ORE Sample letter for parishes to hand out on “starter programs.” As you begin to grow, you will be able to further develop. But in the meantime, the following will get the parish started. Orthodox Christian Education Program for (Name of Parish)
Fall 2008-Spring 2009
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is grown he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22.6).
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This coming year we will have quite a program for the parish, and we NEED VOLUNTEERS. This includes our college aged members on up.
Any successful parish has a successful education program. The teachers should know what they are talking about. We should be able to at least send them off to take classes. This needs to be put in the budget within the next two years—several hundred dollars set aside for educational training. If we fail to do this God will judge us for it.
WE NEED TWO VOLUNTEERS For those 12-15 (or similar range) we will have a teenage Sunday Christian Education class that will meet every week. These two will sometimes do the class together and sometimes alternate (or perhaps one is the main teacher and the other the alternate/activity director).
WE NEED ANOTHER TWO VOLUNTEERS for those who will be working with the children who are between ages 3-6 and those who will be working with the children from 7-12
Adult Christian Education Class will begin in the fall and will take place on Sundays. Do an entire year of nothing but people discussing how their Faith relates to their job. Get a doctor in your parish to teach 4 weeks, a housewife 4 weeks, and officeworker 4 weeks, a server 4 weeks, a teacher 4 weeks. The best time frame is ½ hour.
“Teen” class age12-15 (16-17*) we will have a teenage Sunday Christian Education class that will meet every week. *In this early stage of getting a parish education program started, if you cannot get enough volunteers, your 16-18 year olds may be able to go into either your adult class as students or in your teen class as teacher-assistants. Probably the best way to groom them to be volunteer Sunday school teachers after college is to let them to the latter. Once a month they will meet with Father. I will need two volunteers who can come regularly to help do this class/group. Make it so that your teens are not just part of a “Sunday school,” but part of a youth evangelical group with a mission, and with the primary goal of the teen class/youth group as part of the name (one example could be TLC--Teens who Love Christ). Do up T-shirts for group activities with the name of the parish also printed on them. Create a culture where they, as Scripture says, contend for their Orthodox Faith. Organize at least two activities a year which are outreach programs (soup kitchen, singing Christmas carols and visiting at a nursing home, etc.).
Early Youth class ages 7-11 will essentially be a class in which children begin to decipher bad elements from good elements that they will be exposed to, and begin to develop their moral thought process to be able to choose wisely the paths that they should take in difficult situations. This will be more fully developed in the Teen class.
Children’s class ages 3-6 This will essentially be focused on craft items but also have substantive education for their levels.
Midweek Catechism Class once per month for those who wish to learn more about their Faith in depth.
We will have two OPEN FORUMS for the year in which which all who wish to come may ask any question about the Faith or the stand of the Church on certain issues that they like.
ALTOGETHER WE SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST 7 VOLUNTEERS. IF YOU ARE READING THIS AND ARE SOMEWHAT WILLING TO DO IT BUT AREN’T SURE—BE ASSURED OF THIS, THAT IF YOU DON’T DO IT NO ONE WILL, BECAUSE EVERYONE WHO MIGHT DO IT IS THINKING THE SAME THING “I WOULD DO IT IF I NEEDED TO.” WE NEED YOU AND OUR CHILDREN NEED YOU. YOU MUST BE DEDICATED TO COME REGULARLY—NOT MAKE EXCUSES. WE ALSO NEED YOU TO BE DEDICATED TO LEARNING MORE ABOUT YOUR FAITH AND ABOUT PARISH EDUCATION. Thank You!!!!
(Signed by priest or better yet double signed by Priest and chair of parish council)
+Fr (Name
Please fill out this form and return it (for papers that you are asked to fill out there is also a bin on the right stand for you to return papers in as well). Please do so as soon as possible so that we can get organized.
Name: ________________________________________
______Yes, I will assist with parish education. I would prefer to work with _________age group.
______No, I cannot do it now, but I would like to volunteer to do________with the children. (ex. Field trips, etc.)
Please note that for all activities involving youth there should be at least two volunteers per activity. There will be a meeting to be announced for all who wish to volunteer.
