Dear Reverend Fathers, Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Glory to Jesus Christ!

Transcription

1 Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministry Natalie Kapeluck Nixon Director 1810 Sidney Street Pittsburgh, PA fax Dear Reverend Fathers, Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Glory to Jesus Christ! The Great Lent Giveaway(GLG) is designed to give our youth the opportunity to do good works for others during Great Lent. In addition to doing good works, they learn more about their faith and devote additional time to learning, prayer and fasting during this season of preparation for Pascha. The GLG is a joint project with the Jr. Ukrainian Orthodox League. With the blessing of our Hierarchs, the GLG of 2006 l benefited the Ukrainian Gift of Life, an organization that helps children in Ukraine with congenital heart defects. You will find in this packet a suggested program for conducting the GLG. We encourage you to construct a program using these materials, as well as your own ideas, to make the GLG more than just a fundraising effort. A program that is carried out throughout Great Lent will help the youth of your parish more fully understand the importance and beauty of mission work during fasting periods. This program may be used any time throughout the year, not just during Great Lent. Please modify it for your needs. In Christ s Love, Natalie Kapeluck Nixon Director Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it Proverbs

2 GREAT LENT GIVEAWAY A Gift of the Heart Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministry Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA 2006 Benefiting the Ukrainian Gift of Life, Inc. Objective: To instill in our youth the true meaning of Great Lent by: 1. Introducing the beauty and responsibility of mission work 2. Learning more about their faith 3. Developing fellowship and responsibility in being caretakers of one another 4. Discovering the true gift of the heart and life Pascha. GLG Project: Collecting funds for the Ukrainian Gift of Life an organization that helps provide aid to children in Ukraine with congenital heart defects. Steps for initiating and sustaining the Great Lent Giveaway throughout Great Lent this program may be divided into several sessions or one retreat: 1. Gather the youth to discuss the Great Lent Giveaway. What is Great Lent, why do we fast, what is the purpose of Great Lent? What is the importance of mission work? What does performing mission work have to do with Lenten periods? There is information provided in this packet to help answer all of the above questions. Incorporate these ideas with the objective of the Great Lent Giveaway. At this gathering you will want to decide how you will raise the funds. Go to the Ukrainian Gift of Life website to gain more information at 2. With the participants, devise a game plan as to how you will accomplish your goal. 3. Establish with the participants a weekly time to gather (once or more) and learn more about the Ukrainian Gift of Life and our gifts of life and discuss progress with the collection. 4. Collect and forward the donations to the Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministry or the National Jr. UOL (or your designated location). Great Lent Giveaway Office of Youth Ministry 1810 Sidney Street Pittsburgh, PA Wrap up the project and have a celebration event with the youth on St. Thomas Sunday.

3 PROGRAM IDEAS GREAT LENT GIVEAWAY THE TRUE GIFT OF LIFE: Younger Children Ages 4 7 Total time needed for session 1 hour fifteen minutes Items Needed: Line Drawings of Resurrection Icon 11 x 17 Poster Board Crayons, colored pencils, or markers Dry Erase Board or chalk board Icons of Christ any size, paper or otherwise wrapped up as presents (one for each child) The Program Hand children their wrapped gift. Tell them not to open it just yet. Ask the children what is a gift? When do you normally receive gifts? What have some of their favorite gifts been? How did it make them feel to get a gift? Make a list on the Dry Erase Board of their answers for each question. Ask them if they have ever given a gift. How did it make them feel to give the gift? Once you have had your discussion, have them open their gifts. Ask them what they think of their gifts. Ask them how Jesus is a gift. At this point discuss how people can be gifts from God their friends, parents, brothers and sisters. Ask them how these people are like a gift. Remind them of how they said receiving a gift made them feel, i.e. happy, excited, content, etc. Do their family and friends make them feel the same way? Ask them how Jesus makes them happy. What special gifts can only He give us? Erase your board and write down these answers. Change gears at this point. Ask them if they know of anyone who is sick. Let them give their answers. Tell them, Did you know that Jesus can also give us the gift of healing? Explain to them that we can pray for God to heal people. We have a special service called a Healing Service that is going to take place soon, during Great Lent. During this service each person is anointed with Holy Oil. Ask them if they know what anointed means? Explain to them that anointed means to have the Holy Oil placed on their body. Ask them if they have ever been anointed with Holy Oil. Some of the answers could be Baptism, Feast Days (special Holy Days in the Church), or when they are sick. If your priest is able to be there for the lesson, ask him to show the children a vile of Holy Oil and the special brushes used when anointing someone. He may want to explain the difference between Holy Chrism and Holy Oil. There is also a picture enclosed with this packet to show them. Now show them the brochure from the Ukrainian Gift of Life. Explain to them that these children have a sick heart that needs to be fixed. We are going to try and help them by giving them a gift of money to help receive the gift of a new heart or improved and a new heart means a new life. Answer any questions they may have at this point. Do not become graphic with answers concerning a heart transplant or repair. Remember the age of the children. All they need is a simple answer. Tell them how we are going to raise money for the children and that they can help.

