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This "Return, Renew in Fall 2021" topic was part of  Rotation.org's larger
"post-pandemic return" forum. We have preserved it because of its hopeful reports!

Homecoming2021cRotation

Returning, Rebuilding, Renewing

Sunday School in 2021

For most of us, it's been a long season of closed classrooms, awkward Zoom meetings, and hoping families were using our online and at-home lesson activities during the COVID pandemic. And now as churches begin to fully reopen, many of us are nervously wondering what the short and long-term effects of "exile" will have on Sunday School attendance and volunteerism.

In an early 2021 survey of Rotation.org members, nearly half expected a drop in attendance, some more than 40%. Anecdotal evidence and the predictions of some church experts suggest it may take a year or years to get back to pre-pandemic attendance. Of course, we have always tried to boost attendance, but this year it is especially critical and will likely be more difficult.

How can we encourage families to return to Sunday school, worship, and midweek programs? --especially this fall when most programs traditionally "restart"?

What have you learned about your Sunday School ministry during the pandemic that you will carry forward?

These are important and personal questions for me because I'm a Sunday School teacher in my local church. I also think that all of us here at Rotation.org can support and care for each other through these challenging times.

In the following topic we are sharing experiences and plans.
Feel free to offer yours and ask questions.

Click the "bell" icon at the top of this topic to get email notifications of new posts!

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Last edited by Neil MacQueen
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I am excited to say that my small church is finally restarting Sunday school June 6!

In the past year we have had three large families move away and one family move to a church that had programs that met their needs better, so we know we are starting back with 20 fewer children. But there is much excitement about getting back to "normal" among the remaining families and there is one family that started coming during the shutdown that is also committed to joining us. Of course, the downside is that the families that left were our older elementary students and middle schoolers, so we are back to being primarily a preschool and early elementary program.

We are planning a scaled back relaunch for summer, and will celebrate with a lunch at church for the first time in over a year (food brought in rather than a potluck).

No plans yet for the start of the school year - we are waiting to see the response this summer and praying that more volunteers will step forward.

As a small church volunteer, I am looking forward to brainstorming ideas with others for a splashy rally-day-type Homecoming launch at the start of the school year in August!

Our small church has been, and still continues to be remote.  We are anxious to reopen!  Prior to the pandemic our congregation numbers had been dwindling; the majority of members are over 50, our children's program had less than 14 (grades K-12).  We are looking to increase membership, especially families.  How do we interest them in coming to come give us a try?  We have an excellent program and a welcoming congregation!  'Open house' type formats have not worked well in the past to bring new people into the building.  Thanks!

Hi Lynn, ( @Wawrzyniak )
I understand your difficulty. I think that one of the ways in which churches can grow is if members invite their friends and family. And not just for one particular worship service but for any event or class. It can be a challenge to get everyone on board with this concept but it certainly can be worth it.

I hope that this helps.
-- Carol

@Wawrzyniak posted:

Our small church has been, and still continues to be remote.  We are anxious to reopen!  Prior to the pandemic our congregation numbers had been dwindling; the majority of members are over 50, our children's program had less than 14 (grades K-12).  We are looking to increase membership, especially families.  How do we interest them in coming to come give us a try?  We have an excellent program and a welcoming congregation!  'Open house' type formats have not worked well in the past to bring new people into the building.  Thanks!

Hi Lynn,

I've been on staff in three small churches so I definitely hear what you're up against.

Three things immediately come to mind:

1. 14 kids is a great starting point even though that's fewer than you once had. The trap is to keep doing or thinking like you "once did."

In one recent small church, we instituted the Rotation Model to save our Sunday School. We started with only one group of 4 or 5 regular attenders rotating and with only two "workshop" classrooms available (each of which doubled as another workshop). Attendance got so regular we had to split into two groups!  We also started bringing together the families of those kids which increased both the regularity and numbers in attendance. (And this was in a church full of retired folks.)

2. Children's Sunday School attendance is invariably connected to adult Sunday School participation because kids can't drive themselves. Today's parents won't stick around if there isn't something for them as well as their kids. In one of the small churches I was in, the folks who ran adult ed (and were running it into the ground) would only offer one study that was more of a presentation. In another small church, the adult ed was as vibrant and varied as I've experienced anywhere -- and it obviously boosted kids' attendance.

