Sunday should not just begin when the hour hand crosses midnight. Sunday begins on Saturday. Preparation, the day before for all of the services and programs that take place on the Lord’s day, is vitally important to the success of a ministry. Saturday is like the pre-game warmup for all of the events of the next day, so we can’t afford to waste valuable time on Saturday. Of course, no one in the church is expected to be out visiting his bus route or Sunday school class from sunrise to sunset every weekend. However, some tasks have to be accomplished on Saturday in preparation for Sunday. Below are five keys to having a successful Sunday: 

1. Attend Your Bus/Soul-Winning Meeting on Saturday.

It may not be easy to get up and get going on a Saturday morning, but be in your place at your church’s bus visitation and soul-winning meeting. We call ours the “Faithfulness Rally.” To this meeting, you should most certainly be faithful. Along with this, I encourage you to be excited about the weekend events ahead. Do not let anyone or anything turn down the heat within your soul about the needs to be filled and the tasks to be accomplished. Regardless of what has transpired that week or that morning, be your own thermostat when it comes to setting your spiritual temperature. 

2. Make Planned Visits on Saturday.

Making deliberate visits to people on your bus or Sunday school roster is a must. It is as simple as this: if you do not visit them, they will not come. And if they do come in spite of a lack of visits, it will not be for long. Visiting is a fantastic way to add depth to your relationship with the riders and attendees. A question I am often asked is, “How long should my visits be?” Some say visiting more than 2-3 minutes at one house is destructive. Some say the extra-long visit is absolutely necessary. My answer has always been to make a visit as long as necessary in order to develop a relationship with that person and the family. Get to know their situation: grades in school, family names, and favorite activities. One of the most important reasons that some Sunday school teachers and bus workers have little-to-no control of their students on Sunday is that they failed to build a relationship with them on Saturday. If you start making visits on Saturday, you will see behavior and faithfulness improve on Sunday. 

3. Go Soul Winning on Saturday.

Soul winning does not just happen by accident. Yes, you can win souls at any time and in any situation, but God honors a time set aside to tell others about the Gospel. If it is not planned, it will most likely not happen. There should be a burning, deep, and consuming desire in our hearts to see people reached with Christ’s love. There should never be a week that goes by that we do not dedicate some of our time to let the Holy Spirit use us in spreading the Gospel. One of the greatest ways to prepare your spirit for Sunday is to see someone saved on Saturday. 

4. Prepare Your Promotions on Saturday.

If you have a promotion for your class, bus route, or church, the last opportunity you’ll have to prepare for it is on Saturday. Realistically, ninety-nine percent of a promotion should be ready before Saturday. Still, Sunday morning is no time to be stuffing visitor gift bags or running to the store to buy whatever candy or chips they have left in stock. Get everything in order on Saturday or earlier. The Lord’s day is too important to be running around last minute. 

5. Pray on Saturday.

All of the work that is accomplished on Saturday would be worthless without the power of God upon your actions. Prayer could be the single most important task to complete in preparation for your Sunday services. John R. Rice said, “Not only has God the power to give mighty answers to prayer, but He has the disposition. God delights to answer prayers for big things because He is not only the infinite and almighty God but the loving Father of His children.” Pray earnestly for God’s blessing upon everything that takes place on Sunday. Without Him, all of our labor and actions are truly in vain. 

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Luke Flood

Luke Flood, Bus Director

Luke Flood serves on staff as the bus director and is responsible for seeing hundreds of people in church on a weekly basis. He is a true product of North Valley Baptist Church. Having grown up in a wonderful Christian family, he attended North Valley Baptist Schools from kindergarten through twelfth grade. After graduation, he attended Golden State Baptist College where he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.