08/20/2026
49th Annual Children’s Camp at St. Elijah Serbian Orthodox Church
From Wednesday, August 12 through Friday, August 14, St. Elijah Serbian Orthodox Church in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, joyfully held its 46th Annual Children’s Camp. With wonderful attendance and three days filled with prayer, education, Serbian tradition, fellowship, and recreation, this year’s camp continued a tradition that has blessed generations of children in our parish community.
The theme of this year’s camp was the liturgical proclamation:
“The Doors! The Doors! In Wisdom, Let Us Attend!”
Each morning began with prayer in our church with Father George Popovich, reminding our campers that everything we do as Orthodox Christians begins and ends with God. Morning prayers were followed by lessons designed to help the children understand their Orthodox faith and, particularly, the beautiful liturgical meaning of this year’s theme.
Kristen Milanovich presented a lesson about the iconostasis, explaining its structure, the placement and meaning of the holy icons, the Royal Doors, and the important place of the iconostasis in the Orthodox church.
Susan Hayden spoke with the children about good and evil, helping them understand the importance of recognizing what is good and choosing to live according to Christ’s commandments.
Father George Popovich continued the theme by speaking about the history and theological meaning of the iconostasis and explaining the deeper meaning of the words, “The Doors! The Doors! In Wisdom, Let Us Attend!” The children learned that ultimately Christ Himself is the Door through whom we enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. The Royal Doors of the iconostasis point us toward this heavenly reality. At this important moment of the Divine Liturgy, as we approach the Eucharistic Canon, the Church calls everyone to become especially attentive—to leave distractions behind and focus our hearts and minds upon the sacred mystery taking place before us.
The children were able to turn what they learned into something they could take home and remember. In keeping with the theme, each camper created a small wooden door, staining and decorating it with an icon and a cross. More than simply a craft, these little doors became a beautiful reminder of the camp’s message and something the children can cherish for years to come.
Of course, camp was also a time for friendship, Serbian culture, and fun. The children enjoyed Serbian singing and dancing with Vida Radovic, shared meals together each day, and participated in special afternoon activities. Wednesday included a trip to Fun-Fore-All, Thursday brought an afternoon at the Chapel Pool, and Friday was filled with Survivor and Amazing Race games. Each day then came full circle by concluding with evening prayer.
The entire camp was beautifully organized and coordinated by Georgette Brnilovich Osman, whose dedication, preparation, and care helped make these three days such a success. We are also sincerely grateful to everyone who volunteered, taught lessons, prepared and provided food, organized activities, transported and supervised our children, and gave their time and talents to make this camp possible.
Most importantly, we are thankful for our children. Seeing them pray together, learn about their faith, sing and dance, create something with their own hands, play, laugh, and build friendships was a great blessing for our parish.
We pray that the experiences and lessons of these three days will remain with them long after camp has ended. May the little doors they created remind them throughout their lives that Christ is the Door, always calling us toward Himself and opening before us the way to His Kingdom.
Thank you to everyone who was involved in this beautiful project and who continues to give their time, love, and dedication to our children.
May God bless our children and our entire St. Elijah parish family, and may this beautiful tradition continue for many years to come!
