I'm Susanna Unruh, known affectionately by many as "Miss Susanna". Two of the greatest blessings in my life are that I was raised in a Christian home with faithful, loving parents, and that I was raised in the The Door Christian Fellowship Church in Tucson, AZ, under Pastor Harold Warner. My parents, Larry and Geri Priest, have been leaders in our church's children's ministry for many years, so for me children's ministry was a way of life. Yet, at a young age I came to realize that teaching God's Word to children was my passion, my gifting, my calling.
In 1992, Cheryon Unruh was inspired to transform our church's preschool nursery into a preschool class. She pioneered the ministry Faith Roots to minister to the needs of the children, and to teach the Word of God in "bite-sized nuggets" as she would say. I was there as a nine-year old, helping her in those early days, and Faith Roots quickly became one of my favorite places to serve. At the age of sixteen I began teaching in Faith Roots, and at the age of nineteen, Cheryon handed leadership of the ministry over to me. I have now been the leader of Faith Roots for over a decade. In 2006, I married the love of my life Joshua Unruh, Herb and Cheryon's middle son. Joshua and I are blessed by the heritage we have received, and also feel the weight of the responsibility we have to carry it on.
Professionally, I have worked in daycare, preschool and as a para-professional in a kindergarten classroom. In 2005 I received my certification in Child Development, and in May 2014, I graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. I am absolutely thrilled to finally have my teaching degree! However, I feel in my heart of hearts that at this time in my life God is leading me to invest my skills and energy into the ministry He has given me, rather than teaching "in the classroom" so to speak. And so, this blog, Faith Sprouts, was born! Here, I share with you what I have learned through my experience, discipleship and education. I envision it as a resource for Sunday School teachers, children's ministers and parents of preschoolers all over the world. I hope that you will find help, encouragement and inspiration, as we strive together to minister with excellence to the children entrusted into our care. I would love to hear from you about how this blog is helping you. I also welcome your questions and suggestions. Happy Teaching!
You may contact me privately at susannajoyunruh@gmail.com
What age group do you teach your lessons to?
ReplyDeleteHi Heather! Thanks for stopping by. I teach my lessons to three and four year olds.
DeleteThank you! I appreciate you sharing you curriculum!
DeleteI'm so grateful for this blog which I stumbled onto from Pinterest. I'm using your ideas to teach my 4 and 2 year old. You make it so easy to do. Thank you for equipping me to teach my kiddos about God, bond with them, and have lots of fun. You are helping me to be a better mom! Alice Benton
DeleteThank you so much for all the hard work and love you have put into this blog and into your ministry with children! This blog has been such a blessing to me as I teach our preschool Sunday class! You have compiled such fantastic ideas to get the word of God into our little people and I appreciate it!! Many blessing to you, your family, and your ministry!
ReplyDeletedear Suzannah, thank you very much for sharing all your lesson plans and creative ideas. i am so very grateful for them. I am a busy pastors wife and i'm filling a gap we have in our preschool class this term and have found your plans so easy to follow with a wide range of activities to cover different parts of the curriculum such as singing, art, listening, roll play, active games etc.
ReplyDeleteMy husband is recovering from heart surgery as well so your generousity in sharing your resources has really blessed us and our church.
Thank you, Monique (New Zealand)