Dear Sunday School Teachers, Leadership can be a thankless gig. But we are thankful for you. Truly.

By “we,” we mean your church’s “leadership.” You know, elders and staff. But we aren’t kidding ourselves. We know that in so many ways you are the real leaders. You are the ones who often find yourselves on the frontlines of ministry, navigating tricky pastoral issues, coordinating care, and offering compassion.

You do this while also finding the time to study your Bible. To develop lessons. To think up discussion questions. To draw others deeper into life with Christ.

Meanwhile you are trying to listen to the Spirit yourself. Trying to pray. Trying to be present. Trying to listen to a word from God that is for you. Trying at times to find your own “cold water to a weary soul” (Prov 25:25).

Then there is family. There is work. The 9:00 to 5:00 kind. The kind that often stretches past 5:00 or starts well before 9:00. There are ball games. Recitals. Birthday parties.

Life keeps moving on. Then … there is another lesson to plan.

Leadership is like that. We know that we are saved by grace through faith, and not by works. But leadership in the church is mostly small graces and large quantities of work. Work that you do week in and week out.

We know.

So, we want to say thank you. Not because you are busy. Not because you are working so hard. But because your hard work matters. Small graces sometimes turn out much larger than you might think.

God has used you to save marriages. Save lives. Save souls.

When we put it like that, a simple thank you hardly seems sufficient. But maybe this small grace will turn into a larger one. At least, that’s what we are praying for.

We are praying for you. Our leaders.

What you are doing matters. So, thank you.

Sincerely, Your Church’s “Leadership” (wink, wink)