Orthodox Christian Church School Directors

08/11/2025

❗️Important Update❗️

This page will be closing soon - here’s what you need to know!

We have made the decision to consolidate our Teachers and Directors pages into one unified space for all things Sunday Church School. This means that THIS page will be deactivated and all future updates, resources, announcements, etc. will be shared on our other page page: Orthodox Christian Sunday Church School Teachers

We will be deactivating this page in ONE WEEK, on August 18th.

If you already follow that page - thank you! If not, please head over to that account and follow so you don’t miss anything!
Thank you for being part of this community. We look forward to staying connected with you in our new shared space!

08/04/2025

With the ecclesiastical new year right around the corner, we have an updated Church School Calendar template for the 25-26 year available!

Calendar template:https://antiochianprodsa.blob.core.windows.net/websiteattachments/25-26%20Church%20School%20Calendar%20%2814%20x%208.5%20in%29.pdf

Fillable calendar template:https://antiochianprodsa.blob.core.windows.net/websiteattachments/25-26%20Church%20School%20Calendar%20%2814%20x%208.5%20in%29_fillable.pdf

08/01/2025

Take a look at the video below which was shared at the Archdiocese Convention workshop last week!

Anna-Sarah Farha, Director of Christian Education Ministry, interviews the Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries Chair Fr. Nicholas Belcher about the theme of the new Sunday church school curriculum "A People Set Apart", based on Exodus 6:7.

Sunday church schools will begin using the curriculum in September 2025.

Director of Christian Education Ministry Anna-Sarah Farha interviews the Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries Chair Fr. Nicholas Belcher about the ...

07/30/2025

Looking for help when it comes to recruiting new Sunday Church School teachers?
Our directors meetup from March shared info on how to connect with different generations when looking for volunteers.

For Younger Generations
* Offer a lower-commitment threshold for entry (micro-volunteering)
* “Come shadow a teacher for the month of April!”
* Attach college students to a class when home from break
* Team teaching model
* Ask them to serve first as a sub
* Ask them to help with a particular project or season
* Offer a mentorship/training model
* Pair first year-teachers with a mentor teacher
* Church can send new teachers to Christian Ed conference at Antiochian Village
* Utilize junior-level teaching assistants (HS and/or young adults)
* Extra points for connecting new teachers with an longer-serving teacher who will have an opportunity to lead/share expertise!
* Offer opportunities for authentic creative input
* Ask if they would help us set up a social media account
* “We’d like to start a service component to Sunday school. Wondering if you’d help?”

For Middle Generations
* Anticipate the need for balance in their commitment
* Team teaching model
* “If you ever can’t make it, we always have one of these three subs on call and ready to step in.”
* Show how organized and easy-to-use everything is (and if it isn’t, get it that way!) :)
* Let me show you what the lesson plans look like. You’ll get a binder that looks like this with everything already printed out...
* Use technology to help keep things organized and timely (Not sure how to? Ask a Gen Z-er to help!)
* Provide a clear outline (in writing) of what the commitment looks like so they can see it all laid out

For Older Generations
* Lean into opportunities to invite expertise or mentorship
* Pair with a young teacher as a dynamic teaching team
* “Adopt a classroom” – have a class ‘godparent’ who has specific role(s). Maybe they come once a month with home made goodies, maybe reads a life of the saint story every other week, maybe serves as TA?
* Just retired? Connect their professional experience to the current need or to special “guest speaker” conversations.
* “I know you owned a small business. I was wondering if you could speak to the high school students about being an Orthodox Christian as a business owner.”
* Make it easy for them to teach when they’re not traveling or visiting relatives.

07/18/2025

Will you be attending the Archdiocese Convention next week? If so, we invite you to join Fr. Nicholas Belcher (Chair of the Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries) and Anna-Sarah Farha (Director of Christian Education) for the Christian Education Workshop.

A People Set Apart: Teaching the Journey of Exodus
Wednesday, June 23, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

06/27/2025

In addition to the Lesson Launch introductory video we shared yesterday, here is an infographic that describes the annual Archdiocesan Sunday church school curriculum. It can be a helpful visual for both teachers and parents!

For more information: https://www.antiochian.org/regulararticle/2130

06/26/2025

In an effort to continue supporting our Sunday Church school directors, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Education Ministry is providing a handful of ‘Lesson Launch’ resources to use alongside the church school curriculum. These resources are designed to support those church school directors who may choose to host beginning of the year meetings with their teachers!

The ‘Lesson Launch’ consists of three workshop activities you can include in your beginning-of-the-year teacher meetings. The three workshop activities are flexible and adaptable. You can use them all, in any order, or as standalone activities.

The first is this introductory video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT6GpTM7oxM

In this video, Fr. Nick Belcher (Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries Chairman) and Anna-Sarah Farha (Director of Christian Education Ministry) share about the history and design of the archdiocesan annual curriculum, of which this year's Luke-Acts Curriculum is the fourth installment. Fr. Nick closes the video with a reflection on the sacred responsibility of Sunday church school ministry and thanks teachers for their work. This video is 17 minutes long and could be viewed together as a team or could be shared with your teachers to watch individually.

Fr. Nick Belcher (Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries Chairman) and Anna-Sarah Farha (Director of Christian Education Ministry) share about the hi...

06/25/2025

DIOCESE OF OTTAWA, EASTERN CANADA, & UPSTATE NY.

Your diocese summer parish life conference will be hosting a Christian Education Ministry session on July 5th!

For more info on this PLC head to: https://www.antiochianevents.com/ottawa

06/18/2025

If you’re in need of a preschool curriculum for the back to school season, check out our “Living the Faith” curriculum for Sunday Church School!

https://www.antiochian.org/regulararticle/1711

The lessons introduce traditional Orthodox concepts, liturgics, and sacramental life to preschoolers in ways that incorporate physical participation and the five senses, which are the most effective learning methods for young children. These methods are also how we fully engage in the Divine Liturgy. When children are regularly in contact with the liturgical cycle and Church traditions, they begin to understand how these fit into their role and identity as an Orthodox Christian.

These "What Do You See at Liturgy?" flashcards that can also be doubled and used as a memory game are an example of just one of the activities that is included in this curriculum!

06/16/2025

DIOCESE OF NY AND CHARLESTON + THE MID-ATLANTIC

Your diocese summer parish life conference will be hosting a Christian Education Ministry session on June 26th!

For more info on this PLC head to: https://www.antiochianevents.com/new-york

06/16/2025

DIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES + THE WEST

Your diocese summer parish life conference will be hosting a Christian Education Ministry session on June 26th!

For more info on this PLC head to: https://www.antiochianevents.com/los-angeles