4 At this point give children their piece of poster board. Explain to them that Jesus gives all people, them and the children with the sick heart, the special Gift of Eternal Life. He does this at Pascha when he rises from the dead. He gives us the chance to have eternal life, forever with Him. Tell them that Great Lent is a time to get ready to celebrate Pascha and to receive the Greatest Gift ever given by Jesus. Give children their Resurrection Icon. Help them to color the icon the correct colors. Explain the icon simply to them. When they are done paste the icon onto the poster board. Now you are going to help them write on the board, a list of people that they are going to pray for during Great Lent. They are going to give them the Gift of Prayer. Tell them that they are going to hang this poster in their room and each day say special prayers for these people. Next to the person s name write what gift they are praying for them, such as: Mommy To Be Happy Grandma Not to be Sick Brother John To do Well in School They can draw a picture of that person next to their name to help them remember whom they are praying for, in the event that they do not have strong reading skills. Have them add to the prayer list, Children at the Ukrainian Gift of the Heart. Also have them write at least one prayer on in the section as well: The Jesus Prayer, The Lord s Prayer, O Heavenly King, etc. When they are done, go back to their icon gift of Christ. On the back help them write, The True Gift of Life. Tell them to keep this Icon as a reminder of how Jesus died for us and came back from the dead to give us the Gift of Life with Him forever. If we love Jesus with all of our heart, mind, body and soul, He will give us all the gifts we need for the rest of our lives here on earth food, water, a home, and family. Wrap up the discussion and crafts. Review what they learned. Have a small snack or meal for the children. Remind them that they can come to the special healing service during Holy Week. Give the parents a written review of what they learned that day, information about the fundraiser and the date and time for services during Holy Week, emphasizing the Service of Healing on Great Wednesday. Additional Notes: Colors for the Resurrection icon: Christ should be all in white (the robes can have gold accents) with brown hair and gold halo(nimbus) The Diamond shape behind him should be different shades of blue The woman he is pulling up is Eve and she should be in red with white hair The man he is pulling up is Adam and he should be in green with white hair The doors he is standing on should be brown or black The mountains should be brown The sky should be golden If there is a man with chains below the doors/gates, he should be colored black Page 2 GLG 2006 Younger Children Session

5 Great Lent Giveaway 2006 The True Gift of Life Older Children Ages 8 12 Total time needed for session 1.5 hours. Items Needed: Line Drawings of Resurrection Icon 11 x 17 Poster Board Crayons, colored pencils, or markers Dry Erase Board or chalk board Icons of Christ any size, paper or otherwise wrapped up as presents (one for each child) Vocabulary Words written on 8.5x11 paper Vocabulary Definitions written on 8.5x11 paper The Program Begin with the prayer to the Holy Spirit, O Heavenly King. Take the vocabulary words: Baptism, Resurrection, Holy Chrism, Great Lent, Service of Healing, Gift, Life, True Life, Anoint and Pascha and place each word on a separate piece of paper. Take the definition for each and place each one on a separate piece of paper. Make two sets of each. Put tape on the back and place the vocabulary words in a vertical line on the wall. Put tape on the back of the definitions and place them scattered on the wall to the right of the vocabulary words. Break the children into two groups. Explain to them that they will have one minute to put the correct definition next to the corresponding vocabulary word. Have them line up one behind the other facing the wall. They may run up, one at a time and move only one definition next to a vocabulary word. They must then run back and tag the next person. They then go to the end of the line. They continue with this until all definitions have been moved. When they are finished they must sit. The first team to complete the exercise correctly wins. When they are done, review the vocabulary words and answer any questions. Hand children their wrapped gift. Tell them not to open it just yet. Ask the children what is a gift? When do you normally receive gifts? What have some of their favorite gifts been? How did it make them feel to get a gift? Make a list on the Dry Erase Board of their answers for each question. Ask them if they have ever given a gift. How did it make them feel to give the gift? Once you have had your discussion, have them open their gifts. Ask them what they think of their gifts. Ask them how Jesus is a gift. At this point discuss how people can be gifts from God their friends, parents, brothers and sisters. Ask them how these people are like a gift. Remind them of how they said receiving a gift made them feel, i.e. happy, excited, content, etc. Do their family and friends make them feel the same way? Ask them how Jesus makes them happy. What special gifts can only He give us? Erase your board and write down these answers. Change gears at this point. Ask them if they know of anyone who is sick. Let them give their answers. Tell them, Did you know that Jesus can also give us the gift of healing? Explain to them that we can pray for God to heal people. There is the Sacrament of Holy Unction. During this sacrament people receive special prayers for healing and are anointed with Holy Oil. We have a special service called the Healing Service, which is going to take place soon, during Great

