SOUTH 2024
January 25th-28th
with +Bp THOMAS’s blessing
Holy Cross Coptic Church
Austin, TX
Praise God - this year’s conference was a success! Photos and recordings will be posted soon.
If you are interested in helping with the 2025 conference, please email us at office@saintemmelia.com
Read the FAQ
Location & Accommodations
Out of town families are responsible for booking their own accommodations; we do, however, have rooms blocked off at a hotel. Make sure to mention “Saint Emmelia Homeschool Conference” when booking to receive a discount:
Holiday Inn Express
Cedar Park
$109/night
You might also be interested in the following RV parks/campgrounds: Austin RV Park, Redbud RV Resort (+Cabins), Crazy Horse RV Park, Leander Campgrounds, Tent Camping
Families will be responsible for their own breakfast Saturday morning, though snacks will be provided.
*Please note that we are doing our best to accommodate gluten and nut allergies in the meals and snacks, but CANNOT guarantee no cross-contamination. There are no food storage or preparation facilities available.
Sunday, January 28th Parishes
Wherever you attend Liturgy, we hope you will join the Conference Planning Team at St. Elias North at 11:30ish for ice cream!
St. Elias North Campus (Antiochian)
Orthros - 8:30; Divine Liturgy - 9:30
15519 Farm to Market Rd 1325
St. John the Forerunner (Antiochian)
Orthros - 8:00; Divine Liturgy - 10:00
800 West Park Street
Holy Mother of God (ROCOR)
Divine Liturgy - 9:30
2806 Mesquite Ln
Transfiguration (GOA)
Orthros - 8:00; Divine Liturgy - 9:30
414 St Stephens School Rd S
St. Elias Downtown (Antiochian)
Orthros - 8:30; Divine Liturgy - 9:30
408 E 11th St
Speakers & Talks
Keynote Speaker: Fr. John Oliver (Saint Emmelia Ministries Spiritual Advisor)
Fr John Oliver is the priest of St Elizabeth Orthodox Christian Church, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He is the author of numerous articles and essays, and of Touching Heaven: Discovering Orthodox Christianity on the Island of Valaam, published by Conciliar Press, and of Giver of Life: The Holy Spirit in the Orthodox Christian Tradition, published by Paraclete Press. He is currently writing Gender Euphoria: Sex, Society, and Sacred Design as an Orthodox response to the sex and gender crisis of our age. 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. He and his wife Lara have three daughters, two sons, and one son-in-law.
Plenary Speaker: Dr. John Mark Reynolds
Dr. John Mark Reynolds is the President of The Saint Constantine School and a member of the Board of Directors of Orthodox Christian School Association (OCSA). He is also a faculty member at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, a Fellow of the Center For Science and Culture at The Discovery Institute, and the former provost of Houston Christian University. He was the founder and director of the Torrey Honors College, the Socratic, great books-centered honors program at Biola University. He received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Rochester, where he wrote his dissertation analyzing cosmology and psychology in Plato’s Timaeus. Dr. Reynolds is the author of numerous books, including When Athens Met Jerusalem: an Introduction to Classical and Christian Thought and is the editor of The Great Books Reader. He is a frequent blogger and lecturer on a wide range of topics including ancient philosophy, classical and home education, politics, faith, and virtue.
John Mark attends St. George Orthodox Church in Houston, Texas. An avid technophile, the lights, thermostat, speakers, and computers in his house can all be controlled by his phone and voice control, to both cool and disastrous effect. He loves Disneyland, Star Trek, and the Green Bay Packers. John Mark and his wife Hope have four adult children: L.D., Mary Kate, Ian, and Jane.
Plenary Speaker: Heidi White
Heidi White, M.A., is a teacher, editor, podcaster, and author. She teaches Humanities at St. Hild School in Colorado Springs. She is the author of the forthcoming The Divided Soul: Reuniting Duty and Desire in Literature and Life. She is a contributing author, speaker, consultant, and Atrium instructor at the Circe Institute and a weekly contributor on fiction, poetry, and Shakespeare on the Close Reads Podcast Network. She serves on the Board of Directors of The Anselm Society as well the Academic Advisory Board for the Classical Learning Test. She writes fiction, poetry, and essays, and she speaks about literature, education, and the Christian imagination. She and her family are parishioners at Holy Theophany Orthodox Church in Colorado Springs.
Workshop Leader: Nicholas Papas
Liturgical artist Nicholas Papas has been producing icons as a vocational ministry for more than 42 years. Avocationally, he creates murals, mosaics, graphic designs, ceramics, metalwork, woodwork, drawings, prints and more.
While pursuing his B.A. in Painting (1981) at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Nicholas simultaneously studied iconography with the late Reverend John Osacky (+ Archbishop Job, O.C.A.). Post-Graduation he advanced his iconographic skills under the tutelage of Nicholas Basil Lepoura of blessed memory in Athens, Greece. Nick’s published essays offer his thoughts on Christ, icons, life, love, family and more. Some can be found in The Antiochian Archdiocese’s publication, “The Word Magazine.” His work can be seen here: facebook.com/Nick.Papas.Studio
Workshop Leader: Fr. Nikolai Meyers (Saint Emmelia Ministries Spiritual Advisor)
Father Nikolai Meyers is a native of Southern California. He holds a bachelor of arts in Bible and cross-cultural ministry from Manhattan Christian College, Manhattan, Kansas. He earned his master of divinity from St. Tikhon Orthodox Theological Seminary, in South Cannon, Pennsylvania. He was ordained Deacon in September of 2007, and to the holy Priesthood in July of 2008. He served 6 years as assistant pastor of St. John Orthodox Church in Memphis, Tennessee, and concurrently was the priest in charge of the St. Paul Orthodox Mission in Tupelo, Mississippi. From October of 2014 to July of 2019 he was the pastor of St. George Orthodox Church in New Hartford, New York, where he was also the spiritual adviser for Teen SOYO in the Antiochian Orthodox Diocese of Ottawa, Eastern Canada, and Upstate New York. He now serves as the pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Topeka, Kansas. He has taught Catechism to 5th-12th graders for St. Raphael School for 7 years. He is married and has 7 children.