The Diocese of Los Angeles along with St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church is firmly committed to the advanced preparation of its Sunday School servants, beginner and experienced. It is with this commitment, that the Servants’ Program curriculum has been expanded. The newly developed curriculum set forth in this catalog includes religious education such as Holy Bible study, church dogma, rituals, church history, as well as spiritual studies. A servant should be capable of serving at various different levels; therefore it is essential that a servant have advanced religious preparation.
The mission of the Servants’ Preparation Program is to provide the participants with a solid Orthodox Christian education, which enables them to grow in faith, to search for knowledge and truth, and continue building the Kingdom of God on earth. By active involvement in the learning process, individuals are prepared to “serve the Lord with gladness” (Psalm 100:2) and for lives of Christian leadership. They are also prepared to pass their love to God and the right Christian teachings to the new generations.
This program is open for High School candidates who have completed Grade 8 or above, and for all college students and post-graduates. In order to attend and participate in the Servants’ Preparation Program an application for admission, including the following items, must be submitted:
- Completed Application
- A personal statement outlining any services you are currently performing in your church and your reasons for wanting to attend.
- A recommendation letter by your father of confession.
This application process will determine whether or not the candidate is accepted into the program. Applications acceptance will be determined by service coordinator and church clergy.
COURSE OVERVIEW
The Servants’ Preparation Program (Pre-SP) main purpose is to prepare future servants with strong christian character; equipping them with profound knowledge of the Bible, deep spiritual foundation, and thorough understanding of church doctrine. This program is not only useful for people interested in serving, but it is also very helpful for everyone in becoming closer to God, understanding His Word and integrating in our church.
It is a one-year program.
Each year is divided into 2-semesters as follow:
1st Semester: (September – January)
2nd Semester: (February – July)
Pre-SP could be considered as an extension of Sunday school with emphasis on the basics of our Coptic orthodox beliefs and an introduction to service.
Each student is required to spend a number of hours (at least 24) per year in co-op service in the church. The type of service will depend on the year and the services needed by the church at the time of co-op.
At the end of SP-Yr1, an evaluation is made to assess each student (see criteria) and depending on the interest of the students to determine whether the student will continue to step towards becoming a Sunday school servant or that he/she would graduate and hopefully get involved in serving in the general services of the church.
SP-Yr2 is mainly for those interested in serving in Sunday school classes. It involves rotations through Sunday school classes of different age groups and didactic classes geared towards serving children of different age groups.
Who can attend?
This program is open for High School candidates who have completed Grade 8 or above, and for all college students and post-graduates.
When and Where?
- Classes are held every Sunday from 11:30 PM to 1:30 PM at St Mark Coptic Orthodox Church.
- Class location may be changed on a yearly basis depending on the church needs for classes.
- Attendance to select servants meetings may also be required.
Curriculum
Courses of this program are taken from the courses prepared by:
- Pre-servants Program of Southern USA Diocese
- A Spiritual Guide for Sunday School Service, St. Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church, Raleigh, NC
- Servants Prep. Program of HG Anba Rafael & Fr. Dawoud Lamee
- Curriculum has been prepared to include the following topics:
- Bible Study (BS)
- Dogma (DGM)
- Rituals (RIT)
- History (HIS)
- Spirituality (SPR)
- Theology (THL)
- Patrology (PAT)
For further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.