AN UPDATE FROM THE ANTIOCHIAN VILLAGE |
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MEET THE VILLAGE COUNCIL CHAIR |
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Going to church as a child was as natural as going to school. Our family was immersed in the daily church life and as I grew up, I knew what was expected of me. I grew up in Mansourieh El Matn, Lebanon. After coming to Canada to attend Ottawa University, and graduating with a degree in engineering, I married the love of my life, Susanne, who was baptized and raised in St. Elias Cathedral. We have three children; Katya, Krista, and Marcus. We raised our children as we were, in the Church.
I was a member of the Parish Council of St. Elias Cathedral in Ottawa for many terms and was voted president. During this time, I was appointed as the Diocese Chair of the Order of St. Ignatius, since 2010. Susanne has served several terms as President of the Antiochian Women for our home parish and also our Diocese. She is currently the AW President again of our Parish. Our children have also held many positions in Teen SOYO and have been Sunday School teachers. All three of my children also attended Camp Transfiguration as campers and later became counselors. Katya attended the Antiochian Village and also volunteered at the AV in several positions.
I joined the Board of Trustees many years ago and have been happy to serve in many capacities. Four years ago, I was appointed by His Eminence Metropolitan JOSEPH as Chair of the Antiochian Village Council. The role of the Village Council is to serve as a governing council for the Antiochian Village Camp and the Antiochian Heritage and Learning Center. The Village Council plays a large role in the operational efforts of these two facilities by providing guidance on budget, human resources, allocation of resources, facility policies, and procedures. We also support day to day operational staff to ensure that the Archdiocese's vision is met.
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The Village Council meets at least twice a year. I served as a Chair for three years with Father Yazge and Amy Stiffer (Executive Director of the AV Center) and now I am looking forward to serve with our new Camp Director, Father Chris Shadid. My love of the Antiochian Village has grown as I see it as a place where relationships start in an Orthodox Christian environment.
May God Bless the Antiochian Village, bless all the staff, campers, and always bless our Antiochian Archdiocese and our Father Metropolitan JOSEPH.
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INTRODUCING THE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM |
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We are excited to announce that the Village will be launching a fellowship program this coming September! Catherine Beasley and Zayd Dayeh, both of whom have served on staff for multiple summers, will join us as our first two fellows. The program will be centered around faith formation, leadership development, and service, and they will primarily work on developing the Village's programming and communications. They will also be helping with many other jobs around camp and learning new sets of skills such as marketing, customer service, program management, and most importantly ministry in the Church. (Spoiler Alert - we might even let them help us clean cabins and plunge toilets!)
We would like to thank the generous people who donated to this program to make this opportunity possible! We truly believe that Catherine and Zayd will be a huge asset to our team and we look forward to what they will help us accomplish as we move forward. Welcome home, Catherine and Zayd!
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Catherine (also known as "Cat" or "CBeez", and famous for her Dory from Finding Nemo impersonation) is a longtime staff member. Last summer she volunteered to organize our staff to reach out virtually to our oldest campers! She will be primarily working on developing and implementing our many non-Summer Camp programs moving forward. |
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Zayd has been dubbed our “Social Media Wizard.” Over the past nine months, he has volunteered to run our social media accounts and has spent countless hours creating content, posting, and helping us all stay connected. Zayd will take the lead on running all of our communications. |
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VIRTUAL WINTER FAMILY CAMP
"How to Keep Your Family in Church"
with Fr. Don, Kh. Janet, and Dr. Stephen Shadid
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This year's Winter Family Camp will take place on Saturday, January 16th from 2-4 PM EST via Zoom! The topic that we will be exploring is "How to Keep Your Family in Church."
We are so excited to have Fr. Don, Kh. Janet, and Dr. Stephen Shadid leading our discussion this year! Fr. Don is the parish priest at St. Mary's Church in Johnstown, PA. Since his time as a counselor and Assistant Director in the 80s, Fr. Don has continued his work at the Village, volunteering his time and serving as a session priest. Kh. Janet, who was also a counselor in the 80s (where she and Fr. Don met and became the third AV couple to get married), is a licensed social worker counseling people of all ages and backgrounds. During the summer, Kh. Janet can be found in the kitchen baking her world famous cookies and banana bread, and dancing around the dining hall while playing the kazoo. Joining his parents is Dr. Stephen who also served on AV staff for a number of years. Currently, Dr. Stephen is a pharmacist in Pittsburgh, PA where he also serves as parish council vice-president at St. George Cathedral.