3. I've come to the conclusion that it can be a mistake to hold Sunday School BEFORE worship, especially these days.

AFTER worship, people are:

(a) already there
(b) feeling challenged and energized to act on their faith
(c) more likely to follow the example of others, including their friends and go to class ("positive peer pressure).

I saw this "after" effect in one of the small churches where I used to volunteer and served on staff for a short time. When they moved to a new building and decided to switch classes to "before" worship, attendance started to drop like a rock.  Getting up for 9 am Sunday School is a 1960's way of thinking. Psychologically, worship is the bigger "must do" so why not put it first and use it as the lead-in to Sunday School when everyone is already there? Of course, it's not one change but several, that need to be considered, but this one is rarely talked about.  And I know it would be a problem for "two-worship service" churches, but they are the minority. LITERALLY: The times they are a changin.

I would encourage every small church to follow Karl Vaters' small church blog/ministry. https://karlvaters.com/  Lots of great advice for small churches.

Hope this helps!

Last edited by Neil MacQueen

Hi all,

We returned to services in late February and opened Sunday school in March. We began with an online sign up so that we could prepare to the different ages of children and have adequate staff. After a month, we stopped sign ups.

We do have a 6 person staff in children's ministry so we were able to begin our programming with staff only.  We recently started volunteer recruiting and have been able to hold three classrooms; a preschool room, an early grade school room, and an older grade school room.

Our tradition is to have outdoor worship during the summer, (Memorial Day-Labor Day) but this year we moved outside in mid April. We do not plan to move inside until October.

What we have learned so far:

  • The families that returned immediately are the regulars.
  • Our overall attendance improved when we moved to outdoor worship.
  • Our Sunday school attendance is approximately 28% of registered students.


I will be curious to see what attendance will look like in the fall.  We are planning to return to normal classes in the fall with full rotation.

The children's ministry committee will begin a summer campaign to reach out to those families that have not attended since March 2020. We will visit homes and drop off a 'we miss you' gift  and card.  PInterest has plenty of ideas to help in creating something unique to your church.

Last year during the pandemic we visited everyone in our program and drew a picture in sidewalk chalk on their driveway, and left pieces of chalk for the family to finish the picture and send in to our social media account. It was a great way to connect and could be one way other churches to connect if they have not yet returned to church.

We are planning an all church BBQ in July complete with a bounce house and yard games like corn hole, bocci, and volleyball.  Families will bring in the games and we were given a donation to rent bounce house.   Part of the connecting families via door to door is to invite them to the church picnic.

We are planning a rally day in September and have food trucks planned for this day.

Sunday school will run throughout the summer months and our older grade school kids will be allowed to assist in the classroom.

We are having a full VBS at the end of the July.

I hope this helps others as we all navigate new territory.



3. I've come to the conclusion that one of the biggest mistakes churches can make these days is holding Sunday School BEFORE worship.

AFTER worship, people are:

(a) already there
(b) feeling challenged and energized to act on their faith
(c) more likely to follow the example of others, including their friends and go to class ("positive peer pressure).

I saw this "after" effect in one of the small churches where I used to volunteer and served on staff for a short time. When they moved to a new building and decided to switch classes to "before" worship, attendance started to drop like a rock.  Getting up for 9 am Sunday School is a 1960's way of thinking. Psychologically, worship is the bigger "must do" so why not put it first and use it as the lead-in to Sunday School when everyone is already there? Of course, it's not one change but several, that need to be considered, but this one is rarely talked about.  And I know it would be a problem for "two-worship service" churches, but they are the minority. LITERALLY: The times they are a changin.



I agree with Neil somewhat on this.  But there are a few problems as well.

While it is true that after worship: people are already there, feeling energized to act on their faith, and more likely to follow others into a class, there are also a few problems that can occur when Sunday School is held after worship.  I have served churches that have scheduled Sunday School before and after worship, so here's a list from experience as a pastor.

Sunday School after worship is a problem when...

1. The church wants to schedule a congregational dinner, a congregational meeting, or a special missions speaker, etc., after worship.  In all of these situations Sunday School classes get sacrificed because the scheduling of these other big events are given priority over Sunday School.  I don't know how many times we had to cancel classes for dinners, etc.

