Bridges to Orthodoxy

Connecting Youth to the Orthodox Church

Curriculum Search

Featured collection: Crossroads (Teens 7th-12th)

  • Sample Pack
    Sample Pack
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  • Annual Membership: Includes a 12-Pack Code + Retreat Materials
    Annual Membership: Includes a 12-Pack Code + Retreat Materials
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  • Annual Half-Year Membership: Includes a 6-Pack Code
    Annual Half-Year Membership:  Includes a 6-Pack Code
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  • (July) Martyrs & Confessors: A 2-Month Unit on the First Apologists of the Orthodox Church
    (July) Martyrs & Confessors: A 2-Month Unit on the First Apologists of the Orthodox Church
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  • (August) Martyrs & Confessors: A 2-Month Unit on the First Apologists of the Orthodox Church
    (August) Martyrs & Confessors: A 2-Month Unit on the First Apologists of the Orthodox Church
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  • (September) Are You For Real?: A 4-Week Unit on the Importance of Honesty
    (September) Are You For Real?: A 4-Week Unit on the Importance of Honesty
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  • (October) Patriarchs of (Dis)Obedience: A 5-Week Unit on the Fruits of Obedience to God Through the Lens of the Old Testament Prophets
    (October) Patriarchs of (Dis)Obedience: A 5-Week Unit on the Fruits of Obedience to God Through the Lens of the Old Testament Prophets
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  • (November) The League of Justice: A 4-Week Series on God's Justice
    (November) The League of Justice: A 4-Week Series on God's Justice
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  • (December) Christmas Vantage Point
    (December) Christmas Vantage Point
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An Immigrant Church No Longer

Available Here

"It Is A Great Tool For Any Sunday School Servant." H.G. Bishop Youssef

Testimonials

Two thumbs up! As the priest of a church that has been using this curriculum for almost 4 years, I can't say enough about it. It's a game changer. It has solved the dilemma of having to choose between an educational curriculum that delves deep into our Orthodox Christian faith and a fun curriculum that engages children and makes them want to learn. This curriculum does BOTH! I highly recommend it!

Fr. Anthony Messeh, Priest, STSA Church, Arlington, VA

Finding lessons to use for the education of children is not an easy task. Curricula that are fresh, relevant, complete, and theologically sound are few and far between. Bridges to Orthodoxy checks all of those boxes. The months are typically themed which helps keep the children focused on a particular topic or virtue. The activities for both small and large group settings create a fun learning environment while being flexible to accommodate different sized classes. It gives the servants ideas about how to communicate concepts in ways that the children will remember. The curriculum also does a great job of integrating vital Orthodox concepts such as the Eucharist and the lives of the saints to ensure children learn about every aspect of their Orthodox faith. I highly recommend Bridges to Orthodoxy to any Orthodox church.

Fr. Theodore Ghaly, Priest, St. Verena Coptic Orthodox Church, Nashville, Tennessee

This curriculum is great at engaging the kids and really grasping their attention.  I really appreciate not only the diversity of topics, but the practicality of each of the topics.  For example, one of the themes was on how to read the Bible, which was terrific.  It discussed the importance of understanding context and literary styles throughout the Bible, but it didn't stop there!  It gave the students the tools and a "case study" to practice those tools.  This curriculum is truly a great resource and equips volunteers to be able to teach difficult topics in a simple and understandable way instead of starting from scratch.  I would recommend this curriculum to anyone who is seeking to address various spiritual and social issues that are relevant to their teens.

Fr. Timothy Fam, STSA Church, Arlington, VA

I was lucky enough to pilot this program in the Midwest.  There are so many things to love about this curriculum.  Initially, I was just taken aback about how organized it was - it covered so many topics in such an organized manner that really maximized the limited time we have with our youth to discuss important material.  The curriculum covers bible, Church theology, and important topics about Christian living in a very balanced manner.  Each lesson is very thoughtfully created striking a balance between depth and relevance.  As a parent, I appreciated how my kids seemed to retain these lessons months later.  This is a great product for the entire Orthodox community.

Irene Mikhail, Columbus, Ohio

The curriculum really reflects on the struggles and challenges of today's youth. It is evident that Shereen has invested a lot of thought and deep understanding in the target audience by how she carefully structures each lesson and monthly theme. As a result, our middle and high school class has looked forward to learning, has engaged in the activities, and has retained so much more information compared to the traditional curriculum. Thank you for providing such a wealth of information packed into every lesson. It's been a great experience using your curriculum to get our youth more connected to God. God bless your service. 