6 Lent. During this service each person is anointed with Holy Oil. Ask them if they know what anointed means? Explain to them that anointed means to have the Holy Oil placed on their body (refer back to the vocabulary). Ask them if they have ever been anointed with Holy Oil. Some of the answers could be Baptism, Feast Days (special Holy Days in the Church), or when they are sick. If your priest is able to be there for the lesson, ask him to show the children a vile of Holy Oil and the special brushes used when anointing someone. There is also a picture enclosed with this packet to show them. Ask him to discuss how being anointed is a gift of life. Now show them the brochure from the Ukrainian Gift of Life. Explain to them that these children have a sick heart that needs to be fixed. This means that they will undergo a heart transplant or surgery. Explain that a congenital heart defect is a heart or blood vessels near the heart that doesn t develop normally before birth. Congenital is a big word that means existing since birth. There are over 50 different types of defects. We are going to try and help these children by giving them a gift of money to help them receive the gift of a new or improved heart and a new heart means a new life. Answer any questions they may have at this point. Do not become graphic with answers concerning a heart surgery. Remember the age of the children. All they need is a simple answer. Discuss with them how we are going to raise money for the children and that they can help. Ask if they have any ideas. At this point, give children their piece of poster board. Explain to them that Jesus gives all people, them and the children with the heart disease the special Gift of Life. He does this at Pascha when He rises from the dead. He gives us the chance to have life forever with Him. Relate this back to Baptism. Discuss what happens at Baptism. Show pictures of a baptism and explain the service. How many days between Christ s death and resurrection? How many times is a person immersed in water during baptism? When the child is immersed three times into the water it symbolizes Jesus three days from death to Resurrection. We travel like he did and we are now brothers and sisters in Christ with the Gift of eternal life, that Christ provided for us by His Resurrection. We are Baptized in Christ. Answer any questions that may be posed at this time. You may need to explain the difference between Holy Oil and Holy Chrism. Tell them that Great Lent is a time to get ready to celebrate Pascha and to receive the Greatest Gift ever given by Jesus. We should spend extra time during Great Lent for prayer, fasting, additional Church Services and Good Works. Give children their Resurrection Icon. Help them to color the icon the correct colors. Explain the icon simply to them. When they are done paste the icon onto the poster board. Now you are going to have them section of the board into four areas. Put a title in each area: Prayer, Fasting, Church Services, Gifts of Life (Good Works). Tell them that they are going to hang this poster in their room. Start with prayer. Each day ask them to say special prayers for people. Have them write a persons name and then next to the person s name write what gift they are praying for them, such as: Mommy To Be Happy Grandma Not to be Sick Brother John To do Well in School Tammy(friend) Help with making good decisions They are going to give them the Gift of Prayer. Also have them write at least one prayer in the section as well: The Jesus Prayer, The Lord s Prayer, O Heavenly King, etc. Page 2 GLG 2006 Older Children Session

