The Sunday School
Teacher Appreciation Day Campaign
Celebrates 12 Years of Honoring the Ministry
of Sunday School
Ventura, California. The Advisory Board Members of Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day are pleased to announce that the search for the 2005 Sunday School Teacher of the Year has concluded. On Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day , October 16, Ruth Baron from Covenant Presbyterian Church in Fort Myers, Florida, was honored as the 2005 Sunday School Teacher of the Year .
Bill Denzel, Vice President of Gospel Light, the sponsor of Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day, joined Pastor Sam Henderson and the congregation of Covenant Presbyterian Church in honoring Ruth Baron on October 30th, commemorating the 12 th anniversary celebration of the Sunday School Teacher of the Year Award.
Gospel Light, sponsor of Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day, awarded Ruth Baron as the top Sunday School teacher in America with a dream vacation for two to Hawaii and a commemorative plaque. Christian Tools of Affirmation, a partner of Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day, also provided other special gifts. Denzel presented Covenant Presbyterian Church with a $500 gift certificate from Gospel Light, redeemable for Sunday School and Vacation Bible School curricula, teaching resources, books and videos from Gospel Light and Regal Books.
For more than 45 years, Ruth Baron has been faithfully teaching Sunday School at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Fort Myers. Ruth's passion to work with kids shines through in the creativity of her lessons and the countless hours she spends preparing for her class. Her heart for children also extends outside of her Sunday School classroom. Ruth mentors a child at a nearby elementary school and teaches kids in the after-school program to knit. Any time or anywhere there is a need, Ruth is willing to step in to serve.
Ruth consistently demonstrates creativity and innovation in her classroom through crafts and games that illustrate biblical themes. "Her students might be asked to write a headline news story about a Bible lesson they learned," shares nominator Debbie Norris. "She even broke down and bought a computer primarily so she could make her teaching aids herself."
The first runner-up for 2005's award is Jackie Householder of Trinity United Methodist Church in Lansing, MI.
Jackie has dedicated 42 years of her life to teaching Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. Also working at a local elementary school as a secretary for the same number of years, Jackie has devoted her time, talents and finances to fostering spiritual growth and creativity, expressing love and concern for hundreds of children.
Tisha Kincaid
|
Marlyn Barr |
Shirley Brown |
Toye Davis |
Raeann Dodge |
Nathan Wagner |
Caroline Wolbrecht |
The second runner-up for this 2005's award is Tisha Kincaid of Open Door Church in Suffolk, VA. For over 10 years, Tisha Kincaid has been faithfully teaching the 4- and 5-year-old Sunday School class. Tisha is a dedicated teacher, which shows through her diligent preparation for her classes. She devotes much of her personal time to the Sunday School ministry and uses a week of her summer vacation time to prepare for her Vacation Bible School class.
The remaining top ten finalists were honored in their local churches on October 16th, Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day. They are (in alphabetical order):
- Marlyn Barr of Faith Community Church in Camden, DE
- Shirley Brown of St. John Baptist in Ridgeville, SC
- Toye Davis of Christian Life Church in Montgomery, AL
- Raeann Dodge of North Mason Bible Church in Belfair, WA
- Phil Tappy of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC
- Nathan Wagner of Sparta Baptist Church in Sparta, MI
- Caroline Wolbrecht of Elim Church in Houston, TX.
Other teachers who earned special recognition for receiving the top scores in their classroom age category include:
- Marietta Janak of Skillman Church of Christ in Dallas, TX (pre-school, ages 2-5)
- Terryl Bruce of Hawaiian Gardens, CA (elementary, ages 6-12)
- Kevin Cunningham of North Augusta, SC (youth, ages 13-18)
- Gary Crossland of Crossings Community Church of Oklahoma City, OK (adult class)
The thirteenth annual search for the 2006 Sunday School Teacher of the Year will soon be underway as part of Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day. Individuals and churches interested in participating may visit www.mysundayschoolteacher.com or call the Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day hotline at 1-800-354-4224 to receive free information. Nomination forms are also downloadable or can be directly submitted online at www.mysundayschoolteacher.com. The deadline for submitting nominations for the 2006 Sunday School Teacher of the Year is August 31, 2006, at 5:00 p.m. P acific Time.
Always the third Sunday in October, Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day was started by Gospel Light in 1993 to encourage churches across America to honor the over 15 million Sunday School Teachers who volunteer every Sunday. Gospel Light is committed to providing effective resources for evangelism, discipleship and Christian education through Sunday School and Vacation Bible School curricula, videos and books.
Previous Winners
Was Your Teacher Nominated?
