Sunday School Explosion!

Reclaiming Sunday School

   The older I get, the more I find myself talking about the "good old days." In the good old days, everything in the Methodist Church centered around the Sunday School. In the good old days, there was a high expectation that EVERYONE should be in Sunday School. In fact, in the good old days, most people came to Christ and the church through Sunday School.

   Well, the good old days are  here again! Your Evangelism Committee is reclaiming Sunday School for mission. Their vision is to transform our Sunday School once again into the center of church life and establish it as the outreach arm of the church.

   For that reason, your Evangelism Committee is organizing a visitation ministry that involves each Sunday School class in the church, including children and youth. We're reclaiming Monday evenings for visitation. Each class is encouraged to send representatives for visitation each Monday evening. At the visitation gathering, visitors will receive their visitation assignments to be done that night.

   So who are we going to visit? First, most visitation assignments will be to invite people to attend your Sunday School class. That list will come primarily from our membership list. Sometimes, the purpose of the visit will be to call on those who have been absent from class fore a while. Those visits aren't designed to harass people. Their purpose is to express love and care.

   Finally, visitors will occasionally be asked to do follow-up calls on newcomers in our worship services. This are usually brief visits that happen on the doorstep to say "Thanks for coming! Please come again!"

   Why are personal visits important? Well, stop and think about it. God made himself known to us in the person of Jesus. It's what theologians call the incarnation. The church is the body of Christ. We're the incarnation of Jesus in the world. When we visit others face-to-face, we make Christ known. That's why cards and phone calls just won't do sometimes. 

   The Evangelism Committee is still working out the details. But everything is slated to kick off for Lent. Be watching for more information!

 God's best to you!

Bill Ivins, pastor