*Leadership

All Consistory Offices of Ministry come under the Archpastoral Leadership of the President of the Consistory, His Eminence Archbishop Antony.  His Eminence has appointed Rev. Fr. Harry Linsinbigler to serve as Director of the Office of Religious Education. 

* Coordination/Cooperation with other Archdiocese Offices

Rev. Fr. Harry Linsinbigler is the ORE liaison to the Youth Ministry Program.  In addition, Fr. Harry represents the UOCofUSA as a member of the executive board of the Orthodox Christian Education Commission (OCEC).  The ORE will work with the Office of Youth Ministry (OYM) in preparing a formal summer Bible study curriculum beginning with the year 2008. 

*Ask Father (click here)

The Ask Father feature enables people to get clear and substantial answers to tough questions. 

* Parish Liaison Program

The ORE has made available to each parish, a personal liaison (ORE staff member) to answer questions, suggest resources, recommend procedures, provide assistance, help with curriculum, etc. For more information, click here.

* Educational Materials

ORE encourages the use of curriculum provided by the Orthodox Christian Education Commission (OCEC).  The ORE has identified a formal church school curriculum for use during the academic year and has begun reviewing a series of video presentations for future inclusion.

* Seminars & Parent Workshops

The Office of Religious Education is pleased to announce that, in addition to its regular regional seminars, it will continue to conduct additional parent/teacher seminars, in cooperation with local parishes and other archdiocesan offices, on a periodic basis or at the request of area deaneries or parishes.

* Internet Services (Now Available)

The ORE website is now available through the official archdiocesan website and online programs are being evaluated.

* Teacher Certification

The ORE endorses the periodic day-long local Christian Education teacher programs that are sponsored by the Greek Archdiocese, and encourages parishes to participate and to send Church school teachers to these programs.  Also, it encourages at least one person in the parish to become Director of Christian Education for the parish, and if they already to not have a degree in religious educaton, to take a year long correspondance diploma course in Orthodox Christian Education (paid by the parish) which has a mid-week residency requirement, sponsored by Antiochian House of Studies and St. John of Damascus School of Theology.    

* Adult Catechism and Catechism program

The ORE is in the process of publishing a Catechism and developing a catechism program. 

* “How To” Guides

The ORE, in cooperation with other archdiocesan offices and various other organizations, will begin to make available a series of “how to” books designed to assist parishes in implementing various alternative programs to the traditional Church School program.

For more information on any of these programs, contact:

Consistory of the UOC of the USA
P.O. Box 495
South Bound Brook, NJ 08880
Tel.: (732) 356-0090
Fax: (732) 356-5556
consistory@verizon.net