“This passport begins a passage, a pilgrimage within your own heart as you pursue God at this special time.  We invite you to participate in the day trips, special services, special destinations, and lenten liturgies included in this passport.  They are all designed to draw you the final destination of Lent: Pascha – Christ’s Resurrection”

Each of my four children received their passport just before the beginning of Great Lent. That Sunday evening, we spent most of the night pouring over the pages of our passports and filling in our information. My children were looking forward to keeping track of the services they attended and also the time we spent as a family preparing for Pascha.  As soon as I said, “Time to get ready for bed…” – they were quick to respond with, “We need to put our check marks in our passports!”  I found that the passports helped hold me accountable to our family Lenten pilgrimage to Pascha through my children.  They wanted to see their little books filled with the steps we took along this journey together and were not about to let me take a break from it or forget about it.

We brought our passports with us to all the services we attended (Sunday – Saturday). Stickers were kept on a table in the narthex and easily accessible for the parents to help their kids put a sticker in the appropriate spot for the weekday and Saturday services. On Sundays, the children would bring their passports to class with them and the teachers would talk about it with their students.  I loved seeing my little Kindergartners come into class, sit on the carpet, and excitedly cradle their passports in their hands waiting for me to give them their sticker.  I think the kids really thrived off of seeing where we were in Lent based on how many stickers they saw slowly collecting in their books.  For those children who attended few or no services during the week, they could still see the progression towards Pascha through their stickers collecting on the “Sundays of Great Lent” page.  Some of the parents of my students told me that their children were explaining to them about the passports and asking their parents to pray with them, read them a story from the Bible, and bring money for our OCMC boxes.

This was such a fantastic tool to connect the parish and families.  It was used in the church school classroom and then brought home to continue to be used by the parents and their children.  I love these types of resources because our children are shown the connection between living our Orthodox faith on Sundays and living our Orthodox faith everyday in our home as well.

These passports can be ordered through Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church by contacting Fr. Evan Armatas.  They hope to have a page up on their website soon about the passports along with the supplemental materials – travel posters, Lenten map, and postcards for the U.S. mail.  I highly recommend purchasing these for your church school or family for next year!

Secondly, with the emergence of spring, and the promises of new beginnings…we are pushing forward with some new ideas for Illumination Learning.  We are collaborating with many of you and intend to contact many others in the very near future to make these ideas a reality.  We will make an announcement on June 1st to share details about the upcoming events!

I’ve shared our family’s outlines for this Lenten season below for any of you who would like to follow along also.  Please keep in mind that these packets are not meant to be an all encompassing manual for Lent.  If you have questions or need personal guidance as you begin your own journey through Lent, make an appointment to sit and discuss your situation with your priest – especially if you have someone with special needs in your family.  Our large family has several people with dietary restrictions and special needs ranging from pregnancy to allergies to cancer.  Your spiritual father can guide you with appropriate direction for your own family as you begin this fast.

Lenten Packets:

Lenten Journey – Prayer

Lenten Journey – Almsgiving

Lenten Journey – Fasting

These cousins are making bread as their precious offering to God.  They’ve devoted their time and energy into creating a gift they will offer up to the Lord as they carry it to the church early on Sunday morning. This whole experience has left them feeling a vital part of the church community…and leaves an imprint on their minds as they grow older and eventually marry and have children of their own to later teach how to make prosphora.

]]> http://www.illumination-learning.com/blog/2012/02/passing-on-traditions-to-the-next-generation/feed/ 0 http://www.illumination-learning.com/blog/2012/02/relaunch-of-ocns-blog/ http://www.illumination-learning.com/blog/2012/02/relaunch-of-ocns-blog/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:52:40 +0000 jhock http://www.illumination-learning.com/blog/?p=1136 OCN‘s (Orthodox Christian Network) blog just underwent changes and relaunched The Sounding yesterday.  I was invited about a month ago to be a guest writer for the blog as part of this relaunch.  I initially accepted the offer and then later had to turn it down.  On Monday, three separate people (who coincidentally don’t know each other) nudged and encouraged me to go ahead and write for The Sounding now instead of later this year.  I’ve always found writing therapeutic and an event earlier this week supplied the content of my first post for The Sounding titled A Mother’s Heartache - which is scheduled to be published on Monday, February 6, 2012.  Join me on The Sounding as I contribute once a month with many other talented Orthodox writers.

