Revitalizing Sunday School In The Bahamas 2019-2023

The Bahamas & Turks & Caicos Council Sunday School Proposal 2019 -2023


To Whom It May Concern:
Greetings in the precious name of Jesus! I am honored to have been considered and appointed to the office of the National Sunday School Superintendent for the BTCC for the term 2019-23. I appreciate your support and confidence as I assume this mammoth task for which God has called us to as partners in the Kingdom. It is my prayer that over the next few years, the Sunday School department will revitalize and execute the high privilege of providing edification leadership for all the churches under the prevue of the BTCC. With the help of the Lord, it will be my team’s goal to identify the gifts and talents of our people, and to provide a platform from which they can become more spiritually mature at all age levels, working to impact Culture, Community & Church.
With your help, there will be a focus on teacher/leadership development, and the empowering of congregants to fulfill God’s call to “aptly give an answer for the reason for their hope” (2 Pet. 3:15).  The department will be incarnational in approach, missionally driven, intentionally prayerful, employing a transformational leadership model, as humble servants, always with the mission of the BTCC council at heart.


It is a fact that we are shaped by our culture. But more importantly, God has called a people to move from the realm of darkness into the realm of light. The same principle applies to the spiritual culture of the church. We are shaped by the ethos of the local church and church councils. The priority of the Sunday School/Christian Education arm of the Bahamas & Turks & Caicos Council’s Sunday School Department for the 2019-2023 term will be to cultivate and create a spiritual culture in small group settings that facilitate:

• Age Group Appropriate Learning
• Age Group Caring & Development
• Age Group Specific Evangelism

Understandably, there has been a shift away from the huge task of growing and maintaining Sunday School. “The multiplication of this ministry creates a tremendous demand for people, finances, space, equipment and other tools needed for success; often from limited resources already stretched to breaking point.” However, it is incumbent upon leadership to move beyond the obvious, and launch out into the deep by faith, in obedience to the Great Commission mandate. God always funds his vision. “The function of the Church” including the council, is “disciple-making which is essential to the life and ministry of the organization.” 

              2019 -23 Sunday School Ministry Proposal

April 2019 – August 2019 - Focus on Organization

• The appointment of one Sunday School representative and secretary in all BTCC churches (approved by the Bishop/Elder/Pastor of the local congregation). These representatives will be the first line of contact between the churches and the Sunday School administration. We will use the existing BTCC region structure for the Sunday School framework
• Create a realistic Budget
• Setup a Mailbox for bringing in resources from the US and beyond
• All churches using age-group level Apostolic Way material
• Emphasis on style and content of class presentations
• Emphasis on relevancy in classrooms (not just about reading from the book)
• Emphasis on care for, and connecting with each student
• Emphasis on Conversion Rates (Who and how many students within the classroom have yet to respond positively to the Gospel?)
• Emphasis on Growth – (Quality and Quantity)
• Emphasis on Pentecostal Indoctrination (Oneness message at the heart of our small group exchanges)
• Emphasis on the use of and ownership of Bibles
• Emphasis on the urgency and need for membership and discipleship classes in all our churches (Who nurtures the newly converted?)
  

                The Administrative Model
The aim is to achieve a cohesive system for communicating among all BTCC churches/students.

• A simple system designed to streamline the effort. In order to achieve proper perspective on the existing structure, we will attempt to:
• Contact each church and conduct a realistic assessment of Sunday school, its challenges and needs
• Identify teachers and educators within each congregation whose gifts and talents may be used for the benefit of the council and the Kingdom
• Communicate via dated memos and social media platforms
  
• Make regular reporting available to the council
• Create a resource for churches and communities that will promote local church info and edification offerings.
• Teacher Support
• Successful Sunday Schools place great emphasis on Teacher Training, Motivation and Support. The administrative team, in collaboration with local educators and P.A. of W. International links will provide the following for our teachers:
• One yearly motivational event/retreat
• Teacher workshops at minimum twice per year
• An on-going teacher training class, designed for both existing and new teachers/teaching assistants
• Teacher certification ceremonies/recognition events within local churches/conventions (?)
• Visits by the administrative team to the local churches
• Collaborate with different auxiliaries to engage communities and local church members
• Provide a structure that supports the needs of teachers (time-off, coverages)
• A platform to recognize effort at the local and council levels

               Student Reach

• Print and social media engagement with students (monthly magazine/article with fun and features (age group targeted edification)
• *** One entire month specifically geared at driving attendance and growth:
• Graduation
• Kids Convention (Initial collaboration with the existing Youth Convention framework)
• Kids Outing/Funfest (community focused)
• Rallies and Drives
• Birthdays and special event recognitions at local levels

               2019 – 2010 Goals
How do we begin?  I propose beginning upon a foundation of prayer and the seeking of a buy-in from all the Bishops, Elders, Pastors and Teachers. The sole role of the church if any, is the fulfillment of the Great Commission Mandate:
“Go into all the world and proclaim the good news[d] to the whole creation” (Mk. 16:15

Events:

• BTCC Sunday School Leaders Prayer Breakfast
• GO (16:15) Campaign >>>>
• Bible Ownership
• Membership Drives
• Seasonal Rallies Every Year –
• New Year’s
• Easter Presentation
• Pentecost Sunday
• Vacation Bible School
• Children’s Month (Children’s Choir, Convention & Graduation)
• Christmas Presentation
• Sunday School Outdoor /Community Events (tbd) – take a trained and equipped team into the communities.
• Be A Teacher Drives !
• Bible Quizzes
• Children’s Choir Competitions
• Focus on the development of material and training for the Creole communities. 

On behalf of the team, churches and students, thank you for your prayers, leadership and support. We look forward to working with you to realize the mission and vision of the council.

Regards,
Kevin A. Hall