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Winter Family Camp is completely free of charge and is open to the entire family. There is no need to register. Instead, simply join our Zoom call on Saturday, January 16th at 2 PM EST.
We will have a presentation from 2-3 PM followed by discussion and Q&A from 3-4 PM.
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ALUMNI VIRTUAL HANGOUT
with Fr. Don and Kh. Janet Shadid
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Continue to spend your weekend with Fr. Don and Kh. Janet Shadid! They will be leading our first Alumni hangout of 2021!
Will Kh. Janet play her kazoo?
Join us to find out!
Our Alumni Virtual Hangout will be on Sunday, January 17 at 6 PM EST via Zoom. There is no need to register or RSVP. We are looking forward to seeing you virtually!
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February Alumni Virtual Hangout
Fr. Nick Belcher will be leading our Alumni Zoom call on Sunday, February 14 at 6 PM EST.
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SUMMER STAFF AND CIT APPLICATIONS |
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The deadline to submit summer staff applications is fast approaching. If you would like to apply, please ensure that your application and references have been submitted by February 1st. Additionally, the CIT applications are due on March 1st. If you have any questions or need assistance, please call the camp office at (724) 238-9565 or e-mail office@avcamp.org.
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WINTER CAMP
with Fr. Nick Belcher
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We are looking forward to gathering for virtual Winter Camp this year. It will take place on Saturday, February 13th at 2 PM EST via Zoom! Fr. Nick Belcher will be hosting an enjoyable and spiritually nourishing day for campers of all ages! Fr. Nick serves as the assistant to His Eminence Metropolitan JOSEPH and as interim pastor of St. George Church in Little Falls, NJ. He is a longtime session priest, and a former counselor and head counselor. He is simply an amazing speaker and you will not want to miss this!
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More information will be coming soon, but in the meantime make sure that you mark your calendars for this exciting day! |
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Stay warm this winter in one of our AV hats, available in the bookstore!
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Support the Village while shopping on Amazon! Choose "Antiochian Village Camp" on Amazon Smile. This will donate a portion of each purchase to camp! We appreciate your continued support! |
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Hi! My name is Simeon Acker, and I can hardly remember a time when the Village wasn’t a part of my life. I was a camper for 10 summers, worked as a staff member for 4, and then came back for another 2 to teach the chanting camp program.
After my years as a camper, I graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design with a degree in Interactive Design and Game Development, and I have been working as a software developer at Penn State University.
I am also a musician with a special love for Orthodox hymnography, and a particular fondness for Byzantine chant. This began during my 5 summers as a camper in the chanting camp program, and I have been inspired to pursue Byzantine music studies ever since. My first teacher, Fr. David Jacobs, made accessible for his students a form of music that is, at its core, very different from what we might experience outside of Orthodoxy.
One of the best things about camp was that, each year, I brought something new home with me, some favorites of which were the new songs and hymns that I had learned that summer. I remember fondly how fun it was to rejoin the choir at my home parish after a summer of Chanting Camp and to be able to share and offer everything new I had learned.
And what more shall I say, for time would fail me to tell of……when, in Cabin 48, we had a mouse named Herman, and when we were in Unit 3 and “somehow” a giant frog got into our brother cabin’s shower. When we were the first cabin to ever win the Elias Moussa (later, the Elias Simon) trophy. The day we saved a baby bird that got tangled in its nest. That time when an immaculate double rainbow formed directly over St. Ignatius Chapel after the most amazing of rainstorms. The unforgettable Paraklesis services with 300 campers singing together and offering their voices in praise of the most holy Mother of God. When the Theotokos showed her love in an especially wondrous way with the visitation of her miracle-working Kardiotissa icon. Evening prayers at the grave of St. Raphael, and those sweetest of mornings in the outdoor chapel when the birds in the trees would call out in response to the prayers of the priest. The nights that the sky was so clear that the milky way appeared as though painted in pure silver on the very dome of the sky and we’d swear we could see every star in all the heavens, the light whistling of the wind in the trees and the soft echo of crickets in the grass with the entirety of creation laid bare before us declaring the glory of God…
This is a place filled with the love of Christ. May our God grant to the Antiochian Village many years of continued hospitality to visitors from across this nation and beyond!
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