OPINION:
It was a cold Wednesday morning as a group of 4th graders walked down the sidewalk from their public elementary school to a nearby church for their weekly Bible program. Their parents had given permission for them to attend in the middle of the public school day and these girls were excited to participate. They carefully balanced their lunch trays as the volunteers sang worship songs while they walked. The day’s Bible lesson was an important one. It explored the challenging concept of forgiveness.
As the kids entered the church social hall, put down their lunch trays, and took their coats off, a volunteer leader noticed that Hannah, a young girl, was acting more reserved than usual. As the children got to their seats, the teacher stood in front of the room and said “Can anyone tell me why it’s important to forgive others?”
Subscribe to have The Washington Times’ Higher Ground delivered to your inbox every Sunday.
A flurry of hands raised in the air with kids quickly answering, “So you don’t get in trouble!,” “So you’re not mad anymore!”
The teacher explained that the Bible says that we need to lean into God’s strength to forgive others, even when it’s hard. We can’t do it on our own. Also if we don’t forgive others, we will feel weighed down by our unforgiving attitude — and that’s not a fun way to live. To hit this home visually, the teacher held a heavy brick to show the weight we can carry by not forgiving others. She shared the story of Peter asking Jesus how many times we are to forgive someone who sins against us. Jesus responded in Matthew 18:22 , “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
Hannah watched and listened intently to the lesson. She was struggling inside with unforgiveness. No one knew, not even her leader, that for the last few days, Hannah had been bullied at school by a classmate. Unfortunately, that same classmate was currently sitting at the table beside her. As the teacher’s lesson ended, something astonishing and wonderful happened. Courageously, this classmate who had bullied Hannah leaned over to her and quietly said, “Do you forgive me?” Hannah sighed and with a crooked smile and tears in her eyes, nodded yes. And in that moment, the heavy brick of unforgiveness was dropped and forgiveness blossomed — a new friendship was formed. The Bible’s valuable lesson of forgiveness positively impacted the hearts of these public school students.
SEE ALSO: Back to school: Why it’s important parents attend school board meetings
How is there a Bible class during the public school day?
You might be wondering, “Wait, did you say public school kids were going to a Bible class during the day?” Yes, that is correct! As the CEO of Bible2School, a public school ministry that is a fully legal elective part of the national released time rulings upheld by the Supreme Court that ALL states recognize, I see this type of positive life impact, like Hannah and her classmate, often. Once a week — typically over lunch and recess — children have the opportunity to learn about the Bible from trained volunteers.
A safe place to ask questions
Bible2School is unique from other programs in the way we engage the children with the Bible. Through intentional relationships between the children and their consistent Small Group Leaders, Bible2School gives children a safe place to ask spiritual questions and process how to apply Biblical truth to their everyday lives. Each Bible2School lesson includes an open-ended “Think About It” question, like “Why do we need to forgive others?,” which allows the children to explore the ideas presented during the lesson and make connections to their own faith journey.
Just like in the story of Hannah, Bible2School provided a safe place for these girls to process this important life lesson on forgiveness and the story of Peter. They were able to connect the Bible story with their hearts, not just their minds. The added bonus is having a caring adult role model there to help guide the conversation with the tools they need to process, react, and learn from this experience.
So, why does this matter?
Since 70% of the U.S. is not regularly connected to a church, many times the children in our programs are hearing about the Bible for the first time. This also means that these children are going home and talking about the message of Jesus to their parents, siblings, and friends.
We believe that children need to hear Biblical truth, especially in today’s culture. They are bombarded with so many things on a daily basis that have the potential to impact them negatively. We believe this is how a nation can change through Christ — one community at a time.
Bible2School equips communities across the nation to provide these free, elective, released time Bible programs to elementary school children during their public school day. Our vision is that every public school in the nation would have a dynamic Bible program taught during their school day to teach truth and inspire hope.
With over 45 years of experience implementing successful Bible2School programs, we have the proven tools and resources for YOU to share Biblical truth with the children at your local public school, DURING their school day. Perhaps you’re ready to make an impact in your community and would like to learn how to get a program started for your local public school. I invite you to learn more about the impact of Bible2School programs and how you can get involved by visiting our website. You won’t regret the positive impact teaching the Bible will bring to the public school children in your community.
–
Kori Pennypacker is the CEO of Bible2School, where she oversees the mission and speaks to businesses, churches, and community leaders on the topic of the importance of spiritual training for children in our communities nationwide. She has over 20 years of experience in children’s ministry and leadership.
Bible2School equips communities across the nation to provide free elective Bible classes to elementary school children DURING their public school day. Their vision is that every public school in the nation would have a dynamic Bible program taught during their school day as allowed by national released time court rulings.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.