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Sunday School Program WWW.STMARYCOMPUTERCENTER.ORG acquired through DR. SAMIR B. BILLATOS, P.E. Sunday School Program Grade 9 Class of St. Abanoub Table of Contents Month Subject The First Period September 1 Young People and the Life of Martyrdom 2 Characteristics of the Adolescence Age 3 Troubles of the Adolescence Age 4 The Adolescence Religious Feelings 5 Friendship October 6 A Study in the Epistle of St. James: The Christian and Suffering 7 A Study in the Epistle of St. James: Faith and Deeds 8 A Study in the Epistle of St. James: The Tongue 9 The Christian and Mammon (Money) November 10 The Orthodox Creed 11 St. Athanasius the Apostolic 12 Bible Studies: The Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians 13 Bible Studies: The Life of St. Paul 14 Christianity and the up building of Personality December 15 Trinitarianism and Monotheism 16 Incarnation and the Holy Trinity 17 The Divinity of Jesus Christ 18 How the Lord prepared the World for His Incarnation The Second Period January 19 Why Christ Incarnated 20 Nativity 21 The Power of Baptism 22 Debate: Anxiety February 23 The Book of Jonah: Between Science and Religion 24 The Spiritual Fight 25 Hindrances to Prayers 26 Lent: Spiritual and Dogmatic Aspects March 27 Salvation in the Orthodox Understanding (Salvation is only obtained by the blood of Christ) 28 Salvation in the Orthodox Understanding (The importance of the work of Salvation) 29 Salvation in the Orthodox Understanding (Struggle and Grace) 30 Receiving Christ as King April 31 How can I benefit from the Pascha (The Holy Week) 32 The Life of Fellowship 33 The Resurrection 34 The Attributes of the Church of the Apostles The Third Period: A contemplative study of the life of Elijah May 35 The Meeting between Elijah and Ahab 36 The Second Meeting between Elijah and Ahab 37 The Third Meeting between Elijah and Ahab 38 A Meeting with the Messengers of Ahaziah June 39 You Have Brought Up My First Fruits to the Sky 40 He will Convict the World 41 Conditions for the Fellowship of Christ 42 A Holy Summer July 43 The Life of St. Peter the Apostle 44 The First Epistle of St. Peter (I) 45 The First Epistle of St. Peter (II) 46 Hope in the Life of Young People: A Debate August 47 Interpretation of the Divine Liturgy 48 The Virgin in the Divine Liturgy 49 The Liturgy of the Catechumens 50 The Liturgy of the Faithful PREFACE. These are notes for the three periods from (September) to (August) of the 9th grade Program. The beloved Servant will find the lessons well prepared. He is not advised to copy them to the young people as they are but only to make use of the ideas and the useful notes presented. There is no doubt that he will pray before and during the preparation of the lesson and even while dealing with the lesson and during his discussion with his children. The power of the Holy Spirit of God makes the lesson effective and fruitful. Without the Spirit of the Lord, the topics would be mere intellectual thoughts and discussions devoid of life and without spiritual benefit for the life of the youth. Therefore, we insist that our beloved servants should pour themselves before the Throne of Grace and seek the guidance of the Spirit. The presence of the Lord while dealing with the topics, in prayers and singing praises to the Lord, in visiting the children or in activities is highly effective because any action that is void of the work of the Spirit and the presence of the Lord is of no value. No doubt, the beloved servant has read (and we hope that he will read again and again) the introduction to this course and grasps the idea behind it, its goals and the nature of the Secondary Stage and its characteristics, its problems and the ways of cure as well as the religious feeling of the stage. All these items are stated in detail in the notes for the first period of the first year. May the Lord bless this combined effort between the Diocese of Mallawy (His Grace Anba Bemin) and the Youth Service Committee at the Patriarchate through the prayers of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III. May he live long for the good of the church. Bishop Moussa Bishop at Youth INTRODUCTION Servants of the Secondary Stage need a curriculum to help them serve young men and women. Here we offer them this curriculum, which is characterized by the following characteristics: 1. The curriculum concentrates on the ecclesiastical side: it devotes several weeks for the young people to participate in the church liturgies and feasts and also when the church celebrates her saints, young people should take part in such celebrations and feasts; as the Coptic New year’s day (El-Nyrouze), St. Mina’s Day (Mar Mina’s feast), Kiahk’s Hymns of praise, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, the Holy Week and the Easter, Ascension Day, Whitsunday and the Feast of the Apostles. 