ROCK — Raising Orthodox Christians for the Kingdom

What we do

Three ways we bring young people into the Church — and keep them there

We don't build a parallel youth structure. We find the resources and the people for youth work and put them at the service of local parishes.

Camp scholarships

Orthodox summer camp for children aged 8–18 whose families cannot cover the cost. Paid directly to the camp. Applications come through the parish priest.

Young adults 18–30

Regular gatherings, retreats, and trips for the age that most often drifts away after leaving home. Support for Orthodox student groups on campus.

Foundations of the Faith

A short course of 6–8 sessions for converts and those returning to the Church, held in the parish with the blessing of the rector.

How it works

Through the parish, never around it

Every scholarship and every program goes through the local priest. The result we track is simple: is the young person in church a year later?

1. Priest recommendsA family or a young adult talks to their parish priest, who sends a short recommendation.

2. ROCK reviewsA small committee reviews applications against written criteria. No favoritism, no exceptions.

3. We pay the institutionCamp fees, course costs, or trip fees are paid directly to the camp or program — never to the family.

4. We follow upSix and twelve months later we check in with the priest: participation in parish life is the only metric that matters.

Give

Send a child to camp this summer

Our first campaign: 10–20 camp scholarships for children of Dallas and Fort Worth, summer 2027. Monthly gifts matter most — they let us promise a place in January, not in June.

$25

per month · one week of camp a year

$50

per month · sponsor a camper

$100

per month · two campers

$650

one time · full camp session

Give monthly Give once

ROCK Foundation, Inc. is a Texas nonprofit corporation. Application for 501(c)(3) recognition pending; gifts are expected to be tax-deductible retroactively to the date of incorporation. No one receives a commission on donations. Annual report published every year.

About

Who we are

ROCK — Raising Orthodox Christians for the Kingdom — is an independent charitable foundation created in 2026 in Dallas, Texas, with the blessing of Bishop Gerasim. It works in cooperation with the canonical Orthodox parishes of Dallas and Fort Worth, and in time beyond.

Its single purpose is to bring children, teenagers, and young adults up to the age of thirty into the life of the Church and to keep them there.

Separate legal entity: own board, own account, own books
No funds from the Diocese; no obligation placed on any parish
Two signatures on every payment above a set threshold
Child-protection policy, background checks, two-adult rule

Board of directors

Bishop GerasimChairman of the Board & Spiritual Director
Emil FedorenkoExecutive Director
Elena VorobyevaDirector & Treasurer

Letter of blessing from the Diocese will be published here.

For parishes

Are you a priest in Dallas–Fort Worth?

We'd like to meet you. Tell us which of your young people need a camp scholarship this summer, or where a young-adult group or a faith course would help.