Our Parish Ministries
With the plethora of ministries at St. Spyridon, each one has the same goal primary goal, and that is to bring people to Jesus Christ to foster a lasting, meaningful, personal relationship with Him. The way in which that happens is different for each person different, hence that need for each type of ministry. Feel free to check them out and see which ones might be for you.
GOYA
GOYA is the youth group of our Parish, which stands for Greek Orthodox Youth of America. Children currently in 7th grade to 12th grade are eligible to join. (By no means do you have to be Greek.)
The GOYA does a few local projects during the year, but the main GOYA events of the year take place the Metropolis level. A week long summer camp, weekend camp retreats, basketball tournaments, coed volleyball tournaments are just a few the Metropolis events the GOYAs are invited to attend.
The mission and goal of GOYA 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. Learn More from the Metropolis of Pittsburgh »
JOY
The Junior Orthodox Youth, or JOY, is the ministry to 3rd through 6th grade children of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Since JOY is a ministry, the orientation and implementation of the program should reflect the Orthodox Christian Faith, Tradition, and Life.
Mission and goal of the JOY Ministry
We lead our young people into experiencing the 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 laying a 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.
Music Ministry
The Mission of the St. Spyridon Church Chanters and Choir is to provide a Music Ministry worthy of the Worship of the One True God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and to support the Goals and Mission of St. Spyridon Church.
The Chanters (Psaltes) of St. Spyridon Church sing the hymns of our Orthodox faith, using ancient Byzantine melodies that have been passed down through the centuries. The special skills needed to be a chanter require training and practice. Anyone interested in learning the rich music tradition of our Orthodox faith by joining our chanters at the psalterion should contact Fr. Meletios.
The St. Spyridon Choir leads the congregation in singing the responses to the Divine Liturgy. The Choir functions as an extension of the Psalteri by giving a greater number of parishioners the opportunity to participate actively in the Divine Liturgy. The Choir sings every Sunday morning throughout the year, and at certain other services, particularly during Holy Week. Practices are held as required, usually following the Sunday morning Divine Liturgy. The St. Spyridon Choir is composed of volunteers, and is open to anyone - men, women, and children - who would like to experience the joy and fulfillment that can be derived from singing hymns of praise to God.
Ladies Philoptochos
Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society tries to promote charitable, benevolent and philanthropic outreach to preserve the sanctity of life and family and to perpetuate and promote our Orthodox faith and traditions.The Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, Inc., is the duly accredited women’s philanthropic society of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. The mission of the Society shall be: To aid the poor, the destitute, the hungry, the aged, the sick, the unemployed, the orphaned, the imprisoned, the widowed, the handicapped, the victims of disasters, to undertake the burial of impoverished persons and to offer assistance to anyone who may need the help of the Church through fund raising efforts; and To promote the charitable, benevolent, and philanthropic purposes of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, through instructional programs, presentations, lectures, seminars and other educational resources; To preserve and perpetuate Orthodox Christian concepts and the Orthodox Christian Family, and through them, to promote the Greek Orthodox Faith and traditions, in accordance with its doctrines, canons, discipline, divine worship, usages and customs; To promote participation in the activities of the Greek Orthodox community, with the cooperation of the Parish Priest and the Parish Council.The charitable work of the Society shall be performed with discretion, courtesy and kindness.
