Mark your calendars! OYMT For A Day 2024 is on Sunday, October 27th from 1-5 PM at St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church in Bridgeport, CT.

OYMT For A Day is open to all interested Orthodox youth in middle and high school. This is an opportunity to experience a mini version of a day on an OYMT summer mission trip. This year, we will be constructing a Blessing Box to provide nonperishable food and other essential items to the neighborhood surrounding St. John’s in Bridgeport.

There is no cost to attend and no tools or equipment are required. Please wear worksite-safe attire (long pants, close-toed shoes, shirts with sleeves, hair pulled back) and bring a reusable water bottle. Dinner and snacks will be provided. A parent must sign a participation waiver for each youth to participate.

An RSVP is preferred, but not required, to oymt.info@gmail.com by October 25th. Please message the same email address with any questions.

We look forward to meeting you!

In Christ,

Lexi Klimaszewski, OYMT Coordinator

Our Annual Fundraising Kickoff for the summer mission trip is this Sunday, December 3rd from 2-5pm at St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church in Bridgeport, CT.

We will once again be making our famous, festive toffee treats to sell as a fundraiser for the 2024 trip. These sell out every year, so don’t miss out!

All are welcome to join us, even if you can’t make the 2024 trip or are still undecided. We can answer all your questions at this meeting! We will also be providing assistance with signing the Covenant and registering with ASP. This is the first opportunity of the year for our 2024 Team to gather!

If you plan to join the Team for the 2024 mission trip, please help us finalize our numbers by completing the Covenant (scan the QR code above) before our meeting on December 3rd.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

In Christ,

Susan and Lexi

November 5, 2023 | Stratford, CT

Are you an Orthodox youth currently enrolled in grades 7-12 or their equivalents? Join us for OYMT For A Day!

This is an opportunity for interested youth to see what we are all about, and experience a shortened version of a day on one of our summer mission trips. We will be working on a parishioner’s home in Stratford, CT, and there will be projects for all levels of skill and comfort. Parents are more than welcome to accompany their youth, and there will be a Parent Q&A during construction. No experience or tools necessary. This event is for all returning and prospective team members!

To RSVP, email jennieraeg@gmail.com by October 22nd (parishioner’s address and more information will be shared upon RSVP). Reach out with any questions!

It is that time of year again! We are excited to announce that we will once again be partnering with Appalachia Service Project for our 2024 summer mission trip. The trip will be from July 20-28, 2024. To join us, submit your signed covenant and deposit by November 15th. Youth must complete 8th grade by July 2024 to participate.

If you would like to see what we’re all about before registering, join us at OYMT For A Day on November 5th! This event is open to both middle and high school students. RSVP to jennieraeg@gmail.com by October 22nd.

The schedule of team meetings and trainings for 2023-2024 can be found here.

The 2023 OYMT Newsletter is Now Available!

Thanks to your support, we had a wonderful and blessed experience this summer on our 2023 summer mission trip to Rupert, West Virginia with Appalachia Service Project.

The 2023 edition of our annual newsletter, with highlights from the trip and reflections by our youth members, can be viewed or downloaded here:

The 2023 Shareholder Presentations Have Been Announced!

To demonstrate our appreciation, we cordially invite you to join us at one of our shareholder presentations, during a special coffee hour following Divine Liturgy at one of our participating parishes:

If you can’t make it to one of our presentations, you can view or download the slides here.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Sunday, February 26th TIME CHANGED to 1-3 pm   Holy Trinity Orthodox Church 74 Joe’s Hill Road, Danbury CT We’ll learn about the people in Appalachia that we’ll be serving, and how to work with our families in a way that respects them and their homes. You’ll also learn all about installing flooring at this session! Bring $5 for dinner and $175 final fee. NO adult leader meeting

Mission Trip 2023: July 8-16

If you have any questions please email OYMT.info@gmail.com

Dear past participant of the Orthodox Youth Mission Team,

We are pleased to cordially invite you to attend the Orthodox Youth Mission Team’s Reunion Gala on Saturday, November 26th in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The evening will bring together past and present participants, benefactors, clergy, and friends and family that have been involved with OYMT throughout the past twelve years of service. We’ll celebrate TEN successful mission trips, and all proceeds will contribute to future service.

Date: Saturday, November 26, 2022
Time: 6:00pm – 11:00pm
Venue: 364 Mill Hill Avenue, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Tickets: $50, all inclusive
Cocktail hour, dinner, dancing with DJ Bill Lopez, and a silent auction.
RSVP: Kindly RSVP  by November 12, 2022.

Purchase tickets using the DONATE button on this page.

Please feel free to reach out to oymt.info@gmail.com or Lexi Klimaszewski (203-997-3462) with any questions or concerns. Additionally, please send any and all pictures from past trips to Lexi at lexiklim08@gmail.com for inclusion in a slideshow video. If you have any special physical memorabilia from any of the trips, we’d love to see that brought to the event for showcase as well.

We are fortunate enough to have had 106 people from the Tri-State Area alone participate in at least one OYMT trip over the past twelve years, and the majority returned for at least a second year. If you include participants from other states at our all-OYMT ASP centers in 2018, 2019, and 2022, that number tops 200. We truly hope to see as many former participants as possible at this event, so that it may be a true reunion and celebration of OYMT’s growth and service.

Hello Orthodox Youth Mission Team!
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever!

This is it! Our last training session will take place this Thursday, June 30th from 5-7 p.m. at Holy Trinity in Danbury. We have heard from our staff at our Center in Clay, WV and have additional information to share about our center. We will also go over final details and preparations for our trip.

After we will have a barbecue. We will provide meats and dessert. Please bring a side dish (salad, chips, watermelon). Feel free to bring any yard games (frisbee, whiffle ball, etc.) to play as well.

We will also be taking a group photo for our postcards!

A few reminders of things to bring:
– If you do not want to bring your “big bag” to the church on Pack Night—Friday, July 8th at 4 p.m. you may bring it to this meeting.
– PARENTS: snacks or drinks for the trip if you volunteered to donate. Snacks will also be used to supplement lunches on our trip.
– $5 for dinner
– Any additional stock or donations. ALSO: Everyone should have finished their thank you’s at this time. Please complete before Thursday if you have not.
– Bring any outstanding forms, insurance cards, etc. from last meeting.
– Your tool bag for the worksite if it’s not already here.

Adult Leaders:  we will meet after the regular session to divide up the bigger item pack list and go over final leader details.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Thursday!