7 Next move on to the Fasting section. Discuss fasting. There is an article about fasting to use as a guide, provided with this packet. Have them write down what they may be fasting from and when during Great Lent. They should go home and discuss this area with their parents. The next section, Church Services, help them right down the days and times of the services held in your church during Great Lent. Such as: Wednesdays Presanctified Liturgy 7:00PM Fridays Akhathist to the Mother of God 7:00PM Saturdays All Souls Divine Liturgy 10:00AM Holy Week Services Tell them to put a check mark next to each service every time that they attend. The last section is Gift of Life (Good Works). Tell them to write down at least two things that they would like to do for others during Great Lent. Tell them that it can be something simple. Then tell them to write down any time they see someone else giving a Gift of Life, during Great Lent. Something like, helping someone cross the street or giving someone a hug when they are sad. It is important to stress, that this poster is a tool to help them during Great Lent. It is not for them to show to others to brag about what they are doing. Their prayer, fasting and good works are between them and God. Refer to articles on prayers and fasting. When they are done, go back to their icon gift of Christ. On the back help them write, The True Gift of Life. Tell them to keep this Icon as a reminder of how Jesus died for us and came back from the dead to give us the Gift of Life with Him forever. If we love Jesus with all of our heart, mind, body and soul, He will give us all the gifts we need for the rest of our lives here on earth food, water, a home, and family. Wrap up the discussion and crafts. Review what they learned. Have a small snack or meal for the children. Remind them that they can come to the special healing service during Holy Week. Give the parents a written review of what they learned that day, information about the fundraiser and the date and time for services during Holy Week, emphasizing the Service of Healing on Great Wednesday. Additional Notes: Colors for the Resurrection icon: Christ should be all in white with brown hair (the robes can have gold accents) and gold halo The Diamond shape behind him should be different shades of blue The woman He is pulling up is Eve and she should be in red with white hair The man He is pulling up is Adam and he should be in green with white hair The doors He is standing on should be brown or black The mountains should be brown The sky should be golden If there is a man with chains below the doors/gates, he should be colored black Meaning of the Resurrection Icon Decent of Our Lord and Savior into Hades: Christ is dressed in white/gold to signify His Glorious Resurrection from the dead as His transfigured self. He is standing inside of a blue diamond. That diamond represents Christ s glory and the to doorway to Heaven and is usually only seen around Christ. Jesus is standing on top of two doors or gates that symbolizes His breaking down the doors/gates of Hades, making it possible for us to live with Him forever. He is pulling an old man and old woman up out of tombs. These two people are Adam and Eve. He is bringing them out of Hades/Sheol and their sin is washed away with Christ s Resurrection. Page 3 GLG 2006 Older Children Session

8 VOCABULARY Baptism A Sacrament of our birth into the family of God. Resurrection to awake, to raise up, to cure. The divine judgment that has ordered the defeat of death and pledges salvation and resurrection to all the faithful. Holy Chrism the special holy oil, which comes from the bishop. When the priest anoints us with Chrism, it is the sign of God s Holy Spirit coming into our lives. Great Lent the 40-day time of preparation before Easter. Service of Healing - a service or sacrament of healing during which a person is anointed with Holy Oil (unction). Anoint putting oil on someone or something (usually in a special ceremony) Pascha The great day of Christ s Resurrection. It literally means Passover. Gift - Something that is bestowed voluntarily and without compensation. The act, right, or power of giving. Life The property or quality that distinguishes living organisms from dead organisms and inanimate matter. True Life I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father, but by me John 14: 5. Page 4 GLG 2006 Older Children Session

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10 Great Lent Giveaway 2006 The True Gift of Life Teenagers Total time for the session: 2 hours Items Needed: Paper Icons of Resurrection Icon Small Journals (you can purchase these at a Dollar Store) Crayons, colored pencils, or markers Dry Erase Board or chalk board Icons of Christ any size, paper or otherwise wrapped up as presents (one for each child) List of Questions about Great Lent and the Activity (they are included with the lesson) The Program Begin with the prayer to the Holy Spirit, O Heavenly King. Break up those present into at least two groups with no more than five in a group. They will play the following game. This game is played a bit like Family Feud. Players come up to the Leader one at a time. Have an item placed on the table in-between the players. The item should be easy enough to grab or pick up quickly. The Leader begins to ask the question. The first person to pick up the item answers first. If they answer correctly they gain a point. If they do not answer correctly the other team gets the opportunity to hear the question again and give an answer. If they do not answer correctly then no points are awarded. Continue with each member coming up to the podium. Only spend approximately 10 minutes on this game. When they are done, review any vocabulary words and answer any questions that may have arisen from the game. Hand participants their wrapped gift. Tell them not to open it just yet. Ask the participants what is a gift? When do you normally receive gifts? What have some of their favorite gifts been? How did it make them feel to get a gift? Make a list on the Dry Erase Board of their answers for each question. Ask them if they have ever given a gift. How did it make them feel to give the gift? Did they get feedback from the person who received it? Once you have had your discussion, have them open their gifts. Ask them what they think of their gifts. Ask them how Jesus is a gift. At this point discuss how people can be gifts from God their friends, parents, brothers and sisters. Ask them how these people are like a gift. Remind them of how they said receiving a gift made them feel, i.e. happy, excited, content, etc. Do their family and friends make them feel the same way? Ask them how Jesus makes them happy. What special gifts can only He give us? Erase your board and write down these answers. Change gears at this point. Ask them if they know of anyone who is sick. Let them give their answers. Tell them, Did you know that Jesus can also give us the gift of healing? Explain to them that we can pray for God to heal people. There is the Sacrament of Holy Unction. During this sacrament people receive special prayers for healing and are anointed with Holy Oil. We have a special service called the Healing Service, which is going to take place soon, during Great Lent. During this service each person is anointed with Holy Oil. Ask them if they know what anointed means? Explain to them that anointed means to have the Holy Oil placed on their body (refer back to the vocabulary). Ask them if they have ever been anointed with Holy Oil.

