The St. Nektarios Ministry of Adult Religious Education Proudly Presents Our New A.R.E. Program 2015-2016 Presented by Gerry Clonaris archdiocese department of Religious Education

Why Do We Need An A.R.E Program Our parishioners want it. It is the best way to educate our children. It is our mission …It is a commandment from Our Lord.

SWOT SURVEY

The Ten Principles Of Our Program Eliminate all excuses. Have handouts for all presentations. Designate a marketer and promote. Insure you have a strong supportive bookstore. Have a Companion Manual. Update your program every year. Make it a first class, enjoyable presentation. Make it available 24/7 Don’t underestimate any opportunity to teach A.R.E. Plan a program, not an event.

Eliminate All Excuses “I had to cook for my family” (so have meals). “I had no one to watch the kids” (have Baby Sitters or have programs for the young). “I was not available” (cover all times and tie your presentations to special services). Excuses are just opportunities to make your program better. There’s an answer for every excuse.

Have Hand Outs Hand outs help to solidify the learning process. They add a personal investment quality to your program. They promote note taking. They focus attention on the material. They extend the learning process.

Have A Marketing Plan No business would attempt any program without one. If no marketer is available just find someone who is responsible and creative. Do sessions as opposed to continuous presentations. Each class should stand on its own. Do a kick off for each session. Missal, A.R.E. Newsletter, TV Monitor Signage. Spring and fall kick off program. Keep your program in front of everyone.

Have a Supportive Bookstore If you don’t have a bookstore, then all you’ll be doing is an evening of entertainment. The presentation is the forum to entice the attendees to seek more knowledge. The bookstore is the real learning process. They extend the learning process.

Have A Companion Manual

Update Your Program Every Year Add one new element Every Year. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Keep with the times. If you are not moving forward, you are moving backwards. If you do exactly what you did the year before, the best you can expect is the same result as last year. The result being the law of diminishing returns.

Make It A First Class, Enjoyable Program If it is not fun, no one will come. Encourage your participants to take at least one major point home with them. You can make any boring fact interesting. It must be interesting, illuminating and enjoyable to succeed.

Make It Available 24/7 Use your web site. Promote your bookstore Record your sessions. Use that IPad

Don’t Underestimate Any Opportunity To Teach or Promote A.R.E. Before, after or even during liturgy. At your coffee hour. In your weekly missal, church bulletin or even on your walls. Sunday School is not only a great place to start, but an important one as well.

Plan A Program Not An Event Cover different times and days. Plan different formats (discussion, presentation, visual, audio). Everything must be interesting and enjoyable. Have a Companion Manual!

What Are The Main Reasons For A.R.E. Failure Failure to promote. Failure to allow your program time to develop… Failure to understand your main goal which is … … to promote an interest in CONTINUAL Religious Education

The St. Nektarios Program Sunday Liturgy … Points Well Made, Fifteen For Faith Tuesday Morning … Paraklesis followed by discussion (Our Faith Journey). Tuesday Evening … Presentations/discussions (Growing In Faith). Wednesday evening … Presentations/discussions (Understanding our faith). Thursday … Sunrise Breakfast Scripture Study 24/7 … Directed Reading Group. Quarterly … Strictly Speaking speaker series. Annual … Festival Of Faith Live Video Broadcasting of all services

A.R.E. Planning Calendar FALL PROGRAM July … Planning meeting for coming year. August … Implementation committee meeting. 2nd Week of September … Kick Off Presentation for Fall Session. 3rd week of September … Programs begin 6-8 week cycle. Any Saturday in September , October or during Lent … Festival of Faith. December … Three week Advent presentations.

A.R.E. Planning Calendar SPRING PROGRAM 3rd Week of January …Kick Off Presentation for Spring Session. Last week of January … 4-8 week Spring Sessions. March/April … 6 week Pascha presentations. Any Saturday during Pascha … Festival of Faith. Palm Sunday 5:00 PM … Pascha presentation. June … Yearly review meeting and initial planning for coming year. Quarterly … Strictly Speaking series.

Yearly Planning Schedule Early June …Initial concept planning meeting Parish priest, Education Department Ministry Leader Establish theme for coming year. Late June or Early July … Organizational meeting Establish and meet with your ministry team Review and evaluate last year’s programs Assign programs to ministry team members August …Program planning meeting for coming year Review program plans from ministry team Prepare Companion Manual Organize Kick-off presentations

Yearly Planning Schedule 2nd Week September … Fall Parish Kick-Off Presentation Present new education program to parish after sermon Information table at coffee hour 3rd or 4th Week of January … Spring Parish Kick-Off Presentation

Things To Remember … Size doesn’t matter (Christ only needed 2). The best thoughts for planning any program can be found in the Biblical scriptures. Always update and don’t be afraid to try new and different programs. Stay on time. Beware of the great pitfall… “We’ve done this before”. Keep you’re A.R.E. in front of your parishioners. Promote … promote … PROMOTE! Stay focused on your main goal of continual A.R.E. Never give up on your A.R.E. program.

A thought to consider Religious Education Our role in life is to serve mankind In order to serve mankind we must focus on God We encounter our problems when we skip step #2 and instead, serve and focus on mankind Step #2 … Religious Education

Guidance From The Master Plan And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. (MT 5:41) “…seek to excel … (1Cor 14:12)… “But one thing I do , forgetting what is behind and straining to what is ahead” … (Phl3:13-14) “Commit to the Lord whatever you do and these plans will succeed” Proverbs 16:3

Archdiocese Director of Religious Education Always Ready To Help Dr. Anton C. Vrame, Ph.D. Archdiocese Director of Religious Education TVRAME@GOARCH.ORG Gerry Clonaris gbcmktline@gmail.com 704-443-7134