I’m Dana O’Kelley. This is how God’s enabling me to live deeply through a nearly 25-year volunteer commitment to co-teaching CSPC two- and three-year-olds with my friend Suzanne Clothier. 

“They were going to close the room and there would be no Sunday school for two-year-olds. Not if they couldn’t find anyone to teach. And my heart was like, ‘Oh, that’s terrible. Little two-year-olds need Sunday school!’ That announcement from the CSPC pulpit back in 2001 changed my life. My kids were 10 and 13 -way past nursery age- but I couldn’t stand the thought of other parents not having a place to take their little ones. So I signed up to fill the teaching gap. They paired me with Suzanne, someone I’d never met before. We just got put together. Almost 25 years later, we’re still there almost every Sunday morning, though after COVID they did switch us from the two-year-olds to the three-year-olds class. People ask me all the time: ‘When are you going to quit so you can go to adult Sunday school?’ And I’m like, ‘I’m not.’ Their heart is in a good place when they say that, but they don’t understand the blessing we get being in there with those kids. Suzanne and I enjoy it so much that we didn’t want to skip weeks when given the option- because you don’t get to know the kids as well, and the kids don’t get to know you. Especially when they’re two, a lot of them have this separation thing with their moms. So we felt like having familiar faces every week would help those little kids come into the room and have fun. Then the parents could go to their Sunday school classes and feel comfortable leaving them with us.

I tell people being with these kids is my happy place. When we’re waiting in the common area for all the classes to worship together, the group we had last year will come out -they’re four-year-olds now- and those kids are so big and proud and they wave at us. They remember us. Year after year, you can just see them become better and better little kiddos and then go to the choir. It’s sweet to watch them grow up in church after having us in their little lives every week. We’re preparing them for big church. They learn the Lord’s Prayer, complete with special hand motions we practice every week. It’s precious to see 3-year-olds say the Lord’s Prayer, and then it prepares them for when they go to big church. They also sing the doxology. I just think those things are such core little stepping stones to your faith- to start that foundation of going to church and loving it. Sometimes the moms will do a video of their kids practicing the monthly Bible memorization verse and send it to me during the week. It’s the cutest thing. And the kids are so proud when they get it right! I can’t imagine not doing this anymore. I would be so sad to not get to go and play with these kids and watch their first steps of spiritual growth. And you know what? I’d encourage you to think about giving it a try- not just to help fill a need, but because you might be surprised how much God uses it to bless your own soul. There’s nothing to be afraid of. You’re not going to mess up. You’re not going to do anything wrong. You might feel like you don’t know what to do, but they’re little kids- they don’t care. As long as you’re there, just be kind and talk to them. Look them in the eye and listen to them. Get on the floor and play. It’s very easy. The time will go fast. It doesn’t seem like I’ve been doing this almost 25 years. Seriously. And I’m not ready to throw in the towel. Well, unless Suzanne leaves me- then I don’t know. We’re kind of a package deal.”