Sunday School Ministries Department
Report
for the year 2008-2009
As I write this report, I am reminded
of a passage of scripture I’ve relied on many times, found in I Chronicles
28:20. “Be strong and courageous, and do
the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged,
for the Lord God…is with you. He will
not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of
the Lord is finished.” (NIV). Although
our numbers are down, we must keep teaching and discipling those who are
willing to commit to Sunday School and Adult Bible Fellowship each Sunday.
Our current student enrollment is 161
and we averaged 70 in attendance this past year.
This year has been one of struggle, trying to determine ways
to emphasize the importance of discipleship and studying the Bible through a
Sunday School or Adult Bible Fellowship Class and trying to increase
attendance. Sunday School attendance can
be an indication of how important we feel Christian education is to our
children and the next generation who we need to disciple and educate. It used to be that most unchurched teens and
adults knew who Jesus was because they had attended a Sunday School at some
time in their life, but this next generation of children is not being given
that opportunity because parents have other priorities and do not see a need
for any spiritual foundation. We have a
great challenge before us to do our part in drawing these children into our
classes.
This year the Sunday School Ministries
Board created a survey to try to determine the needs of not only the adult members
who attend Adult Bible Fellowship, but those who only attend worship. We found that the majority of those who
completed the survey still felt the best time for a concentrated study of the
Bible was at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays, so offering an Adult Bible Fellowship class
at another time through the week did not seem necessary at this time according
to those who completed the survey.
The Sunday School Department provided gifts for Mother’s Day
and Father’s Day and the treats that were given out after the Children’s
Christmas Musical.
Baby Day was held in May under the direction of Kristen
Hammer. The Board decided to combine
Baby Day with Children’s Day this year and it will be held in June under the
direction of Connie Crawley.
The Children’s Ministries Department
of the Sunday School helped the Board with the planning and implementing of the
Summer/Fall Sunday School Emphasis which used the Veggie Tales, “The Pirates
Who Don’t Do Anything” Bible Adventure curriculum, which had a pirate theme. Coins were earned during the summer and fall Sundays
and then were spent at a “store” at the end of the emphasis. Children’s Bibles were provided for those
children who did not have Bibles during the emphasis.
Vacation Bible
School was held in July under the
direction of Jim Wade with 57 students enrolled.
The annual “Trunk or Treat” activity was successfully held in
October due to the many who helped and brought their children to participate.
Supper Club 6 was sponsored by the
Sunday School Dept. with 5 groups participating. Evaluation will be made as to whether another
three month time period will be done this year.
The Sunday School Dept. participated
in the celebration of the Church’s Centennial in Sept and Oct by having
teachers present age graded lessons that carried out core teachings and our
children were used to carry flags for the International Sunday.
In 2006, the general church adopted
the mission statement “to make Christlike disciples in the nations”. As a Sunday School, we need to adopt that
statement locally by doing all we can to help families see the need for
spiritual growth and formation in their members as well as the need for social
interaction with friends and relatives.
We have much to do to encourage those who attend Sunday School/Adult
Bible Fellowship to never stop learning and to find those who need to hear
about Jesus’ love and forgiveness and help them grow in their spiritual walk.
Respectfully submitted,
Carolyn A. Peters
Sunday School Superintendent