Philosophy and Goals of Our Program

The basic philosophy of our Sunday School Program is to build a solid foundation of both the Teachings and Worship Practices of the Greek Orthodox Faith, to benefit the children and families of our church.

GOALS OF OUR SUNDAY SCHOOL PROGRAM

1. To encourage and prepare all students from nursery to seniors in high school to actively participate in the sacramental life of the church and to lead an active personal life of prayer.

2. To provide well-rounded and theologically-based lessons on the Bible, Liturgical Worship, Prayer Life, Sacramental Life, and Mission Awareness to enable our students to translate Orthodox principles into their personal lives.

3. To establish a stable, non-threatening educational environment and, in the case of our young adults, a forum at which open discussions can be facilitated about the contemporary moral and religious issues facing them.

4. To have a dependable volunteer staff, who because of their personal commitment to Christ, serve His Church as teachers.

5. To provide our teachers with continuing education and opportunities to learn about and witness their faith at Bible Study, at Archdiocesan seminars, at adult retreats and through various service projects administered by the adults of St. George.

6. To provide the staff and students with text books and other resources (i.e., craft supplies, videos, library and research materials) which inspire learning in a Sunday School program which is also spiritually enriching for our children.

STUDENT COMMITMENT AND PARTICIPATION

Equally as important in achieving the goals of our Sunday School program is the commitment and participation of the children. For this reason, we have established a requirement of attendance of at least 60% of the scheduled classes in order for your child's grade completion and promotion to be recognized with a promotion certificate together with his (her) classmates during Awards Sunday at the end of the school year. This measure was implemented last year to encourage weekly participation, to assist the family in living out their Christian responsibilities and to reward those who do make the effort to attend services and Sunday School on a weekly basis.

Ways That Parents Can Help
The Sunday School

1. Plan to be in church at the beginning of the Divine Liturgy - 9:30 a.m. Arriving at church late is sending a message to our children that it is not important to be on time for God. Just as we must be on time for school, work, and social events, we should also be on time for church each week. Sunday School will conclude at 11:30 a.m.

2. Be consistent. Attend church regularly. Coming to church only when it is convenient is very disruptive not only to a child's sense of routine and tradition but it is also disruptive for teachers and students who need to prepare their lessons and their activities for a specific number of students.

3. Visit the classroom frequently, especially during the Open House in October and meet with the teacher(s) to see what lessons your child is learning so they can be re-enforced at home; ask your child if they have any special handouts from teacher. Discuss the lesson in the car or at home and let them know that the lesson is an important one that needs to be remembered.

4. See that your child comes to class prepared with books, homework and reading assignments, etc.

5. Practice the faith at home, observe fast days and schedule family prayer time especially at dinner time. Celebrate each family member's Nameday with a small cake. Teach your children about the Saint they were named for and why their life is an example for us today. Children are great imitators - what they see you do, you will see them do.

6. Lastly and most importantly, remember your own salvation. Coming to church just "for the kids" and not for yourself is missing the point. You cannot teach your children, you cannot inspire your children and you cannot set an example for your children unless you yourself participate in the sacramental life of the church.