THE 40th ANNUAL DATEV SUMMER PROGRAM BEGINS ON SUNDAY

Datevatsies at the Eastern Prelacy gearing up for the weeklong St. Gregory of Datev Institute Summer Program. Pictured from left to right are Baby Nazeli Kouyoumdjian (future Datevatsi), Anna Tekeyan, and Taleen Lakissian.

Thirty-five students, along with 17 lay and clergy instructors and staff members, will gather at Shiloh Bible Camp and Retreat Center in Hewitt, New Jersey, on Sunday, June 28, for the Prelacy’s 40th annual weeklong St. Gregory of Datev Institute Summer Program for youth ages 13–18. The program is directed by the Very Rev. Fr. Boghos Tinkjian, pastor of St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in Philadelphia, and is sponsored and organized by the Prelacy’s Department of Christian Education.

The Summer Program offers a unique faith-based experience for our youth in a wholesome and nurturing environment, with three primary objectives: Christian education and formation, prayer and worship, and fellowship and recreational activities. The comprehensive Christian educational program spans four years, with one week of classes each summer. The weeklong program includes fifteen 50-minute classes for each level—plus evening panel discussions and Bible studies. Additionally, students will participate in daily morning and evening church services and engage in sports and recreation in the afternoons.   

The thirty-five participants come from the following communities:
Sourp Kevork Armenian Church (Canada) — 8
St. Illuminator’s Cathedral (NYC) — 7
Sts. Vartanantz Church (Ridgefield, NJ) — 6
St. Gregory the Illuminator Church (Philadelphia, PA) — 5 
St. Stephen’s Church (Watertown, MA) — 4
St. Gregory’s Church (N. Andover, MA) — 2
Holy Cross Church (Troy, NY) — 1
St. Sarkis Church (Dearborn, MI) — 1
Sourp Asdvadzadzin Armenian Church (Canada) — 1