We had just celebrated Teachers’ Day and I had wanted to write a special note to our teachers in the Adult and Children Sunday Schools but I could not due to several reasons.  Teaching is a critical ministry in church.  This is where important and systematic truths are taught.  In the Children Sunday School, the gospel message is often taught in one way or another in the hope that children come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour at the earliest age.

In the Adult Sunday School, the syllabus has been framed in such a way that students learn several things.  First, we hope to cover all 66 books of the Bible, both the Old Testament and New Testament books.  Second, we work towards the objective that students are able to take up any passage of the Bible and interpret it correctly with little or no help from commentaries.  They learn how to read context, that is, learning how to trace the argument of a passage.  They also learn how to ascertain the main point of any passage and the meaning of important words.  Then, the class will discuss how a passage can be applied to their lives.  The setting of our Adult Sunday School is particularly helpful because it not only allows students to learn through question and answer the meaning of a passage, how that passage can be applied is also discussed.  In this way, through input from different group members, this passage is holistically applied.  Our Adult Sunday School is divided according to language and age group.  This facilitates good discussion and relevant applications.  Here, not only do we learn God’s Word, such a fellowship over, not a cup of tea and cakes, but over God’s Word is particularly satisfying.

In the Children Sunday School, children are not only taught Bible truths, they are also regularly reminded to receive Jesus as Saviour and Lord.  In every lesson, teachers will address an area in the lives of the children in which they must change.

If you understand the responsibilities of teachers as described above, you should be thankful to those who teach regularly in the Adult and Children Sunday Schools.  Teaching is very trying because not only must they teach truths correctly, they also must make the lessons interesting in order to engage students.  To teach effectively, teachers need to be intellectually, emotionally and spiritually engaged.   It is thus a very heavy task.  Hence, Students and Parents, be grateful to teachers.

Students, do encourage your teachers by faithfully attending lessons.  More importantly, participate in the discussions by listening actively, asking questions and giving your insights when making life applications.  This is a sure way to encourage teachers.

As parents of children, God’s Word urges you to “start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old, they will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6). Dear Parents, there is a limited time frame when children will listen humbly.  It becomes more difficult as they get older.  The level of difficulty jumps a notch when they enter their teenage years.  By then, you may lose your child to the world, sin and then to hell.  If you love your child, bring them to church and to the Children Sunday School.  Hence, the Bible rightly urges you to start children off” early.  Do not wait till it is too late.  Dear Teachers, thank you for your labour of love.  The Lord remembers (Hebrews 6:10).