We are grateful to be able to offer financial aid, including: clergy discounts, volunteer discounts, and additional scholarships. If you have any questions about financial aid, please contact Ann (programs@saintemmelia.com). We are committed to making the conference accessible for everyone—do not let finances be a barrier!

Our clergy discounts are available for deacons, priests, and seminarian families, who serve for a jurisdiction in communion with the Antiochian Archdiocese.

The cost of registration includes administrative costs (booklets and other printing, nametags, software fees, background checks, etc.); honoraria, lodging, meals, and travel for our main workshop leaders; thank yous or discounts for volunteers (as well as meals and lodging for non-attendee volunteers); rental costs for shared spaces; and children’s workshop supplies. Understanding the great sacrifices homeschool families already make in order to provide their children a Christ-focused education, we are always mindful of keeping conference costs as low as possible, while keeping an eye to the future and longevity of the conference.

Volunteer Opportunities:

Please note that as these roles are filled, they will no longer show up as an option when you register…so don’t wait!

Children’s Workshop Leader/Teacher
Time Commitment - 1.5 hours/session ($50 discount/session)
Children’s Workshop Leaders play a vital role in the conference, allowing the children a fun space to bond with friends and learn about our Faith, while giving parents time to enjoy adult workshops. Pick your desired topic and age group and build an hour-long class. Get creative! Topics can range from storytime to outdoor games to science experiments, and more! Multiple children’s workshop leaders are needed.

Children’s Workshop Assistant
Time Commitment - 1.5 hours/session ($10 discount/session)
Children’s Workshop Assistants are a valuable part of the conference, assisting the workshop leader to maintain a stable classroom environment and giving hands-on help as needed. This is a great role for anyone interested in helping without the responsibility of leading a workshop.

Children’s Workshop - Sign-In Helper 
Time Commitment - 15min around the start of each children’s workshop ($10 discount)
The Children’s Workshop Sign-In Helper is responsible for assisting the children’s workshop leader in making sure teachers have their class rosters, parents’ questions are answered, and helping ensure that students make it to their proper classes safely. This all takes place before the workshops, so responsibilities should not interfere with adult workshops. 

Hike Leader
Time Commitment - 1.5 hours ($25 discount/session)
This fun role does just what you imagine–lead a youth hike! This leader can make this purely fun or can incorporate an educational component. You won’t be alone–a second adult hike leader will be accompanying you. In case of heavy rain, the leader would be directed to lead an indoor activity (ex. AV Museum; indoor games; etc.)

Hike Assistant
Time Commitment - 1.5 hours ($10 discount/ session)
Lead a hike with the Hike Leader.

Campfire SupervisorTime Commitment - 1.5 hours ($10 discount/session)
This session leader ensures youth safety and order at the campfire, while helping provide marshmallows or S’mores to the children. 

Photographer  Time Commitment - throughout conference ($50 discount)
The photographer plays a very important part of capturing conference highlights for attendees to enjoy, while setting the tone for marketing materials for future conferences. Enjoy the conference while you snap photos! Owning a digital camera is preferred, but not necessary. The photographer should have some photography experience and the ability to share photographs with Saint Emmelia Ministries’ staff.

Food Assistant ($20 discount)
The food assistants help to set up and take down a continental breakfast on Friday and Saturday mornings.  While families will clean their own tables, the food assistants will help make sure that everything is tidy after the meal.  Food assistants will  also help distribute snacks to children in the afternoons.  No planning is involved.  Just be ready to show up and help out!  

Welcome Bag Assembly ($20 discount)
If you choose this job, you will receive shipments to your home of promotional materials/gifts from our vendors, bags, and conference booklets.  Fill each bag with a conference booklet, gifts, and promotional materials and bring them to the conference.  

Nametag Assembly ($20 discount)
You will receive a pdf file with all of the nametags for the conference.  Arrange to have them printed in color on cardstock.  Cut out the nametags and put them in plastic sleeves (we will send them to you).  Arrange the nametags by family to help check-in go smoothly. 

I’ll help as needed! ($10 discount)
We often have roles that remain unfilled.  We might ask you to be an aide in a classroom, assist on a hike, help at a campfire, or fill another role that takes a similar level of time and effort.

Schedule:

Youth Activities

Kids age 3-18 are invited to participate in our children’s and teen workshops (specific topics to be announced at the conference), as well as the following activities:

Talent Show: Share your music, comedy, skits, and dancing/athletic feats in acts 5 minutes or less! Start planning and practicing now!

Young Entrepreneur Vendor Hall: Bring your crafts—anything from whittling to lip balms to prayer ropes!—and sell them in our vendor hall.

Ask Abouna: All age levels will get to spend time asking a priest their questions about our Faith and the spiritual life.

Youth confession: Teens are welcome to go to confession Saturday night before Vespers.

Location:

This year, we will be gathering at Antiochian Village Camp (Bolivar, PA) and staying in the camp cabins. Each cabin has two sides with private bathrooms and a shared common room. Families will stay in one side of the cabin and share the common room with another family. If you would like to share with a particular family, or if you have more than 10 people in your family, please let us know at programs@saintemmelia.com.

If you have any questions about lodging, food, or other facilities, please email us, NOT AV Camp.

Workshops & Speakers

Keynote Speaker Fr. John Oliver has been the priest of St Elizabeth Orthodox Christian Church, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, since August of 2006. He is the author of numerous articles and essays, and of Touching Heaven:

Discovering Orthodox Christianity on the Island of Valaam, published by Ancient Faith Publishing, and of Giver of Life: The Holy Spirit in Orthodox Christian Tradition, published by Paraclete Press, and of the upcoming The Wilderness Few Dare to Tread: A Book About Men, by Ancient Faith Publishing. A summa cum laude graduate of St Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, he joined the faculty as instructor in Old and New Testament and American Religious History. Fr John and his wife Lara have three daughters and two sons.

Andrew Kern and his wife Karen have raised five children to adulthood and now have fourteen grandchildren. He is the founder of CiRCE, a research institute for classical educators at home and in schools. He has been researching, speaking, teaching, and consulting in the Christian classical renewal since 1993, during which he has taught in home school co-ops and classrooms, consulted with over 100 schools and co-ops, and helped Karen home school their children. Andrew speaks regularly at home school and classical conferences.

In addition, he is the co-author with Dr. Gene Edward Veith of Classical Education, The Movement Sweeping America, Unless the Lord Builds the House: Shared Foundations for Christian Education, and, with Andrea Lipinski, of The CiRCE Guide to Reading. He also led the development of CiRCE’s classical rhetoric program, The Lost Tools of Writing, and he loves Homer, Shakespeare, Anne of Green Gables, and Endeavour. Like Shakespeare, he knows a little Latin and less Greek. Except a lot less than Shakespeare.

Vendor Hall

A list of vendors and sponsors who will have tables in the vendor hall is coming soon, but in the meantime, check out our National Sponsors.