ST. CLEMENTS YOUTH MENTORSHIP VIRTUAL MISSION TEAM 

Nairobi, KENYA – Are you interested in making a difference in the lives of the youth as they consider their future life goals? Be part of a Youth Mentorship initiative that is geared to help at-risk youth and equip them with life skills in an Orthodox context. This ministry of the Orthodox Church of Kenya offers the youth tools to sustain the temptations of corrupting social influences.

The 2021 Kenya Virtual Mission Team has been invited by His Eminence Makarios, Archbishop of Kenya, to participate in a Youth Mentorship Program that will take place at the St. Clement of Alexandria School which is located next to the Makarios III Patriarchal Seminary. This mentorship program is open to youth from St. Clements and the greater Kawangware community. It hopes to cultivate an atmosphere of self-awareness and confidence and an appreciation for education as well as equip youth with life skills beyond academics, and a positive attitude. We have been asked to focus on the high school aged students.

St. Clements provides an education to approximately 250 children from the villages surrounding Riruta-Satellite, outside of Nairobi. Some children attending St. Clements come from deprived backgrounds. Some are orphans, refugees from neighboring countries or children of single parent families. In 2002, St Clement’s began with two classes, a Pre-School and Kindergarten. They have continued to meet the growing needs of the students and have expanded the number of students and the level of classes.

Orthodoxy arose in East Africa without the influence of foreign missionaries. The Church was founded by two charismatic African men searching for truth and ‘orthodoxia’ in the 1920’s. The Orthodox Church in Kenya was received into canonical Orthodoxy in 1946, and the Makarios III Patriarchal Seminary was opened in the 1980’s to train indigenous priests from Africa. OCMC has supported the work of the Church in Kenya for over 30 years. It sends long term Missionaries, provides support for theological and catechetical training and works with church leaders to address issues of self-sufficiency. Presently, the Church in Kenya has three hierarchs, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Kenya, Bishop Neophytos of Nyeri and Mount Kenya and Bishop Marcos of Kisumu and Western Kenya.

Be a part of this mentorship program of the Church in Kenya. Participants should be well-grounded in the basic teachings of the Church. Educators, social workers, counselors and those with experience working with youth are needed.

Dates: May 18 & 19, 2021

Cost: $45

Fund raising – We have a list of requested items that are needed for this Team to be successful in Kenya. Team Members are encouraged to invite others to participate in this effort through prayer and tax-deductible donations. If you would like to contribute to this project, which is also supported by the OCMC, we are grateful for your support.

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.