Sunday School Update – March 26

Team,

 

To me, it seems like it’s been a while since I wrote you all a note. While you may welcome that, I miss it. I missed seeing you guys this past Sunday while we were in Pennsylvania, even though it was good to be around family we haven’t seen in a while. You all are my comrades, my compatriots, my brothers ( & sisters, I guess) in arms. I hope today finds you well. If not, I hope you can find the relief you need. And if you need a night off (guys), let me know… I am planning a short camping trip this weekend and would love to have you join me.

 

Ok, down to business. We have a lot of irons in the fire… and I do mean “we,” not just “me” – and I’m thankful for that. Here are some highlights; I won’t give you too much detail for now; feel free to follow up with me or the relevant person if you want more info:

 

·         We are still searching for an adult director. We’ve focused on a couple people so far but haven’t found the right person. I still believe that person is out there, and am waiting for God to bring us and that person together.

·         The story with our SS Outreach ministry is a little different. We have several interested individuals / couples, and I will be setting up some time with them, hopefully as a group, here in the next few weeks. I am hoping that at that time we can find some leadership roles to partake in and get things rolling. April is going to be a big month for this as we organize it, and I hope to start the ball really rolling in May. We are all part of this plan, and it has been on the drawing board for a long, long time, so I welcome your support as we switch from planning to executing.

·         VBS enlistment is coming along well. I’m not sure of the percentage of spots we have filled right now, and frankly, I don’t care. We have two very willing and capable women (Deanna & Katrina) who are excited about this ministry and talking to people like crazy. I have unofficially crowned Katrina the “Queen of VBS Enlistment.” I hope you’ll join me in showing our appreciation to these hard-working teammates.

·         We are looking to start a joint venture in outreach through our SS ministry & Van Ministry. This is another one that’s been on the drawing board for a while between myself and Monty, and we are going to be talking to Mike & Mark about it in the very near future (like 2 ½ hours from now) to get their input & support. This is kind of cool, and I will fill you in on it more in the future.

·         I am THRILLED about the response we are getting by our SS classes/teachers for this SS promotion / highlight time in the worship service once a month. I will be talking with Mike and Mark about that more today as well, to make sure we have their backing and to get things in place. We launch this the 2^nd Sunday in April with the Womens 1 and Childrens 2 class being the classes we will highlight. I will have a full schedule for you at our next meeting. We have some neat things lined up for the next several months!

·         I encourage you to ALWAYS keep your eyes and ears open for willing teachers / leaders / workers and either get with them or get with a teammate who can get with them. We have openings in several spots, from kids to adults.

·         I’m opening up my long-range-vision to you here for a sec to tell you that we may well be anticipating starting a brand new Sunday School class in the next 6-9 months. More details as this develops, but I’d appreciate your prayers on this venture. We may also be multiplying 1 or 2 of our adult classes as they continue to grow. Pray for this and THANK GOD for it as well.

·         I have a “top secret” project that I need a helper for. This will be a fun project that I would like the help of one or two people on and will be worked on through the next 3-4 months. If you’re interested in making someone’s day and giving our teachers a huge “pat on the back,” let me know of your interest and I’ll fill you in.

·         We have some cool hi-tech stuff in the works as well. Not very far along but I think it’s going to be extremely useful for the outreach ministry as well as general Sunday School communication. Stay tuned…

 

Ok, I’m out of breath… and I am thrilled to be working on these ventures with you. Be courageous, build your strength, and let’s DO THIS!

 

Chet

 

Upcoming Dates

Next SS Emphasis Sunday: April 13

Next SS Leader Meeting: April 20, 5:00 PM

 

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

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,

VBS Leadership Meeting – February 3, 2008

We will be holding a VBS leadership meeting on Sunday, February 3, 2008, immediately following the morning worship service. This meeting is going to allow us to get several people interested in the VBS Director or other leadership positions together to discuss the responsibilities of the job, the kind of heart it takes, and the kind of organization and duties it will require. Sandi Layton and Carol Jones will be there to share their experiences, and Gordon, Jr. and myself will be there as well, hopefully. We have several interested parties and are trying to spread the word through channels that get to the heart of the matter, not just sharing it as a want ad or a spot to be filled. We need the right person for this job.

