"Let the children come
to me, and do not hinder
them; for to such belongs
the kingdom of heaven."

. .Education / Church School Program

. .Sign-up for Church School Classes

We believe that it is God's calling for His church to help raise children and guide them to, "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," (2 Peter 3:18). While parents and guardians have the primary responsibility of educating their children, the church exists to assist in this process.

Classes from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 as well as adult education classes are held after the Divine Liturgy from September through June.

However, the church school, as one of the ministries of Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, seeks to base its activities on the foundations of Worship, Education, Service and Fellowship and so though classes may be discontinued during the summer the other activities of the church school are maintained year-round.  

Worship, Education, Service and Fellowship

The church school, as one of the ministries of Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, bases its activities on the foundations of Worship, Education, Service and Fellowship. With that in mind, education / worship begins at 9:30 am on Sunday mornings with the start of the Divine Liturgy.

The students and their families are also encouraged to attend the other services of the church year, particularly feast day vigils in the evenings as well as Great Vespers (beginning at 7 pm) on Saturday. In addition, the church school budget includes service projects and fellowship events as ways for the youth of the parish to gather together. 

The Church School Association supports the work of the Church School and holds its meetings after liturgy on the third Sunday of every month. All parents are encouraged to attend, as the meetings keep parents aware of what their children are studying in church school, and serve to organize upcoming social and service events.

Teen Class

The teen class (grades 7 and up) encourages the teens to discover what it means to live a Christian life. The class spends time learning, participating in and living the foundations of the Faith: Worship, Education, Evangelization, Service and Fellowship. Through these foundations, the teens learn how God speaks to us, what sacrifices are involved in accepting a relationship with God and why that relationship is worth the struggles. The year is enhanced with trips and speakers designed to bring various aspects of the curriculum to life, including trips to St Vladimir’s Seminary and St Tikhon’s Monastery and hopefully a “camping” trip which will build fellowship among the youth. The class is taught by the clergy of HTOC on a revolving basis in addition to guest speakers.

Elementary Class

The elementary class lessons seek to point to God’s Love towards us through His son Jesus and how this is realized in the Orthodox faith through its worship and work. Each class connects the scriptural reading of the day and/or the Feast of the day with experiences in the children’s lives. Each child takes a turn reading from the Gospel and they then discuss how the lessons learned can be incorporated into their life.

In addition, the first several minutes of each class are spent reading the Nicene Creed and discussing one or two articles. The children have the opportunity to review each word and ask questions to better understand the teachings of the church. An important goal for the elementary class is to encourage the kids to not only memorize, but to understand and internalize what we believe as Orthodox Christians.

Register here

Loraine Babaian,
Director

Elementary Class Teachers
Lori Hageman
Irene Kossowsky
Loraine Babaian

Teen Class Teachers
HTOC Clergy

Contact us: churchschool@htocem.org

Loraine Babaian,
President

George Zabierowski,
Treasurer

Contact us: churchschool@htocem.org

Learn more

Each year the church school students perform a Nativity
Play after Liturgy in the Church Hall, on one of the
Sundays before Christmas.

After the play, in the spirit of St Nicholas, each child
gives a gift to Santa. Afterwards the youth deliver the
gifts to children who are in the Nassau University
Medical Center Pediatric Ward.

See video and photos of last year's program

Christmas
Great Lent