The Sounding Promo Video

• Orthodoxy Fair:  Each church school class is assigned a topic and each student completes a project relating to the theme.  The projects are then displayed in the church hall on a planned Sunday for the entire community to view the children’s projects.  (On a similar level to a school science fair)
• ABC’s of Orthodoxy:  Create a book, flashcards, blocks, posters, etc using each letter of the alphabet and something or someone in Orthodoxy starting with that letter.  A great lesson or series of lessons for children under 6 years old.
• Traveling Backpacks:  A simple backpack or bag containing an Orthodox children’s book, instructions to parents, and a notebook for the parents and children to share their experience reading the book together.  The books would be age appropriate for the grade level. Teachers would send home one or more backpacks each week with one or more children in their class.  The bags would be rotated through the entire class.  Parents are encouraged to read the book to their children or listen to their children read it to them and then return the bag the following Sunday.
• Flash Cards:  Pictures of objects or people found in an Orthodox church
• Bulletin Boards:  Create learning bulletin boards for each classroom or in the hallway of the church school area.  One bulletin board idea is posting pictures of children visiting an Orthodox church while they were on vacation.  Encourage families to take a picture of their kids in front of the church they are visiting and then post it on the bulletin board when they get back.  This may be a year long bulletin board or you could have it up during the summer months when there’s more traveling.  Provide push pins and paper for the kids or parents to label the name of the church and it’s location to place next to the photo.
• Create Class Books:  Have the teachers guide the students in making an Orthodox themed class book using construction paper or any other type of materials.  It can be as rustic or elaborate as the teacher chooses to make it.
• Audio CD Lessons:  Send home an audio CD containing lessons, songs, etc for parents to play in the car during the week with their kids.  You could have it for specific lessons for a class or for a project for the entire church school.  (i.e. If you have a Christmas program and want the children to practice songs for the program)  This could be a weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly project.  It’s a way to incorporate the parents in the lesson and bridge the parish and home.
• Cloth Quilted Books:  Orthodox themed books for little hands to quietly flip through during church services.
• Pen Pals:  Pen Pals with another church school class or with other Orthodox kids in another state.
• Traveling Father Ted:  Similar to Flat Stanley – traveling cut out of Fr. Ted to various parishes or homes.  Kids can take a picture of themselves with Fr. Ted and write in a notebook about the adventures they had with Fr. Ted before he’s sent off on his next adventure.
• Parish or Church School Photo Album:  A photo album of all the community feast day activities – i.e. Blessing of the Waters, retreats, Holy Week, Pascha, Vacation Church School, Church School, play and programs, etc.  Put it together through someone like Shutterfly or Snapfish and then offer it for purchase to the entire community or as a yearbook for the church school kids.
• Church School or Community Garden:  The garden would be a tool to teach our children to be stewards of God’s earth.  The garden’s harvest can be used to supplement fellowship hour on Sunday, parish lunches, or to give to shut-ins or poor in your own community.

I was blessed with the opportunity to attend the 2011 Orthodox Institute this past weekend with my sister, Catherine, and my dear friend, Cassandra at Antiochian Village.  For me, Antiochian Village is a place I’ve only heard about from friends and acquaintances as they tell me about their cherished memories from this beloved camp and retreat center subsequently leaving me longing to visit there myself for years now.

