A Brief Update of Information & Ideas For Sunday School & Christian Education
Teachers & Leaders From The Pennsylvania State Sunday School Association!

(Spring, 2008 - Updated March 25, 2008)

P.S.S.S.A. To Hold At Least Four "Regional Training Events" In 2008

For many years the Pennsylvania State Sunday School Association has held a "Summer Training Event" to provide workshop training for Sunday school teachers and leaders. In 2007, we expanded the program and held three different training events in various areas of the state. This year, we will be expanding the program even more and holding at least four "Regional Training Events" (as they will now be called).

The first of these events will be held on Saturday, July 19, 2008, at St. John's United Church of Christ, in Lewisburg (Union County). Other events are being planned for August 2nd at Newville First Church of God, Newville (Cumberland County), at Mt. Olive E.C.N.A. Fellowship Hall, Connellsville (Fayette County) on September 13th, and in Berks County, at Bern Evangelical Lutheran Church, on Saturday, August 9th. We also hope to schedule events in the northeast and northwest parts of the state.  If your church is interested in hosting one of these events, please contact the P.S.S.S.A. Office at 1-800-358-2303.

For the program in 2008, we will be presenting two brand new workshops, "Sunday School Success In Every Church" (an adaptation of our "Sunday School Success In The Small Church" workshop) and "Effective Bible Study For Excellent Bible Teaching." The leaders will be Rodney Pry, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania State Sunday School Association, and Dr. William Niblette, Northeast Regional Manager for Gospel Light Publishing Company. Keep watching for more information coming soon!

From Rod's Desk...

Introducing The Pennsylvania State Sunday School Association

by Rodney L. Pry, P.S.S.S.A. Executive Director

Are you familiar with the work and mission of the Pennsylvania State Sunday School Association? Even though we've been around for over 145 years, I am constantly meeting church leaders and Sunday school workers who are not even aware that there was an organization like the P.S.S.S.A. in the Keystone State.

The Sunday school movement traces its beginning back to Gloucester, England. There, in 1780, a young printer named Robert Raikes became concerned for the boys of his community and their lack of education. Because Sunday was the only day when these boys were not working in the local factories, Raikes gathered them on that day to teach them "the three Rs" and the Bible.

The idea of Sunday school quickly caught on and grew rapidly throughout England and across the Atlantic in America. By the mid-1800s, Sunday schools had been established in most communities, but Sunday school teachers and leaders found themselves on their own. There were no standardized lessons, no teachers' helps and little in the way of uniformity or standards to guide workers and leaders. In an effort to find help and guidance, many of these teachers and leaders came together to form Sunday school associations.

With a firm purpose of meeting the needs of the Sunday schools of the Commonwealth, the first Pennsylvania State Sabbath School Convention met in Philadelphia in 1862. The result of that meeting was the formation of the Pennsylvania State Sabbath School Association (which would later be known at the Pennsylvania State Sunday School Association).

Today the Pennsylvania State Sunday School Association and its affiliated County and District Sunday School Associations work with all interested churches and individuals to (1) promote Sunday school and Sunday school attendance and (2) to provide education, information, inspiration and resources to Sunday school and Christian education teachers and leaders.

Based in Harrisburg, the State Association assists local churches and individual Sunday school and Christian education workers through a variety of programs and activities. These programs include our annual Pennsylvania State Sunday School Convention, regional workshop training events, workshops that are presented through local host churches, youth programs and activities, our line of "Sunday School Stuff" promotional and literature items, our Internet website and much, much more.

The Pennsylvania State Sunday School Association is an interdenominational, nonprofit organization. We have no memberships and no membership fees and we are ready and willing to work with all persons from all churches of all denominations. We encourage all Sunday school and Christian education workers to take advantage of any or all of our programs and activities.

I encourage you to check out all of the information here on our website, and then to encourage others from your church and Sunday school to check it out, too. If you have any questions, please give me a call (toll free) at 1-800-358-2303. You can also E-mail me at office@psssa.org.
 

