Ministry

The Sunday School at St. Mary’s Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church in Purley, UK, meets every first and third Sunday of the month from 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM, following the Holy Qurbana. Christian  education has been recognized as essential since the time of Moses, when God commanded the Israelites through His spokesman to teach His Holy Commandments to their children, instructing them to “recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home” (Deuteronomy 6:7). In ancient Israel, fathers educated their sons in all aspects of the faith, while wealthy families often hired professional teachers, as documented in II Kings 10:6. Throughout Scripture, the importance of teaching children is repeatedly emphasized: Joel 1:3 urges, “Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children to another generation”; Proverbs 22:6 counsels, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it”; Isaiah 54:13 promises, “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children”; and Proverbs 16:16 declares, “How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.” In this  tradition, our Sunday School aims to educate and encourage children to live with Christian values, train and teach them to worship in the Syriac Orthodox tradition, empower them to receive the Sacraments, teach them Church history and the Bible, and build a strong foundation for Orthodox faith that will guide them throughout their lives.