Sunday School / VBS Update: February 18, 2008

Hi Team,

Here is a review of the things we discussed yesterday and some things I may be calling for your assistance on between now and our next SS Leader Meeting, which is scheduled for March 16 @ 4:00 PM.

Leadership Changes & Needs

• Cliff needs to step down as our Adult Division Director for health reasons. I will work with Pastor Mike to get a replacement for him lined up. He plans to continue his role as Adult-4 Teacher. We will also keep him on as part of our SS Team, just for council & stuff like that, if he is willing. No meeting requirements, but I am sure he would love to continue to be used by us for all the wisdom, insight, and encouragement he has to offer.
• Deanna Bledsoe is our VBS Director for 2008. Our VBS Leadership Team is comprised of her, Katrina Owens, Mark Layton, and Gordon Peel, Jr.
• We are looking / praying for a SS Outreach Director and/or Secretary. We definitely need the secretary position filled; depending on how we make the program work, we may need two people to head this up.

A Group Effort

Yea!! We officially have a VBS leadership team & a VBS director. The members of the team right now are Deanna Bledsoe (Director), Katrina Owens, Mark Layton, and Gordon Peel, Jr. There’s still a couple people very interested and willing to help serve in some leadership positions that we may bring alongside in the near future or just use “off the books” as well

I hope you guys don’t mind me telling Deanna that we will have her back through all of this. The time will come when she will need it; you know that because you’ve been there yourself.

One thing I know I used to ask myself as I started this Sunday School Director spot was “what if?” What if I fail? What if they don’t like me? What if they don’t respond to things I ask them to do? The thing is, it’s not just me. It’s not just you. I told Deanna this the other day on the phone, and it applies to each and every one of us. If we fail at VBS, or if we fail at Sunday School, or if we fail at Reach/Teach/Minister, it is going to be one big group effort, not the result of one person’s weakness or inability.

Thanks to you guys, though… I don’t ask those “what if” questions much anymore. They still linger, of course… but I am convinced we have the resources, the abilities, and the people to get this job done. What’s better than that is we have the authority, the promise, and the help of Christ in what we are doing as we keep on track with Him.

Go Team!

Chet

P.S. Pray for me today if you get the chance – I am leading the youth tonight at church. Not my normal cup of tea but something I love.

Sunday School & VBS Update – November 11

Hi TeamS! This is the first email I’ve had a chance to write to both our Sunday School team and our up-and-coming VBS team! I’m absolutely THRILLED about how people are coming together into a new VBS leadership team, which we should have established here in the next couple days. In the meantime… if you’re getting this email, you’re part of this, officially or not.

We have a number of things going on during the next week or so. Here’s a brief rundown of important dates & times related to Sunday School and VBS:

Saturday	9:30 AM – 12:00 PM	VBS Preview for VBS Leadership Teams
Sunday	9:00 AM	Sunday School !!
Sunday	4:00 PM	Sunday School & VBS Leadership Team Meeting (both teams at once)
Sunday	5:00 PM	Sunday School Teachers Meeting

If you’re part of this VBS team, officially or not, Saturday will be a great day for you to learn about preparing for and running VBS. I know a few of our leaders already won’t be able to make it, so if you can make it, please do so, and then we can share together what we get from it.

We have two meetings on Sunday. First is our leader meeting at 4:00 PM. This is for anybody getting this email. We will be doing our “normal” monthly stuff – the behind-the-scenes planning and administrative work of doing Sunday School right. Reach… Teach… Minister… Remember that? We are going to focus on evangelism and outreach this month, so come with your brain in gear.

At 5:00 we will open it up to all of our Sunday School team – teachers, helpers, and workers in general. During this time we’ll watch (I hope) a short video by Allan Taylor, completely different from what we did a few weeks ago, but still very relevant to what we’re doing here. We’ll also discuss any problems, maybe some teacher aids & stuff like that, and basically get everybody on the same page…

I will be emailing and writing all our teachers about the 5:00 meeting. If you can add your personal touch, go for it. This is brand new, so I don’t know what to expect, but judging by the way my expectations have been surpassed by you guys and our team in recent times, it’s going to be more than we plan for… let’s make it happen!

Go team! Email or call me if you need anything at all.

Chet

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Sunday School on Tuesdays?

This is an excellent article on the concept of starting something new. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Tuesday night Sunday School class, an evangelistic event, or a new meeting format… Changes demand a need for change. They need planning, consideration, prayer, committment, and passion. I think this is a great article about this.

What Might Happen If You Offered Sunday School on Tuesdays
By Darrell Wilson, The Sunday School Revolutionary, found here.

I have several objectives for my blog posts. I want to create an awareness of what effective Sunday School and small group work looks like. I want to raise the level of expectation. I want to raise the level of effectiveness. And I want to encourage creative thinking about how we can utitilze Sunday School/small groups to carry out the Great Commission.

Birthing a new class

Wow… YouTube Sunday School! This is a great video that gives birthing a new class a little lighter side…

VBS Leadership

I sent this email to Deanna B. today; she is considering a position in our VBS Leadership Team and wanted some info on the duties we are looking to fill.

Deanna,

I wanted to write down some thoughts for you about some of the VBS leadership positions we are working on finding the right people for. We had a quick meeting this weekend with several people who have a heart for certain areas, and I hope we can find the right place for yours as well. The other people we’re primarily working with right now are Deanna D. and Katrina O. Both have expressed an interest in being involved in our VBS leadership team that we are putting together. Deanna is really interested in helping out with promoting it and Katrina is all into the decorations thing. But more than those specific roles, we’re looking for a team of people with a unified heart for the kids this will touch who are willing to work together to organize, plan, and make this happen this year. Those two women (hopefully), along with Gordon P. and Mark L., and possibly yourself, would make an awesome team, in my opinion.

Sunday School Update: February 4, 2008

Welcome to a new month! It’s amazing how quickly the days are flying by this year, yet at the same time some of them remain more vivid and detailed in my mind than many in the past. From the growth of my little boy to the development of our Sunday School program, things are moving, and we have GOT to hang on tight, because our endurance and commitment is going to be tested over the upcoming months.

During the month of February,