How We Deconstructed Sunday School & Tripled Attendance
We deconstructed Sunday School at All Saints this year! We did more than that – we eliminated Sunday School altogether and moved our early Mass to 9:00 a.m. giving us exactly 30 minutes to get ready for the 10:30 a.m. mass.
But we have not eliminated Christian Education because we moved all of what used to be Sunday School to Wednesday School and married it to an Agape Meal with the whole Church Family. Our folk, some of whom were reluctant, gave it a shot and the result is that we have never had more people in education classes in our history and we have never had so much good fellowship. I cannot imagine how we would spend more good time with one another just hanging out and being there. We realized last year that 1 hour or 2 hours on Sunday simply was not enough time to build community, to build trusting relationships and to prepare ourselves to “manfully fight under His banner, against sin, the world and the devil!”
Here’s how we do it at All Saints: The men’s prayer breakfast sets up the tables and chairs after their meeting Tuesday morning. We begin serving dinner at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday with a meal prepared by Fr. Dan Malcolm (formerly a professional cook, baker and Presbyterian preacher) and his team. The dinners have varied from Beef Wellington, Chicken & Barley Soup, Pork Roast with veggies, to Hoppin’ John and Cornbread. Fr. Dan insists that everything be made from scratch. Our children serve the tables. At 6:30 dinner is over and we go to our classes. We have, for the first time, classes for all age groups – 6 classes total counting the nursery. At 7:15 p.m. the classes are over and folks are preparing to drive home. We have families with children that travel close to 40 or more miles, so we want to get them home as early as possible. Our attendance has ranged from the mid-50s to the 70s. Education is important, but the fellowship at the Agape is just as important!
Winter Term (2012)
Session 3: January 11th – March 28th
Worship, Doctrine and Life in the Anglican Church – Fr. Lawrence Adams last taught this very popular class several years ago. If you have particular interests that you would like for him to address please speak to him about that now.
Grades 9-12 – Reading C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity and other works by Lewis – Fr. Gene Godbold
Grades 4-8 – Word Made Flesh (Aelfred Rex Curriculum) – Fr. John
Grades 1 -3 – Aelfred Rex Curriculum – Jackie Jamison
Preschool – How to Pray through Bible Stories & Song – Sr. Lynda
(Note: No Agape meal or Class on Ash Wednesday, February 22, nor the Wednesday of Holy Week, April 4.)
