Greetings in Christ!

We are a group of young adult Orthodox Christians (generally 18-35+) who meet throughout the year for prayer, fellowship and other fun events in order to better know our faith, share adventures and spend time in friendly company. We organise several events throughout the year around the UK. You can always find the latest information about our activities on Facebook and follow us there or on Instagram to stay up to date. If you think we should be on any other platforms, please let us know!

Upcoming Events

Please click here to sign up for this year's Youth Festival! The deadline for submitting applications is Monday 21st April.

Every year, we organize a festival to bring together people from all over the world to explore the Orthodox faith in a fun and relaxing environment. Booking is open!

The theme of this year's Festival is "Synaxis: The Gathering of the Church." You can look forward to engaging lectures, discussions, prayer and services, fellowship, and incredible memories with friends new and old!

We are excited to say that our main speaker this year will be Fr John Behr. He will be joined by Efstathia Dimoutsou, who has worked for the Orthodox mission in Madagascar, and we will also have a workshop run by Dr Christina Nellist (founder of Pan-Orthodox Concern for Animals). We are also pleased to announce that Fr Gregory Wellington will be joining us again, to serve as the Festival chaplain.

This festival will take place at The Othona Community, East End Road, Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex, CM0 7PN from 12:00pm on Friday 2nd May till around 6:00pm on Monday 5th May 2025.

Prices for the full weekend (includes full board and accommodation) are as follows:
£250 for a single bed in a shared room
£210 for camping
£200 concession rate (student/unemployed)
£65 for day visitors

If you're interested, apply by using the link provided below to complete the form to book your place:
https://link.ofsjb.org/OYF25-signup

What we do

If you are interested in listening to some of the talks from past events, you can find them on our YouTube channel. Please consider subscribing! Events are organised by the OFSJB Youth Committee, who are part of the Orthodox Fellowship of St John the Baptist and you can find more about us here.

If you would like to support our work, please consider becoming a member of the fellowship, giving a small donation or contact us if you would like to help out with and organise events in your area, perhaps! We are happy to work with and support all Orthodox youth in the UK across archdioceses and traditions and bring them together.

Youth Festival

The main event of the year, which usually takes place on one of the May Bank Holiday weekends out in the countryside. The Festival is 3-4 days full of interesting talks by a variety of speakers (bishops, priests, monks, nuns and accasionally academics and laity as well) based around a common theme. Some of the other activities you can expect include walks, bonfire nights, sports, games and more (and you are free to skip the ones not appealing to you)! There is also plenty of "unorganised" time for personal conversations both with the speakers and with other attendees.

Snowdonia Weekend

Following quick on the heels of summer's end, we go for a hike in the beautiful peaks of Snowdonia and stay overnight in a cozy little cottage. It is a great opprotunity to get some exercise and breathe in some fine clean moutain air. Spaces are limited for this event because of the sleeping arrangements, so watch for the announcement if you are keen to go.

Octofest

Originally conceived as the annual catch-up meeting after that year's festival, Octofest has since evolved into a proper event of its own. Everyone is welcome, whether they attended the festival or not. Often, around half of the people who come hadn't attented the festival, so no need to fear you'll be a lone outsider! We want everyone to feel at home with us. Commonly we start with a celebration of the Divine Liturgy or another Church service, followed by a talk by the local priest and some food, music and games.

Christmas Fellowship

To stave off the winter blues, we head out together and visit the Christmas markets in London to enjoy some ice-skating and a warm hearty meal (also possibly some mulled wine). Join us to fill the cold days with the warmth of friendship, joy and have fun with fellow Orthodox youth.

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