Resources for Every Church School

1. Teaching Pics

The forty 8 x 10 color pictures are set out in four groups, Divine Liturgy, Sacraments, Great Lent and Pascha, and Feast Days.  They assist in the teaching of lessons on the topics, as the back of each picture offers an explanation of what is shown. AO, OCEC

2 The Word

Bishop St. Raphael founded this periodical which is the official publication of the Antiochian Archdiocese. The Department of Christian Education has a newsletter that appears four times a year in the magazine. AO

3 Christ is Born “Magazine”

Formatted as a magazine, and designed with contemporary graphics, this education piece for middle and high school students is engaging and well done. It comes with a teacher manual. A second publication deals with Holy Week and Pascha. GOA

4 Revelation in Color Icon Packet.

The resources offer 40 icons from the Gospel stories on 8 x 10 glossy paper. An earlier item in the series is also available, “Come Bless the Lord,” which contains feastday and saint icons. Explanations are on the back of each page. AO, GOA

5 Antiochian Gospel Program

Each Sunday’s gospel, followed by discussion questions, is presented at five grade levels. The Gospel program is used by hundreds of parishes, and is also presented as a podcast, “Let us Attend!” of Ancient Faith Radio. AO, antiochian.org\christian education scroll to Highlights and click on Antiochian Gospel Program

6 The Way, The Truth, and The Life. The basics of Orthodox Christianity are presented in this full-color book of 28 lessons recommended for grades 8 or 9. Also included are four resource sections, “Briefs,” Feast Days and Icons, Saints, and a Glossary. There is a substantial teacher manual. AO, OCEC, GOA

7 Praxis

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Department of Religious Education produces this magazine for catechists. Issues are topical and contain inspirational and practical articles, with some devoted specifically to the sharing of ideas. It is the only professional magazine for catechists, and is very well done. GOA

8 The Children’s Bible Reader

The Bible contains a substantial amount of stories from the Old and New Testaments, and illustrated in iconographic style. It is written at the upper elementary level, but is easily understood by those younger when read aloud. It is the answer to the many questions of “which Bible should I use?” Thankfully, it is very well done. GOA

9 Storybooks

There are many beautifully illustrated storybooks in print. Request catalogs from Conciliar Press, St. Vladimir’s Press, and Hellenic Press. The picture books are not necessarily written for preschoolers, so note the description of the particular books you are interested in. CP, SVS, LL, GOA

10 Enter In: Exploring the Feasts of the Church

The program is contained on 4 disks with segments 12-18 minutes long, in total, 16 segments totaling four hours. The first segment of each disk presents our worship. Segments on three feast days follow the worship presentation. The segments include quotes from the Fathers and Scripture, brief commentary by well-known theologians, and discussion questions. Each disk includes a bibliography. It is excellent in script, presentation, and music. I cannot imagine a more superb inspirational and educational resource.  GO

11 Children’s Orthodox Christian School Bulletin

Published by a large Orthodox school in Florida, the bulletin for upper elementary students contains articles and page of fun and games. It consists of two pages, folded as shown. It is free to download, and used by hundreds of parishes.www.stnicholasorthodoxschool.

12 The Divine Liturgy Book, and Activity Book

The Divine Liturgy book presents the words of the service, and simple drawings. It educates the child by way of sidebar hints, for example, what to look for, listen for, etc., The Divine Liturgy Activity Book is a set of activities, some for older, some for younger, that help children have fun while learning about the Divine Liturgy. AO, OCEC