Frequently Asked Questions

  • Chotki is the Russian name for prayer rope. A prayer rope is a tool we use to help us pray. So when we were trying to think of a name that focused on Orthodox Christian family resources and tools, we came up with Family Chotki for a business name as are focused on creating tools that help all members of your Orthodox Christian family.

  • With sections covering overview, context, icon theology, significance, application, and lessons, this journal provides a comprehensive journey through the feast. Immerse yourself in the beauty of Orthodox Christian tradition, renew your Christian spirit, and discover the timeless wisdom and ineffable glory found in each of our Great Feast Days. Whether you’re a seasoned Orthodox Christian or new to the faith, the Study Journals are an invaluable resource that will inspire, enlighten, and guide you to grow in your spiritual life. Learn more on our Study Journals page.

  • Every year, we cycle through and celebrate the Great Feasts. We set time aside in our busy schedules, prepare to take communion and attend the festal services. These are all bare minimum requirements for all Orthodox Christians. Furthermore, most of us associate these Great Feasts with certain traditions, hymns or foods. However, we maintain a shallow understanding of the spiritual reality of these Great Feasts. How can this be? How many of us truly celebrate these feasts with a spiritual appetite? How many of us find the spiritual nourishment from these feasts that helps lift us up in our day-to-day struggle? How many of us truly understand the depths of what these blessed feasts offer us? How many of us leave the festal service brimming with spiritual joy? These feasts are so powerful that they can transform our spiritual state and yet we maintain the most basic understanding of these feasts. We are missing something!

    This was a gap we wanted to genuinely help fill so that our hearts started to learn to stay warm and ignited with the Word of God throughout the whole year from feast to feast. We wanted to help bridge the gap in a way that brought your entire family unit on this journey to help show the depths of the Great Feasts and illuminate the potential paths for continued to growth year after year.

    1. Mother of God Shows Us the Way (Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple)

    2. Putting on Christ (Baptism of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ)

    3. Climbing Your Mt. Tabor (Transfiguration)

    4. Rekindling the Fire in Your Heart (Pentecost)

    5. Seeking a Christian Ending to Your Life (Dormition)

  • We did not set out with a specific age in mind for the Study Journals as there is content for every family member so here is a list of ideas of how to use the Study Journals with different age groups in mind.

    Ages 0-12: This age group will most likely need an adult to read through the content to discuss and help define words. When used in a family read-out loud context, the Study Journal is best for this age group. For younger children, there are free Activity Pages to keep them occupied while older children discuss prompts and questions from the study Journal.

    Ages 13-18: This is an age where you can hand over the Study Journal for independent study our assigned study in homeschool. This is a great age for encouraging children to take ownership of their faith with the support parents to keep guiding and the Study Journals encourage this type of ownership with the questions and prompts.

    Ages 19+: As adults, it is important to keep growing in the faith and fortifying the foundations of your understanding of the the faith. The Study Journals can be used as a refresher course to help adults get re-centered in what the Orthodox faith teaches and to not only learn but practice the faith through the Great Feasts.

    Here is feedback from a customer on how they use the Study Journals in their family setting: The smallest ones can listen to us read them aloud, but they are interesting even for the adults. I learn new things and I've been a priest's wife for 20 years!

  • Our Study Journals uniquely combine art and document design with theology in an exciting visual educational journey within the context of the Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church. Although each Study Journal revolves around a specific Great Feast, the lessons, themes and subthemes are applicable throughout the year. We pair our text with interactive conversational questions and activities to engage curious readers and interest all ages to dive deeper into their Orthodox Christian faith. Learn more on our Study Journal page.

  • Our Study Journals will be offered in the following 2 formats:

    Paperback book & Family Use License digital pdf.

    We also sell paperback Study Journals in a 4-pack value set that you can customize yourself.

  • We provide the option to purchase the Study Journal in a digital format under (pdf) a Family Use License. This digital product you purchase from Family Chotki is owned and licensed by Family Chotki. The Study Journal is instantly sent after payment is received.

    A Family Use License allows you to use the file just for you and your immediate family’s needs and is non-transferable. You are allowed to print hard copies just for your family needs.

    Thank you for honoring our Copyright Policy. It enables us to continue to offer you the speedy delivery of products with the ease of digital download (without the annoying encryption password coded documents that are common today).

    Orthodox Christians tend to be among the most ethical customers in the world of business and we thank you for that high standard of behavior.Item description

  • Yes! Please visit our Wholesale page to learn more.

  • Yes! We do ship orders outside the United States.

    Please visit our International Orders page for more details.

  • Yes! Please visit our Wholesale page to learn more.

  • First, we plan to complete all the Great Feasts Study Journals. We also want to create and sell consumable workbooks that can accompany the Study Journals for certain age groups to provide further engagement with the content. We also want to further develop other resources to help Orthodox Christian families with fortifying their family home.

    What does your Orthodox Christian family need? Write to us at familychotki@gmail.com and give us some feedback on how we can help you fortify your family church.

  • The brain map is actually a feature that your either love it or hate it. For some customers it’s confusing and makes no sense. For others it speaks to them in a very visual way.

    The brain map helps different types of learners to see the bigger picture of the feast in a different way. We talk a lot about diving deep deep and getting curious and the Brain Map helps us visually see where we are headed. We also love to use the Brain Map as a sort of litmus test. Instead of a traditional quiz or test to see what you already know about the Great Feasts, try and create a Brain Map to see what connects to each Great Feast for you. It shows that there is so much going with each Great Feast and how much we have yet to learn as Orthodox Christians.