History of the Metropolis Camping Ministry

Overview

Active Youth Ministry in the Metropolis of Pittsburgh has been going on for over 30 years. In 1968 and 1969, property was owned near Uniontown, Pa (the original Camp Mt. Tabor). Fr. George Bartz (Akron, OH) along with Ted and Irene Theodore (Cleveland, OH) supervised those early years under the watchful eye and active support from Bishop Gerasimos of blessed memory. That property was later sold, and from the mid ‘70’s until the present, subsequent youth ministry programs were held at rented facilities (Camp Nazareth in Mercer, PA; Antiochian Village near Ligonier, PA; Laurelville Mennonite Church Center in Laurelville, PA, and other locations). In 1976, Bishop Maximos hired Mr. Damon Halkias to supervise the youth programs for the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Pittsburgh. At that time, Bishop Maximos was the only bishop of the Archdiocese to hire a full-time Youth Director. That first year, Summer Camp consisted of a one-week program with approximately 100 campers.

Under the pastoral care of Bishop Maximos and the initial direction of Damon & Carol Halkias, the youth ministries of the Diocese of Pittsburgh became one of the premier youth programs of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America, with the Summer Camp program reaching out to campers and counselors from across the United States, and internationally to young men and women from countries including Greece, Russia, Canada, England and Israel. Over the years, the program has also hosted campers from sister Orthodox jurisdictions including the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese and the Orthodox Church in America. The program has grown now to involve over 500 campers, and as of 2004 extends to five weeks.

Three decades of dynamic diocesan youth ministry have generated thousands of young men and women dedicated to their Orthodox Christian faith. These people now serve as clergy of our Archdiocese, Parish Council members and presidents, families who support their local churches and other Christian activities, doctors and nurses who now come back to assist with the Summer Camp program, and countless other individuals and venues of participation in the Church. Some families presently include three generations who have experienced Summer Camp as campers and/or counselors.

Growing Pains

As the program grew and with no permanent home, more and more time and energy was needed to acquire locations to accommodate additional weeks of camp and increased attendance. In the late '80's and early '90's, two different sites were used back-to-back for a while, with two weeks in one location, picking up and moving across the state to the other facility, spending two more weeks for camp, and then picking up and moving everything back to the diocese headquarters. This lack of permanent facilities has also limited the kind of ministry programs offered. For many years, the need for our own facility was increasingly apparent. As our program has grown we have approached the limits of the rented facilities previously used. At present, due in part to the growth of their own youth ministry programs, only one facility is capable of meeting the needs of our current summer camp program as it now exits – Camp Nazareth in Mercer, PA.

The 2004 Summer Camp Program saw growth over previous years in camper participation. If trends continue, the Metropolis will soon outgrow the capability of the Camp Nazareth facility to house its program. Christian faith expressions across the nation are experiencing growth in their own youth programs, and the demand for camp and retreat facilities is growing constantly. We cannot continue to offer the type of programs necessary to meet the needs of our metropolis without our own facilities.

The Butler Property

In late 1999, a piece of property was located near Butler, PA, (off of U.S. Route 422 on Unionville Road) that showed great promise as a camp site. At first, many were skeptical to even look at it. Throughout the course of the propery search almost twenty different properties had been examined. Now here was one more. However, this one stood out among the rest. The site contains approximately 108 acres of active farm land with some present structures. It is within a few miles of Moraine State Park and Lake Arthur (Butler County, PA). The site was examined, architects were hired, meetings were held, and a conceptual Master Plan was drawn up taking into account the present and future needs of our Metropolis youth ministry.

In June of 2000, the Diocesan Council of the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Pittsburgh took a monumental step in voting unanimously to purchase the Butler property as a future site for our own diocese camp and retreat center. This step was taken under the guidance of Metropolitan Maximos and with the full support of the Diocese Youth Commission.

A Steering Committee for The Camp at Mount Tabor was formed to begin the process of developing the site based on the master plan presented. Shortly thereafter, discussion ensued to consider incorporating the property and programs, and to look for a full-time director to oversee all of these activities.