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Orthodox Vacation Camp 2026
“Living as a Friend of God”
This year’s Orthodox Vacation Camp (OVC) was held at “De Hoge Rielen” nature reserve in Kasterlee, Belgium, from 1 through 8 August. The theme was “King David” – or to be more precise, what it means to be a friend of God like David was: someone who falls and struggles back up, who listens to God, gives Him thanks and always returns to Him. During the week, 40 children, guided by more than 20 volunteers, put this theme into practice not only in catechism and drama but also liturgically and sacramentally.
The OVC is an outgrowth of the Orthodox Children’s Camps (OCC) and the Orthodox Summer Camp (OSC) and falls under the auspices of the Benelux Orthodox Bishops’ Conference. This year, children from parishes in five jurisdictions in the Netherlands and Belgium took part. The camp was under the leadership of Sacha Bakker, with spiritual direction provided by Fr Hildo Bos (Amsterdam) and Fr Antonios Tarlizos (Hasselt).
“And when he had removed him [Saul], he raised up David to be their king; of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’” – Acts 13:22
The life of David as a mirror
Through Bible readings during prayer times, dramatic performances, catechism and creative activities, the children became familiar with the life of David, the holy prophet and king: his courage as a shepherd, his fall, his repentance, his friendship with Jonathan, and his kingship. The children did not learn about David as an isolated Old Testament figure, however. Again and again the connection was drawn between him and Christ, David being a forefather of Christ according to the flesh (see Matthew 1:1, Romans 1:3) and the author of the Psalms that the Church continues to pray up to the present day.
An especially tangible high point dealing with this theme was the icon of David that the children themselves painted on a large piece of cloth. The icon was given a place of honour on the wall of the church tent during the final liturgy – a visible indication that the children not only heard about David throughout the week but also worked together to pass on his image, as the Church has been doing for centuries.
Programme and liturgy
On 2 August the day began with a big game, the hexathlon, in which children of every age took part. On 4 August the day was spent at the swimming pool.
On 5 August the day began with a low-key Divine Liturgy involving Byzantine singing by the children themselves. This was followed by a large number of workshops, from which the children could choose between folk dancing, building a water and climbing track, wrestling and falling techniques, and mosaics.
The sacramental heart of the camp
6 August, the Feast of the Transfiguration, began with the traditional blessing of the fruits. After this the youngest children worked on building huts while the teenagers went on a hike, with catechism along the way. The day ended with evening prayer and confession. Until late in the evening, both the children and the adults took advantage of this opportunity to make their confession in peace and quiet. For some of the children this was their first experience of the sacrament, a moment they shared with David after his own fall (see Psalm 50) when he learned that repentance and forgiveness are not the end but the beginning of a deeper friendship with God.
On 7 August a festal Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Fr Hildo and Fr Antonios, with the children providing the singing. The whole day was marked by festivities, with a delicious breakfast, Greek and Romanian dancing and free play. The evening was devoted to the traditional “variety show,” with plays, songs and games for all the groups and leaders.
From the teen song:
“Talking late into the night,
Babushka, chichilia…, what were we thinking?
Moses with his staff, Hema bike collapse,
This, that, and lots more,
OVC, what a crazy bunch we were …
this is a camp we’ll never forget!”
Guests
The camp welcomed a number of guests this year: Fr Ion Iuga, rector of the Romanian parish in Heemstede, Fr Svimeon and Fr Porfyrios of the Georgian parish in Brussels, and Metropolitan Athenagoras, chairman of the Bishops’ Conference, who came on 6 August. All of them expressed their appreciation for our work and emphasized the importance of bringing children and young people together in a summer camp like ours.
From the closing song:
“Friendships and teamwork,
The occasional quarrel, and forgiveness, too,
But each time we make our way,
We’re just like a family!”
Closing remarks and words of thanks
The OVC 2026 was a blessing for children and leaders alike. It’s a way of living together in an Orthodox community that helps us grow spiritually, form new friendships and deepen our faith. We want to thank all the parents for putting their trust in our leadership, and most of all we thank God.
The OVC 2027 will be held from 14 through 21 August 2027, and again at De Hoge Rielen. Would you like to receive the poster and registration information, or are you interested in volunteering as leaders? Place your name and e-mail address here!
Comments from the children:
“I’m not going home until I’ve said goodbye to Alex.”
“At first I thought the rest period was stupid, but now I think it’s kind of relaxing.”
“Our camp is blessed. I’m not so afraid of the dark woods here.”
Comments from the leaders:
“I feel like a different person after this camp.”
“My inner child really needed this!”
Christmas and visit of Metropolitan Athenagoras in 2026
On 6 and 7 January (24 and 25 December according to the Church calendar), Metropolitan Athenagoras visited our parish for the celebration of Christmas. He was accompanied by Archimandrite Aimilianos (Chadzivasilieou). Another guest was a priest from the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Father Alexei, who happened to be passing through.
Despite the extreme weather, a great many parishioners managed to get to church. There was also a full choir on both 6 and 7 January. Preceding the vigil, a panichida was held in memory of Father Sergei Ovsiannikov, who passed away on 6 January 2018. The Metropolitan was present in the altar during the Christmas vigil; he addressed the parishioners after the service. Also present was a journalist from the NOS, who gave a brief report on the morning of 7 January on the Christmas celebration in Amsterdam.
On 7 January the Metropolitan conducted a solemn Christmas liturgy in concelebration with five priests and one deacon. During the Little Entrance, our Deacon Johannes Veldmeijer was elevated to the rank of protodeacon. Father Meletios was not able to concelebrate on account of illness. But he did come to church at the end of the service, when the Metropolitan informed him of the decision by the Ecumenical Patriarch to grant him the honorary title of “Archimandrite of the Ecumenical Throne” on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his priestly ordination. The Metropolitan also presented him with a pectoral cross, his own personal gift.
Thanks to the involvement of numerous volunteers, a warm and festive reception was held after both the vigil and the liturgy. Metropolitan Athenagoras spent quite a long time with the parishioners, many of whom made use of the opportunity to get to know him better.
In Memoriam Archbishop Anastasios (Yanoulattos)
On 25 January 2025 Archbishop Anastasios (Yanoulattos), the primate of the Orthodox Church of Albania, passed away. Archbishop Anastasios was the most senior among the heads of the local Orthodox churches and he enjoyed enormous authority in worldwide Orthodoxy. He also had strong ties with several members of our parish.
In Memoriam Albert Roessingh
On 16 October 2025, one of our oldest parishioners, Albert (Adelbert) Roessingh, passed away in Zaandam. He was 96 years old.
The link to the Obituary you’ll find here: Obituary Adelbert Roessingh_En.
