Orthodox Sunday School Association of the East (Sunday School) is a spiritual organization functioning in all the parishes of the Orthodox Church throughout the world. It takes care of the spiritual nurturing of the children, by bringing them up in the knowledge and fellowship of Jesus Christ and His Church. The classes are conducted in Malayalam for the children in Kerala and for others in English. It has a separate wing for the outer Kerala region.
In Bhilai, the Sunday school started in 1967 with the initiative of the then Vicar Rev. Fr. P.M. Mathews. Late Mr. C.C. Varkey and Late Mr. Varghese Mathew were stalwarts who took the reign in their hands to start this noble venture along with 2 or 3 other teachers. In the initial days Sunday School was conducted at the 5 roomed MGM school building in our Church premises itself. Later on when our new MGM School building came up at Sector-6, the Sunday school classes since then are conducted there. It was conducted in the morning before the Holy Qurbana. Two biscuits and a plantain was the regular refreshment for the students and teachers.
With the initiative of Varghese Mathew Sir, OVBS (at those times it was VBS) was started in the year 1978. It was in the year 1997, when Fr. Sam Kanjickal took charge as Vicar of our parish. The Sunday school stopped functioning before the Holy Qurbana and thereafter till date it is being successfully conducted after the Holy Qurbana
As our Lord Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, stop them not…", we have a good number of priests who were former Sunday school students of our parish. ‘To make the students tread on the path of righteousness is the motto of Sunday School. The teachers here try to inculcate in them the good qualities of manners, etiquettes, self-respect, respecting elders and teachers, spirituality, punctuality etc. which helps them to become true Christians, good citizens and above all a good person.