Sunday School

INDIA PENTECOSTAL CHURCH OF GOD
SUNDAY SCHOOL

EASTERN REGION, USA

The Eastern Region Sunday School is the Christian Education Department of IPC Eastern Region. Since the Sunday school is at the core of our children’s Christian development, our ministry’s mission is to help ensure that the Sunday schools in the IPC Eastern region are fully functional in all the  churches. Keralite Pentecostal believers and their families began migrating to the United States in the early 1970s in search of better lives. However, the spiritual edification of their children in this new and diverse land of opportunity was one of their major concerns. In the 1980s, as our children began to grow in number and age, our churches realized the need for an organized Sunday school and the need to develop our own textbooks. Many churches started using text books prepared by the Gospel Publishing House in Springfield, Missouri. While this continues to be a great resource for Sunday school instruction, in 1993, under the leadership of the IPC North American Council, pastors and church leaders met at Lee College in Tennessee and discussed the importance of a revised Sunday school curriculum. A committee was formed to develop a curriculum. Thereafter, the committee met at IPC Queens Village, New York and developed a blueprint of the curriculum. This was the first organized effort of IPC Churches in US to form a Sunday school curriculum. Later, additional activities were organized on a regional level along with the formation of Eastern Region. Seminars to further equip Sunday school teachers were organized under the leadership of Bros.  Mathai Mathew, P.C. Jacob and Michael Johnson. In 1997, the Eastern region decided to recognize the Sunday school as a separate department and to appoint a Sunday school director with representation in the region council to coordinate its activities.

Since the formation of the region Sunday school Brothers Michel Johnson (1997-1999), Mathai Mathew (2000-2002), Michel Johnson (2003-2005) and Thomas Varghese (2006-2008) Rev. Alvin David (2009 -2014) served as the Sunday Directors. In 2009, the region wide Sunday school department was expanded by adding three associate directors to represent various areas and assist the Sunday school director. Rev. Alvin David took the initiate and conducted a region-wide competitive test for Sunday school students for the first time in 2011 which is still continuing. Presently, Evg. James Varughese is serving as the Sunday School Director. Pastors Ninan Koshy (Pennsylvania)  Mathews Kurian (New York), Brothers. K.V. Varghese (New York) William Philip (New Jersey) Bijo Thomas (Maryland) are serving as Associate Directors. The Sunday schools in the region currently use a combination of Children’s Educational & Charitable Institution, (CE & CI) Bangalore text books and, SSNAK’s materials for the curriculum. IPCER Sunday School Association conducts teachers training seminars for enhancing the teachers and parents with latest development in the field of Christian Education and in the society. In order to help the students in Annual Common Examination, Sunday School Association published a study guide (Question Bank) in 2016. Sunday School Association honors top ranking students in the Annual Common Examination with trophies and awards.