Family Sunday school helps Denver-area families grow together in faith
At The Salvation Army Denver Centennial Corps, parents and children are learning the Bible together, building connections, and finding ways to make faith part of everyday family life.
If you walk into The Salvation Army Denver Centennial Corps in Centennial, Colorado, on Sunday, you’ll find traditional adult Sunday school in one room — but in another, you’ll hear families laughing as children take turns playing David, throwing toy balls like stones at a parent playing Goliath and shouting, “My God is bigger than you!”
They’re taking part in a new Family Sunday school program designed to help families study the Bible and grow in their faith together.
“Many families in the United States of America who go to church don't study the Word of God together,” said Denver Centennial Corps Officer Captain Carl Esquivel, noting the struggles many face, like juggling multiple jobs and finding time to eat dinner together. “This is a safe place where the entire family unit gets to delve in spiritually together.”
The corps launched Family Sunday school in August after hearing firsthand from people who wanted to attend Sunday school but worried their children might be disruptive.
Salvation Army Intermountain Division Protecting the Mission Coordinator Abby Helton — who also serves as the corps’ Young People’s Sergeant Major (YPSM), a lay leader in charge of youth and children’s programming — helped bring the concept to fruition.
For Helton, a guiding question was, “How do we get families working together in their faith?”
“Instead of showing up at church and everyone going to their own separate rooms, we wanted to introduce an opportunity for families to address faith conversations together and experience faith moments as a family,” she said.
The growing number of children at the corps made the need even more pressing.
Helton said the corps’ youth programs recently grew from about 30 to nearly 80 children. Several families at the corps are also expecting new children.
“This church has grown exponentially throughout the years,” Carl Esquivel said. “We don't want the young families to feel like there isn't a place for them at the table. That's what's important about this program.”
Family Sunday school welcomes families with children of all ages. Helton adapted lessons using resources from Orange to better engage all ages.
“Each week we're talking about a Bible story or a concept that has the capacity to go deeper and have those stronger conversations,” Helton said. “Because for a little kid, David and Goliath is just about a really awesome kid that took down a big giant, and then they get to do the fun game. But we have more that we can dive into with our preteens…and what that story tells us about God, God's character and his faithfulness to us.”
Sessions include songs, games, activities and devotional time. For younger children’s attention spans, there are sensory activities such as building blocks and coloring pages. Printouts are also available, and children who are still learning to read can get help following along.
“It feels amazing to be trusted with a child's faith. It's awesome to know families come in, and they want their kids to learn from us, but we also want to empower parents to have those conversations,” Helton said. “So we give them some tools, good memories, and fun ways to do it in Sunday school and hopefully inspire more conversations to happen in the home as well.”
Helton said she’s seen families having fun with Bible stories and concepts. One such moment was when one of the three-year-olds in the program closed out the session in prayer.
“All the parents and kids were prayed over by this little three-year-old, and it was a real prayer,” Helton said. “I just loved that moment of seeing the way that God was using this little heart to bless the people around him.”
Richard and Lisa Pease joined the Family Sunday school so they could attend with their toddler son, Grayson.
“We want to raise him knowing God and knowing the Bible, so it's just been really nice to be able to have that space to do that with him that is geared toward him and us,” Lisa Pease said.
Allowing kids to be kids is key, Richard Pease added. “For kids as young as our son and others, there's only so much attention span that they have at this stage,” he said. We can do like a 15-minute engaging story time, but then we need to mix it up and have some songs and an activity to keep them engaged. It's been really, really helpful.”
They said the program has made God more present in their daily family life, too.
“My husband and I both have full-time jobs. It's easy to just go through the motions throughout the week,” Lisa Pease said. “It's been really nice to just sit down and keep ourselves grounded with the Lord…Being a working family, you want that time with your child. It's just a more valuable time that we can be intentional with the Lord.”
And they especially appreciate how the corps adapts to the needs of its people.
“I just hope that other corps hold on to the idea that you don't need to fit a specific mold,” Richard Pease said. “You just need to do what's best for a congregation.”