Submitted by St. George in New Kensington, PA

Proposal:

St. George Orthodox Church would like to extend its church school program to include improved communications to church school families, and to incorporate family programs that better connect the parish and the home.  Programs would include opportunities for worship, education, witness, service, and fellowship.

Goals:

To establish an effective program connecting the church parish life and church school program to families in the home.

1 Year:  Improve family communications and begin adding quarterly family programs, and one or two off-site retreats, with the goal of assisting families in improved appreciation for the Orthodox faith, and increased participation in church worship, service and fellowship activities.

5 Years:  Conduct surveys and receive feedback from families with the goal to continually improve family communications, and increase from quarterly to monthly family programs, and increase to two to four off-site retreats, with the goals of assisting families in improved appreciation for the Orthodox faith, increased participation in church worship, service and fellowship activities, and increased membership in our church school and family programs.

Implementation:

-  Encourage 15+ active church school families, their friends, and additional families in the community to participate in the following opportunities for worship, education, service, witness and fellowship:

• Pan-Orthodox Vacation Church School Program (develop our own or support another Orthodox parish)
• 4 Family Programs (one or more as a Pan-Orthodox event)
• 1 or 2 Off-Site Family Retreats
• 1 Family Mission and/or Service Project

-  Develop a quarterly family newsletter

-  Distribute ongoing relevant materials to families via Internet, zines, and/or other published materials.

Timeline for Implementation:

The planning process would start after Pascha 2011 to begin a Family Program with the 2011-2012 church school year.  Additionally, it would be ideal to put a Vacation Church School Program in place in late summer to kick off the church school year.  The anticipated timeline would include:

Planning:

• 2/11-2/12:  Attend Orthodox Education Conference
• May:  Develop a Family Church Program for the 2011-2012 Church School Year

Summer - 2011:

• Ongoing communications (newsletters and/or emails)
• Early July:  Encourage participation in the Parish Life Conference
• Mid to Late July:  Host a Parish Family Event
• Early August:  Retreat to Transfiguration Monastery
• Mid to Late August:  Pilot a Vacation Church School Program

Church School Year 2011-2012; Some Ideas Include:

• Ongoing communications (newsletters and/or emails)
• Quarterly Family Programs (family speakers; on-site family camp programs, Lenten Program, fellowship, etc.)
• Quarterly Family Matins or Vespers (followed by light snack/fellowship activity)
• Family Missions/Service Project (e.g. IOCC project, Project Mexico, FOCUS, etc.)
• Family Retreats (1 during church school year; 1 during summer)