2. The curriculum also concentrates on the Biblical side: as young people in this stage have the mental and spiritual ability to make a regular speculative study of some of the books of the Bible as a practical training to study the other Biblical books during their own life. Of these studies, we have: Joshua, a study of the Gospel of our servant St. John, the Acts of the Apostles and the two Epistles of Paul to his disciple Timothy. 3. The curriculum also concentrates on the social and social sides: debates are to be held where social and psychological issues are discussed and investigated and young people should hold clear Christian concepts about these issues so that they may apply and practice them and in this case they will be living Gospel in their daily life. Some of these debates are; “The Christian and Freedom, Violence and Meekness, Christianity rejects fanaticism, The Repeated Fall, Love and the life of Purity, The Christian Family and its attributes, The Sound Jealousy is devoid of rashness and extremes, How to practice the Sacrament of Penance (Confession) and the attributes of true repentance, and The difference between the strong personality and pride and haughtiness. We do believe that these are the issues that adolescents are interested in and that the religion education should face using a spiritual objective style. 4. The curriculum also concentrates on the lessons of Christian Religion: according to the curriculum set by the ministry to fill the gap. In this way we teach different topics each month. A lesson to revise the religion lessons, another lesson to hold a debate, a third to celebrate a feast, a fourth lesson for academic study. We offer this course as a joined effect between youth service in the Patriarchate and the Bishopric of Mallawy, under the supervision of His grace Anba Bemin and His grace Anba Moussa. May the Lord make it a basis for the growth of the service in the important stage? May the grace of the Lord be with us all through the prayers of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III. Essential Books That Serve The Curriculum 1. Issues that concerns young people (His grace Anba Bemin). 2. Christian Education (His grace Anba Bemin and Dr. Siliman Nesseem). 3. The Religious Feeling in Childhood and Adolescence (His grace Anba Bemin). 4. How to serve young people (Anba Moussa). Essential Elements In Serving The Secondary Stage In the secondary stage, young men and women reach a turning point that may lead them either to sanctified life in Christ or to a life devoid of grace and this may expose them to danger. This is the stage of adolescence, the beginning of self-structure and the formation of aspects of personality and personality components. Young men and women in this stage are in dire need of: 1. The Work Of The Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit sanctifies the whole structure of the human being’s mind, feeling and behavior. 2. The Work Of The Father of Confession: The father of confession relieves young people and helps them to have a clear conscience. He guides them to correct way of true repentance that is based on true understanding of the real facts of life not on romanticism. It is a life renewed by the grace of Christ and growing in true struggle. 3. The Work Of The Young People’s Servant: The servant gives young people spiritual and effective love. He leads them in living conversational and holy friendships, spiritual and social benefits and growth in grace, knowledge and service. 4. The Appropriate Books: These books give them sound knowledge and answers all their questions about their mood in this stage, the signs of the spiritual road, how they belong to the church, and love for all with open heart and clear conscience. 5. Effective Meetings: These meetings offer them the personality of Christ the Redeemer, the Christian fellowship of love, the fellowship of the saints as a holy domain where they smell the pure breeze of the Spirit. 6. The Constructive Activities: Such as parties, journeys, work camp, the church choir, remedial work classes for children, service in villages and others. These make young people devote their energy to constructive activities such as building up their character, their brethren, their society and their motherland. 7. Service: There is no doubt that when young people join classes of servant’s preparation and then go out for service whether by visiting their brothers or serving children in cities and villages, their personality traits become fixed and they become finally connected with Christ and church.
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