As we pulled into the conference center parking lot, I could feel my enthusiasm intensifying with anticipation for the weekend.  This year’s Orthodox Institute welcomed a large group of Pan-Orthodox Christians who gathered together to discuss, learn, and share about Orthodox education in our parishes.  In attendance included Carole Buleza (Director of the Antiochian Archdiocese Religious Education Department), Dr. Anton Vrame (Director of the Greek Archdiocese Religious Education Department), Fr. Thomas Hopko, and many other wonderful and inspiring speakers.

I had such a hard time deciding which sessions I would attend at the conference when I filled out my registration form.  Although I did finally make a decision and chose six sessions, I still wish I could have attended the others as well.  My sister and I purposely signed up for differing sessions enabling us to swap handouts and experiences in the evenings back in our room in the conference center.  We had two days filled with prayer, enlightenment and ideas (see below) from our sessions, fellowship during meals, time to browse the enticing bookstore, attend book signings by three Orthodox authors, casually browse through the heritage museum, and explore the Holy Land exhibit guided by Dr. Maria Khoury.

It’s hard not to get excited about teaching when you’re amongst a group of individuals eager to educate their children about our Orthodox faith just like you are for your students.  After returning to our room both evenings, the three of us talked about our sessions and swapped additional ideas we could implement in our classrooms back home.  We’d talk for several hours before yawns seemed to contagiously spread amongst us.  We crawled into our own beds and eagerly opened up our materials we acquired from earlier in the day.  A smile soon stretched across my face as I glanced up from my book to see Cassandra reading “Letters to Saint Lydia” by Melinda Johnson and Catherine reading the handouts from Khouria Gigi Shadid.  I don’t know how to explain it other than to say – it just filled me with joy.

At breakfast after Liturgy on Sunday morning, we were telling some of the people at our table that this was our first time to Antiochian Village.  He told us all about his family’s experiences there and suggested we walk around the grounds and see more before leaving.  You didn’t need to suggest it to us twice!  We drove up to the camp area, predominantly because we had no reference to know how far away it was therefore we decided to drive until we found a spot to stop and walk around.  It didn’t take us long to find the next parking lot.  We got out and walked parallel to the small cemetery surrounded by towering trees until we found a path and followed it.  It led us to the grave site of Saint Raphael, an outdoor chapel, and then many cabins.  We ended up walking in a large circle before coming out to the central grassy area where another beautiful chapel stood to one side.  As I looked around, I could imagine all the kids running around there in the summer – playing ball, sitting in groups talking, coming in and out of the dining hall to eat, and walking to the church each day.  It must be a site to behold.

Time was quickly passing and we needed to make our way back to the airport.  Our families were waiting for us back home.  (My mom called me during the weekend to let me know two of my kids were sick.  It was time to switch back into mommy mode…do you ever really switch out of it though?)  My sister and I had so many ideas flooding our thoughts on the way home that we spent the duration of both legs of our flights drafting a unit on the five senses in Orthodoxy for our Kindergarten class.  This may be a quirk on our part because we actually find a lot of enjoyment in writing curriculum.  Part way through writing our notes and flipping through the Orthodox Study Bible on my iPad, I realized we were not exactly using hushed voices on the plane.  Ooops.  Not that we necessarily needed to be silent but I hoped we weren’t keeping someone from sleeping near us since the sun had long since set and our reading light was a necessity if we were to see anything on our tray table.  I’m left curious with what the passengers around us were thinking of our conversation.  The notes scribbled into the notebook on the plane lay waiting on my desk for us to bring them to fruition in the coming weeks.

One of the many beneficial aspects of the conference were the ideas swapped between fellow teachers during the conference.  I’d like to share some of those ideas with you.

