Sunday School Our Sunday school is the spiritual organization of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church taking care of the spiritual nurturing of children.
Mission
Our mission in Sunday school is to teach the children about the Holy Bible and Orthodox faith. This training provides the strong Christian foundation for them to go out into the world and share their faith and be witnesses for our Lord and Savior in good thoughts, words, and deeds. The children are encouraged to know and participate in the life of the Holy Church and Holy Eucharist.
About Us
Our Sunday school was started in the year 1998 and has been active since then. We have a team of committed and creative teachers to take care of our students, ranging from pre-school to seniors. We follow the educational curriculum set forth by the South West Diocese of America.
Regular Sunday classes are conducted after the Holy Qurbana in the Sunday school building. Sunday school begins with a general educational session, where Songs, Hymns, Liturgy, meaning of the Holy Qurbana, and the importance of the special days and occasions are explained and practiced. Later, individual classes are held for all grades. The Sunday school year starts in August, and runs through the end of May.
In addition to our educational curriculum, we include an array of programs to engage and enrich the student faith, learning and talent. Our regular programs such as Bala Balika Samajam and Annual Talent Competition give the student the opportunity to showcase their knowledge and talent in forms of singing, storytelling and giving the Bible message.
The first Sunday of December is celebrated as the Sunday school day and Children’s day. The students come together during the Holy Qurbana in singing songs. The senior students give the Bible message and share their experiences of Sunday school.
Students get to know more about the Bible and our Lord through programs such Bible Read & Study and our Orthodox Vacation Bible Study which is held during the summer.
History
The Orthodox Church from the very beginning took utmost care in educating the children the Values of Christian life, the contents of the Bible and the Church history. The “Koonenkurish Sathyam” in 1653 was a turning point, which emphasized the need for Catechism and Scriptural studies. During the 1765-1808 period, the study of sacraments and prayers were also included in the lessons. This was the beginning of the Sunday school in the Church. The Sunday School Samajam started functioning in 1931 with the appointment of Puthencavu Geevarghese Mar Philexinos as its President and Fr. K. David as the General Secretary. On 15 October 1964 it got its present form as “Orthodox Sunday School Association of the East” (OSSAE). Sunday school units are operating in the Orthodox Churches in and outside Kerala and also overseas.