But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28: 16 – 20)

This is the Great Commission given to the disciples by Jesus.

Our Mission is to “make disciples “. Following this great commission can take many paths. At Christ the Saviour Antiochian Orthodox Church we have started it by building a shower at St. Mary of Egypt Refuge.

People from our church and the larger church family worked together to build the shower for the summer camp. The work involved sharing of food and car rides, coordinating the work. Each person shared their time and talents, just as St. Francis said “Preach the gospel at all times and, if necessary, use words.“  The youth at the camp built the base that the shower sits on, Luc gathered the parts together, our group assembled the shower, and Tiberiu fixed the plumbing for it – it was indeed a shared project.  It gave us a sense of community at the Refuge.

The Refuge interested us because of the beautiful natural setting where people come together for respite and support. The area is beautiful and secluded. There is a river running through the property and a bridge is built near the house to get to the other side of the property. We enjoyed sharing the work, ideas, and meals for this project which brought together different groups other than our own church.

But the main reason why we went to build the shower is so that the Refuge can continue to help people.

God willing, future mission projects for us at Christ the Saviour Church are to go back to St. Mary of Egypt Refuge in the fall and spring, helping with harvesting the community garden in the fall and building a bunkhouse for the summer camp. In the next couple of years, we plan a trip through one of the Orthodox Mission groups, possibly with Project Mexico. A longer term goal would be to start a camp retreat closer to Waterloo.

Summer Camp Showers at St. Mary of Egypt Refuge

Madoc, ON