Dear Fellow Workers in God’s Kingdom,
It’s no secret that providing Sunday school ministry is challenging for many of our congregations. Finding those who are gifted to teach and are willing to give their time, and convincing parents that this is a worthy priority for them to set as they raise up their children are just two of several challenges congregations face. But the importance of the ministry is worth the struggle. For some children, Sunday school may be the only place where they hear of God’s plan of salvation. For public school students, Sunday school lays the necessary foundation for their Catechism study. Sunday school is a vital aspect of a congregation’s ministry.
On our YouTube channel, NPH has posted seven video lessons, which you are free to use to enhance your Sunday school ministry. Two levels are offered: The first would work best for students in prekindergarten through grade 2. The second would work best for students in grades 3 through 6. The seven lessons include creation, the Fall and God’s promise, the Ten Commandments, the birth of Jesus, transfiguration, crucifixion, and resurrection. These seven lessons were chosen because they present the basic message of salvation.
In the videos, a gifted instructor teaches the basic Bible lesson. These free videos could be used in a variety of ways.
- A teacher might use the videos throughout the year to add variety and interest to the lessons.
- If, perhaps because of sickness, a teacher is not able to be present, a substitute could step into the classroom and offer a well-taught lesson even if he or she hasn’t had time to prepare.
- If a student(s) misses one of the basic Bible lessons in class, a link to the lesson could be sent to the parents so the student could hear the lesson at home.
- The video lessons could be used as an outreach presentation for prospective families who haven’t yet committed to attending Sunday school. (Through the course of the seven videos, they would have seen a fairly complete law and gospel presentation.)
- Teachers might study the video lessons as a model that would help them refine their teaching technique.
Because the videos show just the Bible lesson, they can be used with either the traditional classroom approach or the station approach. The student lesson sheets, copy masters, and activities of the regular curriculum would be used to complete the lesson.
You can access the video lessons for preK through grade 2 here and grades 3 through 6 here.
It is our prayer that these free video lessons will be a blessing to you as you carry out the very important task of nurturing the children God has placed in your spiritual care.
Your brother in Christ,
Ray Schumacher