Cyprus 
Fourth Arab Orthodox youth encounter

AYIA NAPA, CYPRUS - One hundred youth from the Orthodox Churches of Jerusalem and Antioch, the Coptic Church of Alexandria, and the Orthodox Church of Cyprus gathered here 5_11 September 1999 to meet and exchange pastoral experiences and to tell the world that their witness to Jesus Christ in the Arab Levant is open, vigilant and responsible.

Participants at the 4th Middle East Orthodox YouthEncounter, Ayia Napa

    During the encounter the youth attended a series of seminars and lectures that focused on the role of youth and their mission in witnessing to the Lord. Speakers included Archimandrite Youhanna Batach [Lebanon], Fr. Dr. Panayiotis Papageorgiou [Cyprus], and engineer Raymond Rizk [Lebanon]. In their talks they discussed the role of the sacraments in the sanctification and salvation of the faithful.
    The encounter emphasised the importance of positive interaction in building stronger links among people with kindness and love. Three aspects of this topic were reviewed: Dialogue in the Bible [Jean Touma, Lebanon], Youth Experience in Dialogue [journalist Hala Homsi, Lebanon], and the Spiritual Benefits of Dialogue [Archimandrite Youhanna]. They realised that "dialogue takes place at all times and that any openness to others is loving, vigilant and considerate; therefore, there should be no sense of caution, fear, possession, or abuse of others. Honest dialogue is recommended to produce clear views and to enhance righteousness so that others feel at ease and free when engaged in conversation." 
    Bishop Georges Khodre [Lebanon] spoke about ministry and reminded participants that we all are a royal priesthood who are challenged to bring salvation to others. He pointed out the role of youth in ministering to others and displaying their goals so they may be true witnesses of a community whose members love each other.
    Two other speakers dealt with the sudden evolution of the cities and rapid worldwide technological advances. Fr. Dr. Panayiotis Papageorgiou spoke about the evolution of the city of Ayia Napa, and Jean Touma spoke about the development of El Mina city. Both exhibited the changing demographic and social situations that can complicate pastoral ministry. The youth also discussed such contemporary issues as cloning, in-vitro fertilization, and contraceptive methods and studied the Church's position on these and other issues.
    The youth prayed together during the encounter through daily prayers and Bible studies. They also celebrated the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God at the local church
    At the closing session, everyone thanked the SYNDESMOS Middle East Region, represented by Dr. Fadi Abou Mrad, for organizsing the encounter. They urged the SYNDESMOS administration to increase the number of such meetings. Topics for future meetings were also proposed.

Poland
Fifth summer institute held in Suprasl, Poland
(Joseph Matusiak)

SUPRASL, POLAND - August 1999 marked the fifth year of the Syndesmos Summer Institute at Suprasl's Annunciation Monastery.

Discussion group

    This year's institute was held during the last week of August and gathered 50 Orthodox young people from over 15 countries for several days of worship, study and fellowship. As in past years, the institute provided an excellent opportunity to meet Orthodox young people from all around the world - India, Jordan, Russia, the US, Greece, Lebanon and Great Britain, just to name a few - and to celebrate the common faith which they share.
    "Indeed, the institute became a great celebration," said one participant from the Middle East. "We celebrated through our diverse cultures. We celebrated through our common faith. We celebrated birthdays and name days. We celebrated SYNDESMOS. And most importantly we celebrated through the Divine Liturgy."
    Another way the institute participants celebrated was through common study of the institute's theme: "As my Father hath sent me, so send I you [John 20:21): Orthodox Mission and Witness in the Contemporary World."
    Throughout the week participants attended lectures and workshops which touched on many different aspects of Orthodox missionary work, including outreach ministries to society as well as the internal mission of the Orthodox Church. Of particular interest to participants were the discussions on missionary efforts around the world. Mr. Craig Goodwin [US] spoke about foreign missions, while Father Jerzy Tofiluk [Poland] delivered a lecture on "Iconography as Mission." Fr. Gregory Papathomas [Greece] lead a discussion on the internal mission of the Orthodox Church. Fr. Dimitri Smirnov [Russia] explained the state of mission work among young people in Russia. Participants were also honoured to have with them Dr. Dimitri Oikonomou [Great Britain], outgoing SYNDESMOS President, who delivered an interesting lecture on iconography.

Before departure from Warsaw

    In addition to lectures and discussions, institute participants were treated to folk dance lessons, canoe rides, swimming, and a full range of sporting activities. One afternoon was spent helping the monks from the monastery clear rubbish from the parish cemetery. Archimandrite Gabriel led the workers, after which he spent two hours discussing with them various issues concerning young people and the Orthodox Church.
    The programme also provided participants with many opportunities to visit sites of interest in Poland. They spent one night at the 16th century monastery of Saint Onuphrios on the Polish-Belarusian border. They also visited the Monastery of Saints Mary and Martha on the Holy Mountain of Grabarka, the popular site of many Orthodox pilgrimages. And His Beatitude, Metropolitian Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland, presented to the participants a history of the Orthodox Church in Poland, while His Grace, Bishop Jacob of Bialystok, shared some customs, stories and traditions dear to Poland's Orthodox Christians.
    Responsible for organising this year's institute were Joseph Matusiak, Alex Wasyluk, Anastasia Moussatova, Adam Pawlowski, and several other members of the Orthodox Youth Fellowship of Poland.