“When we teach children to be good, to be gentle, to be forgiving (all these are attributes of God), to be generous, to love their neighbors, we instill virtue in their souls, and reveal the image of God within them.” – St. John Chrysostom

With the aim of enhancing Christian education and providing continuous support to the teachers of the church schools of our God-protected Diocese of Eastern America of Serbian Orthodox Church, and with the blessing of His Grace Bishop Irinej of Washington, New York, and the Eastern American Diocese, the Diocesan Education Commission organized, for the second year in a row, a professional webinar on October 23, 2025, entitled “Rooted in the Word: Growing Through Scripture.”

This year’s Webinar gathered a record number of 44 participants from across the Diocese, who had the opportunity to familiarize themselves further with various elements of the Growing Through Scripture curriculum, and also, during the Q&A portion, to receive answers to the questions they encounter in the course of their noble and blessed service as teachers.

Moderated by Rev. Presbyter-Economos Fr. Christopher Rocknage, Co-chairman of the Diocesan Education Commission, the webinar was officially opened with a prayer led by His Grace Bishop Irinej, who then greeted all participants, expressing deep gratitude for their dedication and commitment to the teaching ministry. His Grace offered a beautiful reflection on the fundamental importance of education as a “process of enlightenment” and as a way of acquiring Christlike virtues through enlightenment: for Christ Himself is the Light, and as such, His presence in our hearts and in the hearts of our children shapes their spiritual and intellectual development.

Following the opening, Rev. Presbyter Fr. Srebrenko Vidakovic, Co-chairman of the Diocesan Education Commission, presented the efforts of the Commission in providing adequate content of 450 lessons in the Serbian language. These lessons were carefully scanned, organized by title, and adapted for the age of our students through the dedicated work of the Commission Coordinator, Mr. Srdjan Maksimović. The next step in improving materials in Serbian will be the integration of the Church Alphabet (Мој први Буквар), authored by His Grace Bishop Irinej and published by Svetigora.

Dr. Ashley (Аnica) Lackovic, Content and Curriculum Consultant, highlighted several important aspects of the Commission’s work, emphasizing the preparation of supplemental materials for our winter and summer children’s camps, and noted that over 70 new lessons had been created to strengthen the curriculum and reflect both our Orthodox faith and cultural heritage. She mentioned representative topics reflecting our identity and history, such as St. Stephen of Dečani, St. Petka, Family Sundays before Christmas, and traditional observances including Detinjci, Materice, and Oci. She also highlighted lessons addressing contemporary challenges, including cyber addiction, the Orthodox understanding of prayer, depression, and the meaning of the Church. From the Shadeland Camp series, she singled out lessons on the Eucharist, Confession, Anxiety, and Philanthropy.

An important point Dr. Lackovic emphasized was that part of the Commission’s work had been recognized in the IOCC Annual Prayer Journal, through the writing of this year’s Shadeland Camp participant, Mila Golić, who beautifully summarized the importance of giving, thereby presenting our efforts in Orthodox education to a wider audience in the most inspiring way.

In his presentation, Youth Representative Mr. Luka Parojčić emphasized that our Diocese has been an active participant in the Orthodox Christian Ministry on Homelessness, thereby contributing to the UN NGO network. He also noted that we have been contributors to the Orthodox Parishes Guidebook, endorsed by the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, whose mission is to preserve and strengthen Orthodox unity. Mr. Parojcic further highlighted our ongoing collaboration with IOCC in organizing youth-led philanthropic initiatives and our involvement with Orthodox Youth and Young Adult Ministries, which provide young people with an outstanding opportunity to grow in faith through Christ-centered activities.

Rev. Presbyter-Economos Christopher Rocknage, emphasizing the importance of continuous work with children, highlighted the great significance of adult Christian education, with a special focus on Orthodox parenting. He noted that a project on Orthodox Parenting is currently in preparation and will be presented at the end of the year in video format, through which, especially in today’s times, full of various challenges, always relevant topics of Orthodox parenting will be addressed.

In the second part of the webinar, Mr. David Lucs, founder of Orthodox Journeys/Growth through the Scripture curriculum , presented the structure and methodology of the program, emphasizing its goal to engage and inspire students in their spiritual growth. Mr. Lucs noted that, in the period ahead, the focus on improving supplemental materials would be on children under the age of seven, as this age group requires special attention and appropriate approaches in Christian education and formation. During the Q&A portion, participants had the opportunity to share their observations on the entire teaching process in the schools where they teach, as well as to ask questions aimed at improving lesson preparation and delivery.

Before the conclusion, Mr. Srdjan Maksimovic,  offered several practical notes regarding curriculum access and diocesan support. In the Q&A, teachers raised concerns about adapting materials in smaller parishes with limited resources. Mr. Maksimovic affirmed that the Diocese remains committed to ensuring access for all parishes and that flexible contribution options are available according to each parish’s capacity.

For the 2025–2026 church-school year, with the blessing of His Grace Bishop Irinej and in collaboration with Orthodox Journeys, the Diocese has acquired the Growing Through Scripture curriculum to complement Living a Sacramental Life. Growing Through Scripture is a 44-week program that follows the liturgical cycle of Sunday Epistle and Gospel readings, helping students K-12 grade to grow in Scripture and faith.

Although the retail cost of the curriculum is $700, it has been secured at a diocesan rate of $475. Parishes are kindly asked to contribute what they are able to help recover a portion of this diocesan investment. If your parish has already submitted a contribution, it may still be in processing, and we are grateful for your support.

Payment Options:

Check:
Payable to Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Eastern America (memo: Curriculum)
65 Overlook Circle, New Rochelle, NY 10804

PayPal:
Link: Donate

As the webinar concluded, His Grace Bishop Irinej once again, expressed a immense gratitude to the educators for their dedication, calling them “guardians of the faith” entrusted with preserving Orthodox traditions for future generations. The session ended with a prayer and blessing, along with strong encouragement from His Grace that similar webinars and seminars should become a continuous practice in our Diocese, with the goal of our continuous growth in the measure of Christ’s growth.

In this new school year, the curriculum, enriched with all the mentioned supplemental materials, will provide outstanding support to all church school teachers of our Diocese, aiding them in their work with children, with continuous guidance and support from the Commission through seminars, webinars, and other forms of assistance.

Rev. Presbyter Srebrenko Vidakovic,

DEC  Co-chairman

Diocesan Education Commission
Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Eastern America
Episcopal Patron: The Right Reverend Bishop Irinej of Eastern America
Co-chairpersons: Reverend Presbyter-Economos Christopher Rocknage, Reverend Presbyter Srebrenko Vidakovic
Coordinator: Mr. Srdjan Maksimovic, PhD ABD
Content and Curriculum Consultant: Dr. Ashley (Anica) Lackovic
Youth Representative: Mr. Luka Parojcic