Adult Sunday school changed to Family Sunday school

For a number of years, my husband and I taught adult Sunday school using STS. We taught as a team. My husband Chris would tell the story, and then I would ask the questions and lead the discussion. We began leading the study while attended a small country church in Texas. Our class began with 6 faithful senior adult members. The method of discovering deep truths through discussion was very new to them. But as we shared and discussed the stories, the scripture came alive to them. Over a period of 2 years our class grew to 24 members in a church of 75 attendees. One time we had been studying the book of Jonah. After discussing the first part of the story where Johan attempts to run away from God, James, an 84 year old man said, "I've heard that story since I was a small boy, but I never knew you could take it personally until today." 

A few years later we moved to Hemet, California to volunteer at STS headquarters. Our new church in Hemet opened their hearts to STS. We've held several STS workshops there over the last 5 years. We're so thankful to say that 4 of our elders have attended workshops as well as our then associate pastor. With our pastor retiring, he will now be our new senior pastor. Our church is so open and receptive to God's directing. We had been teaching an adult Sunday school class there for 3 years. But in the early fall of 2022, we were lead to open our class to families. Our church said "Go for It!"

Our family class is now for all ages. We have senior adults, young adults (20 -- 35yrs), and families with children (ages 3-14). Having families attend is making a big difference to everyone. The impacts we've seen include: 

• Families love going to the same class. Families have a common scripture to continue to discuss and share through the week
• Learning to tell and then discuss a story has helped make family devotions come alive
• Adult members have been amazed to learn from the children as God reveals spiritual truths they share in discussion
• STS is a tool that helps unite a church as we experience that the Holy Spirit speaks to all ages. We don't need to separate the children or speak down to them; they see and apply truth from the same story as the adults.
• Learning the story all together helps adults to remember as well as the children. As several members have said, "The stories stick!" 

Wednesday Nights with the Go-Getters

Our church has a robust ministry to those with special needs, from children to adults. I have had multiple opportunities to lead Bible story discussions using Simply The Story with a large group of special needs adults. These times of ministry are some of my favorite. The group is animated and engaged the entire time. While we might assume that cognitive challenges would result in an inability to think deeply about spiritual issues, this has been proven wrong to me during these story times. 

The last time I shared a story with this group I was brought almost to tears by the response of a young woman to one my questions. While I don't recall the story or the specific point she made, I do remember that I had never thought about that part of the story in the way she mentioned. No one had ever said what she said.

The following Sunday, after the worship service, as I was leaving the sanctuary, one of the participants in the story that week saw me and recognized me as the storyteller from Wednesday evening. She experienced great joy when I too recognized here. She then told me about the story we had discussed. 

These experiences bring fresh meaning to Jesus' words about childlike faith. That sort of faith is not childish, it is simple, pure and honest. 

My Husband Prepared My Messages

See what you think of the impact of STS on spiritual fellowship in marriages.

After 5 days of training in an all ladies workshop in Cote d’Ivorie, one woman announced, "I used to ask my husband to prepare my messages for me to go and share with the women fellowship. Now I can have my own messages with this Bible stories STS way."

Another woman said, "I have been trained 3 years in a Bible school, and I am training the women in a Bible school where my husband is the Director. The first day of the workshop, I went home and my husband asked me what we've learnt, so I told him Martha and Mary story. He was amazed at the number of treasures this story contains. And he said ‘This STS method might be a good tool as I just discovered in a story I know well many things I’ve never seen before.’ He said that even with all his diplomas got at Bible school. Please come and help us better teach all the women coming in our Bible school. Tell us the conditions to have you come."    

“Many of these ladies were illiterate and testify that STS has removed their shame. Now they gain confidence to stand before people to share Bible stories and have nice discussion time without shame of not being able to read.”

Family Devotions That Impact

A missionary with two home schooled teenagers (12 and 13 years old) approached the leader of an upcoming 5-day workshop and asked whether the whole family could attend. The missionary knew that there would be more than 40 adults attending, but he had no other option for his children's care. He would have to drop out if children could not attend. The workshop leader agreed. This turned out to be an unusual blessing for the entire group. The two students became even better storytellers than most of the adults! 

The missionary father really appreciated the workshop and how it impacted his ministry, but he was even more impressed with how it affected his family and their devotions. He said, "Before this workshop, my wife or I would lead our devotions, but now I can assign a Bible story to one of my kids and they can take us through the story, ask good questions and make the applications."

Hotel Staff Hears the Word of God

Story in the Checkout Lane

One day while checking out at the grocery store, Andrea listened to a the clerk share about her two boys and her financial woes. Andrea, also listening to the leading of the Lord said to the clerk, "That reminds me of a story. But we might get interrupted if other customers line up."

The clerk responded "No problem," turned off the "checkout line open" light and gave Andrea her full attention. Andrea told her the story of Elisha, the Widow who almost lost her sons to creditors and how God provided an overabundance of oil, filling multiple jars (2 Kings 4:1-7). The clerk listened and began wiping away tears as she thanked Andrea saying, "I needed to know that God cares for me."

Since that first short story, we have developed the STS 5-minute conversational model of storytelling for use in the "marketplace of life!"

Learn how to share stories in this conversational way from our Moment for Eternity video training.