The Wabash Pony Express (a fleet of 2 yellow cars)

So many events in this old world move in cycles and it is not difficult to find an example right here at the little church. In the 19th-century a few generations ago, churches were going up all through the area, some only a mile or two apart. Communities saw their children marry local farm lads and lasses, who sent their children in turn to the nearest Sunday School. Youth found a social life back and forth with other small churches. As we all know, in the last two generations, opportunity and distance expanded and changed lifestyle, but the Sunday School, while shifting with generational cycles, remained vibrant.

But with the restrictions of the pandemic, there could be not Sunday School in our building through the Fall and Winter terms. Inspired by the summer-camp-in-a-box programs that sprang up at camps and vacation Bible schools across the region during July and August, we decided to go mobile with Sunday School lessons and materials delivered to each child at home. With permission of parents, a yellow "Pony Express" vehicle arrives bi-monthly with a big brown envelope bulging with Bible stories, crafts, and fun stationery supplies to make a happy experience as we go through the lectionary and the seasons of the church year--and in the corner of each envelope, tucked away...Smarties! (You can see a delivery ready to go in the photo of a Pony Express car in action.)

Expenses of printing, supplies, and delivery are covered by donation to the church. The children deserve to learn more about their friend Jesus, whose words have given them this memory verse: "Do to others as you would have others do to you." As Christians we can keep the cycle going and give our children a firm foundation for life by reminding them that they are at the heart of the church community, even at a distance.