To explain our concept and curriculum this year, let me preface it by saying, The Macedonia Church has experienced tremendous growth in membership. It is evident in our Bible Studies, Ministries, tithes and offerings as well as our New Members Class. WHERE WE DIDN'T SEE ANY GROWTH WAS IN SUNDAY SCHOOL.
It puzzled me because the numbers where there, the people were there, the attendance was there, BUT THEY WEREN'T THERE. All good ministries should evaluate yourself from time to time to make sure what you are doing is viable and producing the desire results. We noticed our New Members class was full; we were graduating people out of the class and filling up the next class but we were losing people after the graduation.
They left the New Members Class and went to Sunday Morning Worship; they went to Evening and Noonday Bible Study; they went to ministry meetings and planning parties but they weren't going to Sunday School.
Upon further review, we discovered that many of our members didn't like the "traditional Sunday School approach of Lecture and monologue they experience in the Sunday School Class. The New Members class and teachers were more interactional with the students then our older more seasoned Sunday School teachers were.
Also we discovered many of our students preferred Topical, more relational Bible Studies than they did Systematic Bible Studies such as the Uniform Sunday School International Series. Realizing I was not going to overhaul my entire System, we decided to tweak it.
We realized you just can't fix round holed people into square peg places (and if you do, it's either too tight so they can't grow and breathe or it's too big and you swallow them up and lose them into the great abyss of church pew members.
We implemented Off The Grid Classes" for our Sunday School. Those who preferred traditional Systematic Sunday School could still attend and others who prefer more dialogue and more interaction with topics that mirror and minister to my current situation can come as well.
These classes became our curriculum for VBS 2012. Our instructors were:
Sister Angelia Forrest, "Debt-Free Living, "How to Manage Your Money Through The Word
Sister Maureen Johnson "Bible Basics 101, Taking the Fear out of Studying The Bible
Deacon Chris Dudley :Doctrine of Sin and Salvation-From Regeneration to Resurrection
Rev. Ray E. Owens Baptist Church Etiquette, BTU for the 21st Century
What an amazing time we had each night from all of our instructors who shared with us the Word of God. The participation was amazing and the attendance grew every night. I am glad we had a chance to show the ENTIRE church what our "OFF THE GRID" glasses were all about. Sometimes we are resistant to change without knowing or even giving a chance to that which we are resisting.
Let me thank our Christian Education Director, Deacon Chris Dudley for doing a wonderful job in the planning, implementing and executing of our VBS 2012.
Let me thank all of the teachers who volunteered their time and energy working with our youth, We doubled our enrollment numbers and tripled them in the ages of 6 through 12.
Let me also thank all of the kitchen workers who worked in a hot kitchen during a hot week with limited A/C but yet served our children and our adults with a gracious Spirit that showed the love of Christ and the Spirit of Macedonia. I am the better for Pastoring great workers like you.
Thank you to all the Church staff that helped with supplies, signs, syllabi, and smoothing over egos that unintentionally got hurt either by a results driven Pastor or just the accidental bruising of feelings due to constant working together.
Finally, thank you to all of our members who contributed free-will to send our children to Six Flags Great America for the close-out of our VBS. Because of your contributions ,EVERY CHILD that wanted to go was able to go.
All of this was made possible by our Deacon Emeritus, one of the Four Horsemen of our church and our former Christian Education Director, Deacon Henry Turner.
May God bless and keep you is my prayer.
Owens
1 comment:
Where are the notes man?
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