"Glorify God.  Share Christ's Love.  Make New Disciples."

4746 SW 21st Street, Topeka, KS 66604  •  785.272.2620  •  YouBelong@TrinityPresbyterian.net
Summer Sunday Schedule - Worship at 9:00 am; Sunday School for all ages at 10:00 am; Nursery Opens at 8:30 am

Christian Education Procedures

April 6, 2006

Following our meetings of March 26^th, below are some new procedures that we will begin to implement April 9th to address some immediate needs that have been identified.   The steps below are being taken on a trial basis.  Please let Karen Meenen, Mary Crow or Pat Jackson know if you have any suggestions regarding these procedures.

• Access to Office Sunday Morning.  Beginning with April 9^th, a volunteer will be in the church office each Sunday morning from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. to enable Sunday school teachers and other church members to access the copy room and AV supply closet.  The volunteers will answer the telephone and seek to be a resource to anyone in the congregation regarding supplies or any other needs.  Below are the volunteers for the next two months.

• Access to building so that teachers can set up their rooms in advance of Sunday.   For teachers who wish to set up their rooms before Sunday but cannot do so on Sunday a.m. or during regular church hours during the week (Mon – Fri 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.), there are several options. 

Ø  First, the church is usually open during the evening on Monday thru Thursday.   A teacher can check the schedule by looking at the church bulletin for that week, their calendar thru Talking Trinity or on the website.  The website is the most updated source of information.

Ø  Second, in the event that a person cannot come to church during regular hours or the evening hours Monday – Thursday, there are two other options. 

o   The teacher could check out a key from Jeanie during office hours and then access the building on their own schedule.  If the teacher only needs access to their classroom, they need only check out the front door key.  If they also need access to the copy room and AV/supply room, they will need to check out the internal key as well.  If the teacher accessed the AV/supply room and/or copy room, they must ensure that those doors are pulled shut when done.  Before leaving the building, the teacher must slide all keys under the office door.  The front door should lock behind the teacher as they leave. 

o   If the teacher could not get a key from Jeanie, they could call Don and Kate Smith (272-6134) or Lee Blanck (272-7610) who have agreed to be on call for those who need access to the church building after regular hours. 

• Reserving audio visual equipment.   The church has the following audio visual equipment available to Sunday school teachers:

1.  TV/VCR/DVD player on a movable stand that will be kept in the AV/supply closet inside office.

2.  Overhead projector that is kept in supply closet in office.

3.  Slide projector kept in supply closet in office.

4.  TV and VCR/DVD that is in the parlor (it is not on wheels so cannot be moved to other rooms).

5.  Built in TV/VCR/DVD in theatre room in Creation Station.

In order to ensure that Sunday school teachers coordinate the use of this equipment, we are implementing a procedure whereby any person needing the use of AV equipment reserves them in advance.  This will become increasingly important if we intend to expand our use of technical equipment as we have recently discussed.  Teachers can reserve equipment two ways:

o   Sign Up Sheet.  There will be a sign up sheet on the door of the AV supply closet in the office across from Shelley’s office.  Please note your reservation of all equipment there, including the theatre room in Creation Station. 

o   Contact Jeanie.  Call or email Jeanie (at Office@trinitypresbyterian.net) to reserve your equipment.

• Transporting audio visual equipment.   If a teacher makes an equipment reservation by Friday for that Sunday, Forrest will move the equipment that you need Sunday morning into your meeting space.  Teachers who do not reserve by Friday will need to move the equipment themselves Sunday morning.  The office will be open at approximately 9:00 a.m. as mentioned above.   NOTE:  The AV equipment carts are top heavy and can readily tip over if pushed.  Therefore, the cart should always be pulled and handled with great care – for your sake and the equipment!

• Operating AV Equipment.   Sometimes a teacher may want to “switch” the AV equipment to run on DVD or VCR.  Making that switch involves some disconnecting/reconnecting some wiring.  We will place some instructions with the equipment to help you operate them safely and/or do some informal equipment use training as use dictates.

• Facilitate phone connection to nursery.   The church phone system is now on at all times after hours.  People in the nursery have 5 rings to catch the phone before it goes to voicemail.  The phone system is now also being amended to include an option to leave a message with the nursery (extension 307) which can be done after hours.  On Sunday mornings from 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m., the office volunteer will be answering the phones and will transfer calls down to the nursery.

• Extend Reach of Door Buzzer in Basement.  Lee Blank is asking the Property Committee this week to extend the buzzer to Creation Station and the current Scout Room (future Senior High room).  The Scout Room currently has a buzzer, but it can only be operated from outside the east side door.     

• Class Signs.  We are producing temporary signs for each classroom and will have them posted by Sunday morning.  More permanent signs will be posted in the future.  Please let us know if you would like to personalize your class’s sign.  We are also posting directional signs in the hallway in the basement to direct people (especially visitors) to the various classrooms, choir room and restrooms.

• Classroom In/Out Boxes.   Within the next week or so we will be posting inside each classroom a hanging “in/out box” that will contain the following items:

• Attendance Sheets.  Each class will have attendance sheets which includes the name, address, phone number and email of each class participant.  Space is then offered to track each person’s attendance week to week.  Teachers ought to obtain the address of any visitors who attend.  We will begin tracking attendance through our Church Windows program.

• Supply Request Forms.  If a teacher needs supplies, they should first check the supply closet to see if the items needed are in stock.  If the items are not available, the teacher can use the “Sunday School Supply Request Forms” that will be included in the in/out box.   At the close of each class, the teacher can note the supplies needed on the form and then clip the form to the attendance roster.  The supply sheet will be picked up each Sunday after Sunday school. Kathy Beavers will secure the requested supplies during the week and place them in the teacher’s room.  If a Sunday school teacher realizes after Sunday that they need supplies for the next Sunday, they can email Kathy their request (jkbeavers@sbcglobal.net) by Wednesday and she will pick up the supplies.

• Cards.   Each classroom will have a supply of four types of cards to use:

• Missed you cards.  After each class, teachers are encouraged to send a card to attendees who have been absent that other class members may sign to express that the person is missed!  

• Thinking of you cards.  Some cards will be included that can be used to send in case of illness, surgery, graduations, celebrations, etc.

• Cards for visitors.  When a visitor comes to class, teachers can send them a note thanking them for joining the class and inviting them to return.

• Birthday cards.

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We will be trying out these procedures in the weeks ahead to see if they meet the immediate Ch