New, seasonal resources available from the OCA Department of Christian Education

Several new resources are now available from the Orthodox Church in America’s Department of Christian Education.

• An excellent article, “The Child with Autism in Church” by Barbara Zahirsky Soroka, offers suggestions for congregrations, parents and everyone who works with children with autism.  Of special concern is enabling children with autism to have a good worship experience in the Orthodox Church. The article is available at http://dce.oca.org/resource/2087/
• In “The Parish Prepares for Christmas,” Archpriest John Tkachuk, rector of the Sign of the Theotokos Church, Montreal, offers suggestions for helping parishes experiencing a meaningful Nativity Fast. The article may be accessed at http://dce.oca.org/assets/files/resources/132.pdf.
• “The Nativity Season,” a five-lesson series written on five age levels, includes seasonal Bible studies, activities, icons, hymns and prayers related to the feasts and saints celebrated during the Nativity Fast, through the Great Feast itself.  The lessons are ideal for classroom, retreat, and home use.  Access them at http://dce.oca.org/focus/nativity.
• From the third in the DCE’s series of Activity Books—“Saints Commemorated in the Litiya Prayers”—the lives of two “seasonal” saints, Barbara [December 4] and Ambrose of Milan [December 7], are of special interest at this time of the year.  The life of each saint is accompanied by an iconographic illustration, a map of the saint’s travels, puzzles and study questions.  Also included in the activity book are glossaries, extra information and photographs.  Access these resources at http://dce.oca.org/assets/files/resources/litiya-saints.pdf.

Visit the DCE web site regularly for the latest resources and updates.