Somewhere inside of Central Church there is a rabbit running loose, and the Reverend Sam Wiley has been earnestly chasing it for years. Every Sunday morning at 11 o'clock he almost catches it, cornering it in rooms 151, 154 and 157 in the Helpmates Sunday School class. Somehow, though, when the class is over, that rabbit takes off running again and the promise is on that the chase will resume the following Sunday, much to the delight of the Helpmates class members.
"Sam's always talking about chasing rabbits," class member Lynn Young said with a chuckle. "He thinks he's running off after something that's not exactly in his lesson plan, but it seems like when he's chasing his rabbits that's when we learn some of the most powerful lessons he can teach."
The Helpmates class, which averages around 100 people on a given Sunday, is primarily a lecture format with some class feedback. Sam said they take prayer requests at the beginning of the hour and also send out a weekly e-mail outlining the Sunday morning requests. Their current study is about building life-long relationships, and the present focus is on the various levels of friendship.
"This class has some of the warmest and most compassionate people," Sam said. "We want to extend ourselves to the point where you just can't be a stranger for long."
Helpmates members range in age from the mid-forties to the mid-sixties, and they make it a point to go lunch as a class one Sunday a month. They also have home fellowships, hayrides and picnics, and once a year they attend a class retreat at Kentucky Lake.
"We're like a family," Sam said smiling, "and we have a lot of fun." Sam's own family consists of his wife of 39 years, Carol, two sons and two granddaughters, Cayla, 7, and Cari, 4. In addition to his other duties as a church staff member, he's been teaching the Helpmates class for five years.
Sam said his class is very excited about the changes which are taking place at Central Church.
"Our class is expecting to see visible conversions and a fresh move of the Holy Spirit," he said.
Lynn Young said that Sam is one of the most gifted teaching pastors on staff at Central.
"Sam loves Jesus," she said, "and he's able to take God's Word and apply it to our daily lives."
Sam said one of the most important things about the Helpmates class is that they want to have a wide open front door and a closed back door.
"We want to keep everyone God sends to us," he said. "We want to make everyone feel special."
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