Above all, we need a heart for God. More specifically, a heart for children, for reaching them for Christ, and for caring for them through teaching, fun, and personal ministry. We will also need people willing or available to promote and organize the ministry.

I don’t see why this has to be one person.  But it could. I am wide open on that.

Sunday School Update – January 29, 2008

Wow, is it a new week already? What a weekend we just had! I am so thankful to all of you for your part in our SS Training event on Saturday. We will be following up on it with our teachers over the next few months. If you have ideas of how to make the “Reach, Teach, Minister” phrase more visible, let’s talk about it.

I’d like to have our next “official” SS Leader meeting on February 17 at 4:00 PM. The first step of change I am making based on our stuff this past weekend is to get all teachers involved, or at least invited, to our monthly meetings. I will plan on us meeting for about 45 minutes on our own, and then invite all teachers for some discussion and strategy time after that, say from 4:45 to 5:45. If you don’t think we can fill that much time, be prepared to be surprised! J Like they said on the video, we spend countless hours preparing for a 3-4 minute song, or a 5 minute presentation, yet we only touch base with our teachers all at one time 3-4 times a year? Something’s not right there, and that something is going to be one of the first changes we make. I don’t expect everyone to start coming right away. Right now it will be an invitation… all teachers are welcome. As the meetings begin to take shape and become useful, and even necessary, we will work toward getting people to be there and some other expectations, but first we must create a need for that change. You’ll hear more about that later, but for now, let me know if February 17 is bad for you; otherwise that is what we will plan on, and going forward, I am going to plan for the 3rd Sunday of each month.

Also, we are having a meeting with some people who have an interest in the VBS Director & Leadership positions this Sunday after the morning worship service church for about 10 – 15 minutes. We will meet in the fellowship hall, in Cliff’s classroom. We’re also going to pick a date at this time. Would love for you to be there and offer any input you have.

Here are the specific people we’re hoping will be there:

· Sandi Layton: Will be there for Q&A, to provide information, and give an idea of the job requirements.

· Carol Jones: Same thing, she’s not interested in the position but will be teaching

· Gordon Peel: He’s kind of our point of contact from the SS team right now and will be the go-to person until we get a leader or leadership team put together.

· Deanna Bledsoe: Interested in the VBS leadership positions. Her heart has recently been spoken to about working with kids in a not-so-hands-on way. (ask me about this, it’s a neat story)

· Katrina Owens: Interested, but needs to know more.

· Deanna DeCoursey: Would be glad to help with promotion and getting things rolling (organization), but probably won’t be able to help much around actual VBS time.

· Debbie Dailey: Not interested in the position and probably won’t be there Sunday after church, but said she might be available for some behind the scenes stuff (maybe the registration?)

· Mark Layton: May or may not be interested; Monty talked to him and he is considering it. Mark’s definitely got the qualifications, training, and experience working with kids and VBS.

· If you have ideas on people who might have a heart for this, let me know or contact them yourself. I will try to get it in an announcement slide for the powerpoint this week.

· I’d love to have any of you come, particularly Gordon, Sara, and Jill… you guys know the most about the kids, kids teachers, and maybe VBS. I’ll be there, too.

As I look at all this stuff, do you know what I’m seeing? I’m seeing that we might just end up with a full fledged VBS “TEAM” this year? Different people responsible for different things, counting on each other, helping each other, and fitting into the puzzle of reaching out to these kids. I wonder if that’s where we were supposed to be winding up all along… hmmm… One thing I want to be sure to express to anyone who takes up the position is that we are glad to let them take the ball and run with it, but at the same time, we won’t just drop VBS in their lap and say “we’re done, now it’s your job.” We will support, champion, and help wherever we can, using whatever gifts and abilities we have, because this is a huge part of our church’s outreach and evangelism mission.Thanks for making it through this, guys, I know this was a little long.

Chet

PS : I’ll try to get some pictures from our weekend event out over the next few days. Thanks, Sara, for taking those!