2. Folks want to go out to eat, or go somewhere else, as a family right after worship.  A lot of folks tend to think that once worship (the big event) of the day is over, then it's family time.  This places families who attend Sunday School classes into a tough bind.  Do they attend class and miss out on the family gathering, or skip Sunday School and go with the rest of their family out to eat.

3. Parents who drop off their kids for Sunday School after worship are much more impatient for Sunday School classes to end early because they want  to get on the road.  I heard much more griping when classes didn't dismiss at the exact time, or earlier, when Sunday School was scheduled after worship than I did in churches where it was held before worship.

4. Worship services run over because of some special event, cut Sunday School time short.   The time squeeze shortens the Sunday School hour on both ends when worship lasts longer than expected.

The truth is there are pros and cons to scheduling Sunday School before or after worship.  [Actually churches which host two worship services have it easier.  Either these churches schedule Sunday School so that they occur at the same time as one of the worship options (there are before and after Sunday School classes) or they schedule Sunday School classes between worship services (like the cream in an Oreo cookie) so everyone is available to attend the good stuff!]

Either way, it is still a communication issue to make Sunday School for kids, youth and adults a priority in the life of the congregation that is important enough to come early or stay late for.

Good points Ron.
We made it work and didn’t have a “drop off for Sun School” culture. Worship started at 10 and rarely went over 60 minutes because the pastor heard about if it did (Presbyterians not prone to tolerate wandering services or sermons 😎) Our classes started at 11:15 for both adults and kids and ran 45 minutes.  Adult class attendance was especially good including among parents of our kids.

Related topics in this forum:

Last edited by Neil MacQueen

Hello -- Thank you all for the great comments and advice - it's all so helpful.

We've offered "Holy Experiment"** via Zoom since the beginning of the pandemic, which was well received, but I'm THRILLED to share that we'll be offering in-person, outdoor Sunday School beginning June 6th. Still working on the lesson plan, but am leaning toward some sort of "show & tell" - bring in a favorite Holy Experiment craft, a positive symbol from pandemic (heart rocks, an item from their at-home altar, etc.) We're a church in transition, so our 1916 rectory is currently unoccupied. In case of inclement weather, we'll meet in the very large living room.

I'm planning on holding children's programs three Sundays per month over the summer. Am currently re-connecting with volunteers; am hosting a Zoom mtg. next week to hear their concerns, hopes, etc. - both for the summer, as well as the autumn.

Dawn, I especially like your suggestion of a summer campaign to reach out to the families who have not attended since March 2020; thank you. During "normal" times, attendance drops in the winter because many families ski, so we'll be contacting families who haven't been in church since Advent 2019! I hope a few of my tried & true teachers will help with this - it's great outreach, plus re-energizes them, too.

Great work, rotation.org - thank you for the inspiration.



**Wormy adds: "Holy Experiment" is Debbie's church's name for their "wildly popular, twice-monthly, fun-filled virtual program available via Zoom, which includes formation activities that can be done at home."

Last edited by Wormy the Helpful Worm

Initially in Covid, we switched to sending at home activities to our Sunday School children with the invite to return response for positives reinforcements of small prizes and posting in the live stream worship. While many may have done the activities, few responded to reply back.

In Fall 2020 we opened to a Sunday School/Fellowship hour for the children 2x a month on Friday afternoons when the children usually had early dismissal from school and to our surprise, the attendance at those gatherings was better than Sunday education hour.

The Sunday School teachers are going to be rethinking Sunday School this summer in light of the change we saw in doing the Friday event.  Many of our families have not returned to Sunday worship in person since we started offering live stream. I think we'll be fighting an uphill battle to go back to Sunday School when worship at home has become the new norm.

@jillpat posted:

In Fall 2020 we opened to a Sunday School/Fellowship hour for the children 2x a month on Friday afternoons when the children usually had early dismissal from school and to our surprise, the attendance at those gatherings was better than Sunday education hour.

The Sunday School teachers are going to be rethinking Sunday School this summer in light of the change we saw in doing the Friday event.  Many of our families have not returned to Sunday worship in person since we started offering live stream. I think we'll be fighting an uphill battle to go back to Sunday School when worship at home has become the new norm.

Thanks Jill for thinking outside the Sunday morning "box."
Years ago I lived in a town that let Middle Schoolers out early on Wednesday -- a holdover from Catholic catechism days. We'd pick the kids up at school for Fellowship group and had good attendance. Over time, however, we had a problem getting volunteers because so many worked, so eventually, we moved it to Wednesday evening.

