September 2007

 

SHARING THE FAITH

NEWS FROM THE

DEPARTMENT OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

From the Director's Desk

Beloved Brothers and Sisters,

Having just returned from our National Convention, I am once again inspired by the many, many dedicated priests, beloved hierarchs, and laypersons committed to Christ and to His Church, led by His Eminence, Metropolitan PHILIP. We are truly blessed.

Please rejoice with me that "To Tithe is to Share, To Tithe is to Care," is ready to use with the beginning of the school year. You can find the program, which contains posters, labels, and five leveled-booklets on the website as "Tithing 2007." To assist the priests with educating their congregations in regard to tithing, I have placed a series of bulletin inserts, articles, posters and bookmarks on the "Priests Resource Page" of our site.

As you can see there are many, many trainings scheduled. Please contact the office, or your Diocesan Christian Education Coordinator if you wish to schedule one. Finally, the Gospel pages were revamped in January, and this Fall we hope to make available a podcast each week, in two versions: a telling, and a reading; both will be done by a professional story teller.

Nothing we can do at the Department can take the place of your committed and inspired efforts as you interact with the students. May the Holy Spirit renew you for His work!

Carole A. 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/christianeducation

The Department gratefully acknowledges the on-going support of The Order of St. Ignatius which funds, in part, the programs and services we offer.

"Cognitive and Spiritual Development in Children" Presented in Portland

The topic for the Christian Education workshop on June 29, 2007 at the Parish Life Conference for Los Angeles and the West was Cognitive and Spiritual Development in Children. In her presentation, Kh. Kh. Linda Funk of Saskatoon, SK drew from the wisdom of St. Paul, St. Silouan and Sr. Magdalen. She concluded by having participants work in small groups, using the developmental charts of Dr. Constance Tarasar as found in the book Our Church and Our Children (SVS Press) by Sophie Koulomzin.

Mini Orthodox Institutes Scheduled in Three Cities

A mini-Institute offers Teacher Training I and II, one to three additional courses, and a keynote speaker. At this time the following are scheduled:

Friday-Saturday, October 19-20, 2007 

St. Elijah Church, Oklahoma City

In conjuction with the Fall Delegates Meeting

Additional coursework: Creative Festivals

Friday-Saturday, September 21-22, 2007  

St. Nicholas Church, San Francisco

Additional coursework: Divine Liturgy

Friday, Saturday, November 16-17, 2007

St. George Church, Vicksburg, MS

Additional coursework: Evangelism

To Tithe is to Share, to Tithe is to Care

. . . about your faith

by Carole A. Buleza

In late summer and early autumn we see the land resting after having yielded the grain and fruit of the season, if we live close enough to farmland. In our developed societies we are not as tied to the land as those in agrarian societies. We do not suffer for lack of food at the grocery store, and perhaps are not as apt to pray in thanksgiving to God for the bounty just harvested.

Our ancestors in the Bible knew that all they had came from God. What they had they held not as owners, but as stewards. Just as Adam was made steward, or caretaker, of creation, so they were merely stewards of their holdings. They also knew that God had decreed that a "tithe,", or 1/10, of all they harvested was to be returned to Him in thanksgiving, and as appropriate worship.

"All tithes of the land, whether in grain from the fields or in the fruit from the trees, belong to the Lord, as sacred to him . . . The tithes of the herd and the flock shall be determined by ceding to the Lord as sacred every tenth animal . . . (Leviticus 27:30, 32). What were God's people thankful for? Primarily, they were thankful that God had rescued them from slavery in Egypt and was leading them to the Promised Land--they owed God their life.

Here we are a few thousand years later. Has anything changed? We are now God's people. Jesus, our Lord, has rescued us from slavery to sin, and eternal death. He has opened to us the Gates of Heaven. We owe Him our life. But, do we tithe? Sadly, most of us would answer, "No." Why-did Jesus tell us not to?

The gospels contain one passage in which Jesus uses the word, "tithe." At the time, He was calling the Pharisees to task. They had focused on keeping the law to the smallest detail, but did not see the whole picture. They had satisfied the letter of the law, but had not cultivated a spirit dedicated to God-which is why the law exists in the first place.

"Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone" (Matthew 23:23). The passage tells us Jesus presumed that those listening to Him tithed. In this passage He told the Scribes and Pharisees to open eyes to justice, mercy, and faith, while continuing to tithe.

Thankfulness. What about today? What would Jesus say to us? I believe He would be interested in the "bottom line," but not the one on the financial report. Rather, where each of us stands in relation to Him. Are we thankful to Him? Are we dedicated to Him? Many, no doubt would answer "yes," but when asked, "Do you tithe?" would respond. "No." Why? Here are three likely responses: 1) "Jesus is not interested in money," 2) "Our parish doesn't have a mortgage," or 3) "There never seems to be money left at the end of the month." Let's look at each.

Dedication to God. The first reason, "Jesus is not interested in money," may be true. However, He is interested in our continuing the work of salvation through the Church He established, and that requires money. We are His hands in the world. Getting back to the bottom line, how does God know whether we are dedicated to Him, if not by sacrifices--and today what people seem to value most is their money. Undoubtedly, Jesus was seeing ahead 2000 years when he uttered the phrase, "Where your treasure is, there also is your heart."

Stewardship. Most parishioners want to pay off the mortgage. When a parish has a mortgage, the welcome mat is put out and parishioners are friendly--this is how each parish should be, all the time. Jesus came to offer salvation to every person; our churches should also. It is our mission; we say it in the Creed every Sunday-we believe in One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Apostolic has a double meaning. Indeed, we are the Church founded by the Apostles; however, the word itself means, "one who has a mission." Our mission is to continue the work of the apostles; to continue to offer salvation to all. It has been said that a church without a sense of mission, is dead. If the mortgage is paid off, the parish needs to pray about how to steward their income, for a new mission they should be financially assisting, or commit to sending money to the Orthodox organizations that help here and around the world.

Trust. Finally, "There never seems to be money left at the end of the month." True. With as much as we have, we always buy more. In the Old Testament, God directed His people to give from the first fruits of the land. Today that is called, "payroll deduction." To tithe from the first fruits, is to trust that God will still care for you at the end of the month. Whenever we trust God, we grow in faith. It is time for each of us to grow in faith. It is time to tithe, whether immediately, or in planned stages.

Tithing will foster stronger parishes which can then focus more on spiritual growth. Tithing will allow for the cross of Christ to be raised by mission parishes to meet the mandate of Christ, to "go forth and teach all nations." Tithing will help us increase our support of the poor, the hungry, and the youth. Tithing will help Jesus judge whether or not we are dedicated to Him.