Department of Christian Education to hold regional conference in Portland, OR

On Saturday, April 12th, 2008, the Department of Christian Education of the Orthodox Church in America will present a one-day conference in Portland, OR for teachers, parents, youth leaders, and anyone interested in Christian Education. The conference will be held at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, 2210 SW Dolph Court, Portland, OR 97219 and will begin at 10:30 a.m. with registration and conclude at 6:00 p.m. with Great Vespers. A Memorial Liturgy will be served at St. Nicholas at 9:00 a.m. the morning of the conference.

Intrigue, controversy, struggle, travel, inclement weather, construction and gardening. The Book of Genesis has it all. The conference, entitled “In The Beginning…” will utilize the Book of Genesis as an example of what teachers and parents can do when instructing their children and Church School students of various age and grade levels. The Orthodox Church prescribes the reading of Genesis both in our private prayer and in our corporate worship. The Fathers taught it. And we must teach it also to our young and old alike; a solid foundation in scripture starts IN THE BEGINNING.

The keynote address will be delivered by Matushka Valerie Zahirsky on the topic: “How Genesis Can Help Our Kids Navigate Their World.” Matushka Valerie’s talk will focus on influences from outside our Orthodox environment that challenge our youth in today’s society and how the Church and the Fathers addressed them.

Workshop topics will include: “What? Who? When?” what to teach, who to teach it to, and when to teach the subject matter; and “Building a Thematic Lesson on Genesis” which will show how to create a lesson plan, and why this tool is so valuable. Workshops will be lead by members of the Department of Christian Education who are recognized as Master Teachers in their areas of expertise. During the breaks and lunch hour additional educational materials will be available at the displays, including some available for purchase.

The cost is $15.00 per person to cover conference materials. Checks may be made payable to the Orthodox Church in America. Registration forms should be returned no later than Wed., April 9, 2008 to the DCE c/o Daria Petrykowski 19308 Ivywood Trail, Strongsville, OH 44149. Please contact the Department of Christian Education at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for more information or to return your registration form by email.