Give Sabbath School Leaders and Teachers a Well-Deserved Break 

By Aileen Andres Sox, Editor Our Little Friend & Primary Treasure

Working around vacation schedules and the weekly fluctuation in summer attendance is challenging-especially in children's Sabbath School.

Here's how my Kuna, Idaho, church meets this yearly challenge: we combine our children's Sabbath Schools for three months. Our children's ministries coordinator selects a curriculum and then finds volunteers for each summer Sabbath. Volunteers aren't always the Sabbath School leaders and teachers themselves-although usually each of them takes a turn-but rather people who can commit to help one Sabbath.  

In a small church, a leader and a helper are usually all the personnel needed. However, if you find yourself with lots and lots of kids on any particular Sabbath, you need to be able to tap additional help. This "minute person" is an adult who doesn't lead out, but helps children do what leader/teacher asks. Actually, a helper does the same thing, but may also lead out in some portions of day's activities.

The Primary GraceLink lessons work well as the curriculum for such a combined Sabbath School. The genius of the GraceLink Sabbath School materials, with the emphasis on active learning, is that children of different ages, maturity, and reading skills can learn by doing together, making a combined Sabbath School fun for everyone, especially if older kids are put to work helping younger ones. A VBS curriculum or a book with thirteen lessons on a theme from one of the many wonderful publishers of children's ministries materials would also work.

Several years ago, I accepted the challenge of putting on the kids' programming during a local ASI convention. I was told to expect approximately 15 kids from ages 4 to 13 coming to my group. A volume of Sunday School Specials, a book series from Group Publishing, worked very well as my curriculum. No one was bored and the two of us who led out weren't worked to death either. For added interest, my helper read a continued story: Julius, the Perfectly Pesky Pet Parrot. (Julius is a particular favorite of mine.)

A combined children's Sabbath School offers many benefits: Leaders get a well-deserved rest; kids get to know and help one another; church members get better acquainted with the church's children; the Spirit can expose people to their undeveloped gift for children's ministry.

 Discuss this topic on our Facebook page 

From our Facebook page

Responses to last week's editorial, "The Multi-Church Dilemma"

I think we're too focused on preaching as the key function of pastors as well as the elevated place of the sermon in our worship services. What about the challenge of discipleship, building leadership, and leading each church to discern their mission in the local community? How about energy focused on empowering each congregation to teach each other through Bible study instead of lay preaching?

 - Nathan French

I wonder why more training is not offered to pastors on how to do multi-church ministry successfully? I don't recall one course on it in undergrad or seminary. In 23 years of ministry, I don't recall one speaker at a worker's meeting who ever did any specific teaching on it. I would pay to attend a ministry seminar where all the lectures are given by district pastors, but I have never heard of such a program. Instead, we listen to superstars who don't pastor districts. If we viewed multi-point charges as a specialty and aspired to shine in this work, we would have more success. Instead, we often view it as a necessary evil to be tolerated until we can graduate to one large church. With that philosophy, no wonder that the current state of affairs exists.

 - Barry Kimbrough

God has given us very clear instruction on this, both by inspiration and experience. The experience is evident in other countries, as the paragraph mentioning "Hispanic pastors" refers to. Much of the direct instruction is found in Evangelism pp. 381-383. The paid ministers are to raise up churches in new places. Then the local people are to be trained to carry on the work there while the ministers go on to new areas. We are suffering in the NAD from not following this plan.

 - Daniel Manzano

The key may well be the unbundling of the traditional package of pastoral services. We ask the question: "Where can we find a lay person who can and will do all the work of a traditional pastor?" Perhaps the better question would be, "What are the essential functions of pastoral ministry in the local church which our members are called and gifted to contribute?" 

 - Mark Welch

Media

"Too Much Judgment": a compassionate piece on Harold Camping by Tiffany Stanley of the New Republic. Quote: "Now to me, the schadenfreude has turned sinister. Based on the high traffic the articles are garnering, it would seem as if many of us are intrigued voyeurs, gleeful in knowing the exact day when these people will experience their life's greatest disappointment. We feel superior, knowing that even though they told us we were heading for death and destruction, now, they get theirs.... But should our reaction to them be chuckling glee or something more like sadness? Pay attention to their individual stories - their willingness to sacrifice everything in anticipation that their earthly lives are over - and I dare you not to feel the latter."

• A number of Joplin churches were destroyed. 
• The Adventist church was damaged.  
• ACS is responding. 
• Head of public affairs for the CJC/LDS opines for the Washington Post on that denomination's disaster response. 

• World No Tobacco Day - a great way to link with the local community. Posters and information available. RPHA has a nicely done How to Stop Smoking for Life mag available for the occasion.  

• Women's Ministries Emphasis Day: Sermon, powerpoint and other material available in both Spanish and English. 

• Previous resource links:  
• Andrews Study Bible 
• The Hope of Survivors, ministry to victims of pastoral sexual abuse 
• iFollow website 
• Dissertation on house churches from Milton Adams 
• NAD NewsPoints (formerly Friday Fax): by email, or on a web page.    
• Cluzet - Standish presentation on creation and evolution  
• Back issues of REACH North America News  
• Federal Regulation Forces Crib Replacements in Church Nurseries 
• Special creation-evolution edition of REACH North America News 
• Investigating Faith newsletter - Lee Strobel
• Babylon Rising from IIW
• Vibrant Life magazine "Forks Over Knives" edition 
• Clergy sexual abuse awareness day