In 1995, I was decorating the front of our house for Christmas, attaching two large wooden angels holding trumpets to our front patio railing. As I worked, our Christian neighbour’s children stood watching. They asked what I was doing and I explained that I was decorating for Christmas. After thinking for a moment, one of them asked, “What do angels have to do with Christmas? Shouldn’t you be putting up a Santa Claus?”
That same year, parents were invited to attend my son’s elementary school “holiday” concert. Every song was about jingle bells, sleigh rides, Frosty the Snowman, Let It Snow, and Winter Wonderland – you get the picture. In short, the program was entirely secular.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not naïve. I understand that schools serve everyone in our communities – people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, and those who believe in nothing at all. Many of you who are my age may also remember attending Eglinton Public School, where each day began with “God Save the Queen” and the Lord’s Prayer. We took turns reading Bible stories aloud at the front of Miss Stanley’s Grade 6 classroom. Those days are long gone.
So what is a Christian parent to do? As parents, we feed, bathe, and clothe our children – everything necessary to keep them alive. We teach them to look both ways before crossing the street and not to talk to strangers. These lessons preserve life, but do they give life? Don’t we also want to pass on our foundational spiritual teaching and practices that help shape our children into compassionate, grounded people serving God?
I was deeply saddened a few years ago when I attended a funeral where the grandson of the deceased was devastated by the loss of his grandmother. His parents did not believe in God or, as they put it, the “mumbo jumbo” of life after death. There was nothing to offer that poor child by way of comfort or hope.
St. Peter’s is very fortunate to have recently launched a Sunday School program, led by Leena Gates-Kass, a professional teacher. About once a month, we gather in person to learn about God at an age-appropriate level. There truly is no substitute for learning together in community. That said, we also recognize that life can be incredibly busy, and finding time – especially with children at home – can be challenging at times. For that reason, we are pleased to announce that St. Peter’s has created an online gallery of Sunday School lessons. When you can’t join us in person, you and your child can explore Bible stories together from the comfort of your home.
From our website’s Home page, under Ministries, you will find the Sunday School page where you’ll find lessons from both the Old and New Testaments, written specifically for children. Each story includes colourful illustrations, a link to a video, and other lesson extensions.
This is an ongoing project, with new stories being added regularly. Currently, the collection includes lessons on Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah, Moses, the Nativity, Jesus’ miracles, the Twelve Disciples, the Good Samaritan, Easter, and more.
Estonian text is also being added to each story, though this part of the project is still in progress. Some of this content was written by St. Andrew’s (Vana-Andrese) former Sunday School director Aino Pähn and teacher Maret Kapp. With permission, we are incorporating some of their material from Lood Vanast Testamendist and Jeesuse Elu ja Töö, originally published by the EELK Kanada Praostkond in 1986. We are grateful for the opportunity to preserve and share their meaningful work with today’s generation.
