SUNDAY SCHOOL: St. Basil & st. gregory academy
The Purpose of the Youth Academy
The purpose of the youth academy is to unify the students, their parents, and their servants with the church in order to cultivate a lasting relationship with God through a structured and organized program in accordance with the Southern United States Coptic Orthodox Diocese.
The Reason Behind the Name
St. Basil and St. Gregory the theologian met while studying under the teachers of Cappadocia. Later on, St. Basil went to Athens to complete his education and St. Gregory followed. Together they learned and grew closer as friends. When St. Basil entered the path of the ascetic life, he wrote letters to his friend Gregory, to join him in asceticism and together they grew spiritually in the monastic life and later went on to defend the Orthodox faith and ultimately, through their friendship, were able to unite with God for eternity. It is our hope that the children will develop true, meaningful friendships, through the Youth Academy program, with their classmates and servants, to guide each other to unity with God. We also hope they become defenders of their faith based on what they have learned from the program as saints Basil and Gregory used their knowledge to keep the faith for us.
Educational Goals
Educational goals are the primary goal for each grade level. Regardless of the lesson topic, the goal should be a primary focus and a theme that is persistent throughout all the lessons.
Pre-K
● Primary Goal: Learn the manifestation of the Love of God in all the stories.
● Secondary Goal: What is right vs. what is wrong?
Elementary
● Primary Goal: Who is God?
● Secondary Goal: Who are we as HIS Children?
Middle
● Primary Goal: Learn the Characteristics of God.
● Secondary Goal: What is my identity in Him?
High School
● Primary Goal: Developing my relationship with God.
● Secondary Goal: My place in society as a Christian.
Schedule:
The following schedule shall be followed in each classroom to ensure respect, timeliness, and adherence to diocese curriculum:
● 5 Minutes: Opening Prayer
SUS Diocese prepared prayer followed by student prayer. Servant giving the lesson concludes the prayer.
● 10 minutes - Hymns
Assigned servant will teach a hymn in the time assigned. The purpose of this time is to open students’ eyes to the beauty of hymnology of the Coptic Church and to wet their appetites for learning more.
● 10 minutes - Secondary Curriculum/Activity
This SUS Diocese-provided curriculum is to be administered by one of the servants to provide one continuous lesson and increase student knowledge about the Church and its beauty in all aspects.
● 30 Minutes - Lesson
○ Introduction - 5 minutes
○ Main Topic - 20 minutes
○ Q & A - 5 minutes
● 5 Minutes - Concluding Prayer
One or two students to pray. Servant who gave the lesson concludes the prayer.
Total time: 60 minutes