An evangelistic Sunday school will always be built upon a foundation of prayer. While each teacher should maintain their own personal prayer life, corporate group prayer by all Sunday school staff members is equally important. Some churches maintain a Sunday morning teacher’s prayer/staff meeting that begins about thirty minutes before the teachers are to be in class. You will be amazed at the difference this will make.
By Tim Massengale
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Pastor Fields stood before the assembled group of Sunday school teachers and bus workers and called the meeting go order.
“Thank you all for coming out tonight. I know everyone’s busy and it’s not easy to give up one of your evenings for a Sunday school staff meeting. But we have a lot to cover tonight. The next three or four months will be both busy and exciting for our Sunday school. We have an important new program we want to implement, as well as explain our upcoming plans for Easter. But before we get started I’ve asked Bro. Tony to come up and share his testimony. Most of you know he and his lovely wife Missy teach the Junior High class. They are doing an outstanding job. But what many of you may not know is why Brother Tony is in church today. So Brother Tony, please come and share your story.”
Brother Tony cleared his throat and smiled weakly, his hands slightly shaking as he adjusted the microphone. “Thank you, Pastor. I’m not much at public speaking. I love teaching the Junior High class, but that’s more group discussion with a bunch of crazy adolescent kids than what I’m doing here. But I wanted to share with you why Sunday school is so important to me.
“I grew up in East Knightstown district. As you may know, that’s not a very good neighborhood. Lots of drugs and crime. My older brother spent three years in prison for car theft. I was already involved with one of the youth gangs when Brother Wallace drove the big blue bus down our street, loud speaker blasting out some gospel song and him yelling that he had free popsicles for anyone that wanted one. I was sitting on the front stoop of our tenet building, bored and wanting something to do. When I went to get a popsicle he asked me if I had ever gone to Sunday school before. I remember clearly his big toothy smile and how he said Sunday school was a fun way to spend Sunday morning. Plus, they were giving away kites to everyone that rode the bus the next morning. So I said, ‘Sure, why not.’
“He followed me back to our apartment and got my mom’s permission to pick me up the next morning. I remember she looked at me kind of funny and told me I would have to get myself up because there was no way she was getting up that early. Anyway, that was how I started coming to Sunday school.
“Every Sunday morning Brother Wallace would pick me and a half a dozen others on our street up and take us to Sunday school. He made the bus ride fun. We sang songs and played games. He used to dress up as a clown and throw candy our way if we were singing extra loud.
“I was ten years old when I started coming. At twelve I received the Holy Ghost at youth camp. Brother Wallace paid my way to go.
“Church was the only place I felt safe and clean. My home environment was not very good. Mom and dad drank and smoked a lot. They also argued all the time and occasionally it got ugly. But I could always come to church and what I felt here, I never felt anywhere else. I wanted to be here all the time. Brother and Sister McPherson began picking me up for Sunday evening service. All the young people would go out to Pizza Hut after evening service and I could always bum a ride home afterwards.
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