|
|
||||||||||
|
ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN EDUCATION Starting on September 9, 2007, we began a new program of Christian education in the parish—one that effects many things in our Sunday mornings. We have clearly grown (and continue) and the need for Christian education has only mushroomed with our growth. We cannot now minister to the needs of our children without making as strong an effort as possible. We spent the Spring of 2007 looking at about every available Orthodox curricula material. Cheryl Carden has been invaluable as a Coordinator for Sunday School. We have had several meetings with teachers and others interested in the program. I have had numerous conversations with other priests discussing how their successful programs are organized. We have been recruiting teachers and others to make our Sunday School work. We had a very thorough training day on Saturday, August 11—all to make a best effort for children’s religious education. Sunday School is always difficult to schedule for Orthodox Churches. The centrality and importance of the Divine Liturgy cannot be set aside in order to make room for something else. Education either happens before or after. Decisions have to be made. Teachers and children are blessed and dismissed from the Liturgy just after the singing of, “Blessed be the Name of the Lord.” Youth and their teachers then have a small children’s refreshment that they can take to their classrooms and begin their classes. Announcements, Many Years, and blessings, are during the common meal. Following the Post-communion prayers and veneration of the Cross, adults will be encouraged to join in the common meal. Classes will join us in that meal when class is dismissed. Father Stephen's Adult Bible Study meets prior to Divine Liturgy, as always, but starts at 8:30 now, rather than 9:00 am. ___________________________________________________________ An Orthodox Study group is offered every Wednesday evening after Vespers and is led by our priest. Catechumens and those new to Orthodox Christianity are encouraged to attend, but all are welcome.
RECENT SERMONS
St. Anne began a monthly education event in September, 2003, called "Third Saturday." It meets at the Church and offers an extended education for all ages, the third Saturday of each month, from 4 to 5:30 pm, followed by dinner and Great Vespers. These sessions are open to all and led by our priest. The hallmark of this event is the equipping of members of the Church for the ongoing education of themselves and their families. At each session materials are distributed to the adult class, providing study guides for use by individuals, couples and families for Orthodox Christian education in the home. St. John Chrysostom taught that the home is a "little Church." It is certainly that, and, as such, one of the primary locations for the teaching of the faith. Each series in the Third Saturday event offers a look at Scripture, the teaching of the Fathers, and Orthodox Tradition and customs in the home and Church on a given topic or related subjects. Fr Stephen's handouts from the May 20, 2006 session, "The
Suffering Church" are published here as PDFs file and in MS Word for downloading and use
by others. Handouts from past sessions are
filed at past3sat.htm. If you do not yet have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your
computer, click on the yellow button and follow the instructions to
download and install it.
Printer definition files [PDFs] will print out with exactly the same look and pagination as the original, paper forms. We welcome feedback and questions, 865-482-0088.
ORTHODOX STUDY GROUP
SUNDAY SCHOOL
ORTHODOX LINKS
ORTHODOX ARTICLES
BOOKSTORE
PARISH LIBRARY |