If I had to bet, I'd bet that in churches that don't have a strong adult education program on Sunday morning (which creates a strong need for children's classes at the same time), we'll eventually see the migration and combining of Sunday School-like teaching into weeknight children's fellowship programs. I led a Wed Night children's fellowship group for years with Sunday School-like lessons. Worked well. (We also had Sunday morning classes in that church that were only modestly attended due to the lack of simultaneous Bible study geared for parents and people under the age of 45






Summer Sunday School Bible Trivia - Emmanuel United Methodist ChurchWormy note:
There's a discussion about ideas for Summer Sunday School over here. The latest posts in that topic are thinking about what to do THIS summer as the pandemic fades.

We are doing a Sat. V.B.S on June 12th 10a.m. to 2:30 p.m. centered around Pentecost. I think we will be making windsocks and if weather permits we will be flying kits as well and doing our lesson around different ways we experience the Holy Spirit in our lives and the lives of those around us. We are using Acts 2 : 1-4.

We are also planning on Sat. July 17th ( The Beatitudes Matt. 5: 1-12) and a Sat. Aug. 21st (The Armor of God, Ephesians 6: 10-18) hoping to keep our children involved throughout the summer. We will also continue our snail mail lessons weekly as well.

We found out in 2020 (because of Covid) that by doing our V.B.S. on Sat. it was a great way to be able to use our resources (volunteers, activities, and time) to the best way possible.

It's here

Everyone can view the following short preview below of the full "Leap of Faith" video.
(a short bit of music kicks in around 12 seconds)
Registered and Supporting members can view the full video online here
and/or download both the full video and guide. Register today!

Registered and Supporting members can download both the full video and guide. Join us!

The free full video has more leaps and beautiful flying scenes, along with scripture designed to capture the excitement, fear, and unknowns of planning for fall 2021 and begin discussing them with your team.

In addition to the free downloadable video, our team has put together a free companion discussion guide for teachers, leaders, pastors, planners, committees, and all those working in children and youth ministry.

The full video and guide can only be viewed by our Registered and Supporting Members.
Join today

See and download the full video

See and download the PDF discussion guide

Why the wingsuit videos and "leap" title

Fall 2021 is shaping up to be one of the most important and challenging in the life of many Sunday schools and children & youth ministries. The pandemic has created uncertainty, even fear among some of our volunteers, parents, and leaders. We wanted to create a discussion starter that evoked those feelings so we could talk about them, and remind ourselves that challenging leaps of faith have always been part of our work.

The discussion guide accompanying the video will help your folks voice their concerns and think about their preparation as they get ready to make the unprecedented "leap" of renewal this fall and beyond.

The scriptures that appear in the video and guide remind us that "soaring" is what we do, and we don't do it alone.

The video and guide were produced by the "Leap of Faith" Team here at Rotation.org, a group of Christian educators and pastors who are making the leap with you in their own churches and through our resources here at Rotation.org. Team members:  Ron Shifley, Luanne Payne, Amy Crane, Robin Stewart, and Neii MacQueen. Paid for by Rotation.org Inc. Created using Powtoons. See the video for visual and music credits.

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Last edited by Neil MacQueen

LostAndFound-Rotation.org

The pandemic has definitely been a learning experience. So what have our losses taught us about our needs?  And what should "stay lost"?

Here are two lessons or "finds" that immediately come to mind:

  • The importance of reaching people outside of our buildings and "events." (If the church trends and statistics are right, this "find" will only increase in importance.)

  • The importance of training parents to be their children's primary Christian educators. (We knew it was important, but the past year has exposed how far we have to go.)

A few things we don't want to "return to and renew" but should stay lost:

  1. The "can't-do" spirit. Time to shake that attitude from our sandals.

  2. Dysfunctional or disruptive volunteers. Oy.

  3. Fluff programs and events that don't include teaching or promote discipleship.

  4. Low standards. I'm looking at YOU children's sermons, classroom environments, and creativity.

  5. YOUR "STAY LOST" SUGGESTION HERE: ________________________________.



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Last edited by Neil MacQueen

What the return to Sunday school has been like at Faith Presbyterian, the small EPC church in Covington, Louisiana, where I am a volunteer:

Our church resumed in-person worship in a tent in May of 2020 and moved to indoor worship (spread out) in July 2020. (Worship was also streamed online for those who did not yet feel comfortable attending in person. Online streaming ended earlier this month. )

For a variety of reasons, we did not resume any sort of Sunday school until June 2, 2021. (In the interim, I was staying in touch with "my" preschool/K class with letters, packages, and one porch drop-off.)

