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Sunday School at Grace Lutheran Church C hildren’s Sunday School should never become routine. We need to question ourselves constantly:Why do we offer a Sunday School program? What’s the goal? The answer to these questions is summarized in Grace’s Sunday-School Mission Statement, the words of which must be taken seriously. The mission of Grace Lutheran Church’s Sunday School is to nurture, through education, a relationship with our savior, Jesus Christ. S unday School can be thought of as a journey toward adult participation in worship and Christian life—part of a life-long faith journey. The Sunday School part of that journey often focuses on stories from the Bible, and rightly so. However, if children learn only the words of those stories, we have failed. Yes, children do need to know Biblical stories; even more important, however, is that they understand what the stories mean.T he Mission Statement’s emphasis on a relationship with Christ Jesus also has implications for our relationships with one another. Children need to learn how to live Christian lives in relation to those who surround them. They learn from instruction—but what is often more valuable is what they learn through observation. As are parents and caretakers, Sunday School teachers are significant role models who demonstrate Christian lives and Christian relationships.B ecause acquiring a mature Christian faith is a life-long process, Sunday School—in one hour a week—cannot provide all that is necessary. But Sunday School can provide the building blocks for that life-long faith journey. Our curriculum for Kindergarten through 6th Grade, developed by members of Grace, covers a two-year cycle. The topics selected include familiar parts of and basic concepts from both the Old Testament and the New Testament.C hildren are not all alike and, as they grow older, the ways they learn and their abilities to understand what is presented to them change drastically. As a result, the means by which Sunday School goals are met must be age-appropriate and must be sensitive to different learning styles. [Two theories dealing with cognitive development and intelligence are relevant; for detailed information use Google to search the web for “Jean Piaget” and for “Howard Gardner.”]G race’s Sunday School for Kindergarten through 6th Grade uses what is known as the Rotation Model. Each topic is presented in three different ways over a three-week period. For example, the rotation for one topic might include presentation through story-telling one week, through art another week, and through music the third week. Because the three classes are grade-based (Kindergarten, 1st, & 2nd grades; 3rd & 4th grades; 5th & 6th grades), lessons for each class are designed to be ageappropriate.There are also separate classes for 3- & 4-year-olds, for 7th & 8th Graders, and for High-Schoolers. L earning about participation in worship is another important building block for the development of a mature Christian faith. Consequently, Sunday School begins by having Kindergarten through 6th Grade children meet together in the Chapel for a brief worship service. Furthermore, Grace's Sunday School program includes the opportunity for these children to attend regular worship services with their families. They meet for Sunday School for two three-week rotations; on the seventh week they attend worship with their families.
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