Spark Your Sunday School This Summer

Sunday schools often suffer a decline during the summer months. An affluent society, which includes "second homes," weekend camping trips, boating expeditions and extended family vacations is probably a major cause of lower attendance. However, that should not mean doom for your Sunday school. EVERYONE is not going away EVERY weekend. There may even be more visitors to your Sunday school because friends and relatives are visiting your members or because you are located near a camping area or vacation attraction.

Too often we become defeated by our own attitudes. We expect depleted rolls, we almost plan for a summer slump. This summer change all that! Plan some exciting activities for your faithful folks. Spice up your Sunday school by inviting special guests to speak or to present the lesson in a unique form such as drama, magic, puppets or music. Utilize your own classes of all ages to take turns presenting the lesson to other classes in the department. Make use of films and videos. Invite a missionary to speak and show slides of their work. Plan a special social activity for each month, such as a picnic, a game day, a field day, a potluck dinner, a Sunday school musicale or a film night. Promote your special activities well, remembering to include the unchurched members of your community. Seek out the hidden talents of your faithful Sunday school members and put them to work. You will discover more leadership ability and diverse skills than you ever knew you had.

Use the summer months to create a strong sense of family among your members, an awareness of building together in the Lord’s Kingdom. PRAY, PLAN and PROMOTE! It’s worth ALL the effort. Add spark to your summer Sunday school and prepare for success!

(This article appeared in the "Summer, 1993" issue of "The Herald.")