Kimisis Tis Theotokou Greek Orthodox Church in Holmdel NJ, USA

Program helps youth stay connected with church 

The Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society/Baha Chapter at Kimisis Tis Theotokou Greek Orthodox Church in Holmdel has launched a support program for college youth.
The College Connection is aimed at keeping the students connected to their church community while they are away at college.
According to a press release from the chapter, as exciting and wonderful as the college years are, many students report that they miss their church community and all that they were involved in at Kimisis. A committee was formed to address this concern.


The program asked the church’s collegebound students who chose to participate to send a recent photo with a short write-up, the name of the college, city and state, email and cell phone number, what they are studying, and a short description of their recent activities and personal interests.
Members of the chapter created a collage of the photos and short write-ups and they are displayed prominently in the church community center.
The collage allows parishioners to see what the students are doing and provides a way to stay in contact with them.
Amonthly article will be included in the church publication, “Kimisis Close Up,” with recent reported events and activities such as travel, mission work, dean’s list, honor societies, recognitions and club membership.
Students receive an electronic copy of the publication and will continue to feel the connection to Kimisis.
For interested students, the chapter will also contact the local parish priest in their new town to let the priest know that the student is attending college in the area and ask that the student be included in the parish life .
The program aims to help students transition from home to college without losing the connection to their church.
It is also a goal to help the students reacclimate to their home community when the college years end and to once again contribute their talents as church stewards.
Students interested in joining the College Connection program, are asked to contact committee members: Cheryl Bontales at bontsc@aol.com, Salomi Charalambous- Horvath at msac2@comcast.net, or Joanna Kotsis at daskalisa@aol.com.
Those interested in starting a College Connection in their parish can email Bontales.

Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια: