Am I right to be upset by this or am I just being overly sensitive?

Question

Okay, this happened Sunday, and it still makes me kind of upset. I teach Sunday School, and I brought Christmas presents and Christmas cards for the kids. I also brought cupcakes so we could do the "Happy Birthday Jesus" thing. I knew the kids were having their Christmas program during the morning service, so I brought extra stuff in case I had some kids who weren't usually in my class.

Okay, so I get to church and find out that the kids are doing program practice instead of having Sunday School! No one told me this ahead of time, even though it had been planned for several weeks. I was quite upset that I had to drag everything back out to the car. I also was left with a plateful of cupcakes that will have to go to waste because they won't last until next week. And, I have to go out and get new cupcakes. Maybe I'm just being petty, but it really irritated me that no one involved with the program could have dropped me an e-mail that the kids would be practicing.

The kids were practicing in the sanctuary where it wouldn't have been appropriate to bring a bunch of food. However, I did tell the program director that there were cupcakes and drinks down in my classroom for the kids, so at least I made the effort to get the snacks to the kids.

I think you all are right. This was a miscommunication and I need to just get over it. Thanks to everyone for answering!

Answer 1

It sounds like there was a 'lack of communication' within the church; those that taught Sunday School,,,and those that worked on the program. Was this practice not announced at any of the Services,,,,especially Sunday morning the week before?

Sometimes there are those that do 'drop the ball' when it comes to informing others of a change of plan, but it shouldn't be held against them. Maybe if you were to bring the slight to the attention of your pastor, maybe then the communication problem would be changed.

Please don't be too upset over this. It does happen, and maybe you can make a change of policy within the church because of this occurence.......Peace and you are blessed...

Answer 2

Why couldn't you have given the cupcakes to the children after their program practice, or maybe given them to their parents. You could have given the cupcakes to whoever was in charge of the program practice and asked that each child receive one after the program on their way home. Don't fall into the trap of being angry about this. It sounds as if you are a kind, and considerate person who was thinking about the children's having a thoughtful Christmas in your class. You did not fail. Don't let it ruin your "day". Life has too many far more serious problems. You can always give the cupcakes to some other people at church, maybe the pastor and his wife, or some other youth group. Look at it as a learning experience that you need to double-check to make sure that any future plans for party's in your class do not conflict with some other church function. Scripture says "Overcome evil with good." It's easy to say, and not at all easy to do, but if at all possible I would try to learn from it.

Answer 3

Why would the cupcakes go to waste? That is sad if they did. Why not spend your time and cupcakes on the homeless instead of safe warm protected people?

Mother Teresa didn't bring cupcakes to soccer mom's kids. She went out there where no one cared about her. It's not all about you. What of the teachings of Jesus? Why are you really teaching Sunday School? Even Jesus on earth didn't roll like you are. Jesus taught a way of living and being and doing. That is all. They sure don't make Jews like Jesus anymore.

Are you doing all of this to do good and have a pure soul? Remember, religion is for people who are trying to keep from going to hell. Spirituality is for people who have already been there.

Answer 4

speaking as a Sunday School teacher I know what it is to plan for a "big" class and have things change for whatever reason even I was the one they forgot to call. In the end you need to remember teaching or not the children are watching you, they can pick up on more than you think and can see if you are irritated. In the end it really dose not matter, these things happen and will happen again, Keep a good spirit and remember you are still dealing with people who will make mistakes. Like ordering the books late and you only have one day to get ready for the next quarter..... just smile and do what you can.

as for you cup cakes what would it have hurt to pass them out at the end of church to the visitor children.

Answer 5

You're right to be upset, but you'll have to take this as a learning experience. When you're low on the ladder, you need to anticipate & ask questions. The people involved with the program are so into what they're doing that they don't think about informing the rest of the operation. This is why they call it "volunteer service" and not "IBM management."
From now on, when there's a holiday, don't assume nothing will change with Sunday School. Beginning with Easter, you must anticipate, plan, communicate - and you'll be Sunday School superintendent before you're 40!

Answer 6

Chances are, this is an isolated incident at Christmas, when everyone is thinking 1000 different things.

But, this may not be the first time that communication has broken down. If so, the cupcake incident is the "straw" of accumulated insults that broke the "camel's back" of your patience.

If this is an isolated incident, please approach the person in charge, tell them what happened and about the inconvenience it caused you. If they are good people, they'll make sure to improve communication. If they are not good, you'll know soon enough.

Either way, it would not hurt to be proactive in future. Call them ahead of time to make sure there are no last-minute changes, rather than relying on them remembering to call you.

Answer 7

First of all , you need to be more in contact with the leader. Why would you take the cupcakes back to the car ? They would have been a real treat to the kids. It is your own fault that the cupcakes were wasted. You made that decision and chose to not give them to the children.

Answer 8

I am often irritated by lack of simple communication too. But hey, s**t happens - try not to sweat the small stuff. There are bigger things in the world to be upset over.

I would have found someone else to bring the cupcakes to instead of letting them go to waste. Split them up and give them to neighbors, friends, etc.

Answer 9

You're right to be upset, you invested so much in this. But don't stay upset for long, you did your best, and you meant good. Give the cupcakes to charity, and try next week to have something a bit less festive for the kids (you know,b/c Christmas already passed), and don't forget to complain (in a moderate way) to whoever is in charge. Don't be sad, you're a good person who tried to make some kids happy and show them some fun. Merry Christmas, God bless.

Answer 10

If you teach Sunday school, shouldn't you have known what your class was doing in the first place? Isn't it part of your job to keep yourself informed of these things? I would be willing to bet that if any one were asked at your church, they would have said that it is your responsibility to keep yourself informed, not for everybody else to do it for you. Perhaps you should have offered the cupcakes to your class after rehearsal instead of going off in a snit because you were uninformed.

Next time, make more of an effort to keep yourself informed about what goes on around you.