Faces
50 years of teaching—for free C
arol Taylor opted to stop teaching full time after becoming a mom, but she thought running a small
part-time church school class for tod- dlers would be a productive ministry. She started with 10 children in 1964— and never stopped. For 50 years, Taylor, whose program
is in its third location, Faith Lutheran Church, Jeffersonville, Ind., has taught thousands of preschoolers their num- bers, letters, manners, arts and about God’s presence in their daily lives. The annual cost is $75 and the salary Taylor takes—and always has taken—is none. Weekday Church School, held
Tuesdays and Thursdays, has gone through some curriculum and struc- tural changes, but Taylor said it closely resembles the program she began in Schenectady, N.Y. “They had recently put out material for all grade levels for Weekday Church School. It was called ‘Finding out about God.’ I am still using it today, believe it or not,” she said. Taylor originally advertised by putting up posters in the
community. She has always made it clear that the school is for all comers, not just for active members of the congrega- tion. “If God sends them we teach them,” she said. A decade later, Taylor and her husband moved to Lou-
isville, where she partnered with a new congregation and found success again. When that congregation folded in the early 1980s, she moved her ministry to Faith, where it has been for 30 years.
100 + birthdays RICK BARR
Carol Taylor’s lessons at the Weekday Church School include numbers, letters, manners, arts—and God’s presence in the children’s lives.
By Jeff Favre
The program has served 3- and 4-year-
olds, with five sections for the older chil- dren based on skill mastery. The program can hold 50 students, and a waiting list has been common. The day begins with a Bible-related les-
son, followed by basic skills and academ- ics. A newer portion of Taylor’s program is working with computers. There’s also art, music and fitness. Taylor said the methods for teaching
remain consistently effective. But she sees changes in the children’s attitudes. There’s a greater lack of respect that she didn’t see in the 1960s. Taylor hopes one of the many lessons
the children have learned in her classes is that God loves them no matter what, even if God doesn’t always like what they are doing. “We added a new verse to ‘Jesus Loves Me,’ ” she said. “It goes, ‘Jesus loves me when I’m bad, but it makes him very sad.” After half a century, Taylor is retiring.
She helps care for her husband, who was diagnosed with Par- kinson’s disease, and fears having 50 children waiting to learn and not being there for them because of his health or hers. The program will not con- tinue without Taylor. “In today’s society you
can’t find someone who has the time to do all of this, and to do it for free,” she said.
108: Angie Lee, Clarkfield, Clarkfield, Minn. 105: Louise Streedain, Trinity, Galesburg, Ill.; Frances Whitney, Trinity, Loveland, Colo.
104: Luella Foss, Our Savior, Hillsboro, N.D.; Ella Rahlfs, First, Blair, Neb. 103: Bessie Donnell, St. Luke, Campbell Hill, Ill.; Dorothy Kuhlman, First, Decorah, Iowa; Iola Stark, Calvary, Alex-
Author bio: Favre is an assistant professor at Pierce College in Los Angeles and a freelance theater critic.
andria, Minn. 102: Helen Fossum, St. Stephen, Palmdale, Calif.; Olga Pestal, Woodlake, Richfield, Minn. 101: Christine Faulstich, Our Savior, Highmore, S.D.; Grace Shirey, St. John/St. Paul, Akron, Ohio. 100: Selma Bachtold, St. Paul, Forrest, Ill.; Gerrit DenOtter, First, Volga, S.D.; Edith Green, St. Andrew, Easton, Pa.; Helen Klug, Peace, Lompoc, Calif.; Ray McCombs,
Send stories Share your stories of ELCA Lutherans and your 100+ members in “Faces.” Send to lutheran@thelutheran. org or “Faces,” The Lutheran, 8765 W. Hig gins Rd., Chicago, IL 60631.
Augsburg, Orrville, Ohio; Frances Rodrigues, Our Redeemer, Dumont, N.J.; Margaret Scholten, Beaver Val- ley, Valley Springs, S.D.; Erma Sterling, Trinity, Galesburg, Ill.; Josephine Zemmer, First, St. Helens, Ore.
December 2014 43
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52