11 Some of the answers could be Baptism, Feast Days (special Holy Days in the Church), or when they are sick. If your priest is able to be there for the lesson, ask him to show the participants a vile of Holy Oil and the special brushes used when anointing someone. There is also a picture enclosed with this packet to show them. Ask him to discuss how being anointed is a gift of life. Differentiate between Holy Oil and Holy Chrism. Now show them the brochure from the Ukrainian Gift of Life. Explain to them that these children have a sick heart that needs to be fixed. This means that they will undergo a heart transplant or surgery. Explain that a congenital heart defect is a heart or blood vessels near the heart that doesn t develop normally before birth ( Congenital means existing since birth). There are over 50 different types of defects. We are going to try and help these children by giving them a gift of money to help them receive the gift of a new heart and a new heart means a new life. Answer any questions they may have at this point. Do not become graphic with answers concerning a heart transplant, unless it seems like the discussion will be helpful to understanding what the organization does for the children. Discuss with them how they would like to raise money for the children and what they can do to make it happen. Discuss their ideas. Ask if they know anyone with a congenital heart defect. What did they do about it? At this point, give the participants the journals. Explain to them that Jesus gives all people, them and the children with the heart defects the special Gift of Eternal Life. He does this at Pascha when He rises from the dead. He gives us the chance to have life forever with Him. Relate this back to Baptism. Discuss what happens at Baptism. Show pictures of a baptism and explain the service. When the child is immersed three times into the water it symbolizes Jesus three days from death to Resurrection. We travel like he did and we are now brothers and sisters in Christ with the Gift of eternal life, that Christ provided for us by His Resurrection. We are Baptized in Christ. You can go in-depth with this discussion. Ensure that you have the correct materials to answer questions. It may be helpful to have your priest with you during this part of the session. Also discuss, that all of the Sacraments are gifts. Discuss how each one helps us on our journey to eternal life and what is the gift that we receive. You can use the Dry Erase Board to keep track of the answers. Tell them that Great Lent is a time to get ready to celebrate Pascha and to receive the Greatest Gift ever given by Jesus. We should spend extra time during Great Lent for prayer, fasting, additional Church Services and Good Works. It is like getting ready for a great party or a long trip. You make a list of things to do and then begin preparing. Have the participants go over a list of things of what they do to get ready for a party or for a long trip. Discuss how these lists correspond with preparing for Pascha. Give participants their Resurrection Icon. Explain the icon to them. Have them glue the Icon to inside or outside cover of the journal. On a separate page ask them to write out their schedule each day during the week. Tell them to be as detailed as possible. When they are done, ask them to reevaluate their schedule and how they can adjust their schedule during Great Lent to devote more time to Prayer, Fasting, Church Services, Gifts of Life (Good Works). Have them write the new daily schedule into their journal. Use markers or colored pencils to highlight the adjusted areas such as: purple for prayer, red for fasting, green for church services and blue for Gifts of Life (good works). Page 2 GLG 2006 Teenager Session

