Roundtable 1: SUNDAY SCHOOL

 

 

Emmanuel Episcopal Church

Rapid City, South Dakota

 

June 22, 2014

Roundtable Discussion:

SUNDAY SCHOOL

 

On Sunday, June 22, 2014, an open-forum discussion was held at Emmanuel Episcopal Church for the purposes of planning the future of our Sunday School program. The meeting was well attended by Sunday School and Youth Group leadership as well as interested parishioners, parents and volunteers.

 

Though extensive in content and participation, a very brief outline of the discussion follows:

 

1.       What is Sunday School?

a.      Foundation for Spirituality

b.      Translating the Faith Understandably

c.       Teaching the Basics of the Faith

d.      Relating the Faith to Everyday Life

e.      Companionship/Relationship with our Family of Faith

 

2.      What does a successful Sunday School look like?

a.      Commitment of teachers and families and congregations

b.      Fulfilling our Baptismal Vows

c.       On the children’s level:

                                                              i.      Colorful

                                                           ii.      Loud

                                                         iii.      Active

                                                          iv.      Happy

                                                            v.      Fun

                                                          vi.      Lots of Kids

1.       (however): Quality trumps Quantity

d.      Children  who take ownership

e.      Youth Sundays throughout the year:

                                                              i.      Children participating in the liturgy:

1.       Readers

2.      Ushers

3.      Acolytes

                                                           ii.      Children’s Sermons periodically

f.        Strong Leadership

 

3.      What does an UNsuccessful Sunday School look like?

a.      Empty

b.      Quiet

c.       Inconsistent

d.      Boring

e.      No Participation

f.        No Curriculum

g.      No Leadership

h.     Disorganized

 

4.      What do kids want?

a.      Fun

b.      Popcorn (We have a popcorn machine which has been used in the past to generate excitement and curiosity to draw children downstairs to the Sunday School activities)

c.       Feel Connected

d.      Hungry to Learn

e.      Acknowledge Different Learning Styles

f.        Music

 

5.      What do Parents want?

a.      Children Educated in the Faith in collaboration with Parents, not in place of parents who have the primary responsibility

b.      Lead to further discussion at home

c.       Help raise the children with parents

d.      Faith perspectives to the world

e.      Relationships between Sunday School Teachers and Children to be life-long.

f.        Set Curriculum that is age/grade appropriate

 

6.      How do we attract Parents, Kids, Volunteers?

a.      Website

b.      Word of Mouth – Direct Invitation

c.       Enthusiasm

d.      Substitute Teachers identified and on stand-by

e.      Use current ministry schedule software

f.        Short sessions leading to short commitment times by volunteers

 

7.      First Things First (prioritizing the plan):

a.      Build Curriculum

b.      Identify volunteers in advance of the fall term

c.       Market Sunday School early

d.      Schedule interfaces between Sunday School and Church Calendar for children’s liturgies

e.      Plan and Host an Autumn Kids Kickoff with Sunday School Registration

f.        Get kids registered!

 

A recommendation was made that the computer room be restored. Investigation, planning and coordination is necessary to ensure maximum utilization of the space considering that the space has been repurposed into the Family Fun Library.