Sunday School Discussion 2-22-09

Easter Egg Hunt update: Stacey saw 250 Easter eggs for $8 at Wal-mart. She didn't buy them because she didn't know if Rachel had ordered them already. Stephanie is going to Liberal today; she will see if the price is the same there, and if so, she will pick up four packages.

We discussed Chapter 6 today. This chapter suggests that service and evangelism are both possible at the same time, that the salvation of those we serve should be our ultimate, but not ulterior, motive.

We discussed our personal discomfort with overt evangelism. None of us present today (Stacey, Karen, Stephanie, Blake, Nicole, Rachel) were raised in churches with a strong emphasis on converting the unconverted. We would feel uncomfortable if someone tried to convert us, and it might actually push us away from a church. We worry about offending those who have beliefs different from our own.

Rachel shared a discussion she'd had in one of her classes about the role a teacher's religion should play in the classroom. Since we are all educators, we shared our thoughts on the role of religion in the classroom. We believe it's important to respect the beliefs of everyone in our classes, even if we don't agree with them. Although we feel it's important to model Christian behavior, we don't think it's appropriate to discuss our beliefs in the classroom. We believe it's important not to push our beliefs on others.

We discussed the diagram on page 44 of the book. We decided that we are externally focused in terms of service, but internally focused in terms of sharing the word. We like the quote from St. Francis of Assisi: "Preach the Christ at all times and when necessary use words."

Some books Karen thinks we might find interesting:

unChristian by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons




Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White: Thoughts on Religion, Politics, and Morality by Adam Hamilton

Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity by Adam Hamilton

Idea for Next Book?

When we finish our current book (in about six years), this one might be interesting. Thoughts?

2-15-09 Sunday School Discussion

We made more plans for our April 5 Easter Egg Hunt. Here's what we discussed.

We will break the kids into three groups, 0-3, Pre-K - 2, and 3-6. The kids will hunt eggs at the same time in three separate areas. Mendy suggested using the area in front of the sanctuary as it works well at Faithweaver Friends.

Rachel will order order candy/prizes and eggs from Oriental Trading. The Chamber will reimburse the cost of the eggs. We need at least 1000 eggs. We also need about that many prizes, but one piece of candy can be a $1 prize. Then we'll have pencils, erasers, books, and refurbished bikes as more expensive prizes.

Stacey will make Bunny Money in denominations of $1, $5, and $10. There will also be one grand prize egg for each group, which will win a basket. Stacey will purchase the three grand prize baskets.

Either DISCO or the Kayettes will stuff the eggs. Karen emailed Trena to see if DISCO wants to help.

Leanne will talk to New Genesis about helping in the kitchen. Karen emailed Trena to make sure we'll have cups.

Even though we'll have the kids hunt eggs at the same time, we're still going to have cookie decorating (Leanne with help from Karen as needed), the bunny hop (Rachel), and coloring pages (Stacey) so that they aren't all purchasing prizes at the same time.


Other long-term things we discussed:

Maybe next year we could organize a community clean-up before Satanta Day?

Maybe a church clean-up day?

It's great to get kids into church, but we also need to keep them here. As our activities bring new kids into the church, we need to think of ways to show our appreciation to the Sunday School teachers. Any thoughts on ways to do this?

Other notes: Cameron, Caydon, and Caylee were baptized today!

We enjoyed having Ruth and James's father in class this morning.

We discussed Chapter 5 in our book. Maybe we'll eventually finish it?

Garage Sale Update

We'd been planning on having our garage sale on April 4, but Brent discovered that's the same day as the health fair. The next weekend is Easter, then prom (which eliminates any high school helpers ), so now we're looking at April 25. Any conflicts?

Our Mission

Here are the lyrics to the Monk and Neagle song "The Twenty-first Time" that served as the inspiration for our class.


Nowhere to live
Nowhere to fall
He used to have money
But he’s wasted it all
His face is a photograph burned in mind
But I pretend not to see him for the twenty-first time

He sleeps under stars, it’s all he can afford
His blanket’s an old coat he’s had since the war
He stands on the corner of Carter and Vine
But I pretend not to see him for the twenty-first time

He may be a drifter who’s grown old and gray
But what if it’s Jesus and I walk away
I say I’m the body and drink of the wine
But I pretend not to see him for the twenty-first time

She’s 29 but she feels 48
She can’t raise three kids on minimum wage
She’s crying in back of the welfare line
But I pretend not to see her for the twenty-first time

She may be a stranger trying to get through the day
But what if it’s Jesus and I walk away
I say I’m the body and drink of the wine
But I pretend not to see her for the twenty-first time

This is a call for a change in my heart
I realize that I’ve not been doing my part
When I needed a Savior, I found it in Him
He gave to me, now I’ll give back to them

Drifter or stranger, daughter or son
I’ll look for Jesus in everyone
‘Cause I am the body and drink of the wine
And I’m thankful there’s more than the twenty-first time

2-8-09 Sunday School Discussion

We discussed plans for our Easter Egg Hunt today. The Easter Egg Hunt will be held Sunday, April 5, and the Chamber of Commerce will help provide candy.

Here's what we're thinking:

• We'll stuff the eggs with Bunny Money (which Stacey will make in denominations of $1, $5, and $10).
• We'll set up a prize table where gifts can be purchased--candy, pencils, books leftover from the Literacy Fair, bikes from Mark, etc.
• We'll rope off separate areas for different age groups. We can use the area behind the kitchen, the lot behind the parsonage, and the park as well.
• We'll have activities like cookie decorating (Leanne to provide cookies and frosting with Karen helping as needed), coloring (Stacey), and the bunny hop (Rachel) to keep kids busy when they're not shopping.
• We'll hit up the New Genesis class to help with snacks.

We also discussed sometime in the far, far future (like next year) having a community clean-up day. Painting the graffiti by the railroad is a top priority. Maybe Michelle could help some of our artistic kids design a mural? We discussed the importance of including younger kids.

We also discussed Chapter 4 of our book.