!
And, as always, your prayers and those of your parish are our greatest support.