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The Camp Saint Paul Program

From its beginnings only a few short years ago, Camp Saint Paul has grown not only numerically, but in its program as well. Campers experience a perfect balance of fellowship, educational and recreational activities, and Orthodox chapel and discussions. Their fully packed and fun-filled days truly allow campers to get the most out of their time at Camp Saint Paul. Just take a look!

 

Wake-Up

Orthros

Breakfast

Cabin Clean-Up

Rotation Session I (Orthodox Life)

Rotation Session II (Diakonia)

Flextivities!

Lunch

Rotation Session III (Real Worship)

Rotation Session IV (Greek Cultural Appreciation)

Free Swim and Activities

Vespers

Dinner

Evening Activity (Camp Fire, Olympics, Scavenger Hunt, Skit Night, etc.)

Cabin Devotionals

Lights Out

 

During the course of each day, our campers will travel between four core sessions.

 

Orthodox Life: OL, as we call it at camp, is the main time for the campers to engage with local clergy about the theme of camp and their individual relationship with God and their faith. This year, our theme is “If God is for us, who can be against us?” from the book of Romans. Campers meet daily with their cabins to develop and discuss the theme with their assigned priest. More importantly, campers discover how the theme specifically affects them and their Orthodox Christianity. More than a simple question and answer period, OL is designed to be based on discussion and forming a relationship with a spiritual advisor. Often, the campers end up leading the discussion and the priest merely providing guidance. This is a favorite of many campers because of the opportunity to communicate openly with a priest about issues that are pertinent in their daily lives.

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Diakonia: Beginning in 2011, we introduced a new program called Diakonia, which means service. The purpose of this session is for the campers to explore different ways in which they can give back to the community, both locally and at large. Projects in 2013 included hygiene kits for IOCC, "courage capes" that will be sent to children with terminal illnesses, prayer pillows, and mosaic icons to beautify our camp. Diakonia helps campers learn the importance of working together and team building and allows them to experience the joy of service directly through their service project.

 

Real Worship: Real Worship continues to explore and explain the often unseen and misunderstood traditions of the liturgical life of an Orthodox Christian that we so often take for granted. Our Orthodox faith is rich in heritage and tradition, and campers enjoy the "up close and personal" approach to various aspects of our liturgy. For example, campers learn about the vestments of the priest, about the proskomide, as well as about the icons and hymns of the church. At the end of the week, the entire Divine Liturgy is  sung by the whole camp on Sunday!

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Greek Cultural Appreciation: This great program debuted in 2010 at Camp Saint Paul with raving reviews. In this session, campers learn more about our shared Greek Cultural heritage. They learn how to do Greek dances from all over Greece and sing traditional Greek songs that quickly become favorites at camp. Also, a big component of this session is the cooking. Last year, our campers learned about and made kollyva as well as other delicious snacks! In addition to the cooking, they learned several Greek dances and folk songs!

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One of the most exciting parts of the day! Everyone’s favorite break in the day, FLEXTIVITIES allows the campers to choose from as many as 10 different activities. Options change every day and include basketball, bracelet making, cloud watching, volleyball, slip and slide, Byzantine chant, and, a favorite on hot summer days, sponge dodgeball, to name just a few!

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