Volunteer

PROFILE OF A VOLUNTEER: THE SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER

Hal's eye scanned the list of programs in the TV Guide. He saw immediately that there was nothing on that appealed to him. What would he do instead? He didn't feel like reading. It was Saturday evening. After a long day of outdoor chores he knew he would have trouble staying awake if he tried reading. "Where's Marge?" he thought, "Maybe we can do something together."

As soon as he thought it, he knew it was out of the question. She was in the back bedroom preparing her Sunday school lesson for tomorrow. It was an ironclad rule with her no interruptions while studying for teaching.

The Saturday evening routine had been that way every week since she took over the class five years before. There had been a few times when she had fudged on preparation. Those were the weeks when she was unhappy with herself afterwards. The hour just didn't go well when she went into the classroom unprepared.

So she had asked the family's cooperation: Please let me have three hours of uninterrupted time on Saturday evenings.

Few people in the congregation knew what went on in their house every Saturday. Still fewer appreciated it. Even people who are quite active in the church rarely stop to think what a blessing a faithful Sunday school teacher is to the church. A teacher like Marge devotes three hours a week to preparation. In addition, attending teachers' meetings at church takes several hours each month. Then getting to the class early, teaching the lesson, talking to parents afterwards, keeping accurate records and making notes for the next year takes another two hours a week. How many people in the church devote six hours a week, as regular as clockwork, without any pay—usually without even a "thank you"?

But have you noticed? The Sunday school teachers in your congregation are usually among the warmest, most contented, and best-motivated members of your congregation. If, after teaching for a number of months, they find that the Holy Spirit has given them the gifts for that work, they often stay with it for many years, why are they able to maintain a cheerful attitude toward their work when so many volunteers in the church become bitter and disgruntled? The answer is so simple that many overlook it.

The very nature of the Sunday school teachers' work drives them into the Scriptures. What is more, when they teach the word to others, it leaves an indelible mark on them. When Christians spend that many hours pouring over the word of God, organizing their thoughts, trying to impart God's truths and to apply them to the lives of their pupils, they benefit more than anyone. Their roots of faith grow deep into the soil of the word. Small wonder that the fruits of faith—love, joy, peace, happiness, contentment—hang in ripe bunches from their branches!

There was a time when Hal had battled his feelings about Marge's involvement in the Sunday school. He loved her very much· and missed her lively company on Saturday evenings. It pained him when she received criticism from thoughtless church members. It bothered him to see so many church members who neglected Sunday school for their children. "Don't they appreciate what they have in teachers like Marge?" he used to think?

But he had gotten over that. The blessings that had come into their home as a result of her work in the Sunday school far outweighed the hardships. Marge had grown more confident and happy in her faith. Her discoveries in the word often overflowed into their family talks and conversation. Rather than stay home alone during the Sunday school hour, Hal had started going to the pastor's Bible class. And the children were many times more regular in their attendance at Sunday school. Would he trade those things? Never! Many blessings had come to his family.

Hal was beginning to see a pattern. People he knew who spend time in the word—personal Bible reading, Bible study, participation in Bible classes seem to "stick it out" much longer in the work of the church. They seem to have high goals and ideals. They seem to be less bothered by frustrations and criticisms. If only more people could discover what his family had learned as a result of Marge's work in the Sunday school. They and the Lord's church would benefit.

He hoped—yes, prayed—that the children in his wife's classes, learning as little children to nourish their souls on God's word, would continue to do so as adults. It was pleasant to think that Marge's hours faithfully given now could have such a wholesome result in Christ's church many years later.

Author: Thomas Franzmann Copyrighted WELS Forward in Christ