To introduce children to God, the Church, and love, through brief stories and discussions, art projects and music.  We provide a structured program in a relaxed atmosphere suited to young preschoolers.

• Learn to make the sign of the cross and understand what it means.
• To learn a simple prayer or the concept of praying allowing children to use their own words.
• Learn the name of our church, our priests.
• Discuss special religious days and namedays.
• To familiarize the children with some Bible stories.
• Teach children to share and be thoughtful of others.
• Help children realize that they are special in God's eyes.
• To familiarize the children with our church procedures (lighting a candle, taking Communion).
• To prepare the children for learning in a structured environment.
• To allow the children time for fellowship and sharing.

• Opening prayer, the sign of the Cross, and attendance.
• Collect stewardship offering.
• Brief lesson and discussion.
• Art project.
• Communion
• Snack
• Review lesson, songs or read a story and closing.
• End with prayer to thank God.

Our Church: Sign of the Cross, Our Priest, Holy Communion, Light our Candle, Our Baptism.

Our Relationship with God and Jesus: Jesus Loves the Children, Forgiveness, Giving to God (lent),

Thanksgiving, Mother's Day and Father's Day. 

The lessons are presented at appropriate times according to our church calendar.  Children will receive a coloring page/project for each lesson so that it can be reviewed at home.  We will also complete an art project related to each lesson, time permitting.

• God Loves Us
• Living Our Orthodox Faith
• God, My Friends and Me

The children will learn about the importance of God and our Church.

By the end of the year the children will learn:

• Who our clergy are - priests, bishops, etc.
• The name of our church and what it means
• What Greek Orthodoxy is

We will learn the following:

• What is a Church - God's House
• Sign of the Cross - Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.
• Lord's Prayer
• Prayers for meals and bedtime and closing prayer of the day
• Church songs and responses
• Behavior in church
• Golden Rule - Love God, Love your parents, Love everybody
• Jesus' birth, life, and death

• Greet the children, take attendance and collect stewardship offerings.
• Show the children how to make the sign of the cross, say the Lord's Prayer.
• Begin the day's lesson. Make arts and crafts project related to the lesson and explain how they are related.
• Communion
• Snack, then Song and game time and closing prayer.

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The children will learn about God's world and how to appreciate it.

• By the end of the year the children will know the Lord's Prayer.
• Throughout the year we will touch on all the major feast days, holidays, and important events that occur in our church.
• Students will learn church songs, prayers and church responses.

• Class begins with an opening prayer, religious songs and attendance.
• Five to ten minutes of sharing.
• Collect stewardship offering.
• Students read the lesson for the week, Class discussion follows.
• Make a special project that corresponds with the lesson.
• Communion
• Snack
• Closing prayer.

• Me and My World
• What we see and do in Church
• Stewardship

The children will become familiar with our church and the responsibilities we have in our faith.

• Understand the meaning of the Sign of the Cross.
• Learn and be able to identify the hierarchy of our church.
• Learn and know the physical parts of our church.
• Learn the traditions and concepts of our faith.
• Learn the Lord's Prayer and church hymns and responses.
• Learn to use the bible.

• Class begins with an opening prayer and attendance.
• Collect stewardship offerings.
• Review bible reading for the day and discuss.
• Lesson from God is With Us and We Learn About God
• Reading story if time permits
• Supplemental craft project if time permits
• Introduction to the Sacraments.

• Loving God
• God is With Us
• Bible

The theme of the textbook is sharing based on the life of the Church.  Through study of the Divine Liturgy and other traditions of the church, the child will begin to experience sharing, giving, and dealing with relationships at home, at church, at school and in the world in a positive manner.

The Children will:

• Learn about the Orthodox Church and the Divine Liturgy
• Read bible stories and learn how they may be applied to our lives today.

• Class begins with an opening prayer and attendance
• Collect stewardship offerings
• Complete one lesson from the book
• Discuss the Gospel reading of the day
• Special projects including:
  • Making koliva
  • Preparing a short presentation for Thanksgiving - "I am thankful for.

• Living Our Orthodox Faith - Sharing God's World

• Divine Liturgy for Children
• Bible

The theme of the textbook is growing with God in the Orthodox Church.  The children will learn that God is with them each day to protect and guide them as they grow.

The children will:

• Learn that God is a part of their lives - everyday.
• Read and study the lives of the saints and the traditions of the Orthodox Church.

• Class begins with an opening prayer and attendance.
• Music lesson (hymn of the Orthodox Church, Christian songs, etc.)
• Collect stewardship offerings
• Complete one lesson from the work book
• Art project

• Living Our Orthodox Faith - Growing with God

• Growing with God
• Bible

To have the students become acquainted with the Divine Liturgy and learn the Creed.

• Understand the Divine Liturgy and related services.
• Understand the purpose of Great Lent.
• Understand the structure of the Holy Bible.

• Class begins promptly after communion with opening prayer and attendance.
• Classroom activity including art project and discussion.

• Our Life in the Church

• Divine Liturgy Service Book
• The Holy Bible
• Jesus of Nazareth (video)
• The Ten Commandments (video)
• Stewardship
• Maps of the holy lands

The students will study how the many elements of our rich tradition (hymns, scripture readings and icons etc.) are used in our liturgical cycle by studying the Great Feast days and Holy Week.  An additional unit will review the Divine Liturgy.  The children will also acquire the knowledge and skills needed to make personal commitments to Christ and His Church, and how to follow through on those commitments in their daily lives by drawing strength from God through the Sacraments and a habit of daily prayer.

• The students will understand God's plan for our salvation.
• The students will become familiar with the stories and services associated with the Great Feast days.
• The students will become familiar with ways to "interpret" icons
• The students will apply the Church's lessons to how they approach problems in their own lives.
• The students will continue to gain an increasing appreciation of the Divine Liturgy.
• By the end of the year they will be able to explain the way God presents His plan for us and His guideline to be His agents in this world.
• The students will be able to explain the rewards of happiness and prosperity God promised to those who follow his plan.
• The students will be able to explain the role of prayer, the Sacred Liturgy and the Holy Sacraments in giving us the Grace and strength needed to follow God's plan for us.

• Opening prayer
• Collect offerings and attendance
• Announcements, saint of the day
• Lesson, questions and answers, after which the students should be able to write two to three sentences about the main idea of the lesson.

• The Christian Way of Life

• Stories of Saints
• Bible
• A Year of the Lord - Liturgical Bible studies
• Facing up to Peer Pressure
• Knowing Christ
• Stewardship - Serving God's World

If we live in the Spirit let us also walk in the spirit (Galatians 5:25)

Our Orthodox young people find themselves in the midst of foreign surroundings, amid differing confessions of faith and rationalistic sects.  This coupled with the fact that no one knows what tomorrow will bring, necessitates that our young people are well grounded in their faith, understanding that the Orthodox Christian Faith is a way of life.  The goal of this class is therefore to have our high school students fully realize their faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Each year, the students should be better able to understand and put into practice the concepts and teachings of the Orthodox Church.

By the end of their 4th year of study, students should be prepared for the spiritual and ethical challenges that await them in the "adult world".   

Several methods will be used i.e. discussions, videos, readings, and work to make the faith of our Fathers real and alive!

• Opening prayer.
• Collect stewardship offerings
• Review the Gospel and Epistle readings for the day as well as the saints commemorated.
• Discussion/work related to the overall goal of the class
• Summary of the lesson
• Closing prayer

• The Orthodox Study Bible
• Various writings from the Fathers
• The Annual Resource Companion
  The Law of God
• Various readings from periodicals
• Bible

Adapted from and printed with consent of Father Peter Salmas, Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church, Belmont , California