146th Annual PA State Sunday School Convention Coming To Lancaster On October 24 & 25

Brightside Baptist Church

Are you and the other Sunday school and Christian education teachers and leaders from your church looking for new information, ideas, resources and inspiration to be even better and more effective in your work for the Lord? If so, then you will want to attend the 146th Annual Pennsylvania State Sunday School Convention and Christian Education Conference, October 24 & 25, 2008, at Brightside Baptist Church, 515 Hershey Avenue, Lancaster, PA.

The 2008 conference will feature an outstanding speaker, over 35 workshops, displays and much, much more. The theme for the event will be "Transforming Belief Into Behavior." (Romans 12:1)

A special effort is being made to make the 2008 convention and conference one of our best ever! We have made a number of changes in the schedule, we will be using a "blended style" service format in the general sessions, we will be working to upgrade the workshops to make them even more informative and helpful, and much more!

Marlene LeFever

The very special speaker for the 2008 convention will be Marlene LeFever, Vice President of Educational Development for Cook Communications Ministries (David C. Cook Publishing Company), Colorado Springs, Colorado. Ms. LeFever's most recent books are "Parties with a Purpose - Laying the Groundwork for Discipleship & Evangelism" and "Flowers from God." And, her Christian education textbooks, "Learning Styles" and "Creative Teaching Methods," have been bestsellers for many years. Marlene will be speaking on Friday evening and Saturday morning. For more information about our 2008 convention speaker, CLICK HERE!

The individual registration cost for the 2008 event will again be just $25.00 per person. And, again this year, we will be offering "church registrations" where churches can bring as many of their teachers, leaders and members as they wish for a single payment of just $100.00. The cost of the Saturday lunch will be extra for all persons.

For more information about the conference, the convention schedule and other information, CLICK HERE. And, keep watching our website for even more news about our 2008 convention coming soon!

Why Attend Sunday School?

1. God's Will Is Being Done and we should all want to see His will fully accomplished in our own life and in the lives of others.

2. God's Word Is Being Studied And Taught and we should all want to know it and follow it in our lives every day.

3. God's Love Is Being Shared and we should not fail to do our part to show God's love to others.

4. God's Work Is Being Done and we should all invest our time and talents where we can do the utmost for Christ and the Church.

5. The Lord's Day Is Being Observed and we should all desire to keep the Holy Day holy.

6. God's People Are Assembled And Involved and we should all desire the blessing of their fellowship and friendship.

New "Sunday School Stuff" Items Available To Help You Promote Sunday School

Are you looking for ways to share you love for Sunday school with others? The Pennsylvania State Sunday School Association can help with our line of "Sunday School Stuff" promotional merchandise. Items range from little treat message packs, flying rings and pens to buttons, magnets and yoyos. Each item is printed with a catchy Sunday school slogan to help tell others of your love for Sunday school and to invite them to attend, too. Items also make great Sunday school gifts and rewards.

Several of our New "Sunday School Stuff" Items

For 2008, we've added 16 new items and over 10 new Sunday school slogans. We have new toys, new teacher recognition items, 12 new "Little Treat Message Packs," 9 new button, magnet and sticker slogans and much more. And, that's not all! We can also now personalize a number of our items with your church or Sunday school name and other information for a small additional charge.

To check out our complete line of "Sunday School Stuff" items available and to see actual photos of most items, CLICK HERE! Printed brochures that contain complete information are also available. To request a copy of our 2008 "Sunday School Stuff" brochure, call 1-800-358-2303 or E-mail us at office@psssa.org.

We Invite You To Involve Your Kids In Our "Youth P.E.P.-Plus Contest"

Are the children and youth of your Sunday school creative? Do they like to write or draw? If so, then you should get them involved in the Sunday School Association's annual "Youth P.E.P.-Plus Contest."

