LessonsLesson 3

Fall / Holy Cross · Week 3

Our Church Building

Η εκκλησία μας

church_building

For younger children (5-6), focus on the vocabulary cards and coloring. For older children (8-10), engage with the discussion questions.

🙏 Opening Prayer

Read the prayer aloud slowly. Have the children repeat each line after you.

Πάτερ ημών, ο εν τοις ουρανοίς.

Pater imon, o en tis ouranis.

Our Father, who art in heaven.

📖 This Week's Story

Today we're going to explore our beautiful church! Every Orthodox church has special parts. Let's walk through them together. The main area where we sit is called the "naos." At the front, behind the beautiful screen with icons, is the most special place — the "iero" (altar). That screen with all the paintings is called the "ikonostasi." Look up — can you see the dome? It represents heaven. Our church is like a home for our community. When we walk in, we make the sign of the cross, kiss an icon, and light a candle.

Key Phrases

Ναός

Naos

Nave (main area)

Κερί

Keri

Candle

Ιερέας

Iereas

Priest

📝 Vocabulary

Ναός

Naos

Nave

We sit in the naos during the service.

Κερί

Keri

Candle

We light a keri when we enter the church.

Ιερέας

Iereas

Priest

The iereas leads our prayers.

Εικόνα

Ikona

Icon

We kiss the ikona when we enter.

🎮 Activity

game

Church Scavenger Hunt! Give each child a simple checklist: find the altar, find a candle, find an icon/painting, find the cross. Walk through the church together and check off each item.

  1. 1What is the most special part of our church?
  2. 2What do we do when we first walk into church?

🙏 Closing Prayer

Δόξα σοι, Κύριε. Αμήν.

Doxa si, Kyrie. Amin.

Glory to you, Lord. Amen.

Want your child to learn Greek at home?

Try our K-5 curriculum — interactive lessons from alphabet to reading.

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