Every Sunday morning, Len and Kennie Worlund join the members of their Sunday School class for Bible study. Like many Sunday School classes, the group enjoys a time of singing and fellowship followed by Bible study and prayer.
But for the members of the Worlunds’ class, there’s no drive to church, no walk to the education building and no ties or high heels required.
The members of the Airborne Sunday School Class of First Baptist Church, Huntsville, are all homebound, and because they cannot get to church, their church found a way to get to them.
The idea for the class came to Mark Seanor, minister to “experienced” adults at First, Huntsville, after he spoke with a woman who was a caregiver to her husband.
She told him how much the church’s television ministry had meant to her during her husband’s illness.
“She told me that whenever she was able, she sat down in her Sunday best, with her Bible and her gloves, and worshiped with us via the television,” said Seanor.
Her statement made Seanor think: If the televised church service meant so much to this woman, how much more would a live Sunday School class mean to her and others in her situation?
After some investigative work and planning, the Airborne class began two years ago. Class numbers vary each week, but the routine is the same.
Members call an 800 number and enter a passcode to join the conference call. A quick roll call is done to see who is present, and the callers enjoy a time of fellowship over the telephone.
Class members then share announcements and prayer concerns for their group and for the church as a whole, which connects those at home with other church members, Seanor said.
When the church’s pastor, David Hull, joins at the end of the lesson, he closes the group in prayer, mentioning all the members by name, another way to make a personal connection with these homebound members.
That personal touch is critical to keeping senior adults, especially those who are homebound, plugged in to the church’s ministries, said Seanor.
“We want to stay true to the fact that this is a Sunday School time, and we want to keep that the main focus,” Seanor said.
“But it’s also very much a communication line.”
Kennie Worlund, who leads Bible study for the class, found out firsthand how easy it is to feel left out of church ministries when a person is homebound when she had back surgery a few years ago and
was homebound herself for eight weeks.
“I spoke with Mark about how you feel so ‘dropped off,’” Worlund said.
“I watched the televised service, but I missed Sunday School.”
So when the opportunity to teach the Airborne Sunday School class came along, she was excited to be part of it.
Although it can be challenging to condense an entire Sunday School lesson into 30 minutes, Worlund says the benefits are tremendous.
“It has just thrilled my heart to see how excited our class members are about getting their own Sunday School lesson,” Worlund said.
“Even though some are very sick, they listen in, and they say that it makes them feel such a part of the church.
“Most of our members are people who have been active in church, most of them all of their lives, and now they can’t participate in things. The Airborne Sunday School class gives them a feeling of being a part of the church.”
As part of the ministry to the Airborne class, Seanor sends letters to members each week.
He encloses a Sunday morning order of service, including the words to the hymns, so that when the members tune in on television, they can follow along.
Airborne Sunday School class members are also getting more involved in ministry themselves by helping with the church’s prayer ministry.
The effort to minister to these homebound members and to allow them the opportunity to minister to others has had positive effects for everyone involved.
“It’s been exciting,” said Seanor. “As a result of this ministry, we’ve had two people join our church. They were physically not able to attend, but because of the Airborne class and the television ministry, they wanted to be a part of this church.”
Worlund said the members need the personal touch that their own Sunday School class offers.
“We want them to know that they are still valuable to our church,” Worlund said. “It’s that message that says, ‘We still care about you and still miss you in the church’ that’s coming across.”
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