Orthodixie
Puente del Rio Ortodoxo – Orthodox Rio Bridges
Orthodox Christian Outreach Missions
Pharr – St. George’s Orthodox Church is located in Hidalgo County in South Texas, the second poorest county in the nation, right on the border with Mexico. The Church-sponsored “Orthodox Rio Bridges” or PRO-ORB Outreach ministries is offering several Volunteer Missionary Internship opportunities for young Orthodox Christians during this coming year. Do you have a responsible older teen, college-age or young adult in your family or parish willing to serve Christ and the Church as a short-term missionary internship in South Texas? If so, we could certainly use their help!
Requirements for Consideration:
* Must be an Orthodox Christian in good standing, highly motivated to serve and work for Christ within the Church, either finished with high school studies, or if still being homeschooled, one who can continue their studies here with little or no supervision.
* Must have or have applied for a Valid US Passport or Passport Card.
* Must Provide 3 Letters of Recommendation: 1 from Parents; 1 from Parish Priest; and from 1 Past Employer, Instructor or Volunteer Supervisor.
* A letter or essay from Volunteer Intern Candidate stating why they are interested in this experience, what they feel they can offer to these ministry/outreach projects, and their future life goals.
* Spanish Language Fluency or Familiarity is a huge plus, but is not absolutely mandatory. Willingness to work with Spanish-speaking people is required, however.
* Computer and web site skills helpful but not mandatory.
* If under 18 years of age, Parental Permissions and Signed Medical Release forms required.
* Must be flexible and willing to live in a family setting and help with a wide variety of ministry and community outreach projects both in the USA and in Mexico.
Tentative Time Frames & Major Events/Activities Within Each Season:*
Winter Internship: December 1, 2008 – End of January or Mid-February, 2009
* Assisting at St. George’s Food Pantry which serves low-income families in the neighborhood of the Church. Helping pick up food from the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley, sort and distribute food and other necessities bi-weekly.
* Preparing for and Assist with Staffing of St. George’s Annual International Festival held on St. Nicholas Day – Saturday, December 6th.
* Preparing for and helping Staff the December 27 – January 2nd International Orthodox Winter Service Retreat for Youth and Young Adults. This would include assisting with advance cooking and other preparations, helping staff the event, including St. George’s Food Pantry special distribution, Casa Amparo Orphanage for girls in Reynosa, Mexico and much more.
* Possibly accompanying Father Antonio and other family members on an annual Theophany Season trip to Mexico City – taking icons and other liturgical items and visiting churches, missions, the cathedral and a monastery in the Mexico City region.
* Assisting at annual local outreach and fundraising events in February, such as the “Affair of the Heart” and “Pioneer Ranching and Craft Day” at the local history museum (Depending on Departure Date)
Spring Internship: February 2009 – April 10, 2009 (Before Pascha)
* Assisting at St. George’s Food Pantry which serves low-income families in the neighborhood of the Church. Helping pick up food from the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley, sort and distribute food and other necessities bi-weekly.
* Assisting at annual local outreach and fundraising events in February, such as the “Affair of the Heart” and “Pioneer Ranching and Craft Day” at the local history museum (Depending on Arrival Date)
* Preparing part of Church grounds for a habitat preservation/green space project.
* Preparing for and helping Staff a “Green Break – Spring Break” Orthodox Environmental and Habitat Preservation event tentatively scheduled for the week of March 16 – 21, 2009.
Summer Internship: May 2009 – Mid-July 2009 (Some event dates unknown at present)
* Assisting at St. George’s Food Pantry which serves low-income families in the neighborhood of the Church. Helping pick up food from the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley, sort and distribute food and other necessities bi-weekly.
* Preparing for and helping Staff a week long “St. Peter the Aleut Orthodox Summer Camp” held in North Texas. Dates to be announced.
* Preparing for and helping Staff a week long missionary trip to Mexico City to help rebuild and renovate an Orthodox Mission Church located in a low-income neighborhood of the City. Dates to be announced.
*During Any of these Volunteer Internships, Other Duties May Include, Among Other Things:
Clerical, Publicity, Administrative and Office Organizational Assistance, Preparing Publications in Spanish, Assisting with Web Site Design and Updates. Assistance at Church-Sponsored Activities, Assisting Pastor with Church Maintenance and Grounds Keeping Activities. Possible visit/s to Orthodox Mission in Monterrey, Mexico. If an Altar Server, assisting Father; if a choir singer, helping sing at liturgical services and much more…
Volunteer Internship Terms and Conditions:
Please apply soon if you are interested. In some instances, beginning and ending dates of internships can be altered. Please inquire regarding possible changes. Because of housing and financial limitations, we can only accept 1 or at the most 2 Volunteer Missionary Interns of the same gender per each season. If a candidate would prefer to stay longer and participate in more than one internship season, we could further discuss that option. In exchange for their service, volunteers will receive free room and board in the home of Fr. Antonio Perdomo and his family. Interns would live with the family and would need to be comfortable participating, along with the family, in church and other activities. At this time, Volunteer interns would receive no salary, stipend, financial recompense, health insurance or other benefits.
If volunteer interns provide their own local transportation, they are welcome to take on part-time paid employment while here. We recommend no more than 15 hours per week, as long as this employment does not interfere with the purpose, responsibilities or time requirements of the internship. All volunteer hours worked will be recorded and credited. A certificate, noting hours of participation, plus a letter of recommendation, will be given upon the well-done completion of any internship term served.
Interns would be responsible for all personal expenses, including medical, while serving here. Interns would be required to cover their own transportation and travel costs to and from South Texas. Internships can be terminated at any time by the Perdomo family, St. George’s Church or PRO-ORB if the intern proves to be unsatisfactory for any reason, including poor performance of assigned duties or personal misconduct. We offer interns a valuable, multi-cultural, multi-lingual service experience within an Orthodox Missionary Parish and family setting. Let us know if you have questions or are interested in applying for any of these Volunteer Missionary Internship Terms. For further information, contact us! – Fr Antonio Perdomo [ padreantoniop at aol dot com ] or Matushka Elizabeth Perdomo [ mateliza at aol dot com ].
St George Orthodox Church
Rio Grande Valley of Tropical South Texas
St George Pantry
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