Welcome to our SRF Phoenix Temple Sunday School.  Our aim is to inspire children to develop a special love for God as the "Heavenly Father, Divine Mother, and Cosmic Friend." The lessons and principles imparted to children are based on the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda. Children are taught at an early age that there is only one God and to respect all true religions as paths to the same goal. They are also taught "how-to-live" principles that lead to a happy, balanced life through developing a personal relationship with God in meditation and right activity.

Sunday School teachers strive to create an environment that is both spiritual and fun. After a brief prayer and period of devotional chanting, children are guided in meditation and visualization in age-appropriate ways. Then follows a story or lesson to illustrate a universal spiritual principle. Lastly, there is an activity or craft that relates to the day's central topic.

Sunday School begins promptly at 10:00 am, concurrent with our temple lecture services. Most classes are located on the second floor of the fellowship hall, east of the temple; the entrance is at the southwest corner. Parents should perform a personal handoff between 9:45-10:00 directly to the teacher and pick up their children as soon as the lecture service ends.

We are pleased to announce that we are updating our Sunday Shool web page.  This section will host upcoming events as they are announced.

In September our Sunday School celebrated Janmashtami, the birthday of Bhagavan Krishna, with a Family Fellowship potluck event.

The festive decorations and displays included a statue of the infant Krishna in a cradle, which could be gently rocked. Dressed in colorful Indian clothing, the children heard stories about Krishna's childhood and love for butter. A piñata in the shape of a butter pot that the children had been making in earlier weeks yielded candy and treats - much to everyone's delight!

 

On Sunday, November 12th, the Sunday School Preschool, Primary, and Junior classes united East and West by celebrating Diwali, the traditional Indian Festival of Lights, which commemorates the inevitable triumph of good over evil. They listened to a story and participated in making various crafts depicting a colorful mandala, diyas, and fireworks. 

In a spirit of Thanksgiving gratitude and service, about 40 members of the families and friends of Sunday School Children, Teens, and Young Adults volunteered as part of a larger community project, in packaging 319 boxes of 68,904 nutritious meals aimed at reaching needy children in various countries.

Brother Balananda visited the Sunday School on November 5, while he was in town for the Phoenix Temple's 50th anniversary.  He showed the children pictures of Halloween in Encinitas.

Sunday School children arrived for class on the Sunday before Halloween, dressed up as different characters in various colorful costumes and heard stories of courage from the lives of the Gurus. They held a Halloween parade on the patio, singing and playing musical instruments, much to the delight of all present.

We host two or three short videos and summaries of past Sunday School events on our web page. Older events may be moved to an archive page. We invite you to browse through all the short videos and summaries posted here for a sampling of the type of activities that the children engage in during Sunday School.