Gina Zakaria, Servant, Christ the Savior Church, Los Angeles, California

The curriculum has been so helpful for our Sunday School service.  Not only does it provide a high standard of quality for each lesson complete with a script, video, activities, and discussion questions, but it also provides peace of mind to the Sunday school servant.  Instead of stressing about putting together every detail of a lesson, we can spend our time focusing on fine tuning details according to the needs of our class.

Jolie Boulos, St. Mary's, Palatine, Illinois

I help to teach the High School Sunday school class using this curriculum. It does a great job incorporating real world topics and issues with the teachings of the Orthodox Church. Lessons on the sacraments, the liturgy, or other core orthodox principles are presented in a way that is easy for a HS student to understand and also practical to issues they face in their lives. The lessons also include activities to keep the students engaged and media (Powerpoints and videos) that are created with orthodox principles in mind. I would highly recommend using this curriculum.

Mark Samaan, Servant at St. Monica & St. Augustine Church, Pennsylvania

I appreciate how the Bridges to Orthodoxy curriculum focuses on Coptic Orthodox teachings in a creative and interactive way.  It offers Sunday school servants the flexibility to use various teaching tools in a way that best suits the needs of their youth.  Lessons can be adapted based on time and resources available.  Theme-based lessons help reinforce key concepts.  Thanks for developing this program for the next generation of Sunday school servants!

Mora Sorial, St. Anianus Coptic Orthodox Church, Monroe Township, New Jersey

The teen curriculum has been such a breath of fresh air for our youth.  We were looking for a high-quality, theologically-sound Orthodox curriculum that was both engaging and relevant to our teens.  We wanted something that allowed our teens to dive deep into spiritual, social and Biblical topics.  It was also very important to us that our teens could relate to the topics in their everyday life at school, with their friends and in their families. We wanted a program that included discussion questions that gave our teens an opportunity to discuss difficult topics without shying away from the questions on their heart. Each lesson has a clear, engaging script to follow so that Sunday School teachers can present the main topic and discussion questions seamlessly even with limited preparation. However, the lesson is still flexible enough for Sunday School teachers to make it their own.  

Sandra Mattar, Director of Youth Ministry, STSA Church, Arlington, VA

Blog posts

  • Revertigo

    Have you heard of the phrase Revertigo?  Its a thing - Google says so.  Its the tendency of a person to revert back to an older version of themselves when around people from their past.  It explains why when we travel back to our hometown for a weekend visit, our maturity declines a couple decades hanging out with old childhood friends.  Or why siblings can laugh until their sides hurt over inside jokes as if they just happened.  And yet, we are in fact grown adults with real responsibilities.  

    Sometimes the phenomenon also happens during Lent - we hit the time of year as if it is just a "default" season and revert to whatever we think we ought to be doing or reading or eating (or not eating).  Lent is supposed to be a forward journey, and it is supposed to be new every year.  Christ has something new to teach us every year.  In writing our Lent series, "Follow Me" I was astonished at the artificial roadblocks we put up ourselves to stand in the way of our journey in following Christ - our fears, our pressures, our identity, logic... and yes, our revertigo.  This Lent, let's not be like the Nazarenes who rejected Jesus in His own town, failing to see the Divinity through the Humanity and instead embrace the invitation to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. 

  • Focus on the Mission

    Have you ever heard the story of my car getting stolen on summer vacation?  It is one I often share in talking about Youth Ministry Mission... or should I say lost mission? Do you know the purpose, the mission, behind your Youth Ministry effort?  I promise you, it's not about "Curriculum" or "Sunday school."  If you find yourself constantly writing and re-writing curriculum or looking for "magic" resources to "fix" your Youth Ministry - perhaps it is time to get refocused and start with purpose.
  • The Cost of Love

    With the flurry of holidays behind us, many are letting out a sigh of relief after the exhausting travels, decorating, wrapping gifts, and a partridge in a pear tree. Yet, every year – we do this to ourselves… in fact, if you’re like my wife, you look forward to it… it’s your “favorite time of year” - why?  Well, just like her passion for Sunday school, the answer is “love”. 

    If you haven’t ventured to guess by my name, I am the behind the scenes’ husband of the author of Bridges to Orthodoxy, Shereen Marcus, with a unique perspective of the love and dedication she pours into these materials week after week, month after month, year after year.

    The question that comes up most often, which she kindly and patiently answers pertains to the cost of the curriculum… well, really, why it has a cost at all.  

    Oftentimes, when we hear that a curriculum for Church has any cost attached to it, we are “offended” by the notion... but here's the truth- we love you; we love your kids, we love the kids in your parish, we love the kids who have yet to fall in love with Jesus, and we love the kids who have walked away from Jesus/church/the Orthodox faith and whether they know it or now, desire a way back. Because we LOVE your kids, we believe they deserve quality materials. 

    And because I love you, I want to be transparent and bold.  Keep reading...