Serving on the Inside

The sign up tables in the narthex this week got me to thinking about how important it is to serve within the church as well as outside our own building. I asked Lisa Phelps, one of my kindergartner's teachers, to share about her experience teaching Sunday School. Her reply is wonderful! Read on:

Mark and I began teaching when our children (Katie, 24; Erin, 21; and Hannah 17) were in Preschool, and taught most years through their growing up years. We loved getting to know their friends, watching the children grow physically and spiritually, and giving our girls the message that their Christian Education and our church home were our priority. We got to know what they were learning, we made friends who are now our lifetime friends, and communicated to them that Sunday School is a place where we can trust the adults, where our family belongs and where we are each called by name and known. The rhythm of Sunday mornings being Sunday School days -- along with Wednesday choir days -- formed the sense of our family being committed to growing in our faith and being part of a church family.

And of course the real truth... we (especially me) learned so much as we prepared to teach children and as we heard their questions and wonderings. For our marriage, Sunday School prep (however brief) served as a couples devotional for us, at times the only one we were doing! We got to see one another in new ways -- I admire how Mark knows and communicates the Bible, and he gained appreciation for my ability to manage groups of children, welcome them in, and remember their names and those of their parents. It's been something we do together, and we make a good team.

After our children were out of Elementary School, we've continued to teach. We think it's the most important place to serve in our church, and having relationships with children and young families is a joy. I can't imagine arriving at church and not knowing some of the children, and I love being challenged to express what I believe in and do with the children. And another thing -- I believe that one of the ways to age gracefully is to accept and embrace change. Sunday School has changed since we began teaching and will continue to change with the culture. We try to be enthusiastic about new ways to reach kids, and help them feel loved and valued at church.