Orthodox Christian Sunday School
Truly, the only thing as precious as our children is their nurture and edification in the sacred teachings of the Orthodox Christian Church. It is our goal to serve this sacred end to the best of our ability, and we look forward to working with you as closely as possible to insure that your child’s/children’s Sunday school experience is most rewarding and spiritually uplifting, unto the glory of God.
Under the Direct Archdiocesan District of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church is bound by Archdiocesan policies and procedures, including those outlined in the “Pastoral Guidelines” of the Yearbook of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese America and the Uniform Parish Regulations (U.P.R.) of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, which require an Orthodox Christian to be a supporting parishioner of his/her local parish community. Article 18, Section 1, of the UPR defines a parishioner as: “A person who is baptized and chrismated according to the rites of the Orthodox Church. The religious, social and moral duties of a parishioner are to apply the tenets of the Orthodox Faith to his/her life and to adhere to and live according to the tenets of the Orthodox Faith faithfully; attend the Divine Liturgy and other worship services; participate regularly in the holy sacraments; respect all ecclesiastical authority and all governing bodies of the Church; be obedient in matters of the Faith, practice and ecclesiastical order; contribute towards the progress of the Church’s sacred mission; and be an effective witness and example of the Orthodox Faith and Traditions to all people.” Furthermore, “a parishioner in good standing must be eighteen years of age or over; be current in his/her stewardship and other financial obligations to the parish; and cooperate in every way towards the welfare and wellbeing of the parish.” (In cases of extreme financial hardship, and upon confidential consultation with the parish clergy, necessary adjustment or waiver to the above policies and procedures concerning parish financial obligation will be made. No child will be turned away from Sunday school instruction based solely on the family’s ability to totally fulfill parish financial obligations.)
With that said, we would like to remind all Orthodox Christian parents (and godparents) that they themselves will always be their children’s first teachers when it comes to spiritual education. We therefore ask that all parents make an effort to be involved in their children’s Orthodox Christian spiritual development as well as parish life by bringing them to church services/events regularly and punctually nonetheless.
(For further information, see: http://www.goarch.org/archdiocese/departments/religioused.)