{"id":24085,"date":"2025-07-04T11:00:03","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T15:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stbarbarasrq.org\/wp2\/?p=24085"},"modified":"2025-07-08T17:21:01","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T21:21:01","slug":"goya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stbarbarasrq.org\/wp2\/goya\/","title":{"rendered":"GOYA"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"24085\" class=\"elementor elementor-24085\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-753c9104 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default sc_fly_static\" data-id=\"753c9104\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-extended\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5572eb67 sc_inner_width_none sc_content_align_inherit sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left sc_fly_static\" data-id=\"5572eb67\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ed669c4 sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"ed669c4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"259\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/stbarbarasrq.org\/wp2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/GOYA-Logo.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-27136\" alt=\"GOYA Logo\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d8cae60 sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"d8cae60\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-69a45bc2 sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"69a45bc2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"color: #333333;\">Young people need spirituality and they also seek fellowship with other church people their own age. GOYA (Greek Orthodox Youth of America) provides opportunities for young people aged 12 to 18 to learn about their Orthodox Faith and heritage. They participate in social and athletic activities in a wholesome Orthodox Christian atmosphere. Meetings are held on regular basis.<\/span><\/p><h3><strong><span style=\"color: #333333;\">Our GOYA participates in the following Tampa Bay Area events:<\/span><\/strong><\/h3><ul><li><span style=\"color: #333333;\">Volleyball Tournament in St. Petersburg at St. Stefanos GOC (Mid-October)<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #333333;\">Clearwater Winter Event at Holy Trinity GOC (Martin Luther King Weekend)<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #333333;\">Great Lent Retreat at St. John GOC in Tampa (varies according to the time of Pascha)<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #333333;\">Summer Olympics at St. John GOC in Tampa (second weekend in June)<\/span><\/li><\/ul><h3><span style=\"color: #333333;\">There are two major Metropolis of Atlanta events for GOYA:<\/span><\/h3><ul><li><span style=\"color: #333333;\">St. Stephen Summer Camp with four sessions in the month of July and beginning of August at the Diakonia Retreat Center in Salem, SC<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"color: #333333;\">Winter Rally organized every year by the Youth Ministry Department of our Metropolis in Atlanta, GA \u2013 December 27th-January 1st.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><strong>GOYA Advisors are:<\/strong> Dave Troyer, Joetta Troyer and Victoria Tewfik<\/span><\/p><h3><span style=\"color: #333333;\">Mission and Goal of GOYA Ministry<\/span><\/h3><p><span style=\"color: #333333;\">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.<\/span><\/p><h3><span style=\"color: #333333;\">Who it Serves<\/span><\/h3><p><span style=\"color: #333333;\">The Greek Orthodox Youth of America, or GOYA, is the ministry to teenagers of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Since GOYA is ministry, the orientation and implementation of the program should reflect the Orthodox Christian Faith, Tradition and Life.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #333333;\">GOYA is ministry to junior high and high school grade Orthodox Christian teenagers. Teenagers should be in seventh through twelfth grades to participate. It is recommended that GOYA ministry be divided into two distinct groups, the junior high GOYA ministry and the high school GOYA ministry.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #333333;\">The teenagers themselves prefer the specific age groupings since they can relate better with others who share the same age and school environment. More importantly, it is more developmentally appropriate for these age groups to be separated. Senior High GOYAns are ready to learn different things than Junior High GOYAns.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #333333;\">This approach is the most effective, however it does demand more of the parish priest, youth director and advisors. In smaller parishes, the number of teenagers is fewer; therefore, making GOYA two distinct groups may not be feasible.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #333333;\">If having two groups is not possible, pay special attention to the developmental needs of the individual young people in the group by making sure activities are appropriate for all of the youth. Occasionally, special activities can be planned for specific grades. For example, an outing to a College Career Night for the high school seniors may be planned.<\/span><\/p><h3><span style=\"color: #333333;\">Youth Ministry Foundation<\/span><\/h3><p><span style=\"color: #333333;\">The foundation of all youth ministry is the cultivation and education of our young people in order to become viable members of the Body of Christ. GOYA is but one means to this end. GOYA must not stand alone, but be incorporated into the entire sphere of the Church\u2019s mission.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #333333;\">The adolescent world is constantly changing \u2013 it is virtually impossible to keep up with every new trend and movement of youth culture. Growing up in today\u2019s society is a much more difficult task than it was in previous times. Our young people are being shaped by negative and destructive influences, ones that can and will define who they are and who they will become. For this reason, the positive teachings and traditions of the Orthodox Church must become a living presence in their lives. This makes young ministry not an option \u2014 but a necessity.<\/span><\/p><h3><span style=\"color: #333333;\">The Four Characteristics<\/span><\/h3><p><span style=\"color: #333333;\">The National Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries recommends that GOYA ministry be based on the following four characteristics: Worship (Liturgia), Fellowship (Koinonia), Service (Diakonia), and Witness (Martyria).<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-31182fc sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"31182fc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7e740ae elementor-align-center sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"7e740ae\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-md\" href=\"#\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\"> Youth Ministries Sign Up<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-82e33e7 sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"82e33e7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-315e123 elementor-align-center sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"315e123\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-md\" href=\"https:\/\/www.goarch.org\/documents\/32058\/3310897\/goyaguide2008.pdf\/1b214376-31e4-419d-af75-cbcb89f2f3a3\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">GOYA Guidelines<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c426724 sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"c426724\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-19dab21 elementor-align-center sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"19dab21\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-md\" href=\"https:\/\/sarasotaorthodox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/SarasotaGOYA_Handbook-Social-Media-Use_update.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Sarasota GOYA Handbook Social Media Use 2020-2021<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4b75ec6 sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"4b75ec6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a2cc79e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default sc_fly_static\" data-id=\"a2cc79e\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-extended\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7b2e25b sc_inner_width_none sc_content_align_inherit sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left sc_fly_static\" data-id=\"7b2e25b\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Young people need spirituality and they also seek fellowship with other church people their own age. GOYA (Greek Orthodox Youth of America) provides opportunities for young people aged 12 to&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29163,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[219,258],"tags":[222],"class_list":["post-24085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ministries","category-youth-ministries","tag-ministries"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stbarbarasrq.org\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stbarbarasrq.org\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stbarbarasrq.org\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stbarbarasrq.org\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stbarbarasrq.org\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24085"}],"version-history":[{"count":51,"href":"https:\/\/stbarbarasrq.org\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24085\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29095,"href":"https:\/\/stbarbarasrq.org\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24085\/revisions\/29095"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stbarbarasrq.org\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stbarbarasrq.org\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stbarbarasrq.org\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stbarbarasrq.org\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}