Curriculum

Pre-Catechumen

• Exchange Contact Information
• Setup a few initial meetings to get to know him/her
  • What notions or ideas do they have about God/Christianity/Orthodoxy
  • Why are they seeking the Church? What are they looking for?
  • Who is their family, what kinds of friends, school/work, family attitude about religion, about God, etc.
  • What kind of support system do they have (if any)
• Give them a tour of the church
  • Church and Chapel
  • Church service calendar
  • Who are the priests, bishops, etc.
• Attend multiple liturgies
• Q&A
• When the time is right, offer for them to start Catechumen classes and explain what that means and what that timeline looks like.
  • REMEMBER: there is no pushiness in Orthodoxy. There is only the Truth. We are not looking for quantity, but for quality. If numbers were the main goal, to fill our pews, then we could compromise the Truth in order to obtain followers. But that is not the case. See John 6.

Meeting Structure

1.5 hours

1. Prayer (in Church/Chapel)
2. Follow-Up
3. Pressing Questions (Q&A)
4. Lesson

Curriculum

CurriculumIntroduction

1. Intro to Catechism
   • What is it
   • Discipleship
   • ExpectationsComponents
     • CommitmentCatechism Class
     • Liturgical Experience
     • Spiritual Canon
     1. Expectations
        • Commitment
        • Reverence
        • ASK QUESTIONS
   1. Misconceptions
      
      
2. Introduction to St Rebekah Church
   • Coptic Orthodox Church
     • Apostolic
     • Martyrs
     • Ascetic
     • Modern
   • Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern US
   • Church Calendar
   • Recommended Websites, Apps, Books, etc.
     

Truth

Recommended Reading: The Gospel of Matthew/Mark/Luke

1. Truth
   • The point here is to establish a baseline... there is such a thing called Truth. And Truth is important (imperative). And discovering or knowing the Truth is the point of catechism.
   • Some things are unknowable 
   • Some things require faith
     
   • Here, some preliminary ideas can be mentioned as the truth, to "get them out of the way" - homosexuality is sin, transgenderism is sin, abortion is sin
     
     
2. How does God reveal the Truth to us?
   
   • Nature
     • "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse" (Science)Romans 1:20)
     • The Church is NOT against Science or the Scientific Method but...
   • Scripture
   • Tradition
     
     
   1. Scripture (Revelation)
      1. Authenticity and Reliability of the Bible
      2. Biblical Interpretation
      3. Infallibility of the Bible
      4. How to Read the Bible
         
         
   2. Tradition
      (Inspiration)
      1. Intro to Tradition & Orthodoxy
      2. Benefits of Holy Tradition
      3. vs. Sola Scriptura
         
         
   3. The Gospel Message

   Who is God

   Recommended Reading:

   1. WhatExistence isof theGod
   Truth?
   
   
   2. Trinitarian Faith
      1. Introduction
      2. Analogies
      3. Biblical Foundations
   3. Attributes of God
   4. Heresies about God

   Who is Man

   Recommended Reading: Genesis

   1. Created in God's Image
      
      
   2. Fall of Man
      
      
   3. Spiritual Disciplines
      1. Fasting
      2. Prayer
   4. Spiritual Life's Goal

   Salvation in the Orthodox Concept

   Recommended Reading: Depends on each section

   1. Salvation in the Orthodox Concept
      1. Grace
      2. Faith
      3. Works
         1. Sacramental WorksMysteries
         2. Good Deeds
            
            
   2. Sacraments
      1. Baptism
      &
      2. Chrismation
      3. Repentance and Confession
      4. Eucharist
         
         
   3. The Creed
      1. We believe in One God
      2. God The Father
      3. God the Son
      4. God the Holy Spirit
      5. The Church
      6. The Resurrection of the Dead

   Church History

   1. Apostolic Fathers
   2. Gnosticism
   3. Arianism & Council of Nicaea
   4. Macedonius & Council of Constantinople
   5. Nestorianism
   6. Chalcedon

   Eastern Orthodoxy

   Catholicism

   1. Filioque & Great Schism
   2. Papal Infallibility
   3. St Mary
      1. Immaculate Conception
      2. Veneration
   4. Purgatory

   Protestantism

   1. Sola Scriptura
   2. Real Presence of the Eucharist
   3. Baptism for Salvation

   Liturgical Experience

   Divine Liturgy

   Vespers & Matins

   Pascha Week

   Spiritual Canon

   Prayer

   Everyone starts at a different level, but if someone is at zero, I usually go in this order:

   1. Pray the Lord's Prayer until it's memorized. Pray extemporaneous prayer after.
   2. Add the Thanksgiving Prayer
   3. Add Psalm 50
   4. Up to twice a day (morning and evening) if not already
   5. "Come Let us Kneel Down" (with prostrations) in the mornings
      
   6. Add Gospel of 1st Hour in mornings, 12th Hour in evenings

   Scripture

   Bible Readings:

   1. Gospel of St Mark
      1. Use NKJV, can read one section at a time or continue through a chapter

      2. If you have any question, write it down and bring it to next meeting (or send it to Abouna)
         
         

   2. Catholic Epistle: 1 John
      
      
   3. Pauline Epistle: Romans? 1 Corinthians?
      
      
   1. Gospel of St Luke
      
   2. Acts
      
   3. Genesis
      
      
   4. Exodus
      
      
   5. Romans
   6. Gospel of Matthew

   Fasting