Sunday School on a Shoestring

While we might debate about whether or not a stimulus package will boost the economy, one thing’s certain—there’s no bailout for Sunday school spending. Tight times like these remind us to prioritize, take stewardship seriously, and trim back on everything but the essentials.

For Teachers

Stretching Our Faith and Funds
It’s not easy to ignore the growing anxiety, the mounting bills, and the uncertainty of the job market . . . even if you’re only six years old. Chances are the kids in our lives are hearing nervous chatter from relatives, teachers, and friends, both at home and at school. So while they’re at church, let’s assure them that God is still present and is watching over their family. And let’s offer them some concrete ways to pitch in and make a difference by doing a couple things.

Connecting the Word to the World
Talk about current events as you share God’s stories! Let’s not miss this opportunity to make the connection between today’s tough times and the tough times in Scripture. Nearly every story we share highlights God’s faithfulness, provision, and care. God is still at work, delivering his people and calling us to trust him in every situation. Listening to our kid’s worries and concerns and lifting them up together in prayer helps us cultivate that kind of trust.

Challenging Kids to Be Good Stewards
God delights in the creation, and the creation declares God’s glory and goodness! Our kids should hear about how to reduce, reuse, and recycle as much from us as they do from their school teachers. Being green isn’t just civil and trendy; it’s also godly and cost effective!

• Brainstorm with your kids about how to stretch your supplies and waste less.
• Look for ways to collaborate more, working on projects in pairs or as a group.
• Assign kid supervisors for each supply to make sure crayons are collected, pencils are sharpened, and large scraps of paper are saved neatly for next week.
• Skip the snack, if you serve one. Send a note home to let families know you’ll be making a change.
• Get crafty and make your own Play-doh and paste—the Internet is full of easy recipes, and you can save your empty store-bought containers to refill with the home-made rendition.
• Celebrate small acts of stewardship by thanking the kids you catch using supplies well.

For Coordinators

Programming on Pennies

In many churches these days, budget cuts are cutting deep—into hours and salaries as well as line items and programs. It’s time for some creative problem solving to help slow our spending and boost our budgets. Try these ideas, and send yours my way so I can pass them along to others!

Paperless Publicity

Challenge your congregation with a paper-free campaign to cut back on postage, paper, and ink by eliminating bulletin inserts, postcards, fliers, and brochures. Instead,

• Create one information station that’s centrally located at church and contains a large, up-to-date calendar of all church activities and events.
• Capitalize on Internet resources like the church website, Facebook, Google Groups, meetingwizard.com, Evite.com, or regular email and phone messaging. Use these tools to post schedules, send invites, and spread the word about upcoming events. If these techy tools seem overwhelming, recruit a communications coordinator to keep everyone in the loop for you—or bravely tackle one program at a time with help from someone in your congregation!

Careful Counting

Curriculum is one programming key that you can’t afford to cut. But placing a standing order, or ordering Walk With Me by quarter rather than unit, will reduce costs. And don’t forget to encourage your teachers to turn in all extra materials so that you can ship them back for a refund.

Travel-Free Training

Big conferences are great for team-building and sharpening skills, but between registration, travel, and lodging they can be quite expensive. If you need to take a year off to balance the budget, consider these excellent options:

• Check out one of our new webinars in a range of topics—new ones will be coming out nearly every month. It’s free training that’s just a click and a phone call away!
• Download one of our many workshops for use with your team of teachers.
• Team up with other churches in your area to offer your own training event, or connect with me about bringing in a Faith Alive speaker to your church.

Community Connections

With VBS right around the corner, now is the perfect time to collaborate with churches in your community. Connecting with other educators is a great way to share ideas, gain encouragement, and stretch your resources!

• Find out who else in your area may be using a Walk With Me summer unit and work together to build and buy stage props or decorations.
• Order general supplies together, like t-shirts, felt squares, or name tags and holders, to boost your numbers for a better bulk rate.
• Consider hosting a joint VBS and sharing all planning and expenses!

As we wade through this economic downturn, Faith Alive is also looking for ways to spend wisely and cut costs. That means traveling less and providing more support and training through Internet and electronic resources. Stay tuned for details about Walk With Me website updates that will include videos, recorded webinars, and more!