Youth and Young Adult Ministries

Mission Statement: The mission of Saints Constantine & Helen Youth and Young Adult Ministries is to lead the youth of our church to salvation through coordinated programs that focus on worship, fellowship, service, and witness. Programs are coordinated through the Youth Committee. The Youth Committee works with the following church organizations and activities: Acolytes, Hellenic Youth Dancers, JOY/HOPE, GOYA, OCF, YAL, and Religious Education. The committee maintains liaison with the Parish Council and works with the Metropolis Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries.

Vision Statement: Our church provides coordinated programs serving all the youth and families of the parish. These programs are recognized in the community as well as in the Metropolis of New Jersey as the best practices in their respective areas. These programs faithfully support the church’s mission, visions, and goals.

The Youth and Young Adults of Saints Constantine and Helen are the future of The Church. Just as they are involved in sports and other extracurricular activities, it is of even more importance that we keep them embedded and involved in the life of The Church.

Please use this form to contact our co-leads for Youth Ministries, Georgia Estes and Anastasia Krisik for more information.

Acolytes (for boys ages 8-18 years)
Director: Deacon Noah Hendricks
Assistant Director: Michael Landon
A group of young men who meet the requirements of reverence, discipline, and appearance, and serve in the altar during worship services. Each acolyte is assigned to a team and serves once every three weeks. For the current acolyte schedule of service, please see the Main Menu in the lefthand pane of this webpage, and click on “Acolytes.”

Hellenic Youth Dancers (HYD) (for young people ages 5-18 years and up)
Directors: Bobby Garofalis, Kia Siokis-Roumeliotis, Anna Yortzidis, Jorge Polyzos, Christiana Vastardis, and Chrysoula Malogianni
Hellenic Youth Dancers was formed to preserve the Hellenic Culture by performing authentic renditions of Greek Folk Dancing. Practices for the youngest group, Fotakia, are held on Sundays following church services. Practices for the remaining groups are held Tuesday evenings. Dance group placement will be done by ability level, size, and age in this order.

Hellenic Youth Dancers (HYD) Registration Form 2023-2024

HOPE (Hellenic Orthodox Primary Education) 
Advisor: Dr. Vicky Mignogna-Smith
HOPE is the ministry to Kindergarten through 2nd grade children of Saints Constantine and Helen. Since HOPE is a ministry, the orientation and implementation of the program should reflect the Orthodox Christian Faith, Tradition and Life.
 
The mission and goal of the HOPE ministry is to lead our children to experience the Holy Orthodox Faith. By developing a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and becoming active sacramental members of the living church, our children will be equipped with tools necessary to assist them in their journey toward salvation. By laying a foundation of faith at this age, the young people will have something that will guide and strengthen them through life.
 
JOY (Junior Orthodox Youth)
Advisor: Dr. Vicky Mignogna-Smith

Junior Orthodox Youth, or JOY, is the ministry to 3rd through 6th grade children of Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church. Since JOY is a ministry, the orientation and implementation of the program should reflect the Orthodox Christian Faith, Tradition and Life.

The mission and goal of the JOY ministry is to lead our young people into experiencing the Holy Orthodox Faith. By developing a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and becoming active sacramental members of the living church, our young people will be equipped with tools necessary to assist them in their journey toward salvation. By building on the foundation of faith at this age, the young people will have something that will guide and strengthen them as they progress into junior high and high school.

G.O.Y.A (Greek Orthodox Youth of America)
Advisors: Georgia Estes and Anastasia Krisik

GOYA is the ministry to young persons age 12-18 of Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church. Since GOYA is a ministry, the orientation and implementation of the program should reflect the Orthodox Christian Faith, Tradition and Life.

The mission and goal of GOYA is to lead our young people into experiencing the Holy Orthodox Faith. By developing a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and becoming active sacramental members of the living Church, our young people will be equipped with tools necessary to assist them in their journey toward salvation. GOYA meets at various times and holds events throughout the year.

2022-2023 Officers:

President: Will Estes

Vice President: Sophia Britos

Treasurer: Hannah Fann

Secretary: Nolan Krisik

Historian: Yasmeen Fann

Sergeant of Arms - Yianni Kokolis

OCF (Orthodox Christian Fellowship) for College Students

Our parish of Saints Constantine and Helen ministers to the Orthodox college students at Christopher Newport University. OCF is a ministry opened to all college students by which they can come together for fellowship, prayer, and service. It is a way to rest yourself from your schoolwork so that you can give your soul some nourishment. Because college is such a big challenge, OCF offers a solid group of brothers and sisters in Christ who can stand by you during hard times and offer you family comfort when you are far from home.

The mission of OCF is to support fellowships on college campuses, whose members experience and witness to the Orthodox Christian Church through community life, prayer, service to others and study of the Faith (Acts 2:42). Furthermore, OCF will work to nurture and strengthen love for Jesus Christ and His Church in its fullness at this most critical juncture of human life through:

  • Communication between OCF's and with the larger Orthodox community
  • Development of resources for local OCF's

Please email or call Father George for more information.

YAL (Young Adult League)

Young Adult League is a ministry of the Church. It is not an organization or social club, but simply a gathering of the faithful who share the same ages and common interest. It is a spiritual ministry based on the theological beliefs of the Orthodox Church.

There are four main tenets of the Young Adult Ministries; Worship, Fellowship, Service and Witness. As Orthodox Christians, our worship is the living expression of God’s revelation through Holy Tradition and Scripture. Our fellowship is the way we integrate our faith with daily life. Our service is how we live our faith, by loving and serving our neighbor, and as we live our lives in faith, we become living witnesses of Christ to the world.

Religious Education
Orthodox Christianity understands “education” in terms of formation of the whole person. Therefore, Christian education embraces body, mind and spirit. Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church offers a range of educational opportunities which include worship, personal spiritual formation, adult Bible-study,  Sunday School for all ages of children, youth groups and much more. Viola Allen is our director of Education Ministries. Educational opportunities at Saints Constantine and Helen include the following:
 
Vacation Bible School
VBS is offered in June of each year. This is a pan-Orthodox program in which all Orthodox congregations are invited to participate the week long program. Adult and teen staff members are encouraged to volunteer and participate in the fun! 
 
The St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival is part of the Sunday Church School program. Each year there is an Oratorical Festival for middle school and high school students (grades 7-12). Young people are given the opportunity to select one of several topics designated by the Archdiocese Department of Religious Education. Students research, write and present topics relating to their faith and the Church. Students in grades 7-12 compete at the parish level and have the opportunity to continue at the levels of the Metropolis and the Archdiocese.