12 Have them start a section for people that they are going to pray for during Great Lent. Have them write a persons name and then next to the person s name write what gift they are praying for them, such as: Mom To Have Relief at Her Job Grandma Better Health Brother John Aid in School Work Tammy (friend) Help with making good decisions Also have them write the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian at the beginning of this section. Next move on to the Fasting section. Discuss fasting. There is an article about fasting to use as a guide, provided with this packet. Have them write down what they may be fasting from and when during Great Lent. They should go home and discuss this area with their parents. The last section is Gift of Life (Good Works). Tell them to write down at least two things that they would like to do for others during Great Lent. Tell them that it can be something simple. Then tell them to write down any time they see someone else giving a Gift of Life, during Great Lent. Something like, helping someone cross the street or giving someone a hug when they are sad. Have them write down their thoughts about what they have witnessed. It is important to stress, that what they choose to do during Great Lent is a personal thing between them and God. It is not for them to brag about what they are doing. Refer to articles on prayers and fasting. When they are done, go back to their icon gift of Christ. On the back help them write, The True Gift of Life. Tell them to keep this Icon as a reminder of how Jesus died for us and came back from the dead to give us the Gift of Life with Him forever. If we love Jesus with all of our heart, mind, body and soul, He will give us all the gifts we need for the rest of our lives here on earth food, water, a home, and family. Wrap up the discussion and journals. Review what they learned. Have a small snack or meal for the participants. Remind them that they can come to the special healing service during Holy Week. Give the parents a written review of what they learned that day, information about the fundraiser and the date and time for services during Holy Week, emphasizing the Service of Healing on Great Wednesday. Additional Notes: Meaning of the Resurrection Icon Decent of Our Lord and Savior into Hades: Christ is dressed in white/gold to signify His Glorious Resurrection from the dead as His transfigured self. He is standing inside of a blue diamond. That diamond represents Christ s glory and the to doorway to Heaven and is usually only seen around Christ. Jesus is standing on top of two doors or gates that symbolizes His breaking down the doors/gates of Hades, making it possible for us to live with Him forever. He is pulling an old man and old woman up out of tombs. These two people are Adam and Eve. He is bringing them out of Hades/sheol and their sin is washed away with Christ s Resurrection. Page 3 GLG 2006 Teenager Session

13 The questions below are provided for you to use during the Teenage Session of the GLG. They are from Challenge Questions on Orthodoxy A to Z for Students Volume 1(pages 47, 50-54, 59, 62, 68, 71 ) and More Challenge Questions on Orthodoxy A to Z for Students Volume 2(pages 38-42) by Dr. Gayle E. Woloschak. Copyright permission was granted by Light and Life Publishing. These books can be purchased through the Consistory bookstore by calling or through Light and Life Publishing at 1. Which of the following do we remember during Holy Week? a. The wise virgins who kept oil for their lamps b. The fig tree that was barren c. The events that will take place at the second coming of Christ d. All of the above (Correct Answer) 2. What is Kyriopascha? A. When the feasts of Annunciation and Pascha fall on the same day (Correct Answer) B. When Orthodox Pascha and Western Easter fall on the same day C. When the feast of the Annunciation takes place after Pascha D. None of the above 3. Another name for Cheese Fare Sunday is: a. Sunday of the Last Judgment b. Forgiveness Sunday (Correct Answer) c. Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee d. Sunday of the Prodigal Son 4. Which of the following prayers is read at most Lenten church services? a. The Jesus Prayer b. The Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian (Correct Answer) c. The Prayer of St. John Climacus d. For as many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ 5. The day immediately before Palm Sunday is called. a. Lazarus Saturday (Correct Answer) b. Holy Saturday c. Bright Saturday d. Meat Fast Saturday 6. Which day is considered to be the last day of Great Lent? a. Good Friday b. The Friday before Lazarus Saturday (Correct Answer) c. Holy Saturday d. None of the above 7. Who wrote the Lenten Canon of Repentance that is 250 verses long and is sung during Great Lent? a. St. Simeon the New Theologian b. St. Ephraim the Syrian c. St. Andrew of Crete (Correct Answer) d. St. Isaac the Syrian 8. An individual day in the history of salvation is: a. A feast day b. Eighth day (Correct Answer) c. Holiday d. None of the Above 9. As Orthodox Christians, in whose name do we Baptize? a. God the Father b. Jesus Christ c. Holy Spirit d. The Trinity (Correct Answer) Page 4 GLG 2006 Teenager Session