In the contest, kids (ages 6 to 19) are invited to create traditional artist created posters, computer generated mini posters, T-shirts and writing (poems and essays). All entries must be based on the yearly contest theme (the 2008 theme: "What Would Jesus Do?") and are judged in four different age divisions (6-8, 9-11, 12-14, and 15-19). Local churches are invited to hold their own contests and select their own local winners. First place winners from each age group in each contest are eligible to advance to the statewide contest. For complete contest rules, CLICK HERE or give us a call (toll free) at 1-800-358-2303.  Entries in our statewide contest must come from churches that are located in Pennsylvania!

Your Church Is Invited To Host A P.S.S.S.A. Workshop In 2008

2008 marks the tenth anniversary of the Pennsylvania State Sunday School Association's workshop training programs.

In 2008, we will be offering ten different 2-1/2 hour training workshops, including two brand new workshops - "Sunday School Success in the Small Church" and "Effective Bible Study for Excellent Bible Teaching."

Your church is invited to host one of our workshop training events for your church and community. Workshops can be presented on a weekday evening, Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon or evening. You can also present two workshops as a 6-hour event on a Saturday.

Each workshop is presented on a "per participant" basis. This year we have reduced the price of our workshops to just $20.00 per person (all day Saturday events are just $30.00 per person). All workshops must be open to persons from other churches in your area. The minimum number of participants is just 15.

What would your church need to do to host one of these workshops? Basically all you need to do is to provide a room where the event can be held and handle registration. We will produce a custom printed brochure to promote the event and do mailings to churches in your area to invite others to participate.

If you are interested in hosting a workshop, you are urged to call the P.S.S.S.A. Office with at least two dates in mind. If you have other questions, please call us (toll free) at 1-800-358-2303. For additional information and descriptions of each of the workshops available, CLICK HERE. Sorry, our live workshops cannot be presented outside of Pennsylvania.

Have You Checked Out Our New "Are You Smarter Than A Sunday School 5th Grader? Bible Quiz Challenge?

Do you like Bible quizzes and questions? If you do, we would like to invite you to check out our "Are You Smarter Than A Sunday School 5th Grader" Bible Quiz Challenge here on our website.

What you will find is our brand new Bible quiz that contains 85 different multiple choice Bible questions that are both fun and educational. Use these questions online or print them off and use them with your Sunday school class or in any other way that you wish. To check out our new Bible quiz, CLICK HERE!

And, here's even more news! We have also selected 18 of the questions from the Bible quiz and placed them on a new "Are You Smarter Than A Sunday School 5th Grader" placemat. These placemats are printed in maroon ink on heavy weight 11" x 17" ivory paper and come in packs of 25 each. The placemats would be great to use in your own church or buy them and then give them to a local restaurant as an outreach to your community. The packs of 25 placemats are priced at just $3.00 each. For more information and to see the actual questions listed on the placemats, CLICK HERE!  To order, write to: P.S.S.S.A., 5915 Fox Street, Harrisburg, PA 17112. You can also order by phone (using your VISA or MasterCard) by calling 717-652-1930 or 1-800-358-2303.

DID YOU KNOW?

Did you know that the Pennsylvania State Sunday School Association has a monthly "e-Herald" newsletter? This newsletter - which contains information about the P.S.S.S.A. events and activities and much, much more - is sent via E-mail to individuals and churches across Pennsylvania and the nation each month. These E-mail newsletters are sent in a bright, full color form that is eye-catching and informative.

To receive this free monthly E-mail newsletter, simply E-mail us your E-mail address. Our E-mail address is "office@psssa.org." We also invite you to send us the E-mail addresses for all of your Sunday school teachers and leaders, so that they can receive this valuable information each month, too.
 

