Keep the Summer Connection Active Webinar:
On May 20, 2020, the Dept. of Religious Education, in cooperation with the Dept. of Stewardship, Outreach, and Evangelism, hosted a webinar called “Keep the Summer Connection Active,” where presenters Angeliki Constantine from the DRE and Natalia Tzobanaki & Despina Lachanaris from Orthodox Pebbles spoke about tips and strategies for ending the Church School year virtually and how to hold virtual summer programs.
- View the webinar video
- “End of the School Year: Bringing our Sunday Church School and Youth Ministries to a Close” slideshow from Angeliki Constantine’s presentation
- “Online Vacation Church School Ideas” slideshow from Orthodox Pebbles’ presentation
Wrapping up the year:
Things you can do:
- Have your parish priest announce the name of each student at the end of Divine Liturgy on your parish’s live-stream video
- Send care packages to each student with items for the summer
- Have teachers hand-write personal cards for each of their students
- Mail gifts and Sunday Church School certificates to each student
- Send care packages complete with items to help them grow in their faith over the summer
- Keep in touch virtually by having group zoom calls once a month during the summer
- Have virtual game nights to help everyone stay connected
- Start a virtual countdown for the start of Sunday Church school and GOYA in the fall
Honoring graduates:
Things you can do to honor your parish graduates:
- Yard signs
- Distance parking lot parades for the grads
- Grads can wear caps and gowns and participate in a virtual Sunday Church school graduation open to the whole parish
- Create an “adopt a grad” program and have godparents or parishioners sign-up to send or drop off grad care packages
- Deliver care packages with gifts for the grads to take with them to their next destination (e.g., Bibles, Holy Week books, prayer books)
- Create a video and photo montage to be “viewed” together as a parish
- Can be played at the end of a live-streamed service
- Can be viewed together as a Facebook “viewing party” on the parish page
- Using the parish’s social media accounts, create posts highlighting each graduate
Read the DRE’s blog post “That's a Wrap! Celebrating the Sunday Church School Year” by Angeliki Constantine
Vacation Church School:
- Virtual vacation Church school ideas from Orthodox Pebbles
- Tips on adapting parts of the DRE’s 3 volumes of VCS, “The Twelve Great Feasts” by Barbara Harris, Laura Morton and Rhonda Webb, for use on a digital platform.
- Purchase on orthodoxmarketplace.com to prep for this summer:
- The Twelve Great Feasts, vol. I: Traveling on the Ark of Salvation: Feasts of the Theotokos
- This volume is no longer in print, but is available for download.
- Craft item to purchase for this volume
- The Twelve Great Feasts, vol. II: Behold the Light
- The Twelve Great Feasts, vol III: Going for the Gold
- The Twelve Great Feasts, vol. I: Traveling on the Ark of Salvation: Feasts of the Theotokos
- Purchase on orthodoxmarketplace.com to prep for this summer:
Summer reading list:
Meet the saints, revisit the roots of our faith, or shore up your spiritual life during these quieter months, in small groups or individually
Preschool
- Goodnight Jesus Author: Angela Isaacs, Illustrator: Nicholas Malara
- H is for Holy: An Orthodox Christian Alphabet Book Author: Nika Boyd, Illustrator: Heather Hayward
- What is an Icon? Author: St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery
- Beautiful Things: An Orthodox Coloring Book Illustrator: Megan Elizabeth Gilbert
Elementary
- Everything Tells Us About God Author: Katherine Bolger Hyde, Illustrator: Livia Coloji
- Christina Goes to Church Author: Maria Khoury, Illustrator: Antonia Marshall
- Christina Learns the Sacraments Author: Maria Khoury, Illustrator: Antonia Marshall
- Shepherding Sam Author: Melinda Johnson
- The Silent Way: Eleni Looks at Jealousy Author: Jeanette Aydlette and Marilyn Rouvelas
- The Silent Way: Peter Clashes with Anger Author: Jeanette Aydlette and Marilyn Rouvelas
Middle school
- Special Agents of Christ Author: Compiled by Annalisa Boyd
- Icon: A Novel Author: Georgia Briggs
- A Year of Every Tuesday Author: Grace Brooks
- Queen Abigail the Wise Author: Grace Brooks
- Vanessa the Wonder-worker Author: Grace Brooks
High school
- Women of God by Frieda Upson
- The Way of the Pilgrim Author: Helen Bacovcin, trans.
- Hear Me: A Prayerbook for Orthodox Teens Author: Annalisa Boyd
- Contemporary Moral Issues Author: Stanley S. Harakas
- The Orthodox Church: 455 Questions and Answers Author: Stanley Samuel Harakas
Adult
- Discovering God through the Daily Practice of His Presence Author: Fr. Anthony Coniaris
- Food, Faith and Fasting: A Sacred Journey to Better Health Author: Rita Madden
- Prosphoros and Artos Author: Dimitra Stavrou-Michalski
- God and You: Person to Person: Developing a Daily Personal Relationship with Jesus Author: Fr. Anthony Coniaris
- Making God Real in the Orthodox Christian Home Author: Fr. Anthony Coniaris
- Introducing the Orthodox Church: Its Faith and Life Author: Fr. Anthony Coniaris
- Tools for Theosis: Becoming God-like in Christ Author: Fr. Anthony Coniaris
- Bartholomew: Apostle and Visionary Author: John Chryssavgis
- Celebration of Faith, Vol III: The Virgin Mary Author: Fr. Alexander Schmemann
- Following Egeria: A Visit to the Holy Land Author: Fr. Lawrence Farley
- Go Forth: Stories of Mission and Evangelism in Albania Author: Fr. Luke Veronis
- The Fathers Interpret Author: Archbishop Demetrios Trakatellis