Sunday School at Cumberland Baptist

Sunday School is the heart of Christian teaching and fellowship. We model our classes after the New Testament teachings to gather together to learn, grow, and help make each other stronger.

The preschool department is excited about our new Hands-On Bible curriculum. The new material from Group Publishing is more visual and teaches the Bible stories in a way that is more relevant for a preschool child. We teach children at all ages about God and His love for them:

Bed Babies: We make sure that each baby has an early foundation of understanding for Jesus’ love. Soft baby-friendly books are made with each week’s teaching pictures. Babies listen to Sunday school music on CD, sing and enjoy play time or nap time, depending on their individual needs.

Toddlers and Twos: This active class learns the most important lesson that “Jesus Loves Me”. The children are taught that God provides all their needs like toys, food, families and homes. They learn to recognize the Bible as the most important book.

3-4 year-old class: Energetic 3 and 4 year-olds learn what it means to share, be a friend and be kind to one another. They are learning about being obedient to parents and teachers and how this pleases God, and have learned how people in the Bible were obedient to do what God told them to do. They are learning that prayer is simply talking to God. We teach them that Jesus is the Son of God, the Bible is true and that church is a good place to be.

Kindergarten class: New readers can now recognize simple words and read their Bible verses. They are starting to remember Scripture and relate the Bible to their lives. The children keep their teachers laughing with their insight and perspective.

Our children’s department, grades 1-6, has begun its new worship format for the Sunday school hour, which is similar to our VBS program, high energy and hands-on. The new literature is entitled LIVING INSIDE OUT Where Kids Dare to Live Their Faith 24/7. The program reinforces a growing friendship with Jesus, encourages long-term learning and results in life transformation because it is: Relational, Experiential, Applicable and Learner-based.

Our Sunday morning program begins in large group praise and worship in the fellowship hall at 9:30 a.m. The current lesson, Bible characters and story are then introduced, followed by small group breakout sessions to reinforce the story and hands-on activities. Our goal is to keep children excited about learning the Word of God and to disciple children for Christ.

Our student ministry strives to pursue God by studying His Word, being in fellowship with other believers, and shining Christ's light to the lost. We serve a mighty God, and too many people have no clue. Our prayer is that God fills our cups so we can overflow to all those who are thirsty, and have fun in the process.

Our Young Adults Classes focus on shared bible study with fellow Christians, to learn to apply biblical teaching with are in a similar life circumstance.

Our College Ministry concentrates on biblical study to learn to interpret scripture for ourselves, and to share with others who have just begun their Christiam walk as adults.

Our Singles Ministry brings together fellow believers who read scripture, and share their daily walk with fellow believers.

Young Couples Class is a unique group of young adults who care about our church, each other, and the community. This class is very active in the church and many members of our class serve as nursery workers, GA and RA leaders, Sunday School teachers, and Deacons. As a class we pray for each other and have had organized play dates for mommies and children, as some couples in our class have young children, and some do not. We also try to have a class social every couple of months to keep in touch with each other. Our class is always willing to help and volunteer when there is a need. We provided three Thanksgiving Baskets to Ridgedale this year and we helped with Mission of Hope at Christmas and at the beginning of the school year. We also cook a dinner meal once per month for CWJC. We helped establish a Kidz Closet to clothe children in the community free of charge.

Our Adult Sunday School Classes focus on life application and service to our church and our community.

The John Hatmaker Class Sunday School class thrives on service to our church and our community. We participate in Trunk or Treat each October which provides a safe and fun Halloween opportunity for community children. At Thanksgiving we provide families with bags of food for their dinner celebration. The Mission of Hope Christmas drive and distribution is supported by our class, and we help provide back to school backpacks in August. Our class chooses a Sunday school class each quarter and invites them to the fellowship hall before Sunday School and serves them breakfast. Each Sunday our group serves the church in some way; this includes pre-school teachers, choir singers and leaders, music support, bed babies sitters as well as GA and RA workers on Wednesday night. We truly strive to provide service to Cumberland, its members and the surrounding community.

The Dick Sampsel class is composed of a group of varied individuals and couples aged 50's-70’s, many who are varied in abilities, but willing to share their talents for God’s glory. The group is a very CARING group of compassionate Christians willing to pray for, love, console, aid and/or assist others in the class, our church, and the community. Through interactions the group shares their thoughts, concerns, cares, worries, problems and troubles, coming together with a common bond to remedy the needs of others. These varied individual’s work together within the church as teachers, leaders, officers, and deacons. Several projects are accomplished weekly, monthly and annually by the group.

Mildred’s Class is a women's class, and with different membership has been together for more than thirty years.In the past, our class was named “AGAPE”, which means loving others as Christ loves us, because we loved all who came unconditionally. We do not go by the name now but the spirit of the name lives on. We continue to welcome anybody interested in joining our class. People in church call us Mildred’s girls! Mildred has led this group for a number of years. Through her leadership we participate in a variety of activities. We purchase livestock each year for the Samaritan Purse, we helped with Mission of hope, planning wedding showers, visit the sick, helping with church projects, the food pantry, when we hear of a need in our church or community we help by giving money or any donations the family or individual needs. Our Sunday school group also has social events each year. We meet monthly, for a potluck supper at each other’s homes. We also celebrate birthdays by going out to eat at a restaurant chosen by the birthday girls. At the end of the year we have a Christmas party and exchange gifts. We enjoy fellowshipping with one another and sharing God’s love whenever we can. We have become good friends and have grown to love and depend on one another.

The Thanksgivers Sunday School Class is a men's class. We enjoy open discussion of our lessons and praying for the petitions of our members. This class goes by the name “Thanksgivers Class”, taking in consideration of the meaning of II Thessalonians 1:3, “Always give thanks to the Lord”.

Our Senior Adults classes work on the depening of a mature faith, to understand scripture from the perspective of a life of service.

The Friendship Sunday School class is the co-ed class of the Adult Department III. It is composed of both men and women who are interested in studying the Bible and applying it to the challenges of daily life. The class participates in local church missions projects and often in individual class ministries, as well as giving to World Missions through the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Cooperative Program . The name “Friendship” describes the spirit of this class because members share their joys, sorrows, and concerns with each other and seek to “bear one another’s” burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:3). The class is always glad to welcome guest and new members.

Men’s Willing Workers work and serve our church and community. Our class participates in helping with the food pantry, the volunteer ministry which feeds the homeless downtown, the mission of hope, and one full college scholarship each year. We also provide Christmas gifts to middle school children, and thanksgiving food baskets. We love our church and we are happy to assist those in need at all times. As for our name, it was given to us by the late Stewart Thacker back from George Sliger’s old Sunday School Class.

Joyous Caring Class: laughs that this is the "Last Stop" for Sunday school at CBC. Our name is the Joyous Caring Class since we are a group who receives great joy from caring for the needs of others. We participate in many projects many are seasonal, some year round. The Samaritan’s purse shoebox at Christmas and the church pantry are just two. We like to be included in other projects which the church undertakes and in which we can physically participate. No one is too old to come to Sunday School. We all need to study scripture, pray and visit the sick and shut-ins and enjoy fellowship with other Christians. We want the lost to see Christ in us as we go about our day to day activities.