FREE "Observance of the Lord's Day" Tract Now Available

In his "From Rod's Desk..." article above, P.S.S.S.A. Executive Director, Rod Pry, noted that many people are not familiar with the Pennsylvania State Sunday School Association. Unfortunately, there's another organization that many church and Sunday school leaders are also not familiar with - that organization is the Lord's Day Alliance of Pennsylvania.

The Lord's Day Alliance is a national organization (headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia) that has state affiliates across the nation, including here in Pennsylvania. The Lord's Day Alliance works to promote proper observance of Sunday - the Lord's Day - as a day of family rest and worship.

Here in Pennsylvania the L.D.A. is closely affiliated with the Sunday School Association. Although each group has their own Board of Directors and officers, the L.D.A. of PA and the P.S.S.S.A. share the same office in Harrisburg and Rodney Pry works as Executive Director for both organizations.

Recently the L.D.A.'s popular "Observance of the Lord's Day" tract was rewritten and has been reprinted on heavyweight paper with an attractive full color cover. If you would like copies of the tract to give to your members or to place in your church's tract rack, please give us a call and tell us how many you can use. They're FREE! Call 1-800-358-2303 or write to: L.D.A. of PA, 5915 Fox Street, Harrisburg, PA 17112.

For more information about the national L.D.A., CLICK HERE. For information about the L.D.A. of PA, CLICK HERE!

What Do Growing Sunday Schools Have In Common?

Many times we tend to focus only on the problems that exist in Sunday school, but remember, throughout Pennsylvania there are many outstanding, growing Sunday schools. As you take a closer look at these growing Sunday schools, you see that they have some things in common:

1. They place a high emphasis on spiritual commitment and growth.

2. The Bible is central in their teaching.

3. Young adults are a key to their growth.

4. They place a great emphasis on children's ministry.

5. They create new Sunday school classes.

6. They provide fellowship and service opportunities for all members.

7. They have definite goals and plans mapped out to reach their goals.

Sunday school growth takes planning, hard work, commitment and a lot of prayer. It won't be easy, but YOUR Sunday school can grow, too.

"Reaching & Teaching Young Adults..." Book Now Available

Concerns that many churches have about their lack of young adults prompted the P.S.S.S.A. to create a new workshop entitled "Reaching & Teaching Young Adults In The 21st Century" in 2007. From that workshop we have also created a new book - "The Missing - Reaching & Teaching Young Adults Through The 21st Century Church."

This book looks at what today's young adults are really like and what they are looking for in a church. it also looks at the 12 basic elements that are involved in successful young adult ministry and a variety of programs that churches with successful young adult programs are using to reach and teach the 18 to 30 year-olds of their communities.  To read actual segments from the book, CLICK HERE!

The 114-page book - with a laminated cover and spiral binding - is now available for just $15.95 each (plus $4.65 postage & handling). To order your copy and a copy for your church library, contact the P.S.S.S.A. Office, 5915 Fox Street, Harrisburg, PA 17112. You can also order by phone (using your VISA or MasterCard) by calling 717-652-1930 or 1-800-358-2303.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Do you appreciate the information contained in this issue of our "e-Herald" online newsletter? Do you appreciate having an organization like the Pennsylvania State Sunday School Association here in the Keystone State? And, do you want to see the work of the P.S.S.S.A. continue and grow? If you do, than we would like to invite you and your church to become regular financial supporters of the Pennsylvania State Sunday School Association.

Recent economic concerns in our nation have hit organizations like the Sunday School Association quite hard. Our contributions from individuals and churches have decreased significantly over the past several months and income from our endowments and other sources have also declined. As you can see from the information here on our website, we have lots of exciting things happening right now and even bigger plans for the future. but, if we are to continue to see our ministry grow, it is going to require more money! And, if we are going to raise more money, we will need the help of many more individuals and church - like you!

Will you and your church please consider helping the Pennsylvania State Sunday School Association with a special gift now and by placing our organization on your personal or church missions support lists for the future? Donations of any size will be appreciated! Thank you and may God bless you!