“Freedom from fear”
The summer camps helped the boys to live in Christian friendship
“Freedom from fear,” was the theme of the boys’ summer camps, continuing the beautiful tradition which year after year is the most important activity of the summer vacation season; where our youth find their physical and spiritual rest in the facilities of the Church. The theme of the camp was inspired by the message of Archbishop Anastasios during Pascha 2009; a message which strongly echoes the many problems of youth. Through this wonderful activity, Archbishop Anastasios promises both children and youth that in the future too, the Church will be always be with them asking, at the same time, that they be active in the life of the Church and all the activities organized by the Orthodox Church in order to know Christ even better and to live in Christian friendship.
The camps were organized in the Monastery “Dormition of Theotokos” in Zvërnec of Vlora and in the Monastery of “Saint George” in Çuka of Saranda. Each day Church services were celebrated, and spiritual themes were delivered by catechists or by invited clergymen and theologians. The schedule started with Matins followed by breakfast, a walk to the beach, lunch, a break and then by recreation and sport activities. In the afternoons the daily events continued with a snack and then with spiritual talks during which the children and the youth asked questions in order to learn more about the Christian Orthodox faith.
The First Camp, June 16-26
In the first camp with children 6-13 years of age, was organized from the 16th to 26th of June; there were 180 participants. This camp gave children the opportunity to get more acquainted with our faith as well as their fellow Orthodox peers from throughout Albania. The schedule was arranged so that children could rest, be entertained, know and become friends with each other, and learn and grow in their experience of faith.
One of the most impressive activities was their visit on June 24th to Tirana where they met with Archbishop Anastasios and thanked him for the multi-faceted contributions to the development of the Church. The baptism of many boys who came for the first time in this camp was a special joy for all. The visit of the Metropolitan of Berati, His Eminence Ignatios, was another memorable day.
The Camp in Saranda
After the first camp in the beginning of July, another camp was organized also for the boys’ camp in Çuka of Saranda; nearly 50 boys, mainly students of the school “Holy Cross” in Gjirokastra, participated. The students of the technical high school, “The Apostle Paul,” in Mesopotam, with some peers coming from other regions of this Metropoli, also participated.
Together with the Metropolitan of Gjirokastra, His Eminence Dimitrios, they learned more about freedom from fear, being oriented to the Church’s teachings about faith and the practice of God’s commandments. The visit to the Church of “Saint Harallamb” in the city of Saranda was a special day, where the commencement ceremony for the first graduating students of the technical high school who finished this academic year was organized.
The Second Camp, July 11-21
The second camp for ages 14-18 year olds was organized from July 11th to 21st in Zvërnec, where about 80 boys participated. The schedule for this ten-day program was organized so as to combine the spiritual activities with the cultural and recreational ones. The basic activities were the daily Church services and the discussions about Scripture, confession with Father Jani Trebicka, as well as the baptism of 20 boys. Also, the days were full of miscellaneous cultural and sports activities: Chess championships, table tennis, volleyball, football etc, during which a special atmosphere was created from the improvised radio of the camp.
The Director of the camp was Deacon Spiro Kostoli, who is a teacher of Byzantine music in Theological Academy “The Resurrection of Christ” at St. Vlash. Deacon Spiro has experience in previous camps in a variety of roles. Some of the group leaders were students of the Theological Academy and some were new graduates of the academy.
The zeal with which the staff worked, as well as the unfailing energies of the youth, which was apparent during every moment of the camp, in games, in different songs, in spiritual talks, in the friendship that the high school students created among themselves, but also their spiritual growth and the taste of a brotherly Christian community, gave rise to the hope that they will convey this spirit in their parishes also.
The Third Camp, July25th – August 5th
The third and final camp that was organized also in Zvërnec, was with the youth of 18-25 years of age, from July 25th to August 5th. Two special moments are noteworthy: the visit to the camp of the Metropolitan of Korça, His Eminence John, who spoke about issues of our faith, as well as the visit of the campers to Tirana for the 17th Anniversary of the Enthronement of Archbishop Anastasios.
Also worth mentioning were the richness of the activities in the camp; illustrated and echoed through the improvised radio of the camp. In the spiritual format, overall not daily, we will not forget to mention the Sunday Divine Liturgy and of the feasts, as well as a day when the campers had the opportunity to confess to the spiritual father, Father Justin; who came to the camp to assist in the spiritual growth of the participants.
Isidor Koti & Joan Meni
Translated by John Baba
Edited by Anastasia Pamela Barksdale
