This past Sunday at the Kickoff breakfast, I handed out backpack tags and stickers to the children that read “You and me, we’re neighbors.” It’s a simple message, one that I hope will stay with us.
As we begin our Sunday School program we’re starting with the story of Jonah and the whale. Most of us know the story: God asked Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and deliver a message to the people there. Jonah didn’t want to go. In fact, he went in the opposite direction. Why?
Because Jonah didn’t see the people of Nineveh as his people. They were different from him. They were people he didn’t necessarily like or understand. They were not the neighbors Jonah had chosen for himself. And yet, God was asking Jonah to go to them.
That makes Jonah’s story surprisingly relevant to us today. It’s easy to think of our neighbors as the people who live next door, go to our church, attend our school, share our interests, or look and live like we do but Jesus continually challenges us to expand our understanding of who our neighbor is.
I also can’t think about being a good neighbor without thinking about Mr. Rogers. I grew up watching “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood;” this was my first introduction to my second language, English. I loved the way he welcomed everyone into his little neighborhood. There was always room for another person. He spoke gently, listened carefully, and reminded children and the adults watching along with them that every person mattered.
Mr. Rogers understood something that Jonah had to learn: our neighbor isn’t simply the person we choose to include. Our neighbor is the person God places in front of us.
As we begin this Sunday School year I hope our children learn more than stories from the Bible. I hope they learn to look around and notice who their neighbors are. I hope they learn to make room for the person who feels left out, to be kind to someone who is different from them, and to remember that no one is outside the circle of God’s care.
Maybe that’s what makes the message on those little backpack tags so important. Every time we see one, may it remind us. You and me, we’re neighbors. And there’s room for everyone in this neighborhood.
Maria Leal
Director of Children’s Formation
Published on September 21, 2026.