Once people were feeling comfortable gathering again (and we were able to organize volunteers) it was decided to go ahead and launch Sunday school for children and adults on June 2 rather than waiting another few months until the start of the new school year.

I am happy to say that our June 2 Sunday school launch has been well-received, and all are attending who were regular attenders before the shutdown -- that is, all that are still around. We had 3 large families move out of town and another family moved to another church with a less-restrictive Covid policy....  But one new family began attending this past year and they have now started attending Sunday school, too!

The children's Sunday school teachers were asked to wear masks the first few weeks, since children under twelve cannot yet be vaccinated; children did not wear masks. But the parents all say they are ok with no masks, so they are no longer required. All of the adults have been vaccinated.

Attendance has been a bit irregular, with summer travel, and that was expected. But I am so happy to be able to spend time with "my little friends" again!

Praying for a good re-launch for all of you!

Two years ago we had 17 children on roll under age 8. None of them attended Sunday School. Since the pandemic, I have learned we have lost several of those families to churches that have ive children's programs that meet during worship. Also, our leadership doesn't participate in the education program.  I have been asked to meet with two new elders who have been made chair of Christian Education, but haven't attended in years.  The Associate Pastor has tried to keep the children's program going, but there is little support from the Senior pastor. Where do I start??? 

coffeeChat3

Announcing Rotation.org's first-ever Coffee Chat!

Take a late afternoon coffee break and join our community of Christian educators on Zoom on Monday, July 19 at 5 PM Eastern (2 PM Pacific) for an hour of conversation and encouragement.

This informal online meetup will be an opportunity for brainstorming and community-building. Our conversation will primarily focus on the topic of relaunching programming in the fall after the disruptions of the pandemic. We will have participants who have already restarted their in-person Sunday school as well as those who are planning to relaunch in September. Join us and share your experiences and hopes and fears.

Please email me at amycrane@hotmail.com if you would like to join our Zoom conversation. I will send you a link to the Zoom meeting.

And spread the word to colleagues who may be interested!

We know that summer is a busy time. If you are interested in meeting with other Christian educators, but this timeslot does not work for you, please let us know so that we can try to include you in future gatherings.

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Last edited by CreativeCarol

Two years ago we had 17 children on roll under age 8. None of them attended Sunday School. Since the pandemic, I have learned we have lost several of those families to churches that have ive children's programs that meet during worship. Also, our leadership doesn't participate in the education program.  I have been asked to meet with two new elders who have been made chair of Christian Education, but haven't attended in years.  The Associate Pastor has tried to keep the children's program going, but there is little support from the Senior pastor. Where do I start???

Hi Julie,

I am feeling your pain! I am wondering if your senior pastor is aware of the importance of having a viable children's program as a reason for people to attend your church?
Would it be possible to go directly to the families and get them involved?  (By-passing, so to speak, the leadership, AKA 'It's easier to ask forgiveness than to beg for permission.')

-- Carol

Hi Julie,  We had 20 children before covid . When we were closed we started our  "Snail Mail," program. We purchased a different style of postage stamp for our mailings each week. We have continued our mailings each week. They receive a lesson, word search, crossword, and coloring pages that enforce our lessons. The children are slowly returning. We continue sending our lessons to each child who has not been attending our Sunday School.

We had 7 children in our Sat. VBS class (10-2:30) on, Pentecost. We had a great time. We are continuing our VBS program on sat. July 17th and Aug. 14th to try and keep the children involved. We have found our Sat. VBS program is a great way to use our time and resources as far as being able to present a complete lesson and gather volunteers.

Blessings,   Ms. Audrey

@julie burton, I am so sorry to hear that you don't feel like you have the support of the senior pastor for Sunday school and children's ministry. Please know that I am praying for you and your ministry, and also for your congregation and especially the leadership to become aware of the importance of discipling children, and through them their families.

