Does curriculm matter?

I got this email today from someone who says it does:

[Note: I sent this out some time back under a different topic to make the point that Sunday School is still working in many places.]

Mr. Josh,

I have taught SS for several years at my small country church here in rural Alabama. It had become stale. I was waiting till Saturday night or Sunday morning to prepare my lesson. It was robotic, a burden, and definitely not God centered. I teach young adults, with a class size of around 15-20. I know they could see right through me. I was going through the motions. So after about 9 years I decided to give up teaching and become an alternate. It was then that I discovered that teaching the class was as much for me as it was the participants. If i has lost my focus before, I really lost it after giving up the class. My relationship with God, family and friends suffered. Then God intervened.

My friend who was teaching the class called me at work on Friday and informed me that he was out of town and I needed to teach Sunday. He also told me that he had the lesson materials in his truck, and I would need to “wing it”. All I could think about was how awful this lesson was gonna be if I had to form my own lesson from the learner guide. About fifteen minutes into my “preparation”, I decided to grab my iPad and search for some help. I googled Sunday School Lesson Plans and found your site. I decided to give your lesson plan a shot. That Sunday was awesome. I was always good at getting responses, but the participants in  the class were never really engaged. That morning was phenomenal.  It was resuscitation not only for the class but for me as well.

I am now on my third quarter using your lessons as a guide. We have had to relocate our meeting to the fellowship hall and our numbers continue to grow. We usually have 30-40 in class. I have received numerous texts, calls, and Facebook messages about how great SS is. All that is fine and dandy, but the most important aspect is my renewal. I now dive into the Word with enthusiasm and look forward to my preparation.  It is Monday morning and the first thing I did this morning after praying to God for his many blessings was to open the Bible and look at next weeks plan. 

I am sure you have heard stories like mine before. However, I just wanted to encourage, and thank you so much for your time and effort. I know that you would be the first to say it is for God’s glory not yours. Thanks again for what you do. God is using you in a powerful way. 

Sincerely,

Jason Harris
Dothan, AL