The Clergy and Sunday School Teachers Retreat was held on Saturday, February 22 at St. Peter Church, and the theme was understanding "A Comparison between the Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant Churches."
His Eminence Mor Clemis Eugene Kaplan began the meeting with prayer, and then followed with a Bible reading by Miss Irin Simon. His Eminence welcomed all attendees, and expressed his joy with representation from the majority of the Southern California churches. In attendance were teachers from St. Ephraim, St. George, St. Helena, St. Elias, St. Peter, St. Thomas, St. Mary, and St Paul (via Skype).
Patricia Allaf then presented a Diocese update in regards to the Curriculum, and the completion of 4th/5th grades by the fall of 2014. She shared some sample pages from grade level 4, and what does the content focus on. Patricia then spoke about the annual Diocese Camp, which will be held on June 13-15th at Idyllwild Pines.
The morning session of the retreat focused on the comparison between the Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant churches. Each teacher received reading material that was explained by His Eminence who also answered any question the teachers had pertaining to the subject. Each teacher received theological articles to further enhance their knowledge in order to properly educate our Sunday School children.
Following lunch, the second session of the retreat begin, in which the clergy and teachers met separately. In the teachers meeting, the theme of the 2014 Diocese Camp was selected: "Jesus Just pray" Teachers also discussed the importance of these retreats and future topics to focus on in the meetings.
The next Diocese Teachers Meeting will be held in April and will be Camp Preparation and Planning. May God bless all the teachers for their dedication and attendance to these very important gatherings.