It’s difficult to know how to keep Sunday School active when our church building is closed to all activities and events. Nevertheless, I’m committed to keeping in touch with all our children and young people. To do that I send an e-mail to them via their parents in the middle of each week to try to encourage them and assure them that whatever they are feeling (e.g. scared, frustrated, worried) are feelings that are normal and shared by adults as well as children and young people. At the end of the week, I send an “at-home” Sunday School activity. I avoid worksheet type activities for two reasons: 1) they may already be getting such activities from some of their teachers as they do school work at home, and 2) I want these activities to be things they can do without too much assistance from their parents who are already trying to keep them up-to-date with school work and may be trying to work from home as well. For example, I sent them paper palms during the week prior to Palm Sunday so that they could wave palms as they watched Pastor Matt’s service on FaceBook.

During the week after Easter, the activity was based on the scripture for April 19, John 20:19-31. In this reading, Jesus appears to his disciples for the first time after rising on Easter morning and says, “Peace be with you” three times. Since our children enjoy passing the peace on Sunday mornings and since shaking hands may not be an option when we return to worship in church, I sent them a YouTube link teaching them how to say, “Peace be with you” and then “And also with you” in sign language. I asked them to practice so that we can teach the congregation when we return to worship. Sometimes the activities are based on scripture and sometimes they are just for fun, such as an “in your house scavenger hunt.”  Whatever I send, I want the children to know that I think about them, care about them, and pray for them, and that we will eventually be back together.

Mary Jane Brown

Sunday School Teacher