The Acer-mjo summer camp
is a highlight of the movement's activities. Every year in July since 1927
nearly 150 young orthodox Christians and 30
leaders, coming from all France and even some from abroad, have gathered at
La Servagere to experience community life aimed at a deepening of their Orthodox
faith. Although the camp has its roots in the Russian tradition, it is open
to all French speaking orthodox above 7 years old from all origins. Since
the early 90s it has welcomed many orthodox of French origin but also Romanians,
Canadians and Serbians. This corresponds perfectly to the movement's willingness
to be open to the whole Orthodox world while participating in the building
of the local orthodox church. The various orthodox national traditions and
their rich heritage are thus shared by everybody during the camp.French is
the common language for the services and the activities.
2. The staff and spiritual life
3. Practical details
4. Registration
1. A comprehensive and varied programme
CEvery year, the summer
camp programme is established several months in
advance in Paris during the leaders club meetings. A good preparation helps
to
create a balance
between individual and collective activities, as well as
between pedagogical, spiritual, cultural or sport activities. It is also an
opportunity to complete the leaders' training.
Weekly activities
in the camp are church centred and are conceived as a walk
towards the Sunday feast that is the Divine Liturgy. Every week comprises
normal
days and two excursion days. It ends with a big feast on Sunday preceded by
its liturgical preparation.
A typical day at the camp:
The programme
usually starts at eight o'clock. After morning prayers and breakfast
the children tidy up their tents, after which they take part, in their groups,
in
a general clean of the camp. At ten o'clock the group activities begin. The
programme established in Paris consists of a varied mix of cultural
and spiritual activities. Catechism, singing (religious and folkloric),
history, literature, cinema, and very importantly, sports activities. The
afternoon begins with a nap, after which each group organises its
own activities: walks, sport, preparation of a camp fire or another event.
After dinner,
served at seven o'clock, all the children gather for collective games.
After prayers at nine the youngest go to bed while the 'elders' gather in
their
club, finish a discussion begun earlier, play cards or table tennis. Additional
to these group activities, a fair amount of common activities give the
opportunity to all participants to meet each other, including Big games, Olympic
games, camp fire, masquerade and poetry evenings.
Excursions:
Two days per
week are devoted to excursions in the beautiful countryside
around the camp, namely the Vercors and other Alps mountains. Everybody,
depending on the weather, leaves with his group to visit the parc des ecrins,
the Belledonne or the Malleval farm.
The week-end feast
On Saturday the
children prepare for the liturgy, baking prosphoras,
decorating the church, rehearsing, and devoting time to confession. In the
evening all the camp attend the vigil in the chapel. On Sunday the liturgy
begins at 8am and is an opportunity for everybody to have Communion. After
breakfast all the camp gathers for common activities: dances, football
games, and big games in the afternoon. A camp fire or another special
evening then follows.
2.
The staff and spiritual life
The staff is composed of group leaders (most of them with a state diploma), camp leaders, a director (with a special state diploma) and his assistant, and all the pedagogical and technical staff required to run the camp.
Children from 7 to 17 are organised into five groups for the girls and five for the boys. There is one group leader for 8 children. Often leaders have attended the camp as children and are familiar with its pedagogical and cultural aims. Around twenty adult volunteers are in charge of the technical aspects of the camp, including a doctor.
The
essential vocation of Acer-Mjo is to lead all the participants to deepen and
sometimes discover their orthodox faith. Hence, all the camp life is
structured around the Church. The daily prayers are presided over by the priest,
who, living with the children, shares all their daily experiences. All the
children take part in the services celebrated in the heart of the camp, in
our chapel decorated with frescos. For some of them it is the only
possibility during the year to do so. Catechetical lessons allow them to learn
more about Christ's life and his Gospel. For the older children this catechesis
becomes a little conference organised every year with people invited to speak
on a specific theme.
Camp address:
Camp
de l'ACER-MJO
La Servagère par Malleval
F 38470 VINAY
FRANCE
How do I get to la Servagère ?
-Leave
Grenoble in the direction of Valence, taking the RN 532 or the motorway Valence/Grenoble
(exit in Vinay then towards RN 532/ Cognins
les Gorges).
-Follow the RN 532. After the village of Izeron, take the first on your left
towards St Pierre de Chérennes.
-In the village of St Pierre de Chérennes, turn left in the direction
of l'auberge du Faz, then follow the D 31 towards Presles.
-Enter the Parc Naturel Régional du Vercors.
-Approaching a fork, take the road on the left, and follow the arrows 'zone
nordique des Coulmes'. Pass in front of l'auberge du Faz and follow
straight on towards the zone nordique des Coulmes. Turn left towards Malleval.
-Before Malleval Take the first on your right towards the ACER-MJO camp, 4
kms (2.5 miles) further.
Applicants must register at our secretariat in Paris. To receive an application form (in French) call +33 1 42 50 53 66 (Monday to Friday from 3pm to 7pm) or download it from the French version of this website. Full details on how and when to register can be found on the French version of the website.