Our summer memories page is now up and running. Check for daily updates during each session. These updates are a great way of knowing what is going on here at AV! Please note that with over 200 campers each session, it would be difficult to include every camper's picture on the website. The purpose of our summer memories page is just to give you an idea of what happens each day. Rest assured your campers are having a fantastic time and enjoy the pictures and daily notifications!  If you would like to purchase either a video or cabin and camp photos after a session is over, please download the Video and Photo Order Form.  Complete the portion of the form that applies to purchase and send it to the appropriate location that is stated on the form.  There is also an opportunity for you to view and purchase other photographs of camp that are taken by our professional photographer.  To view the photos click here.

As part of our Christian Education/Morning Program we introduced photography as an activity last year.  We are offering photography to our campers again this summer.  We have a Photo of the Day webpage that showcases some of the photographs taken by our campers.  Take a look at how our campers have taken a look at God's creation and other parts of the Village.

Keep in touch with your campers by sending them email messages.  Make life easy and convenient for yourself with our own Village Email system known as V-mail.  Each day at 2:00 pm we print out the emails sent to our campers through the V-mail accounts.  They are delivered to the campers a little later in the day.  For more information regarding V-mail, click here.

We are pleased to introduce you to the exceptional young men and women as well as the not so young people that make up our 2010 Antiochian Village Summer Staff.  Training has been underway for a number of weeks as we plan to provide our campers with a living experience of the Holy Orthodox Faith, in their relationship with God and other campers in an uncluttered, natural environment. To accomplish this we will seek to bring young people to:   

• Awareness of self and fellow man
• A broadening of their Orthodox life
• A greater awareness of their religion
• Good sportsmanship
• Growth in personal relationships and personal responsibility
• An appreciation of nature and a concern for the environment.

 You will also notice that our staff are displaying the wide array of Antiochian Village attire that may be purchased in the camp's Gift Shop.  We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our campers.  Click here to meet our staff!

Give your child a memorable experience this summer under the leadership of our Head Counselors - Chris Shadid and Johanna Said!  Register your child(ren) for camp for the summer of 2010 and let them build life-long friendships that are rooted in the Orthodox Faith and Jesus Christ.  The summer of 2010 promises to be an unforgettable one at the Antiochian Village.  Watch our original video for Summer Camp and when your done with that, check out our newest attempt at the art of videos with Summer Camp 2010 Promo: The Sequel.  Register now before we fill up.  If a session is full, you may download a registration form and send it to our office to be added to our wait list.  For more information, visit our Registration Page and follow the appropriate directions. 

 For families that have already registered for camp we have a few reminders:

• All registration fees are to be paid in full by May 1st.
• We have limited scholarship funds still available.  To request scholarship funds, complete the  Additional Scholarship Assistance Request Form and return it to us as soon as possible.
• Download the Medical and Media Consent Forms and return them to our office at least two weeks prior to your camper's arrival.
• Send us travel arrangements for your camper at least two weeks prior to your camper's arrival.
• Download the Camper Parent Handbook for more information pertinent to sending your child to the Antiochian Village.

“Come, let us go up the mountain of the Lord, that he may teach us his ways and we may walk in his paths.” Micah 4.2 

Even as the Summer approaches and we get in gear for fun in the sun and vacations, it is not too early to think about our strategic planning for Fall, 2010 when we prepare our homes for the winter months, shop for the holidays, and attend to secular year end business.  September 1 is the beginning of our Liturgical Year and a good time to get our houses in good spiritual order.  Why not Ascend the Mountain of the Lord? 

The Convent of St. Thekla invites the faithful to the St. Thekla Pilgrimage from September 24-26, 2010 for a weekend of prayer, workshops and fellowship at the Antiochian Village. This year’s theme is “Ascending the Mountain: It’s a Family Road Trip.”  Our Presiding Hierarch, Bishop THOMAS, of the Diocese of Charleston, Oakland and the Mid-Atlantic will present a reflection on our theme after Great Vespers on Saturday and Mother Alexandra, Abbess of the Convent of St. Thekla, will offer two talks on the theme on Saturday.  The workshops will include: “Confession: Setting and Resetting the Course,” “The Eucharist: What’s in Your Lunchbox?” “Holy Unction: First Aid and Urgent Care,” and a book discussion.  By popular demand, there will also be a question and answer session with Bishop THOMAS and Mother Alexandra, discussion groups, and time to enjoy the grounds of the Antiochian Village.  For more information, contact the Antiochian Village Retreat and Conference Center, (724) 238-3677.

Have you ever wanted to get away from it all.  Well now you can with your family at our Family Camp: Homeschool Edition, August 27-30, 2010.  Visit our Family Camp page on our website for more information and to download an application.  Please note that our Family Camp session for Memorial Day weekend is already full.  You may call our office (724-238-9565) to be placed on a waiting list.  Better yet - come in August instead of missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime.

The Antiochian Village and the Order of St Ignatius are committed to making certain that our youth have the opportunity to experience camp each summer.  The Order of St Ignatius has committed $175,000 in camper scholarships that may be used at any of the eight camping programs in the Antiochian Archdiocese.  Each parish of the Antiochian Archdiocese has $700 in St. Ignatius scholarship funds to designate to their campers.  For more information on the St. Ignatius scholarships, contact your parish priest immediately.  The deadline for parishes to assign the $700 in scholarship funds is March 1st.  In addition, the eight camping programs (including the Antiochian Village) have additional limited scholarship funding.  To request an additional scholarship, you must complete the new Additional Scholarship Assistance Request Form that each camp has available.  Forms must be completed in their entirety and require the signature of your parish priest.  At the Antiochian Village, additional scholarships will be awarded on a need basis after a March 1st filing deadline.  Click here to download the Antiochian Village Additional Scholarship Assistance Request Form.  Please follow these procedures if you desire to seek additional scholarships for camp.  Even though we are past the deadline, we still have some scholarship funds available and will accept requests as long as our we have such funds.

 
Join the Antiochian Village Community by becoming a Fan on our AV Facebook page.  Our plans are to have this online interactive community to keep everyone up to date with happenings and information regarding life at the Antiochian Village.  If you have suggestions for our online presence, feel free to contact us.