Sunday School

  As I cleaned out closets in preparation for the fumigation of the church, I happened upon bits and pieces of many of the lessons I have concocted over the past 3 years. There is the fruit of the spirit jigsaw puzzle, the body of Christ bingo, the services to others cootie catchers and the Noah’s ark matching game. I can’t help but wonder how much of it made any sense to the children. How much did they retain? Has all of this play dough and finger paint tethered any of the bibles stories into their hearts? Has any one of them been nicer to a strangers after reenacting the parable of the good Samaritan with stuffed animals and band aids? (Which, by the way, is not a good idea as the band aids do not come off that fake fur, ever.)

   It’s hard to know if anything during the hour or so a week that children are at church makes much of an impact. This is not like a science fair experiment; we can’t control for variables. Overall, knowing what affects a child in a positive way is difficult to discern. There are some sweeping generalizations when it comes to forming children.  Children who are read to every night usually do much better academically than those who are not. Children who get enough sleep and watch very little TV are in better physical and emotional shape than those children who stay up late watching TV. When it comes to the spiritual impact of making the Jordan River out of blue frosting, there is very little information and fewer conclusions.

   The truth is that no one knows what coming to Sunday school does for a child. It doesn’t seem to hurt. I know that it is not the cure all for kids who have gone astray. The best a parent can hope for is that Sunday school is a supporting role in the process of raising a child. Sunday school will affirm what the children are already hearing at home. Parents are the key to the core spiritual growth of a child.  Bringing a child to church regularly will, hopefully, result in him knowing a few bible stories and looking back on church as a safe and comforting place to be. In Sunday school we build on the teaching children hear at home; we are not a substitute for home. The difference is that we get to  do it with lots of glitter and glue.

God’s peace,
Michelle

The Season of Pentecost

   The season of Pentecost is the celebration of the beginning of the church as a body. In the second chapter of Acts they spoke in many different languages to further the kingdom of God. A very simple lesson for the church of today and for our children is that there are many ways to teach of the love of Christ and many ways to hear the love of Christ.

   Within any group there are a diverse set of talents. Anyone who believes that their talent is superior is sorely mistaken. Some teach through words, some through service and all through the way we live our lives. We must teach our children that all talents are valuable within the church and life, that the church is not an institution of religion, but the people who come together for the glory of God. Too often we underestimate the need for compassion in favor of the more showy gifts.

    Each child will have a unique offering to God and to the church. Some can speak publicly; some can sing; some are never in front of a crowd but serve with gracious compassion, some with gentle courteousness. Church is not a scheduled performance with the big acts getting more prominence. It is  about building a family of God person by person, reaching each person and each child with the language that best suits them. Listen to the many voices, watch the many servants and admire the lives of those who model Christ. Share all of this with your children lest they be distracted by the showy parts. Day in and day out encourage your children to see, while reminding yourself,  that each one of us is an instrument of the Holy Spirit as along as we make ourselves available to move forward for Christ.

Have an enriching Pentecost,
Michelle