Ghana - Larteh Youth Camp Mission Team

“We had an incredible experience together in Ghana which will remain in our hearts forever! I personally feel that this time spent together was invaluable. Thank you, again, for the opportunity to serve in this worthy mission.” – Joanna, ’19 Ghana Team member

LARTEH, Ghana -- Are you interested in helping the young people of Ghana navigate the challenges of living as an Orthodox Christian in an increasingly challenging society? The 2022 Ghana Mission Team has been invited to share the love of Christ at a summer youth camp at the St. Peter College in Larteh.

An Annual Orthodox Youth Camp will serve around 320 Orthodox youth ages 12-18 from over 20 communities throughout Ghana. The camp offers an opportunity for the youth to learn more about their Orthodox Christian Faith and social and faith issues through bible studies, fun activities, and lively discussions. Team members will work closely with local clergy and lay leaders before, during, and after the camp to help strengthen the Orthodox identity of the campers and meet the evolving needs of the youth and the Church. Cathedral youth leaders, clergy and Church leaders will direct the program and Mission Team members have been asked to have a supportive role in the camp and be instrumental in training of these Ghanaian leaders.

Ghana is home to a wide diversity of people groups, rapidly entering a modern and fast paced world. People may still be seen in traditional clothing and adhering to the old traditions, but many now have access to cell phones and internet. Ghanaians are divided into 75 different ethnic groups. Although the 2010 census reported that over 70% of Ghanaians are Christian, Islam (in the north) and traditional religions are second and third in percentage of adherents. The Orthodox Church is one of the few faiths not associated with colonialism in Ghana.

In 1971, the establishment of the Church of Ghana was advanced when a youth movement desiring renewal, uniform doctrines and liturgical practices and a sense of a larger global Orthodox family was begun. The youth were dedicated to search for a canonical Church, and numerous events and visits by the Patriarchate of Alexandria proved to be turning points for the reception of the Ghanaian church into the canonical Orthodoxy in 1982. Orthodox clergy visiting from Greece and Finland completed the catechism of almost 3,000 Ghanaians who were received into Orthodoxy. The Cathedral of the Holy Transfiguration was constructed in 1989 with the aid of an OCMC Mission Team and the Diocese of Ghana was created by a Patriarchal and Synodal decree in 1997. The diocese was elevated to Archdiocese of Accra by a Patriarchal decree in 2009, and His Eminence Petros was elected Metropolitan of Accra on 9 October 2019. The Archdiocese of Accra includes the parishes and missions located in the nations of Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali and Burkina Faso.

Team Members should be exemplary role models, have the ability to teach the Faith to children and teens, and be flexible in cross-cultural settings. Team Members will have a number of pre-Team activities in addition to post-Team follow up. Camp counselors, Sunday school teachers and youth workers are encouraged to apply.

Dates:  August 3 – August 17, 2022

Cost:  $1,620.00 (+airfare)

Travel – Team Members must fly on the international travel itinerary OCMC will provide to and from the project destination. Team Members are responsible for all air travel: one-way domestic flight to Jacksonville, FL (JAX) Tuesday, August 3 (by 4 pm for orientation) and an international segment from JAX to Accra, Ghana on Thursday August 5, returning home on Tuesday August 17. Airfares are not included in participant cost.

Fund raising – Each Team Member is responsible for the participant cost and airfares associated with this Team. Team Members are encouraged to invite others to participate in this effort through prayer and tax-deductible donations. Participant cost includes room and board, local transportation, orientation costs, ministry expenses, excursion and materials.

If you would like to contribute to this Mission Team project - the youth camp in Ghana - we are grateful for your support.  This is optional and it is not included in the participant cost. 

Share in a journey of faith… Orthodox Mission Team members are challenged to view the world with God's eyes and seek how He wants to use them to fulfill His plans. This cross-cultural experience, combined with outreach, offers participants a life-changing learning experience. This experience is about people, culture and missions. It is also about prayer, for you and others; it is about God, those you serve, and about yourself, as you serve Him.