Press on Toward the Goal

How do you approach the New Year? Are you filled with excitement for the possibilities ahead? God is at work in you, your church, and your Sunday school (Philippians 2:13). Why not use this time of year to set goals with your Sunday school class? Whether your students are children, teens, or adults, they form a great accountability group for achieving New Year’s goals.

Here are a few ideas to do with your class:

• Spend time with God.

  Challenge your students to begin a Bible reading plan or Bible study at home. Then start class by asking students what they read that week or what prayers they prayed. Let them hear about your progress too!

• Focus on prayer.

  Keep a journal/document that can easily be updated as God answers prayer requests. Use it during class prayer time to remind students that God hears and answers prayer. Consider choosing a monthly or weekly prayer theme, such as thanksgiving, praise, praying the Psalms or other scripture, missionaries, spiritual revival, or salvation for the lost.

• Set Bible memory goals.

  Answers Bible Curriculum includes two memory verse passages to learn per 10-lesson unit. Start with those and keep reviewing previous verses as you add new ones. By the end of the year, you and your students could have 100 passages memorized! Your class could also choose a psalm or chapter to memorize at home and quote the new verse(s) together each week.

• Serve others.

  Volunteer your class to help with church jobs or events, then put the times on the calendar so you don’t forget. Make small gifts or thank-you cards to give to church staff, shut-ins, or those who are sick.

• Learn a new skill.

  Discuss and choose a skill that your class would like to learn or improve. Memorize the books of the Bible (kids can play games with the Books of the Bible flashcards), practice finding Bible references (use the table of contents or sword drills during class), or learn to use a Bible dictionary or concordance for deeper word meanings.

Many of these ideas can be incorporated into your weekly lessons, but you may want to give yourself reminders or tangible progress trackers (i.e., posters, charts) to stay focused. Find fun ways to reward progress for individuals or the whole class, such as certificates, verbal recognition, or a class party. With your New Year’s goals set, you and your class can continue to “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).