Wow! It’s March already! There is so much going on already! There are many things coming up and many things for kids and teens and adults happening on the District! Watch your calendar, and choose the items that fit your schedule and that you can participate in.

Did you also see that Sunday School Ministries has a new name? By action of the General Board our new name is “Sunday School and Discipleship Ministries International” (SDMI). This is being done to add focus to our international ministry, and to the fact that much of what we do is not just on Sunday mornings. It is also a reflection that we are to be part of the Disciple making team of our churches and District. Never, ever forget that what we do is much more than just programs and numbers. Our focus, and our mission is to take the message of Jesus and His love to a community that needs Him and His care and compassion and help them to understand that Someone cares and there is a Hope in this life. If we lose that focus, we should just pack it in. We are charged with helping to grow disciples, and to reach out to a hurting world. This is “not your father’s (Sunday school) any longer.” We have to intentionally TAKE His love and His care and His grace OUT of our buildings into a community that has a difficult time believing that anyone cares, or that there really is a hard and fast, right or wrong decision. As you minister and work in your church, keep asking yourself (not how many – we all aren’t called to minister to hundreds or thousands on a Sunday) “How are we growing disciples for Christ? How are we intentionally drawing people into a deeper understanding of His love and helping them to share their joy and passion with others?”

This month I want to share the first part of a two part article by a Baptist Sunday school consultant named Josh Hunt. You may have heard of him – he has written a book and has seminars on how to double your Sunday school class. It is some very good information and some thoughts about why we want to reach out and grow our Sunday schools and churches.

I also just wanted to say what a great TEAM day we had on Feb 24 at Perry High School! Almost 800 people were in the High school and almost 60 children were at Perry Nazarene for games and fun times while their parents were in various workshops. We are in the process of distilling the evaluations and reflecting on what we can improve on and what we can do for next year. Thanks for making this a great day! Make sure when you get the dates for next year that you block them off for yourself and your church leadership team. There is something for everyone!

His for a Growing Sunday school!

John

PRIME TIME WORK DAYS AT INDIAN LAKE NAZARENE CAMP

May 22-24 and May 29-31. There is no charge for this and all meals and rooms are furnished. It's a great time for fun, fellowship and getting things done!

DON’T FORGET YOUR MONTHLY STATISTICS!

You are doing really great each month with reporting your monthly Sunday school and worship averages to your zone chairperson on the last Sunday of each month. Let’s shoot for 100% reporting! We only had 12 “No reports” in February! This is great! Febraury was kind of tough as we were down as a District. This is part of our accountability to each other and part of our being a part of the District team. And remember, if you are unable to contact your zone chair – you can still report your stats online at http://www.minaz.org/ssm/stats/stats.asp

DON’T FORGET CAMP DATES FOR THIS SUMMER!

Important camp information! Forms and more information have been sent to each church! Please help promote our camps! They are an important time for our youth and children, and many important, life changing decisions are made at our camp grounds. Be praying for the directors and workers at each of the camps as they impact the lives of our youth.

SUNDAY SCHOOL PROBLEMS ARE NOT SUNDAY SCHOOL PROBLEMS

From "Josh Hunt's Teacher Tips" at www.joshhunt.com

What is the problem with Sunday School? Why is it not working in so many places? Why is it--not everywhere, but in many places--weak, ineffective, (dare I say it?) boring?

It is not organization. It is not strategy. It is not class size or literature, or our understanding of Sunday School theory. Sunday School problems are rarely Sunday School problems. It is deeper than that; far deeper.

I often talk to groups about the vision of growing and dividing, growing and dividing, growing and dividing. A group of ten that doubles every eighteen months can reach a thousand people in ten years. There is a world wide movement by which this is happening. I have told this to many groups. The normal response is, "But we are comfortable doing what we are doing." This is no longer a Sunday School problem. What someone has just told me--and they have told it to me many times--is that their comfort is of greater importance than reaching a thousand people in the next ten years. This is not a Sunday School problem. They did not tell me that they disagree with the strategy or that they don't think it will work, or that they do not think it is realistic. They did not tell me they have an alternate strategy that they think is more effective. They simply respond to the idea that we can reach a thousand people in the next ten years by saying, "But we are comfortable." This is not a Sunday School problem. This is a values problem.

I rarely have people tell me that my ideas won't work. Rarely do people doubt their potential. But, I routinely hear--and I suspect they say it far more often when I can't hear--that we are comfortable and we don't want to do that.

This is not a Sunday School problem. This is a heart problem. This is a maturity problem. This is a discipleship problem. This is a priorities problem. This is a values problem. It is a problem when someone thinks, much less suggests, much less says out loud with brazen confidence that our comfort is to be placed above reaching one person a year, much less a thousand people in the next ten years. It is a problem, and it is a big problem. But, it is not a Sunday School problem. It is an us problem.

The problem is we fundamentally misunderstand what the gospel message is all about. It is all about the paradox of finding yourself by giving yourself away. It is all about finding life by throwing yourself into the cause of reaching others. It is all about the thrill of following God in the daring adventure of reaching people for Him. It is about the breathtaking exhilaration of following God to heaven knows where. It is all about following Christ to become fishers of men.

In most Sunday Schools, there is not a lot of daring adventure. There is not a hint of breathtaking exhilaration. If you look up adventure in an encyclopedia, you are not likely to find a picture of a Sunday School class there.

When Jesus called the disciples to follow Him, they were not at all sure what was next. What was next was risk. What was next was uncertainty. They were leaving their nets. He would call them to walk on water but they must, in the words of John Ortberg, get out of the boat. It was adventure. It was thrill. It was so not Sunday School.

It was not comfort. Christ didn't call us to comfort; He called us to follow Him in the daring adventure of becoming fishers of men.

(next month the rest of the article)

MEN'S MINISTRY GOLF OUTING

June 2nd 9:00 tee off. Details will be out in April. Contact Rev David Tran (Reading) for more details (dmtranus@yahoo.com)

DISTRICT LAYMAN’S RETREAT

Watch for more details coming to your church – May 18-20 in Muskegon at the Maranatha Retreat center or contact Rev. Marilyn Tran for more information at mrtranmusic@yahoo.com

CHILDREN’S TALENT AND TRAINING APRIL 28 AT KALAMAZOO 1ST CHURCH