Sunday School

“The medicine and great secret for children’s progress is humility. Trust in God gives perfect security. God is everything. No one say I am everything. That cultivates egotism. God desires us to lead children to humility.” Elder Porphyrios (a newly-made saint)

Sunday School

The Sunday School provides children between the ages of 3 and 18 the opportunity to attend classes and expand their knowledge of our Greek Orthodox Faith. Registration is included with annual stewardship. You can register your child/children anytime during the school year, and you are always welcome. For more information, please contact sundayschool@archangelmichaelchurch.org.

Our mission is to follow in the words of St. John Chrysostom: “Let us raise our children in such a way that they can face any trouble, and not be surprised when difficulties come; let us bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord…When we teach our children to be good, to be gentle, to be forgiving, to be generous, to love their fellow men, to regard this present age as nothing, we instill virtue in their souls and reveal the image of God within them. This, then, is our first task to educate both ourselves and our children in godliness; otherwise what answer will we have before Christ’s judgment seat?”

Sunday School begins promptly at 9:30am, and children are to report directly to their classrooms at that time. Timeliness and consistent attendance are key for students to truly learn about the Divine Liturgy. Just as we make sure our children arrive to school, extracurricular activities, and appointments on time, the same good habits should be made for attendance and participation in the Divine Liturgy. Following Holy Communion, our students remain in church to hear a sermonette from our clergy and the dismissal of the Liturgy. There are designated Sundays when all our Sunday School students gather in the Chapel for a Chapel Liturgy. 

The Importance of Sunday School and Religious Education:

Sunday School

As you register or consider registering your child for Sunday School, consider the holy commitment that parents have to raise their children towards holiness, towards sanctity, towards the Kingdom of Heaven. When a child is born, the parents love and care for the physical wellbeing of their child. They feed the child. They clothe the child. They shelter the child. They educate the child. If the parents fail in these areas, they would be considered negligent.

When a child is born spiritually through baptism, the soul, more so than the body, needs to be nurtured. The soul needs to be fed God through Holy Communion. The soul needs to breathe through prayer. The soul needs to be sheltered in the Church. The soul needs to learn the teachings and the Commandments of God. There are many obstacles that continue to try and block this holy task commissioned unto parents by God. Sports, work, test preparations, traveling, spiritual laziness, being out late, driver’s education, and many other things often take priority over God. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work.” EX20:18

This year for Sunday School, four new components are being added: 

1. We are offering once again a 3’s program for our preschool students to learn about their Orthodox faith through songs and crafts. Our 3’s group will be meeting once a month.
2. Our young adult program is also expanding. We will now offer a 9th/10th grade class, and an 11th/12th grade class to better meet the spiritual needs of our youth.
3. We are launching a new volunteer program for our young adult students, allowing them a variety of opportunities to complete volunteer hours for school and extracurriculars. Through their volunteering, our young adults can continue to learn and grow their faith as they mentor the younger students and give back to the church.
4. Boys that are in the third grade and above are welcome to serve as altar boys. Due to growing interest in serving in the altar, the altar boys will be divided into three groups and assigned which Sunday they will be serving, so the other Sundays they will be attending Sunday School.

Key Annual Events

• December: Christmas Pageant: Every year, children from the Sunday school take part in a Christmas Pageant.
• February: Godparent Sunday: The month of February is designated for the students of Sunday School to invite their godparents to attend church with them
• March: St. John’s Oratorical Festival: This festival gives the older students an opportunity to research a topic and then write a speech that they present to a panel of judges. The winners continue on to compete at the National Archdiocesan Festival.
• April: Archangel Michael has the honor of hosting the District Level Oratorical Festival, the next level in the festival after the Parish level that leads up to the National Archdiocesan Festival.

Curriculum

Book titles represent books recommended by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.