Our most recent theme in these newsletters has been the importance of Sunday School in youth ministry. It is my contention that this strategic ministry can still be a viable and integral ingredient of an effective and comprehensive local church youth ministry. Not only that, but I also believe that Sunday School can indeed be the hub of youth ministry, around which other educational ministries can revolve and even thrive.

As I stated in Vol. 7, No. 15 of this e-letter, we live in a culture that still somewhat reserves Sunday morning as a time for religious services and worship. It is the one time each week when many people still carve out time for church and church functions. It has been my observation that many churches are struggling with their mid-week programs, and yet Sunday mornings are usually the time where most people have the freest schedules to be able to participate in church. I understand that youth soccer or other activities of our modern participatory culture may be making an inroad into a typical community’s Sunday morning schedule. But, in most cases these programs usually don’t start until afternoon.

Earlier this summer I met with close to two hundred youth workers in a couple of different conferences to identify some of their greatest struggles in local church youth ministry. It was interesting to note that each time “busy students” was listed close to the top. The most fascinating part of my conversations with these youth workers was the fact that in today’s culture, Sunday morning is usually the best time to attract students to our ministries. Their schedules are usually freest at that time, and most teenagers are somewhat open to the thought of attending church.
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I want to take this opportunity to express my heart-felt sympathy and prayers for all of the individuals and families who have suffered the past several days following the destruction left by hurricane Katrina. I have watched hours and hours of news reports showing the damage and devastation left by this storm. My heart goes out to the folks in the Mississippi Gulf Coast region who have lost so much; in so many cases people have lost literally everything.
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It’s not too late to place your order for the fall quarter. Make sure that each teacher has a copy of the junior high or senior high teacher’s book and that each student has a copy of the in-class student books. Each senior higher will need a copy of Real Faith in Life, a student devotional journal containing important in-class worksheets. You may also want each student to have his or her own memory verse cards, Real Faith Verses, and workbook for inductive Bible study, Real Faith In-Depth. Each junior high student will need a copy of our new student devotional leaflets, Living My Faith, which also contains important in-class worksheets. The RBP student products are an integral aspect of our educational philosophy.

You can order on-line, or call 1-800-727-4440 during regular office hours. Of course, you can also order RBP’s Faith Builders: Bible Studies for Youth, or any of our other youth ministry products at the same time. Our newest studies are especially relevant: Worship and Apologetics.

Monday is Labor Day. Now is the traditional time to be thinking about going back to school, even though many school systems around the country have already begun their fall programming schedules. I enjoy the thought of high school football and soccer games, as well as waiting in traffic for stopped school busses each morning and afternoon.

Fall is also the ideal time for a fresh surge of energy toward your church’s Sunday School program.

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