Keeping the faith

Valley religious groups know that childhood is a critical time to learn beliefs.

In the central San Joaquin Valley, various faiths emphasize religious teaching for second- through sixth-graders who don't go to religious schools. This becomes especially important during the years when children are expected to prepare for an important rite of passage, such as First Communion or a bar or bat mitzvah.

Religions go about it in different ways.

While Mom and Dad are worshipping in the sanctuary or taking a Sunday School class, some places of worship provide children's classes at the same time. Others hold midweek activities at night, and others provide after-school classes.

Some faiths leave the curriculum up to program coordinators, who decide to blend learning with activities and few requirements. Others adhere to their faith's governing bodies or boards, which often means a stricter curriculum that is used across the country or even around the world.

Regardless of the faith's approach or method, children's education coordinators say their goal is to work with parents while passing on the religion's tenets and traditions.

"Faith is a personal choice and a choice of the family; it's part of tradition and part of heritage," says Sister Kathleen Garcia, religious education coordinator at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Reedley.

"Part of it is handing on the heritage of a religion so children will understand about religion and have a personal relationship with God that develops all during their life. . . . So, hopefully, when the hormones kick in and the choice gets more difficult, they have something to fall back on."

Religious education is designed to help parents explain faith to their children in everyday life, religious educators say.

"Other organizations are to support the family -- not to take the place of the family," says Suzanne Reintjes, former president of primary education for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Woodward Park Ward in northeast Fresno.

The educators believe what children learn early in life goes a long way in helping them make decisions about faith later, when they're on their own.

"They will need to process the information and make a decision for themselves," says Forouz Radnejad, program committee coordinator at the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno. "It's not: 'You are born into a Muslim family.' You don't inherit a religion. You have to make your choice."

The educators say their aim also is to present faith in a clear, understandable way to children.

"When you get them when they're little, they probably can't grasp some concepts, [but] something has stuck in their mind," says Juanita Betancourt, St. Anthony of Padua elementary coordinator.

Loosely structured

From Protestant evangelical churches to Sikh temples, children's education leaders try to blend learning and reinforcement of their faiths with some fun activities to keep kids' attention.

On a recent summer Sunday at Sonrise Church of Clovis, which has nearly 200 families, children in the fifth and sixth grades look up Bible verses to solve a Digging for Treasure crossword puzzle about God's nature.

The children recite a Bible verse written on a board as a reminder to obey God's word (Luke 11:28).

Then they rush outdoors to join dozens of other kids for the summer-ending Olympic program.

In a basketball-dribbling maze, Kory Krigbaum completes the course in 21 seconds. In timed jump-roping, Krista Whittaker completes 49 in 60 seconds.

There's also a Frisbee toss for distance.

Kids, waiting their turn, beam with excitement. So do the parents supervising the activity.

Learning and having fun also are emphasized at Sonrise children's classes during the traditional school year.

Kidz Jam is presented monthly, an event in which nearly 300 children and adults worship together at a supercharged show featuring cranked-up music, videos and drama.

AWANA Club (Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed) is offered Wednesday night with prescribed curriculum for story time, games and Bible memory verse recitation in small groups.

Students also have a handbook to learn at home and can earn badges for work completion.

"We want to create an environment where children love to go to church," says Russ Counts, Sonrise associate pastor.

"Church should not be boring. . . . The childhood age is brilliant because of their imagination and they live life so quickly."

Sonrise also presents Heritage Builders classes for adults, covering Communion, baptism and other denominational teachings so they can better pass on the faith to children.

This, Counts says, helps children to make informed decisions, including professions of faith in Jesus Christ.

Says Counts, "Salvation is a free gift offered to anyone no matter what they've done -- past, present or what they will do."M

At Gurdawa Sahib in central Fresno, children attend two-hour classes on Sundays when adults are worshipping in the temple.

The classes feature storytelling about the faith's 10 gurus, reading of the Guru Granthi (holy book) and Punjabi language lessons.

Guddi Ranu, children's religion instructor at the temple, says she's adapted her teaching style to the more than 100 children who attend.

"At first, I was teaching whatever was on my mind, which was mostly how my parents passed on the faith to me," says Ranu, who doesn't use a textbook.

"But I realized we couldn't do whatever they did back home [in India] because kids ask so many questions."

Children enter the temple to participate in the close of the adult service.

Some play harmoniums (small reed organs) and the tabla (small drum).

Everyone else sings a hymn while blessing the food that will be served following the service.

Tightly structured

Islam, Roman Catholicism and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, among other faiths, conform to tighter guidelines and have set requirements about becoming members.

Islam, for example, teaches that parents should concentrate on playing with their children in their first seven years and teaching them in their next seven, says the Islamic Cultural Center's Radnejad.

It's the reason the center in northeast Fresno offers a world view of Islam and emphasizes the Prophet Muhammad and other prophets, including Abraham, Moses, Noah, Adam and Jesus.

"You cannot be a Muslim if you don't believe in Jesus, Moses and the other prophets," Radnejad says.

The only requirements are that girls begin to pray regularly by ages 9-10. For boys, it's ages 13-15. "Girls mature faster," Radnejad says. Muslims are required to pray five times daily, facing toward Mecca.

Says Radnejad, "Religion is a framework. Your belief in God and a self-worth system will always help you in good times and bad."

Roman Catholicism teaches that children must complete a two-year preparation for First Communion as a requirement of the faith.

In Reedley, St. Anthony of Padua presents Confraternity of Christian Doctrine classes as outlined by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno. Children attend after-school classes for an hour once a week, learning about the Creation, the Resurrection and important events on the Christian calendar, such as Easter, Ash Wednesday and Lent.

Parents are asked to reinforce at home what children learn in class.

The parish priest also takes an active role in the children's spiritual development. In addition to hearing confession, he visits classrooms and talks with students.

Usually, the doctrinal requirements for First Communion are completed in the second grade. Poor attendance or failure to complete work means children have to retake the class.

Says Juanita Betancourt, "I tell my [six] grandchildren: 'You're going to Mass -- you need to know your faith.' I don't want them to stray to another faith."

Catholic youth also take additional classes as they mature in preparation for Confirmation, when they become adults in the eyes of the church.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints provides a primary program that's universal in the Mormon church.

The ward uses a manual whose 2003 theme is "I Believe in Jesus Christ."

Suzanne Reintjes says, "If you were to go visit a ward in Connecticut, you'd find the same material used."

On Sunday, children remain with their parents at sacramental and testimonial meetings in the sanctuary for nearly an hour before being dismissed to two-hour primary education.

In the Woodward Park Ward, all children, regardless of grade level, gather for an hour. Some give talks on a gospel theme. Everyone sings and prays together. Then they attend class by grade for the second hour, focusing on scriptural stories and values.

"The primary focus is to help children come to Christ through the Scriptures, the Gospel, what they can do in their own life to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ and the heavenly father," Reintjes says.

The Mormon church teaches that it's family members' responsibility to educate children about faith. It advises parents to use guidebooks, "Faith in God for Girls" or "Faith in God for Boys," as supplements to the ward's primary education. Wards also have Wednesday activity night for children and youth.

The church teaches that children reach the age of accountability at age 8, when they can be baptized.

Reintjes says, "Because of that, they prepare for their baptism by becoming familiar with what God expects of them, how to make correct decisions, what is right and wrong."

On the religious education of children, Radnejad says, "It's healthy to society that its members believe in a supreme being and start to evaluate their own behavior. If we were to stay away from wrongdoing, we wouldn't have the need for policemen on the street. I believe having a religion is far better than not having a religion."

The reporter can be reached at rorozco@fresnobee.com or 441-6304.