What’s bringing kids back to Sunday school in P.E.I.?

A Sunday school born during the most isolating stretch of the COVID-19 pandemic might seem like an unlikely success story. But the Alberton-Elmsdale United Sunday school, hosted at Gordon Memorial United in Alberton, P.E.I., has become exactly that — a vibrant gathering place known throughout the community for the connections it creates.

In the years before Moira Shaw became the Sunday school superintendent in 2020, several churches in her pastoral charge amalgamated due to dwindling attendance, reducing three preaching points to one.

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Rather than viewing the consolidation as a setback, Shaw and the rest of the Sunday school team saw an opportunity to reach people who were in need of community for both themselves and their children.

She joined forces with her sister, Libby Shaw, and another Sunday school Sunday school students re-enact the Christmas story at Gordon Memorial last year. teacher, Christine Haywood-Perry.

They started a Facebook page and invited local parents with a simple message: everyone is welcome. No one takes attendance, no one needs to come every week, and children could still attend Sunday school without their parents going to church. They also spread the word through their friend group of new parents, reaching out to those who had churchgoing family members or fond memories of Sunday school themselves.

Although the church closed temporarily during the height of the pandemic, the Sunday school began as soon as it was able to reopen, initially with smaller groups and social distancing measures in place. Attendance has grown steadily since, and the program now usually has between 25 and 30 children — ranging from toddlers to pre-teens — each week.

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“We meet people where they’re at, no pressure, no expectations,” says Shaw. “We get that life is busy, and that’s okay. Whether someone comes every Sunday or just when they can, they’re always welcomed the same way.”

The group is also intentional about how they invite people. Rather than assuming prospective parents know they’re welcome in the church space, they make sure to tell them directly. Parents are invited to attend with their children in the first weeks, especially if the child is shy or nervous, and the teachers remember to invite new folks back for the next week.

That invitation comes with no strings attached. Families aren’t required to attend the first part of the worship service or even to enter through the church’s main doors — children attending only Sunday school can use a dedicated side entrance. And for those who do attend worship, children are fully embraced by the whole congregation.

“People are worried their kids are too loud or running everywhere [during services],” says Shaw. “But that’s very normal in our church now. Our minister wants to see the kids there. She says the joy of heaven must resemble the feeling of joy these kids have as they’re dancing and expressing themselves in church.”

The congregation’s support is also financial, with collection offerings often going toward the Sunday school. Shaw explains that the program is completely volunteer run, with ongoing leadership roles and additional hours to help organize one-off events, like seasonal parties or movie nights.

Given the Sunday school’s success, the group is now looking for ways to expand. They’ve noticed that as some children approach their teen years, they feel like they’ve outgrown Sunday school, but aren’t yet ready to join the adults, so they’ve stopped coming altogether. In response, the team is in the process of creating a youth group so teens can continue to gather with friends within the church.

For Shaw, it all comes back to creating a community where people feel not just welcomed, but genuinely wanted. “We are that constant, that steady foundation even in a world where things aren’t steady or constant,” she says. “When you have a strong church foundation, you have a strong community foundation.”

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Kate Spencer is a writer, arts administrator and professional choral singer in Halifax.

This article first appeared in the September/October issue of Broadview with the title “A Sunday School for All.”