Back-to-Sunday-School-Prayer-Event

Yesterday I wrote about planning a, "Prayer Walk" for your church to involve everyone in praying for the 2014/15 school year of children's ministry. Today I want to give you another idea for a way to begin the school year of ministry with prayer.

If you are looking for a way to start your new school year of ministry with a focus on supporting and encouraging your volunteers and under-girding your ministry with prayer from the "get-go", hold a "Back-to-Sunday-School-Prayer-Event"! The idea behind this is to provide an opportunity for parents and volunteers to meet and talk together before, or at the beginning of, the new Sunday school year and to involve your entire church in praying for your children's ministry . . . and you do have time to do this as it is really simple to plan the event - all you need to do is . . . 

• Select an evening for your event and invite your entire church to attend.
• Make bookmarks on cardstock with student names and teachers names for each class - consider using a digital camera to print a photo of the teachers as well. 
• Print flyers with the scope and sequence each class will be learning and place these in the classes along with sheets of paper, crayons and markers. 
• Fasten a large sheet of butcher paper to the outside of the classroom door and place crayons or makers nearby. 
• If you have a class where you are still looking for a teacher, print the same information, but place a large question mark in the place where the teacher information would be. 
• Plan for light refreshments - you could ask each family to bring a dozen of their favorite cookies or tie the event in with an all-church picnic on a Sunday after the morning service. 
• Ask your youth group to serve as "class hosts" and place one or two in each class . . . they will introduce the teachers as people visit the classes, hand out prayer book marks, encourage everyone to make a poster for the class and leave a "note" on the classroom door.

Begin your event in your church auditorium and ask your Senior Pastor to say just a few words about the importance of children's ministry. Then have your volunteers and class hosts go to their rooms and encourage everyone else to visit each class, but particularly those where their children/grandchildren attend class. As people arrive have your class host introduce the teacher and encourage everyone - adults included - to trace their hands on the sheet of butcher paper and then write a note to the teachers. The class hosts will be sure everyone receives a flyer with the scope and a prayer bookmark and ask them to make a poster to decorate the classroom.

If you have a class where you still need volunteers, be sure to let parents and others who visit know and ask them to pray about becoming involved. When everyone has had an opportunity to visit each class, talk with the teachers and participate in the activities, gather everyone back in your auditorium and lead in a few songs the kids usually sing. Then close in prayer and invite everyone to join your for cookies.

"Back-to-Sunday-School-Prayer-Event" is a great way to begin your new school year by involving your entire church in supporting and encouraging your volunteers! When you hold up your children's ministry and emphasize how it matters you show your volunteers they are appreciated!