The Prelacy’s Christian Education Department offered an unprecedented course for Sunday School Teachers titled “Listening to Scripture: Strategies for Interpreting the Bible.” Based on the Kerygma program, the course aimed to present foundational methods for reading and interpreting the Bible in layman’s terms. Topics discussed included: 1) Exploring the Historical Setting, 2) Discovering the Literary Context and Audience, 3) Identifying Oral and Literary Forms, 4) Analyzing the Structure, 5) Investigating Words and Phrases, and finally 6) Putting It All Together. The course was conducted by Dn. Shant Kazanjian, Director of Christian Education of the Eastern Prelacy.
The course attracted 17 teachers and directors, many of whom persevered through it, which stretched over 11 sessions, one hour a month, since last May. Participants came from the following churches: St. Illuminator’s Cathedral (NYC), St. Gregory the Illuminator Church (Philadelphia, PA), Sts. Vartanantz Church (Ridgefield, NJ), St. Sarkis Church (Douglaston, NY), Sts. Vartanantz Church (Providence, RI), Holy Trinity Church (Worcester, MA), St. Stephen’s Church (Watertown, MA), and St. Gregory Church (N. Andover, MA).