The Sunday School
Teacher Appreciation Day Campaign Celebrates 16 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 2008 Sunday School Teacher of the Year has concluded. For Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day, October 19th, Paul Rector was honored as the 2008 Sunday School Teacher of the Year.
Gospel Light, sponsor of Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day, awarded Paul Rector as the top Sunday School teacher in America with a dream vacation for two to Hawaii and a commemorative plaque. Mr. Rector also received over $500 worth of product from Gospel Light and Regal Books for use at his church.
For more than 8 years, Paul Rector has been teaching Sunday school to the adult bible study group at First Free Will Baptist Church. Although at first glance, Paul may appear “a little rough around the edges,” there is no doubt among his students and those who know him that he is one of the most caring and inspirational individuals they have ever met.
According to Senior Pastor Derek Bell, “Paul loves the Lord with all his heart and despite several health issues, he does all he can to put Christ first in his life.” Diabetes has caused several problems for Paul, most notably his ability to see well. Although having several surgeries done to both his eyes, there has been little improvement in his condition as an excuse to stop leading his students to the Lord.
According to Pat Stilwell, one of Paul’s students, he has adapted to the challenge of not being physically able to read the bible by having his wife, Diane, read passages from the Bible to him which he then repeats over and over until they are committed to memory. Pat says, “Paul might be walking in the dark physically, but spiritually he is walking in the light.” Despite everything Paul has gone through over the years, he never blames God for his misfortunes. Instead, he continues to exalt the Lord in praise and lift up his problems to God. If there’s one thing he is known for saying it is: “You just have to give it to the Lord.”
Other than Paul’s inspirational feat with diabetes, he is a man with a remarkable ability to relate and to connect with all kinds of people and personalities. He is able to see humor in all things and get people to loosen up and laugh with him. According to Pastor Derek Bell, “Paul would be just as comfortable talking to a bunch of bikers, as he would talking to a group of church people.” Paul’s great attitude and sense of humor help him to connect with his students and strengthen their faith in the Lord.
Please join us in honoring Paul Rector for his dedicated service to the community of Church Hill. We would like to thank him for all his hard work and ministry to the adult bible study group at First Free Will Baptist Church.
The remaining finalists were honored in their local churches:
- Tonya Hills
Tampa, FL
- Barbara Sostaita
Rural Hall, NC .
- Bonita Jennings
Murray, Kentucky
- Carolyn Greenplate
Glen Rock, PA
- Deacon Chevis
Philadelphia, PA
- Esther Harmon
Bellevue, WA
- Amanda Schroeder
Hastings, Nebraska
- Maria Donihoo
Garland, TX
- Crystal Sumpter
Issaquah, WA
The fifteenth annual search for the 2009 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 downloadable or can be directly submitted online at www.mysundayschoolteacher.com. The deadline for submitting nominations for the 2009 Sunday School Teacher of the Year is August 31, 2008, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific 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, DVDs and books.
