Sunday Schools Story

The idea of establishing Sunday Schools started in the early 1950’s by a group of believers who wanted to teach younger generations the principles of proper faith. They started meetings in their homes then moved to a three-room mud cottage next to the Savior’s Church in Saqf al-Sail area downtown Amman. They used to distribute meals to the students from the UNRWA and CARE aid they received as refugees, and they used to visit Orthodox families to spread spiritual awareness and offer what ever limited assistance they could from their modest resources.

As the group’s work developed and the number of believers increased, its members decided in 1953 to apply for registration as a society under the name of "The Orthodox Sunday Schools Society," but they did not succeed in obtaining registration at that time. In 1956, and as the group’s interests and services developed and expanded to include cultural, educational and social affairs, they applied for registration again, this time under the name of “The Orthodox Educational Society” (OES), and the society was registered under what was known at the time as the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Sunday Schools started with one centre in Amman. Today there are centres most Jordanian cities, welcoming school students who visit the centres to receive spiritual guidance and enrichment by the Sunday School servants. OES Sunday Schools work soon expanded to benefit university students and graduates in the workplace, turning out for the Church more clergymen, hymnists, and Sunday School servants. Hence, today, this OES working committee operates under the name of the "Sunday Schools and Spiritual Youth Committee” (SSSYC).