On September 14, 2024, the Living Stones Church hosted a conference for Sunday School teachers. This conference was organized by the PCSBA’s Sunday School ministry.
The conference had three seminars. The first one was taught by Andrey Tribunalov on: “Why should you become a Sunday School teacher, and what is the purpose of a Sunday School teacher?” Before the beginning of a new school year, it was important to hear Andrey’s topic in order to help the teachers to be confident in their ministry choice. The seminar has effective in helping the teachers to understand the importance of their responsibility, and their commitment to serving children.
The second seminar covered the topic of: “Emotional and spiritual burnout of those serving in the children’s ministry” and was taught by Irina Tsvelikova who is a coordinator of the children’s ministry at the Spring of Life Church in WA. The educational background in pedagogy and psychology allowed Irina to present such a specialized topic which has rarely been covered in the past. No one seems to really care about the reasons why the teachers run out of strength and energy, and why it was so hard to find the right number of people who are dedicated to this service. In her seminar, Irina helped to also answer some of the common questions, to identify reasons for the burnout and what to do about it to find a way to have enough dedicated people to this ministry. It seems that every church has a need in this particular area.
As a way to do something different and draw people out, the participants were also engaged in games and skits for everyone, including the teachers. This was helpful in developing plans and going through the lessons. In fact, that is exactly what’s needed in order to keep the children engaged and participating.
The third seminar covered the topic of: “Digital socializing and the role of gadgets in the development of children and teenagers”. With the use of a huge amount of statistical information in modern pedagogy, Irina prepared the results of the findings from various organizations. Valuable advice from this seminar was instrumental in helping teachers in conversations with the parents about various ways to structure free time, as well as preparing the child for the lesson. It’s important to know how to protect children from overstimulation through computers or phones.
If anyone wishes to get more information about these valuable seminars, click on the following links:
- “Why should you become a Sunday School teacher? What is the purpose of a Sunday School teacher? “ by Andrey Tribunalov
- “Emotional and spiritual burnout of those serving in the children’s ministry” by Irina Tsvelikova
- “Digital socializing and the role of gadgets in the development of children and teenagers by Irina Tsvelikova
Zhanna Yanovskaya
Head of the PCSBA’s Sunday School ministry
