Jolanda Howe
Welcome to the Network for Sunday School Ministry! Whether you coordinate the children’s ministries, organize the Sunday school program, or lead a small group of second and third graders, I hope this site will be a reliable source of support for your ministry! In case you’re curious, here’s the scoop on me: I grew up Catholic and United Methodist before joining the CRC with my family as a teenager. My ecumenical upbringing has given me a great love for the church in all its flavors—and a deep appreciation for the Reformed theology we cherish. This is my second time around as the Sunday School Network guide, and a lot has changed for me in the time between! The biggest change is motherhood-- little Sophie Howe was born on March 3, 2012. Life has been full of gratitude, joy, and chaos ever since! We're learning how to be a family of 3 and how to juggle worship, work, and time with family and friends. I've stepped away from the role of Sunday school coordinator to give myself space to learn and enjoy this new role. We've also joined a new church, Church of the Servant, which is a place we've developed many deep friendships over the years. We trust that God has led us there to find support and give support to many other new parents as we learn and grow together. This time around, as guide, I hope to tap into the wisdom and experience of many other people who are serving or have served in Sunday school and faith formation ministries. I hope to invite many new people to add their ideas and inspiration to the blogs you see featured week after week. Thanks for joining me on this journey!
Posted in: Dealing With Real Life Stuff
Thanks for sharing your story, Deb. What an important discussion! It is confusing for kids and adults when we pray and God answers in ways that are different than we hope or expect... I think it's so important to take time, like you did, to talk with kids about that. They need to see that we don't have all the answers either, and that we can still trust God even when we don't understand his plan, or when we feel angry or broken hearted.
I appreciate what you said about being attune to children's lingering sadness and providing support. In situations like the one you describe a child might be more inclined to hold their feelings inside at home because they don’t want to make a parent or sibling feel even sadder by bringing it up. If we are sensitive to that reality, we can look for ways to invite kids to talk and pray about the real things happening in their lives and create a nurturing environment where they feel comfortable doing that.