Our Sunday School focuses on encouraging a spirituality of the Bible related to God’s indwelling presence. Our lessons are also informed by research on the psychology of religion and research based on encouraging healthy development in children. Our Sunday School teachers are Bob & Nadia Pushak. I (Bob) am a retired Mental Health clinician and a psychotherapy researcher. I have been involved with the development of 2 research-based programs: Parenting Wisely[1] a parent education program for reducing behavior problems in children and the Children in Between[2] program which reduces the negative impacts of divorce in children. Both programs are rated at model status by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Association) and NREPP (National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices). Families who come to our Sunday School have been able to access my input on parenting and family therapy on an as needed basis.
People who go to church on a regular basis on tend to have better mental and physical health compared to people who do not be long to a spiritual community[3]. Religion/spirituality in teens is associated with lower rates of substance use, delinquency, depression, suicide risk, and anxiety[4]. We invite parents to enhance the healthy development of their children by the whole family participating in a faith community.
We encourage leadership development in the children by ministering to others, participating in social justice and by the children participating in our congregation’s worship service. We engage the children in art projects to help express aspects of the mystery of Christ which cannot be communicated through words alone (2 Cor 12:4).
[1] https://www.parentingwisely.com/
[2] https://online.divorce-education.com/
[3] Koenig, H. G. (2012). Religion, spirituality, and health: The research and clinical Implications, International Scholarly Research Network, (278730):1–33. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p...
[4] Dew RE, Daniel SS, Armstrong TD, Goldston DB, Triplett MF, Koenig HG. Religion/spirituality and adolescent psychiatric symptoms: A review. Child Psychiatry and Human Development. 2008;39(4):381–398. doi: 10.1007/s10578-007-0093-2.
