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Sunday School Curriculum Grade 4 Piman~epickopoc n~remn~,/mi The Coptic Orthodox n~oryodoxoc Diocese n~te niyws ethwtp etcar/c Of the Southern USA Sunday School Curriculum Grade 4 Sunday School Curriculum Grade 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE .............................................................................................................III INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... IV FILLER LESSONS...................................................................................................1 1- The Structure of the Church ............................................................................................. 2 2- Marriage............................................................................................................................ 5 3- The Good Counsel: Rehoboam and the Advice of the Older Men................................... 7 4- Love for the House of God: Araunah the Jebusite ......................................................... 10 5- St. Paul the First Hermit ................................................................................................. 12 6- The Philippian Jailer....................................................................................................... 15 7- Daniel and the Priests of Baal......................................................................................... 18 LESSONS FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER .......................................................21 Week 2- The Miraculous Deeds of St. Mina and his Martyrdom....................................... 22 Week 3- Parable of the Soils............................................................................................... 25 Week 4- The Discovery of the Cross by Empress Helene.................................................. 27 LESSONS FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER...........................................................29 Week 1- Samson and The Lion........................................................................................... 30 Week 2- Parents Love: David and Absalom....................................................................... 33 Week 3- Love for our Neighbors: Ruth .............................................................................. 35 Week 4- God Cares for Pope Athanasius the Apostolic..................................................... 37 LESSONS FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER........................................................41 Week 1- The Good Friendship: David and Jonathan.......................................................... 42 Week 2- Moving The Mokattam Mount............................................................................. 44 Week 3- Do not be Greedy: Aulogius the Stone Cutter...................................................... 47 Week 4- Healing Peter’s Mother-in-Law ........................................................................... 49 LESSONS FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER ........................................................51 Week 1- The Child Jesus Enters the Temple...................................................................... 52 Week 2- Raising Jairus’ Daughter ...................................................................................... 54 Week 3- Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind ............................................................................. 56 Week 4- Angels: Ranks, Nature and Work......................................................................... 59 LESSONS FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY ...........................................................63 Week 1- Nativity Feast: The Angels and the Shepherds .................................................... 64 Week 2- John the Baptist: His Self Denial and His Evangelism ........................................ 66 Week 3- David Kills a Lion and a Bear.............................................................................. 68 i Sunday School Curriculum Grade 4 Week 4- St. Hilaria.............................................................................................................. 70 BEGINNING OF FEBRUARY TILL JONAH’S FAST ............................................... 73 LESSONS FOR JONAH’S FAST............................................................................. 75 Week before Fast- Elijah’s Prayer for No Rain .................................................................. 76 Week after Jonah’s Fast- Elijah and the Priests of Baal ..................................................... 78 LESSONS FOR THE GREAT FAST PERIOD .......................................................... 81 Week 0- Elijah is taken up to Heaven................................................................................. 82 Week 1- God Cared for Daniel when he Fasted (I) ............................................................ 84 Week 2- God Cared for Daniel when he Fasted (II) ........................................................... 87 Week 3- The Unction of the Sick........................................................................................ 89 Week 4- Mary and the Fragrant Oil .................................................................................... 94 Week 5- The Power of Christ before and during the Crucifixion....................................... 96 Week 6- The Power of Resurrection................................................................................... 98 LESSONS FOR THE PENTECOST PERIOD .......................................................... 101 Week 1- The Lord is the Good Shepherd.......................................................................... 102 Week 2- The Feast of St. Mark: His Evangelism.............................................................. 105 Week 3- Do Good to Those Who Offend You: David and Saul....................................... 108 Week 4- Show Respect for the handicapped: David and Mephibosheth.......................... 110 Week 5- The Holy Family’s Flight To Egypt ................................................................... 112 Week 6- Almsgiving: Elijah and the Widow .................................................................... 114 Week 7- The Apostles Courage and Heroism before the Courts of Law.......................... 116 THE APOSTLES’ FAST PERIOD ........................................................................ 119 LESSONS FOR THE MONTH OF JULY................................................................ 121 Week 2- The Feast of the Apostles: John the Evangelist and the Thief ........................... 122 Week 3- The Priesthood.................................................................................................... 124 Week 4- Entertaining the Strangers: Anba Pachomius and His Faith .............................. 128 LESSONS FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST .......................................................... 131 Week 1- Pictures and Icons............................................................................................... 132 Week 2- The Transfiguration............................................................................................ 134 Week 3- The Feast of the Virgin Mary: Her Departure.................................................... 136 Week 4- David and Goliath............................................................................................... 138 LESSON OF THE FIRST WEEK OF SEPTEMBER ................................................. 141 Week 1- God Cares for Gideon in His Wars..................................................................... 142 ii Sunday School Curriculum Grade 4 PREFACE The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States, under the auspices of His Grace Bishop Youssef, felt the pressing need for a modified Sunday School Curriculum which would be better suited to address the problems and issues facing children both in America and the lands of immigration. Therefore, the efforts and time of many faithful servants have been dedicated to modify and improve the presently used English translation of the syllabus published by the Youth Services Committee of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate. This has resulted in the elimination of many existing lessons from this syllabus and the substitution with new lessons that are more appropriate for our youth in American society. These additional lessons give greater consideration to the differences in quality of life, education, media influence, cultural differences and the surrounding diversity of beliefs between Egyptian society and that of the west. We pray that God may bless this work for the spiritual growth of our children in the immigration countries. We also thank His Grace Bishop Youssef for his continued support, prayers and motivating guidance in this service. May God reward every servant who offered time and effort toward the completion of this Sunday School Curriculum. “Thus Far the Lord Has Helped Us” (1 Samuel 7:12) iii Sunday School Curriculum Grade 4 INTRODUCTION This grade 4 of Sunday school curriculum has been modified by substituting 16 lessons from the previous curriculum published by the Youth Service Committee of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate with new lessons that are suitable for the youth in America. The order of the lessons has also been changed to follow the major events in the church. This resulted in the following order assuming the starting date is the first week after the Coptic New Year celebration (El Nayrouz) on September 11: - 3 lessons for the month of September. - 4 lessons for each of the months of October through January.
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