Each Sunday more than 50 volunteers take on the enormous task of teaching our children in Sunday School and leading our youth in the Youth Gathering. That’s over 1,400 volunteer hours between September and May. Some of our teachers are dedicated veterans with years of service under their belts. Others came into the classroom for the first time this year. Every week we have gracious substitutes and the occasional special guest to help lead an important project or conversation. As pastors, we are blessed by the time, energy, imagination and love they share with the children and youth of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church. We could not do our work without them.
More and more research points to the need for children and youth to have dedicated adults in their lives. For our young children, Sunday School teachers become a trusted voice that helps to frame important questions and concepts of faith. In Elementary school, teachers help children navigate scripture and theology, modeling faith and Christian practice. For our Tweens, teachers play a key role encouraging children as they begin to claim a faith identity that is truly their own. For our youth, we know that mentors and teachers play a critical role in creating both a safety net and a launching pad as students transition through adolescence. Experts tell us how important our teachers are, but we see it week in and week out. We see young children grow in confidence as they rush into 2- and 3-year-old Sunday school classrooms. We hear it in the conversations and reflections around particular stories. It’s when students are greeted by name and have a sense of belonging. We see the deep connections formed around Confirmation and in the discussions and questions raised on a Sunday morning. The evidence of their dedication can be seen in the lives and in the faith of our children and youth.
This Sunday especially, we give thanks to God for our teachers and adult leaders and their ministry:
Barbara Nagy-Teti, Jane Bastian, Megan Roberts, Angie Baturka, Evelyn Bravo, Kara Udicious, Kiki McKendrick, Brad Baturka, Benjamin Schmid, Tannia Schrieber, Bill Wendell, Dana Smith, Steffie Crowther, Michele Whipple, Dolly Munroe, Jennifer Hattersley, Jen Bowers, Sarah Hammer-Williams, Laura McMurtrie, Susan McEvoy, Katie Pidot, Alicia Papson, Tasha Gesacion, Tricia Mackay, Lisa Lewis, Jennifer Nestle, Linda Hauptfuhrer, Elizabeth Springer, Jodie Ferrell, Gen McCormack, Caitlin Tucker, Jenna Rowbotham, Kirstin Engelman, Valerie Craig, Maria Schneider, Sharna Liggett, Krista Vaughan, Whitney Hoffman, Scott Mardis, Anne Lee, Colleen Bertrand, Mandy Meiler, Darryl Brown, Courtenay Willcox, Karen Lee, William Graf, Kathy Stevens, Laura Getty, Kirstin Engelman, Meggin Capers, Naomi Maloney, Pilar Yeakel, Suzanne Yurk, Sheryl Rothman, Kelly Cordray, Dominic Maguire, and Morris Kay.
