|
St. Paul's Church School Curriculum is designed for children of pre-school age through senior high. The curriculum is written and developed by our teachers and clergy in an effort to share an understanding and experience of Christian faith and tradition that connects with the life we live.
We warmly invite children to join our Church School at any point during the year. Classes begin at 9:00 am. Classes will end in time for the 10 am Sunday service.
|
|
The Apostle Paul -- Adult Ed. Series by the Rev. Gordon Schultz |
Paul, the Apostle
“He ‘invented’ Christianity. He arrogantly took the religion of Jesus and turned it into a religion about Jesus, distorted Jewish biblical faith, and created a hoax. His authoritarian rantings denigrated his opponents, derided Jews, and denied women the equality that Jesus demanded.”
These are only some of the charges brought against a first century Jew by the name of Paul, originally from what is now Turkey— an extraordinary traveler through the Mediterranean world and prodigious writer of letters. Others consider Paul a faithful interpreter of the message that the first followers of Jesus handed on to him, and more than that, that Paul himself received a direct revelation from the resurrected Jesus.
We will look at the controversy that has swirled around Paul since his own lifetime to the present. We will consider the claims made about Paul and try to assess them using the tools of modern historical research. We will look at the core of his thought and trace how it changed over his life, ending in his execution by the man he hoped to convert, the Emperor of Rome, Caesar. And we will ask why he was executed. In this question we will discover perhaps the most surprising connection to the historical Jesus that virtually all commentators of the past didn't see, and that we only know now because of new methods of social and historical research.
No matter what one thinks about Paul and his writing, he is a giant, intellectually, spiritually, even poetically. His importance may be impossible to overstate, as there simply is no way to understand or account for the rise of Western civilization and Christianity around the world without coming to grips with the figure of Paul the Apostle.
|
|
|
2009-2010 Church School Curriculum |
“Greatest Hits of the Bible!”
This year, our Sunday school curriculum explores musical literature in the Bible and its counterparts in contemporary and traditional music. Fall of 2009 features Songs of Freedom. We’ll look at psalms, poems and stories from Hebrew Scripture and listen to and sing Freedom Songs like Wade in the Water, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Rivers of Babylon and Siyahamba recorded by a artists including The Staple Singers, Bob Marley, Sublime, Johnny Cash, Beyonce and Raffi. In the winter and spring, we’ll explore lamentations and songs of comfort and joy.
On October 4th, we kick off our Sunday School season and our year of Christian Education with a parish-wide musical event. At 9:00 a.m., we will gather in the Lichtenberger Room and divide into small groups. We’ll then proceed to visit some of the talented musicians of our congregation who will be stationed throughout the church. At each station, the musician will show how emotions like sadness, joy, anger, inspiration, or comfort are evoked on their particular instrument.
Parents and musicians showed groups how instruments make different sounds and create different feelings. We read stories of freedom from Hebrew Scripture and related them to spirituals like “Wade in the Water,” “Go Down Moses” and “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” that were sung by slaves escaping along the underground railroad. Some of these songs held coded messages. We walked through the neighborhood and saw a house on the underground railroad that was owned by one of St. Paul’s first parishioners. Our Christmas pageant was the best ever!
In the spring we’ll learn how scripture and the songs that inspired the Underground Railroad, the Civil Rights movement and the freedom movement in South Africa. We’ll also listen to songs of comfort and joy inspired by bible stories.
Throughout the year, we invite parishioners help children learn some of these great songs. Classes will also write psalms which will be set to music by Andy Clarkson, our Director of Music. In addition to musical help, our Sunday School program needs people of all backgrounds to participate in teaching.
Thank you so much for your participation. Events like these bring our community together and make coming to church fun. If you have any questions about the curriculum or this activity, please feel free to call Maria O’Meara at 617-734-2524. |
|
2009-2010 Church School Curriculum |
|
An Invitation
St. Paul's Church School Curriculum is designed for children of pre-school age through senior high. The curriculum is written and developed by our teachers and clergy in an effort to share an understanding and experience of Christian faith and tradition that connects with the life we live.
“Greatest Hits of the Bible!”
This year we will explore ways of expressing feelings to God through song. We’ll hear songs from Psalms and scripture and contemporary music with similar themes. Listening to CD’s or DVD’s and playing music with our talented parishioners, we will explore how words, art and music express and change our feelings about God.
While registration is this Sunday, new children are welcome join our classes at any time during the year.
We will officially begin our Sunday School program with a musical kick-off on Sunday, October 4 at 9 a.m..
For more information, please contact Maria O'Meara or Georgia Smith, Church School Coordinators. |
|
Sunday School Registration is this Sunday, September 27 at 9:00 a.m. |
“Greatest Hits of the Bible!”
This year we will explore ways of expressing feelings to God through song. We’ll hear songs from Psalms and scripture and contemporary music with similar themes. Listening to CD’s or DVD’s and playing music with our talented parishioners, we will explore how words, art and music express and change our feelings about God.
While registration is this Sunday, new children are welcome join our classes at any time during the year.
We will officially begin our Sunday School program with a musical kick-off on Sunday, October 4 at 9 a.m.. |
|
Welcome to Christian Education |
|
St. Paul’s Church School Curriculum is designed for children of pre-school age through senior high. The curriculum is written and developed by our teachers and clergy in an effort to share an understanding and experience of Christian faith and tradition that connects with the life we live.
We warmly invite children to join our Church School at any point during the year. Classes begin immediately following the 9:00 am service and a quick snack. Classes end at 11:15 for children through eighth grade and at 10:45 for high school students.
We publish the curriculum so that the whole congregation can learn with our children. We hope that many adults will want to participate in our activities this year! Since no curriculum or school program is complete without parent involvement, we encourage parent participation, comments and ideas in all of our efforts. Please contact Maria O’Meara, Church School Coordinator. |
|
|
|
|
|
