Programs

A Lamp to My Feet

With this zine, students develop the attitudes and confidence needed to light their path with the lamp of Scripture. They can then access God’s message to the world by asking how each reading relates to them: “What does this text say about Christ, and how does it apply to my life?”

The zine explores general motivations for and goals of Bible study. It then suggests study habits and methods, and explains various formats and translations of the Bible. The zine introduces the Old and New Testaments, the kinds of books they contain, and how the books came to be there.

The Teacher Guide provides interactive lessons and further practice using the tools needed to tangle with difficult passages—study notes, cross-references, and a concordance. (Age 12+)

A Lamp to My Feet Student Zine (M13)

22 pgs Qty 1-74 $3.95 each / 75+ $2.95 each

A Lamp to My Feet Teacher Guide (M13)

1 unit with 5 lesson plans $9.95 each

During the Nativity Fast, your family can put up a Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree represents the family tree, or genealogy of Jesus Christ beginning with creation and continuing through the Old Testament, to the coming of the Messiah. The tree is named after Jesse, the father of King David. A drawing of a tree or a tabletop tree can be used for this activity. Each day throughout the Nativity Fast, add a new ornament to the tree. The ornament represents a person or a religious symbol and is accompanied by a reading from scripture. Ideally, these ornaments are handmade from various materials: paper, felt, crafts sticks, etc. prior to the Nativity Fast or can be purchased from multiple websites. Gather your children together each day to hang a new ornament and to reflect on the reading.

Advent Reading for the Jesse Tree

This icon is by the hand of Nicholas Papas. It is located at St. Philip Antiochian Orthodox Church, Souderton, PA.
www.comeandseeicons.com/bvm/phn97.htm

This icon depicts the many prophecies of the Virgin birth of Christ. There are twelve Old Testament prophets, shown holding things that reveal their identity and the prophecy they foretold of the Theotokos and the virgin birth of Christ.

Festal Icon Timeline: Click image to enlarge

By Shelley Pituch

Materials

• Piece of poster board, cut into a 7” wide strip that is the length of the longer edge
• Pencil
• Marker
• Glue
• Clothespin
• Small brown piece of construction paper
• Pictures of icons portraying Pascha and the 12 Great Feasts of the church year:
  

Creative Arts Festivals Logo, 2011-2012The Christian Education team of the Antiochian Archdiocese, headed by Director Carole Buleza, is passionate about transmitting the faith to the next generation, and the resource-rich Christian Education section on antiochian.org reflects this. An extensive upgrade to the Christian Education pages launched to coincide with the start of the Sunday School year, includes an entirely new Creative Arts Festivals section developed by Editor Andrew Frishman.

Youth workers who want to integrate the creative festivals into their Christian Education program will find the revamped section useful both for Sunday School as well as SOYO events.

Highlights of the new material available are:

• Guidance for newcomers in "New to the Festivals?"
• "Summary of Modifications for the 2012 Festivals"
• Updated judging rubrics and lesson plans
• Suggestions for educators in "Using the Theme" and "Job Descriptions"
• Advice for students on "Inspiring Writing"
•  Plus an improved sidebar for helpful navigation!

In the main Christian Education section, a book review highlights Christian Education in the Small Membership Church and registration is available for Orthodox Institute 2011, a pan-Orthodox event featuring an interactive Holy Land tour.

Many of our parishes invent their own vacation church school programs. Some have vacation church school every day, some have three days in a week, others set aside two week nights. Why have Vacation Church School? From the GOA Catalog:

Summer vacation’s slower pace and mild weather make it the best time to schedule a camp-like program. In addition, most Orthodox parishes suspend their church school activities for the summer, so VCS provides a summertime “boost.” VCS is the perfect way to bring together Orthodox children, parents, grandparents, teachers and others in an intensive environment for a total immersion experience in Orthodox faith, learning and fun. It’s also a good way to work with neighboring Orthodox parishes, planning one area-wide VCS program.

Please see pages 24-25 of the GOA catalog (PDF) for vacation church school resources. And check out the new vacation church school program, “Behold the Light” by the authors of “The Ark of Salvation: Feasts of the Theotokos” at www.goarch.org/archdiocese/departments/religioused.

New! The Sunday Gospel Program, “Let Us Attend,” now includes a Reader Theatre page! The page provides the gospel as a script for reading aloud the different parts. Taking the parts of Jesus, the disciples, the crowd, the women disciples allows the students to come closer to experiencing the presence of Jesus. The goal is for the students to get to know Jesus Christ through the gospel. Although they hear the gospel in the Divine Liturgy, it is chanted in a continuous rhythm, unlike what occurred in reality.

Here is how to use this resource. 1) Let the children read through it once silently; 2) discuss the various feelings of the characters and how they would have spoken the words they did; 3) assign the parts and read aloud; 4) discuss how they felt about Jesus’ words—did they get a different idea of Jesus from this passage?

No doubt Jesus would have paused before answering certain questions. Those who addressed Jesus undoubtedly were taken aback at some of his responses. For the older students, add three components. 1) talk about where Jesus would have paused before answering, and where the crowd would have been silent in amazement, 2) use the footnotes of the gospel to enhance their understanding of Jesus, and 3) look at the gospel passage just before the reading to find other hints as to why Jesus said/did the words/actions of the day’s gospel.

Tour Guide: Carole A. Buleza

Thanks to the Internet, we have a twofold blessing: abundant resources, and a community of Orthodox Christians with whom we share our task.

Computer on? Internet connected? You’re ready to roll. Navigate to www.antiochian.org/christianeducation.... Welcome to the home page of our new, improved Christian Education website! Find our logo and you will be reading a letter of introduction that includes information about our office and also about the volunteer Diocesan Christian Education Coordinators. Look below and you’ll see several “featured” items—an event, an article, a program, a resource—that are refreshed monthly.

Illustrated handouts of the each Sunday's Gospel for every Sunday are offered at five levels with discussion questions. It is paraphrased for the younger grades, and presented as it will be heard for the older students. Engaging graphics and great questions--it can be used as the curriculum for a small church school, or by parents who wish to read the gospel on Saturday night with their children. Additionally, a Reader's Theater page is now available for each Gospel.

The Department of Christian Education coordinates the Art, Poetry, Creative Writing and Photography festivals.

The tithing theme for 2009-2010 is To Tithe Is To Show That We Care for the Church. On this web page you will find a set of parish posters, Teacher Notes, Student Booklets, and other materials.