I think Carol and Audrey make good points above about reaching out to families directly. During the shutdown I was sending monthly letters with an assortment of seasonal lessons and little gifts to my preschool class friends (and some of the other families, too). I received positive feedback from a few families; but now that we are meeting again in person, all have thanked me for the encouragement and for helping to keep them connected to the church and helping them disciple their children.  (The associate pastor had asked us to write a letter to our students early in the shutdown; I decided to keep doing it as my own personal unofficial project.)

I am glad your associate pastor seems to be on board. Maybe she or you can share some studies on the importance of offering ways for families to connect as well as reminding the leadership of baptism promises to come alongside parents in nurturing their children in the Word. Here is a link to some thoughts about children's ministry as a way to activate adult and family attendance (and you will find many more articles and ideas at that link, including some research numbers).

Praying for wisdom and creativity as you go forward! And if you want a bit of "in-person" encouragement and brainstorming, join us on Zoom next Monday.

Two years ago we had 17 children on roll under age 8. None of them attended Sunday School. Since the pandemic, I have learned we have lost several of those families to churches that have live children's programs that meet during worship. Also, our leadership doesn't participate in the education program.  I have been asked to meet with two new elders who have been made chair of Christian Education, but haven't attended in years.  The Associate Pastor has tried to keep the children's program going, but there is little support from the Senior pastor. Where do I start???

Hi Julie, old friend!
You are such an amazing Christian educator that I have to believe you have been put there "for just such a time as this."

I've helped lead two Sunday School "complete rebuilds" starting with very few kids and not a lot of hands-on support from the Senior Pastor. Sometimes their "benign neglect" is okay as long as they are permission-givers rather than interferers. Silver lining?

It sounds like your "future Sunday School" is in your preschool room right now. So I would encourage you to begin family ministry with them. Other than seniors, the parents of preschoolers are the age group MOST interested in being together. They are keen on family, friendships, and child-rearing subjects. Their presence and energy also attracts other young families. The "blest ties" you help nurture among them will also pay-off in Sunday School attendance as those kids grow up.

Hope this helps. I have memories full of ideas so feel free to PM me to further pick my brain ...such as it is.

Neil

P.S. It was the similar question of "where is my future youth group right now?" that turned my heart toward children's ministry 30 years ago.

Hi Julie -

You've already started, by taking the first step to reach out to the wise folks @rotation.org!

The first thing that struck me was that pre-pandemic, you had 17 kids under the age of 8 who didn't attend Sunday School ... yet several of those families left to attend church that offered SS, which to me indicates that those families are yearning for faith formation. Carol & Amy's suggestion of communicating directly w/ the families is a great second step. If it takes hold, which I bet it will, the leadership team is bound to take notice. One last thing - if the leadership team truly doesn't participate, you can form/mold the program which you feel will resonate best! Hopefully one or two parents will be willing to help, and you have the beginning of a program. Tap into the great lesson plans available here and you're on your way.

D

Thanks for all your responses.  Starting with the church leadership will be important, to see what kind of vision they have for our congregation post-pandemic. The  Senior pastor has a serious health concern, which may be contributing to the perceived lack of support. The Associate pastor has worked hard to have a family ministry, so I'm not sure where that is.  This support from you all is vital, and gives me encouragement for the meeting this week. Thank you!

This video message from Brian Wallace and the Pittsburgh Presbytery—in its entirety—is worth listening to.

Message from the Pittsburgh Presbytery on where are kids

Some takeaways:

We've lost momentum: a train can take a mile to stop and a mile to get up to speed. Children and Youth Ministry thrive on the momentum created by regular gathering and that has been lost. They also thrive on big events like retreats and activity nights  --which have been seriously impacted by the pandemic and attendance trends. Kids have lost two years of consistency and thinking of the church as part of their routine.

We need patience and time to get up to speed and develop good habits. It may be 3 to 5 even 7 years for the effects of the pandemic to ease in our children and youth ministries. Why? Because the two years that were lost to a 6th grader, now as 8th and 9th graders they live in a different world, even a different body.

We need flexibility. Things won't bounce back like they were. Instead of trying to revive something that used to work, maybe it's a time to innovate, to create new habits and expectations.

Scripture teaches us that we are at our best when we look forward to where we are going than when we look back at where we have been.


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