Under the auspices of His Eminence Mor Dionysius John Kawak, the Educational Programs Committee hosted its annual Sunday School Teachers’ Retreat at the Mor Aphrem Center from November 15-17, 2024. Sunday School Teachers from across the Archdiocese gathered for a weekend of spiritual growth and fellowship. The weekend was centered around the theme “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6-7). The program began with evening prayers on Friday, during which the participants offered thanks to God for gathering His servants for the growth and betterment of His Holy Church.
All attendees were then welcomed by His Eminence Mor Dionysius John Kawak, who shared a few steps on living according to our Syriac Orthodox faith. Friday evening we continued with Bible Study, which was conducted by Shamosho Joseph Shammas on Ephesians 2, focusing on how we were created “for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them…. built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:10, 20), emphasizing the central importance of our learning, living and teaching our Syriac Orthodox faith.
Three workshops were offered on Saturday. The first was delivered by Fr. Abraham Amzy, Priest of Virgin Mary & Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church of Connecticut, and Dean of Holy Sophia University, titled “Initiating the Walk in Christ.” His Eminence Mor Dionysius John Kawak offered the second, “Building Yourself Up in Him and Establishing the Faith in Others.” The third was by Shamosho Joseph Shammas, titled “Water, Working and Warning.” Each workshop included a presentation followed by group discussions, where teachers could learn from each other while answering discussion questions. The schedule on Saturday concludes with an open forum to discuss Sunday School matters.
The weekend was concluded on Sunday morning with the Holy Liturgy offered by His Eminence at St. Mark’s Cathedral, followed by lunch at the Church of the Virgin Mary.
