St. George’s, Portland Training
Submitted by Alexandra Obeid
On November 21, 2006, the church school staff of St. George’s Orthodox Church in Portland, Oregon gathered with the neighboring Antiochian, OCA, and Greek Orthodox church school faculties to participate in a workshop led by Kh. Linda Funk, of the Antiochian Department of Christian Education.
The workshop, “Educating Ourselves and our Children in Godliness,” was very effective, informative and spiritual. The participants felt ready at the end of the day to meet the challenge that lay ahead of them in their classrooms. Kh. Linda is a gift to the Department. Her love for Christ and His Church is obvious and her teaching method is very practical and convincing. We hope we will have her visit our parish again in the near future. Fr. Alban West is the pastor; Alexandra Obeid is the Church School Director.
From the Director’s Desk
Beloved Brothers and Sisters,
As the church school year winds down, a certain question is typically asked by every teacher, “Just what did the students learn this year?” The question arises as our church school attendance is often inconsistent due to distance, athletics, and other activities. Having both taught, and been a church school director for years, when I came into my current position, I vowed to make “firm knowledge of the faith,” one of my priorities for the students, along with nurturing their spiritual maturity.
Use OCEC Materials (Available through the Chancery). The Way, The Truth, and The Life, a high school or 8th grade book that offers the basics of our faith, was the fi rst response. A second step towards the goal is “Knowing Your Faith.” This web-based program is detailed on the following pages. The fi nal step will be the revision of all the OCEC texts. For those who have not been using OCEC texts, it is time to begin to use them, complemented by the materials in “Knowing Your Faith.” Use of the OCEC material will now systematically build a body of knowledge for our students to acquire.
Teacher Training. With the standards raised for our students, we need to provide adequate training for our teachers. Along with the OCEC Department of Teacher Training, we have been offering workshops I and II of “Educating Ourselves and Our Children in Godliness.” If you would like to host a teacher training, please contact your Diocesan Representative (listed on page four of this newsletter).
Orthodox Unity. The departmental staff held our annual midwinter meeting in early February. At this meeting we plan the next Orthodox Institute at the Village. The theme for 2007 is “Orthodox Unity.” This is a cause that Metropolitan PHILIP has championed. Our Department has also worked consistently toward this end by having presenters from various jurisdictions at our Institutes. Please make arrangements now to be at the Village November 1-4! We are also planning the second Orthodox Institute Northern California in San Francisco in September. Information on both events is on page four of the newsletter.
Creative Festivals. Seven years ago it was brought to my attention that participation in the Creative Festivals was a challenge for most of our teachers. After extensive study and much discussion with the Fellowship of St. John the Divine, our department will assume leadership for the Creative Festivals in August 2007. Kh. Leslee Abud is the Chair for this project. Details will be forthcoming; however, changes will be minimal the first few years.
Thank you for another year of dedication,
Carole Buleza
The Department of Christian Education newsletter is published in the months of September, December, February, and April.
The office is staffed from 9:00-3:00 Monday through Wednesday.
Phone (717) 747-5221. FAX (717) 747-5832. E-mail: DCE@antiochian.org.
Web page: www.antiochian.org/christ...
The Department gratefully acknowledges the on-going support of The Order of St. Ignatius which helps fund, in part, the programs we offer.
“Knowing Your Faith”
Teachers + Parents (Working Together) = Children Knowing the Faith
In most parishes, children do not come regularly to Church School, and teachers can become discouraged. If you have wondered, “Just what did I teach the students this year,” this program, based on the OCEC publication, The Way, The Truth, and The Life, will help you answer that question.
The educational standards found in The Way, The Truth, and The Life, have been cross-referenced with the lessons of the current OCEC texts for grades K-5. Repetition is key to the success of the program. The students should see the questions and answers posted, and go over the ones they have learned for a few minutes every Sunday. In this way, even the child who comes half of the time has a good chance of knowing the year’s standards.
The other key component is the home. The prayers can be placed in the child’s icon corner and practiced each night. A parent can choose the first Sunday of each month to review standards with the children. As with public school, when parents work with teachers, children achieve more. The letter at the right provides an explanation of the program. Some of the program visual aids are shown as well. The program is offered free via the website at www.antiochian.org/christ..., click “Knowing Your Faith.”
The teacher materials include an 11 x 17” scroll, a simple game, and the standards printed individually.Those who have classrooms can put the individual standards on bulletin boards, or walls. Those who don’t have classrooms can mount the scroll on a piece of foamboard and prop it on a chair. Only the OCEC materials, combined with “Knowing Your Faith,” provide our students with a knowledge base culminating in The Way, The Truth, and The Life. As one of the disappointments with the OCEC material is its lack of color and engaging graphics, please note that for the lessons referred to in “Knowing Your Faith,” we will be providing, during the coming year, replacement lessons that are beautifully rendered, and which seamlessly present the educational standard specifi ed for the lesson.
Resource Review
International Orthodox Christian Charities’ My Prayer Journal
My Prayer Journal is a good start to helping our children learn about what the IOCC is doing, both in our country and abroad. It helps the children learn about other places, recognize the needs there, and formulate prayers to ask God to meet those needs.
Each month, the journal presents one area of need and the IOCC’s response to that need. Each spread features a map of the world, showing where the needy area is, and outlining the shape of the country in need. The spread includes several pictures from that country, a fast fact about the country, a related quote from the church fathers, a selection of a prayer from the Divine Liturgy, and a verse from the Scriptures. There is also room for the children to write what they’re praying for and what they’re thanking God for.
When I first used the book with my children, I had to talk them through what they could pray about. As they have continued to work in the book, however, I am amazed to see them begin writing almost as soon as we have finished reading the information. They find ideas or inferences in the information that leads them to praying for the needy people, and they always have something to thank God for, as well.
After we read and the children write their prayers, we stand before the icon of Christ blessing the children that we have on the wall in our schoolroom, and pray. The children have prayed their written prayers as well as other unwritten ones, for the people they’ve just learned about. It has been a beautiful way for us to work on helping the children pray in their own words for the needs of others.
NOTE: This is an excerpt from a longer review. The full review, including a page from the booklet, is posted on the website, under Resource Reviews. The booklets are available in August of each year. To order individual copies, go online at www.iocc.org/journal. For parish orders, contact the Department of Religious Education of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese toll-free at 1-800-566-1088. The prayer journal is free, but shipping charges may apply.