14 10. In the Mystery of Baptism, we a. Secretly become Christians b. Fulfill the obligations of becoming a member of the parish c. Put on Jesus Christ (Correct Answer) d. Are assured of a place in heaven 11. Which of the following describes the Mystery of Holy Unction? a. A person is anointed with oil to give the gift of the seal of the Holy Spirit. b. A person is anointed with holy oil so that the Holy Spirit will heal the person both bodily and spiritually. (Correct Answer) c. A person is admitted to Holy Orders. d. None of the above. 12. Which of the following statements is true about the Mystery of Holy Confession? a. Through this Mystery, a person can find healing of soul, peace of conscience, and salvation from spiritual death. (Correct Answer) b. Holy Confession is not considered mandatory for Orthodox Christians. c. Holy Confession can be administered by deacons, priests, or bishops. d. All of the above. 13. The Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified Gifts was written by a. St. James b. St. Basil the Great c. St. Gregory the Dialogist (Correct Answer) d. St. Mark 14. The word Pascha means? a. Passover (Correct Answer) b. Risen c. Messiah d. Teacher 15. Which of the following statements is true about the Orthodox perspective on salvation? a. We can earn salvation through good works. b. Because we are baptized, we will be saved. c. We are saved by the grace of God through faith, which naturally manifests itself in love and good works. (Correct Answer) d. We are saved by faith alone. 16. In prayer, which of the following do we do? a. Communicate with God b. Praise God c. Ask things of God d. All of the above (Correct Answer) 17. True or False: We fast because we are commanded to do so by Christ; fasting starves the body to feed the soul and brings us closer to God. (True) 18. Which of the following statements best describes the frequency with which Orthodox Christians should pray? a. We should pray before Liturgy on Sunday mornings and after receiving Holy Communion. b. We should pray each morning upon waking up, at meals, and each night before going to sleep. c. We should pray when we are depressed and in trouble. d. We should pray without ceasing. (Correct Answer) 19. True or False. The Church proclaims the good news of Christ s resurrection, the salvation of man through faith, repentance, forgiveness, and the lifestyle for which Jesus himself is our example. (True) 20. Which of the following are considered true Orthodox icons of the resurrection? a. Christ s descent into Sheol b. The myrrh-bearing women find the empty tomb c. Both of the above (Correct Answer) d. None of the above Page 5 GLG 2006 Teenager Session

15 ARTICLES ON FASTING The following articles about fasting are reprinted with permission from the Little Falcons Magazine. Little Falcons- Fasts, Vol. 11, No. 2, Office of Diocesan Education, Serbian Orthodox New Gracanica Metropolitanate, Diocese of America and Canada You can subscribe to Little Falcons by calling or ing What, Another Fast? by Natalie Ashanin Another fast? Again? How many times have your groaned as you looked at the church calendar and saw that a fast was coming up? Sometimes it seems as if we no sooner finish one than there is another one staring us in the face. We feel this way because fasting often seems to be something that we have to do just because the Church says we must. We do not fully understand why we fast and how we can benefit from it. So, why do we fast? To please God? No, not really. Fasting just for the sake of fasting does not please God. Fasting is a tool He has given us to that we can clear our hearts and bodies, practice self-discipline and learn to concentrate our attention on spiritual matters. True fasting consists not so much of not eating certain foods as in abstaining from sin and anything, which distances us from God. We can keep a fast all day but if we then have a fight with our brother or sister the fasting has done nothing for us. If we are not mindful of what we are doing, this could easily happen because we tend to be cross when we are hungry. One of the things that fasting can teach us is to control our emotions. There is a hymn we sing during the first Monday of Lent which says, A true fast is the estrangement from evil, temperance of tongue, abstinence from anger, separation from desires, slander, falsehood, perjury. However, by denying ourselves certain foods, fasting helps us to detach ourselves from earthly things. It teaches us how to say no to temptations and prepares us for life in which the needs of our soul are not overwhelmed by the desires of the body, for fasting is not just abstaining from certain foods, but also limiting the amount of them. For instance, if you happen to love seafood, it is not a real fast if you stuff yourself with lobster and shrimp. John the Baptist fasted to prepare himself for his mission of preaching and baptizing. Jesus himself fasted 40 days in the wilderness before beginning his public ministry. Just as Jesus fasted to prepare for his ministry, so do we fast before major feasts in order to prepare for them. We fast for 6 weeks before celebrating Christ s birth on Christmas and we fast for 6 weeks before Holy Week, which is a separate fast immediately following Palm Sunday, so that we fast a total of 7 weeks in preparation for Pascha. This period is called Great Lent and it is a time when we are called to remember and repent for our sins, for which Christ died. We fast in repentance and to pray for God s forgiveness and help. Fasting, especially during Great Lent, has been likened to a three-legged stool, of which the other tow legs are almsgiving (charity), and prayer. Lent, then is a time when we deny ourselves in order not only to repent of our sins but to help others. We also fast every Wednesday throughout the year because that was the day that Christ was betrayed and we fast of Friday because that was the day He died. The Church recommends that when we fast, we do not eat meat, animal and dairy products. Some seasons and days are stricter and do not allow olives, fish, olive oil or wine. This is the ideal toward which healthy adults should strive. Children usually start out slowly and as they grow and learn to fast they add more things they do not eat during fasting days. At the same time as they are learning to fast, children should be learning to pray, not just by repeating set prayers, but by opening their hearts to God. There is another kind of fast besides the one in which only certain foods can be eaten. This is the total fast, when no food or water is taken. This of course, lasts a much shorter time but it is more intense because we do not eat anything at all. This is the kind of fast we keep before receiving the Eucharist (Holy Communion). From midnight on Saturday until we receive Holy Communion of Sunday we do not eat or drink anything. We do this so that our bodies are cleansed and our soul is concentrated on God. We call the Eucharist the Lord s Supper and we go to it hungry of body and soul so that we may receive our nourishment from Him, who provides for all our needs. And when we are fasting, whether it is a short, total fast or the longer fast of Lent, we must always remember that Jesus told us not to go about with a mournful face so that everyone knows we are fasting and GLG 2006 Materials on Fasting and Unction

