A few years ago, my husband Eric and I made an on-going commitment to teach Sunday School for elementary aged children. The commitment was originally intended as a way to honor a St. Luke’s member who was very dear to our family. What originally started as a way to pay forward the incredible love, kindness, and guidance we received from him grew into us receiving just as much in return. From girls who remind me a lot of me when I was their age to boys who help us visualize the futures of our own boys, these kids have touched our hearts in many ways.

Having started with a group of second graders who are now in the fifth grade, one of the most exciting things for us is seeing how their faith has grown over the years, particularly as they absorb more and more from a lesson and apply it to their current lives. The questions and discussions that we hear during our time with them on Sunday mornings show how contemplative their minds are, how aware they are of the needs in the community around them, and how prepared they are to share their lights with the world. 

My oldest son, who is younger than the children in our class, occasionally asks why we don’t teach his Sunday school class. I explained that I really like the idea of other people teaching him and sharing our faith in different ways than we do at home. After all, there are many ways to learn, and other adults with diverse perspectives and experiences may be able to reach him in different ways than we can. When he walks through the halls on Sunday mornings, it is also important for him to identify a handful of adults he knows and trusts, who love him for who he is, and who have helped him with his faith journey.

We want to be those adults for the kids in our Sunday school class.

For every child, there is a commitment that starts when Dr. Pace asks us to surround a child with a “community of love and forgiveness” during a baptism and is reaffirmed when I see “our kids” in class on Sunday.

With “our kids” soon to transition from Children’s to Student Ministries, I will miss seeing all of their faces on Sunday mornings. It is our sincere hope that they will continue to “Come Grow With Us” and stop us in the halls to tell us about middle school, how their baseball team is doing, or what colleges they are visiting. 

We are excited for the prospect to start another group to “Come Grow With Us” over the next few years and certainly encourage anyone thinking of teaching Sunday school to have an opportunity to learn about God through the eyes of children of St. Luke’s.