On
    The Power
    e
    of
    On
    The Po
    wri
    wer
    tten by
    e
    of
    Brett Selby
    &
    Bob Mayfield
    1
    3
    1
    The Power of You
    W
    hat you do as a Sunday School leader makes a world of
    difference. Let me put it another way. What you do makes an
    eternity of difference. You make all the difference. In fact, people will
    remember you long aftier they forget what you’ve said and taught.
    I have never heard someone say, “You know, I remember the lessons
    I studied in my 5th Grade Sunday School class. Those were the best
    lessons ever.”
    However, I have oftien heard someone say something like this: “I
    remember my 5th Grade Sunday School teacher, Mr. Thornton. That
    was a tough year for our family. Dad lost his job and things weren’t
    good for us then. But Mr. Thornton really helped me out during that
    time. His cards, phone calls, and encouraging words at church… well,
    they meant the world to me. Occasionally, a box of groceries would
    show up on our front porch. There was never a note but I always knew
    where it came from.”
    That’s the power of you.
    Someone has referred to it this way: the leader is the lesson. What
    you do, what you stand for, and what you live out each day is much
    more powerful than the words that you say. Don’t get me wrong,
    your words are important. But someday, aftier the people you have
    influenced no longer remember your words, they will remember an
    encouraging word, a kind deed, and an afrming pat on the back.
    Thank you for what you do in Sunday School. Thank you for
    making a difference in people’s lives.
    4
    I’m just a sunday school teacher…
    What was that? I’m not sure but I thought I just heard you say
    something. Did you say, “Well, I’m JUST a Sunday School teacher” or
    “I’m On LY a Sunday School department director” or “ALL I do is keep
    the class records?”
    There is no O n LY about what you do as a Sunday School leader.
    There is no such thing as JUST a Sunday School teacher. Don’t forget
    what Jesus once said, “And whoever gives just a cup of cold water to
    one of these little ones because he is a disciple—I assure you: He will
    never lose his reward!” (Matthew 10:42, HCSB)
    A paraphrase of that might be, “Whoever helps a first grader wash
    her hands aftier painting a picture in Sunday School will never lose
    their reward.”
    I have a friend named Sheri who has spent her whole life working
    with kids. There is one in particular that she remembers. His name is
    Jeremy. She recalls the first time she met him and the first words she
    heard out of his mouth: “n obody likes Jeremy.”
    It turns out that statement was pretty accurate. He would rake the
    puzzles and toys off the tables with his arms. He would knock the
    blocks down that the other children had assembled. It was as if his
    mission in life was to prove his words true: “n obody likes Jeremy.”
    And families were leaving the church because they didn’t want their
    kids around Jeremy.
    In her heart, Sheri prayed that first day, “God, with Your help, I
    am going to love Jeremy.” And with her hands, she learned to redirect
    Jeremy’s destructive actions and teach him how to play with the other
    children. During that first year, Jeremy learned the art of cooperation,
    taking turns, and being friends. He learned something else, how special
    he was to Miss Sheri and the other Sunday School teachers. In his
    presence, Sheri would always say to the other adults that Jeremy was a
    5
    very special little boy and that she loved having him in her class.
    Two years later, Jeremy moved away but in the fall asked his parents
    if he could come see Miss Sheri at Thanksgiving, which he did. The
    following fall, Jeremy called to tell his former Sunday School teacher
    that he had accepted Christ as his Savior. Over the years, Sheri received
    a high school graduation announcement, a college announcement, a
    wedding invitation (which she accepted), and a birth announcement
    of Jeremy’s first child. If Jeremy and Sheri were right here with us, I
    promise you that he would not introduce her as “JUST an old Sunday
    School teacher of mine.” Rather, he would tell you that she was
    someone that God used to change his life.
    e ternity will look different because one person prayed, “Lord, love
    that child through me!”
    This is the power of one, one person reaching out to someone else
    who needed a loving touch. And that’s what Sunday School leaders do,
    they let God use them to change someone’s life forever.
    That’s what you do. That’s the power of you.

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