Youth Programs

Church School

Our Sunday School is held immediately following communion. We invite all youth present to please join us as we grow together as Orthodox Christians.

Our curriculum is published and received from the Diocese and therefore appropriate and easy to teach. We are always looking for volunteers to assist.

We currently have Sunday School classes for children Pre K to Senior High. Sunday School is held immediately following communion. Parents can still register their children by Downloading the Sunday Church School Registration Form. Please become part of this valuable experience. Remember, our children are the future, and the future of our church rests in their hearts and souls.

GOYA

GOYA is the Greek Orthodox Youth of America program of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. The mission of the GOYA Ministry is to support young Orthodox Christians in their life-long process of “growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18.)

The GOYA program is a ministry of the Church that works to educate young Orthodox Christians to become active sacramental participants in the life of the Body of Christ. It is not an organization or club, it is simply the faithful of the Church who share the same grades in school, ages and common interests. It is a spiritual ministry based on the theological tenets of the Orthodox Christian Faith.

GOYA ministers to teenagers of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America who are in the 7th through 12th grade and are 12 years old to 18 years of age.

It is significant to keep in mind that the single greatest influence on how young people develop a “sense of self” is their parents. We consider GOYA as a supplement to this vital “home ministry."

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The 2019 Metropolis Oratorical Festival will be held April 5-7, 2019 and will be hosted by St. Spyridon Parish in Loveland, Colorado. Read the welcome letter from Fr. Evan Armatas.

A schedule of events and the registration link will be made available soon. Registration will be open from February 15 - March 15, 2019

More information and to register, please follow this link: https://youth.denver.goarch.org/oratorical-festival

2019 Topics

Junior Division (Grades 7–9)

Martyrs of the Church and some of the early monastics are both described as “athletes.” What does it mean to be an athlete for Christ?
On January 30th, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Three Hierarchs: St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, and St. John Chrysostom. Select one of these Church Fathers and discuss his contribution to the Church.
Discuss the significance of water in the Church – Baptism, Theophany, holy water, etc. – and what this suggests about our responsibility for the natural world.
Discus the new commandment of John 13:34: “Love one another, even as I have loved you…” What does it mean to love one another as Christ loved us?
In 1 Timothy 6:10, St. Paul writes, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” How should Orthodox Christians relate to money and wealth?

Senior Division (Grades 10–12)

Many of the Church’s services employ objects from the natural world (such as wheat, wine, oil, or water) in order to confer a blessing upon the faithful. Why does the Church do this, and what does this suggest about our responsibility for the natural world?
From ancient Greece to the present, politicians have aligned themselves with religious concepts and constituencies. How is an Orthodox Christian to discern whether today’s politicians do this out of genuine piety or in order to manipulate the electorate?
The hymns of the Church contain the whole of its theology. Pick one hymn from the Lenten or Holy Week period and describe how it speaks to you personally.
Describe how science and technology should always be at the service of humanity and, ultimately, of God, in harmony with His purposes.
In view of St. Paul’s exhortation in Colossians 3:16, “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,” discuss the importance of being biblically literate today.