16 praises us for our holiness but, rather, he tells us to present a cheerful face to the world and avoid calling attention to our fasting. God, our father, Jesus said, will see our efforts and it is He who will reward us. Fasting and Prayer Our Lord Jesus Christ fasted for forty days in the desert. He conquered all temptations from the Evil One. To over come temptations, our Lord showed us the strength of fasting. It s a kind of training. It helps us to live so as to have a little more time for prayer and thought. We look ourselves over to see if we have grown so used to neglecting things God wants us to do. Because we are all greedy, we discipline ourselves by giving up some kinds of food. But fasting without prayer is like trying to drive a car without gasoline. A special prayer we say almost everyday of Great Lent is St. Ephraim s Prayer. It is such a good all-around prayer that captures all the important things. In order to understand the prayer better, here it is in different words: In the first part we ask God to take away from us the will to be lazy and to be sad, the desire to get ahead of other people and to boast and brag. In the second part, we ask Him to give us a pure and humble spirit, the will to be patient with other people and to love them. Finally we ask Him to help us realize our own mistakes and keep us from judging the things other people do. Most important, Jesus tells us, that when we fast, we should not be sad or upset and or let on to others the effort we are making. Instead, we should do whatever we do so only God sees it. The Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian O Lord and Mater of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own sins, and not to judge my brother, for Thou are blessed unto ages of ages. Amen. References on Unction Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the presbyters of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. James 5:14-15 Fourth Prayer of Holy Unction O Good Lord and lover of mankind through Your holy Apostles You enabled us to heal the infirmities of Your people by oil and prayer Sanctify us and heal Your ill servants. Raise them from their sickbeds, so that, lifted up by Your mighty hand, they may serve you with all thanksgiving, and that we may praise and glorify You as the Worker of Great and Marvelous Deeds For You are merciful and saving, O our God, and we give glory to You, to Your Only-begotten Son, and to Your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit GLG 2006 Materials on Fasting and Unction

17 Great Lent Giveaway Gift of Life Additional Projects for all levels of Ages: The children can write on the back of additional Icons of Christ The True Life or have it printed on labels in Ukrainian, which they can stick on. These icon cards can be sent to the Ukrainian Gift of Life to be given to the children. Have the children make cards for the Ukrainian Children. Have someone print out a note in Ukrainian for each card and the children can also write a note in English. Try to add an Icon of Christ to each card with The True Life written under it. You may want to hold a special prayer service for the children that Gift of Life helps. You could do an Akhathist to the Mother of God Nurturer of Children or read together the prayers from the book, For the Sick and Suffering: Prayers and Meditations compiled by Fr. Thomas Hopko. Additional Resources: Our Life in the Church by Constance Tarasar. Orthodox Christian Education Commission. Challenge Questions on Orthodoxy A to Z for Students by Dr. Gayle Woloschak. Light and Life Publishing. More Challenge Questions on Orthodoxy A to Z for Students Volume 2 by Dr. Gayle Woloschak. Light and Life Publishing. Lenten Workbook. Orthodox Christian Education Commission. Holy Chrismation Holy Unction Artwork by Fr. John Matusiak from the educational materials Our Life in the Church, Orthodox Christian Education Commission

18 GLG 2006 Resurrection Icon