Ideas swapped during “Introduction to Church School Ministry”:

• Rotate guest speakers through each of the classrooms.  They can be someone who is knowledgeable about a specific topic relating to Orthodoxy, enjoys telling/reading stories about saints to children, wants to teach a hymn, or do an art project with the class.
• Publish a church school calendar with all the events for the year.  This can be in paper format and/or published on the parish website.
• Team teaching or having substitutes available.  If you’re able to have two teachers per classroom then one can cover for the other when they are out of town and also assist in the classroom for a smoother class session.
• “Lessons Learned Meeting” at the end of the school year.  In May, hold a meeting with your church school teachers.  Discuss and take notes on what worked well and what needs improvement for the following year.
• Telephone Conferences.  This is especially beneficial for parishes who have people that drive long distances to come to church.  Hosting a telephone conference for your church school meetings has enabled some parishes to get better (if not 100%) attendance for meetings.  Notes and agenda are emailed to teachers before the teleconference.
• Provide childcare for meetings
• Newsletter to parents and teachers
• Post info on how much the parish is spending on each student and the expectations of parents and students. What are you hoping to achieve?  Do you want an occasional home assignment or project returned?  Do you want the children to show up on time to class?
• Hold an open house.  Let parents visit their child’s classroom and meet the teacher.  Teachers can prepare a short introduction to the curriculum the students will be using and the goals for the year.
• Start a Facebook page for your church school.  Use it to remind parents about upcoming events and/or post pictures of their children in church school (with parents’ written permission beforehand).
• Send a postcard, email, or have a classroom celebration for each child’s Nameday in your class
• Provide church school registration online and via a table in the hall during fellowship hour
• Provide an option for free will donations to the church school when parents register their children.  This money can help supplement books, materials, snacks, etc.  A wishlist can also be provided along with the registration for parents to donate specific items to the church school.
• Provide a spot on the registration form for parents to tell you about any special needs their child may have 
• Assign a patron saint to each classroom and students learn about this saint throughout the year
• Provide a classroom altar in each room
• Some parishes are having a Bible Study for all adults in the parish and simultaneously hold church school for the children on a day other than Sunday.  Potluck dinner before or after everyone’s class.
• Mail home that week’s lesson to the students who missed class that day

Ideas swapped during “Build Your Staff, Build Your Students”:

•  If you are at a parish who has church school during any portion of the Liturgy, transition church school outside of Liturgy over several years with baby steps.  If this transition has the potential for causing rifts in your community then do it slowly.  First year you might move it to after the Gospel reading.  The following year move it to after Holy Communion.  Then the third year move it to after the Liturgy.  Hold a meeting with your parish priest and discuss the best ways to transition your parish.
• Ask for help if you are not getting people to volunteer.  If you need more teachers or someone to help with a retreat, play, or something else then try approaching them in person, advertise in the parish bulletin, or ask Father if he could make an announcement at the end of Liturgy.  Sometimes people need to know you need help instead of assuming someone else will volunteer in their place.
• Fall Saints Party – a parish had several adults volunteer to dress up like a saint.  Each of those adults was assigned a classroom and the children would rotate through each of the classrooms.  The adult would tell the kids the story of that saint and had a visual to accompany their story.  Treats were served in the hall at the end and the kids also attended in costume.
• Provide each teacher with a resource binder at the orientation teacher meeting at the beginning of each year.  The binder would include a copy of the student registration form, the church school calendar for the year, list of students in the church school (or just for their class) including parent email addresses and children’s namedays, prayers, altar boy list and schedule, church etiquette, information on the Oratorical Festival or Creative Festival, articles and ideas for the teachers.
• Provide a summer Orthodox reading program for the children.  It would be a similar program to the reading program your local public library holds each summer.  The children would write down the list of Orthodox children’s books they read to someone else (or if they’re younger, the list of books someone read to them) and turn it in to get a prize at the end of the summer.
• Preplanning before class starts is key to a successful classroom!  It’s so important to have your lesson prepared before class and have everything already out at the child’s desk or table before they come into the classroom.  Otherwise time is wasted passing out papers, pencils, sorting out craft supplies and passing them out, etc.  This allows for a smoother transition and better overall control of the students.
• Have a group of teachers working together to fulfill the church school’s goals for the year.  Most successful parishes will have two groups.  1) A group of people who have a vision and provide ideas  2) The group that carries out the vision and ideas. Often you’ll have a group of people that are enthusiastic and full of ideas but can’t or don’t have time to carry it out.  Then you have the group of people who say they’re not creative but they’re willing to do whatever you want if you just tell them what to do. Recognizing this and working with it instead of against it will create a more successful church school program.

