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Sunday School, Memories, and Learning   

By Heather Green  

It’s August, the end of summer. Parents anticipate children going back to school. As CLC members, we anticipate the fall worship schedule, CLEWS, and Sunday School.

Sunday School.

As a child, I remember attending Sunday School at Christ Lutheran. I used to love when all the classes came together in the basement of the church (before the addition when it was just one big room with dividers) and we would sing together. Songs like, “All God’s Critters Got a Place in the Choir,” and “Jesus Loves the Little Children.” I also loved learning the different parables and all the classes working together on the Christmas Pageant each winter. I have so many fond memories associated with Sunday School.
As a sophomore in college, I remember feeling ambitious and volunteering to teach Sunday School for the 7/8th grade split class. I will never forget the first lesson was based on Genesis. After reading the story of Creation, one of the young men in the class asked me, “Where did dinosaurs fit in?” I suddenly understood why no one else had volunteered to teach this age group. I remember looking at the student, and after taking a few deep breaths, I responded that, “Each day was not necessarily a 24-hour period; each day could have been several hundred thousand years long. God wasn’t working with a specific timeline.” This seemed to mollify his curiosity as he said, “Oh, that makes sense.” I remember feeling relieved that I did not have to enter into a creationism vs. evolution debate on my first day as a Sunday School teacher. And yes, I did finish the year but chose a different volunteer opportunity for the following year.
As a parent, I am excited that my daughter will be attending Sunday School for the first time this year. I am excited that she will have the same opportunities to learn about Jesus, sing songs, and make friends. My mother met her best friend on her first day of Sunday School when they were three-years-old – they are still very close friends sixty-eight years later. I am really looking forward to hearing the new songs she will learn this fall so we can (hopefully) move on from the VBS songs she still insists on listening to in the car. Additionally, I am looking forward to being able to attend church again on Sunday and being able to enjoy the service, without worrying about keeping a toddler occupied and quiet.
As a Christian, I am excited that there is an opportunity for Adult Sunday School. I have to admit that over the years I am not as clear on the theology and some of the tenets of the Lutheran Church as I was when I was attending church more regularly (without a little one). Being able to discuss the Bible and our faith with other adult church members is extremely enticing. In a way, I am torn between being able to worship unencumbered or attend Sunday School to relearn what I have forgotten.
Maybe if I am feeling ambitious, I will try to do both.