Kids' SS class bugged me some -- am I just being a grump?

[Carol in Cal.]

Jenny, when I was growing up I attended Lutheran schools through 9th grade. I also went to church and Sunday School. I thought Sunday School was pretty boring. I knew all the stories already, and the volunteers were not as good at teaching as our Lutheran school teachers. But what I remember most clearly from Sunday school is that the children in the class who did not attend our school knew SO LITTLE about the Bible.

 

I do believe that parents should teach their children about God's Word. Mine mostly did not, except for a children's story Bible (that I still have!) that was read to me through about age 4. But they did take me to church and Sunday School and to our Lutheran school, and I got a superb Christian education that way--really outstanding.

 

As an adult, with a lack of local Lutheran schools, and none at our church, it has been a big goal of mine to provide for our church's children some of what they are missing by not being taught at a Lutheran school day in and day out. We have the meatiest Sunday school openings I have ever heard of anywhere, bar none. And yet they are nothing compared to the Christian education I got as a child.

 

What does this mean? (Now there is a good Lutheran question for you!) It means that we do need to do more than just Sunday school to be able to give our children superb Christian educations. It means, also, that Sunday school is necessary and crucial for children who are not going to get that from either their parents or their schools. It means, then, that Sunday School needs to be meaty and effective and age-appropriate and absolutely clear. No ambiguous slogans. No fluff (but still fun!). Resting on God's Word. Teaching His clear truth. Sunday School is an unfortunate necessity in modern life, is how I see it--and there is no excuse for not making it really really good. But the best Sunday school is not enough by itself.

[WeeBeaks]

I find it interesting that several people here are saying "We have similar issues, so our kids sit with us instead of attending Sunday School." In our church, SS and the church service are two separate things happening at two separate times -- in two different buildings, even.

 

Jenny

 

This is the way of ours too. SS is after mass for 1-1/2 hours. The kids go to church with us, minus the 4yo who does attend the pre-K activity in another building. Afterwards they are required to attend SS to get their sacraments.

[Bluegoat]

This is the way of ours too. SS is after mass for 1-1/2 hours. The kids go to church with us, minus the 4yo who does attend the pre-K activity in another building. Afterwards they are required to attend SS to get their sacraments.

 

Many Catholics don't realize this, but the bishop is actually not allowed to turn away anyone who asks for a sacrament and is prepared for it. So, even someone who did not do all the "required" classes and such, if they are ready to make the commitment and have the teaching required to be confirmed, is not supposed to be turned away.

 

Some diocese if you ask will recommend home programs or give an outline of what needs to be taught by the parent. Now, many diocese have argued with parents about this, when parents felt the diocesan program was not a good idea for their kids. But if the parents are in the right and have the canons behind them, and if they are willing to duke it out they can usually prevail.

[PeacefulChaos]

For 3rd/4th grade level, I would expect more of a lesson than that. I would expect discussions and Bible reading. If they had this fun part and then took out the Bible and read and discussed the lesson, then that would be better. I would have guessed it was for a kindergarten level maybe 1st graders at best.

:iagree: when I read it, I somehow missed '8yo' and was thinking it was for a pre-k/k class. I thought, well, it's ok... but then when I saw 3rd/4th grade I was like :eek:

DS7 is in the 1st/2nd grade class and they do more than that. I know that they read and sometimes copy verses of scripture, etc. They have little handouts that go with the 'application' of what they learned, usually with a story. Pretty sure it's the same thing I had as a kid. :tongue_smilie: They don't watch any videos during Sunday School.

DS6 is still in the pre-k/k class (ages 3-5/6), and they do watch a video at the end of class maybe? I'm not sure. They have a big play area and stuff, so I know they sit down, do their story, color a picture, etc (they usually save the big crafts for Children's church time), and have a snack. They also play a lot. :)

In regards to older kids, I'm really not 100% sure what they do - I am, however, pretty certain that all of the youth age students are in one class - which is, like, 6th-12th grade. I may be mistaken, they may have changed it. They didn't have a set curriculum, usually - the teachers (youth leaders) just chose different things that they thought would be of interest (and relevant) and did those for a little while. I think it is considered a kind of 'current events' type thing, where they are talking about things and the kids' faith, etc. The kids can ask questions about stuff. I'm not 100% sure though, I sat in on one but it was a couple of years ago now.

It would bug me just like it bugged you.

 

The Sunday school teacher probably did not choose the curriculum. It's either that curriculum or don't teach, just like your choice is either that curriculum or don't participate.

 

The small, minor details that you mention DO matter. I know exactly what you're talking about.

 

That little rhyme that you mention -- I won't let Satin steal 'cause I know Jesus is real -- that doesn't even make sense. The kids will likely remember the jingle, but they'll have no idea what it means.

 

I hate that Sunday school has become an entertainment hour which seems to be focused on being hip enough so that non-church-going kids will be tricked into thinking church is cool. I understand there is a need to reach the unchurched. But I'm certain that 99% of the kids at our church have attended church most of their lives and do not need such sugar-coated entertainment.

 

Wait 'til you see what they're doing in high school.

I have found that in many cases, churches in general are guilty of this. I saw in a book recently that churches are starting to reach a point where they are trying so hard to be 'relevant' and, in a word, entertaining (though they would never say that, they prefer things like 'seeker friendly'), that they are no longer noticeably different from anything else. They are just blending in with all the other entertainment options out there, rather than standing out as the church. It's very sad. :(

 

This is the way of ours too. SS is after mass for 1-1/2 hours. The kids go to church with us, minus the 4yo who does attend the pre-K activity in another building. Afterwards they are required to attend SS to get their sacraments.

 

This is us, also. Sunday School is on Sunday mornings at 9:30. While I guess we could always just stay home if we didn't like it (we haven't had any problems, however), DH and I both have to be at church every Sunday at 9. Church itself starts at 10:30, and during that time the kids have Children's church. There are, at that time, classes/Children's church for every age from 2 up. We had a serious baby boom a couple of years ago, so we have about 10 2 year olds, 10 3 year olds (separate), 15-20 pre-k/k ers, and then the bigger 'Kids Church' is for 1st-6th grade. After that the kids go into regular service. Obviously they can sooner, if they like. In Kids Church (during service), they do have a lot of loud music, but they are just the songs that we did in regular service a few years ago, with kids singing. :) After that the Children's Pastor speaks, they have altar call, etc, and at the end they put on the music again (sometimes a video) and the kids can socialize and whatnot. I don't see anything wrong with it. Actually, I think our church is really strong in the Children's Ministry area - it is one of the best assets we have, IMO. :)

Ftr, we attend an AG church.