Guest Post by Sarah Collier:

Sarah is currently a student at Hellenic College in Boston, MA.

I’m four; I believe there’s a monster under my bed who will surely eat me if given the chance. I’m seven; I believe animals talk amongst themselves when no one is around, and that fairies hide in the tangles of strawberry vines that grow against the back wall of my house. I’m nine; I believe that terrorists will come from far away to kill my family and friends and I don’t know why. I’m fourteen; I believe that all of our fears are lies, invented and perpetuated by people with power in order to control us. I’m eighteen; I’m not entirely sure what to believe.

So I believe in things that are true, and things that are probably not true. I’m gullible; I believe everything I’m told as easily as breathing. I’m cynical; I believe only what I can see with my own eyes, or discover for myself.

I believe that bad things happen to good people. I believe that when we come to see things as not merely happening, but happening to us, it becomes very tempting to grasp blindly for something or someone to blame. But I believe that sometimes things just happen, and the ways we choose to deal with those things come to define us, for better or for worse.

I believe in regret. I believe that leaving words unsaid does a disservice to all involved. I believe that pride and denial are our biggest and most pitiless adversaries; they sneak up on us when we need to be at our most humble, our most understanding and accepting.

I believe that it is better to be a scared little girl in the darkness with a monster that isn’t there, than a disillusioned teenager who’s seen a few too many real monsters to have much more than a rather cold and detached view of death, and loss; things we can’t change.

But I believe that losing is an art form, and that we must tread delicately when we encounter loss if we wish to remain intact. I believe that losing someone dear to you compels you–no, forces you–to cherish every relationship, every small, fragile moment with someone you love, as if it were truly your last.

I believe in taking time to appreciate the little reminders the world gives us which let us know that we are alive and well: a deep breath in the morning, the scent of a new book, the beauty in a bright blue sky just after a long storm.

According to George Herbert, “every path hath a puddle.” I believe in hope: some puddles are larger than others, but nearly all are passable, and with hope, we can overcome all that is daunting and wearisome and disheartening. I believe that, with hope, we have a chance.

Begin our stewardship with prayer - 

In 1989, September 1st was dedicated as a day of prayer for all of Creation.  It was put aside as a day to reflect on the world around us and how we interact with it.  We can include a prayer in our our personal prayer time or share this vespers service for the Preservation of Creation with our parish priest.

I want creation to penetrate you with so much admiration that wherever you go, the least plant may bring you clear remembrance of the Creator.  - St. Basil

 Look to our fellow Orthodox Christians for guidance - 

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has been given the title “The Green Patriarch” for his efforts to make others aware of our need to be more mindful to how we’re treating the earth.  There is a wonderful film available about the ecumenical patriarch from Becket Films – The Green Patriarch.  You can enjoy a preview of the film on YouTube.

It’s worth checking out the following resources to learn more about his environmental efforts:

The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople’s YouTube Channel

The Green Patriarch: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Protection of the Environment

Find resources available to you -

The Green Patriarch & the Environment Unit from Illumination Learning
Includes activities and ideas for home and parish community use.

Beyond the Shattered Image: Insights into an Orthodox Christian Ecological Worldview by John Chryssavgis

Man and the Environment by Anestis Keselopoulos

The Orthodox Fellowship of the Transfiguration: Proclaiming the ecological mission of the Orthodox Church as the reconciliation of all things in Christ!
This website is currently having a facelift but it has been a resources for quotes, ideas, information, and discussion