From time to time, my deacon friend and neighbor Earl invites me to teach his "old men's Sunday school class." There must be 20 or 25 gentlemen—many of them friends of mine since the early 1970s, all of them retirement age or better–sitting around a conference table and along the wall.
This time, I'll be teaching the lesson the Sunday before Christmas. I'm excited.
It's good for a pastor to sit in a room with a small group of people who listen to his scriptural explanations, then ask questions. Some will challenge you; others will interject a story. One thing leads to another, and you, the pastor, find yourself exhilarated when the class period ends and everyone is departing for the worship service.
This did you good.
In one church I served, the teacher of the older men's class would periodically invite me to substitute for him. He always had this bit of advice/preparation: "Joe, all you need is one question; they'll take it from there."
He was referring to the way these gentlemen loved to discuss the Bible. And they did enjoy the give and take. Was it wasted time? A gossip session? Or great Christian fellowship? Good Bible study? I suspect it was a little of each. But mostly, it was a great hour for the pastor.
The close-up time with these men was good for me. There was no need for a three-points-and-a-poem presentation, but we walked verse by verse through the Scripture.
Truth be known, it was also good for those men to sit in a room with their pastor. Some needed the reconnecting more than others, but it was good for all.
I recommend it highly. 
Joe McKeever is retired from the pastorate but still active in preaching, writing and cartooning for Christian publications. He lives in Ridgeland, Mississippi.
For the original article, visit joemckeever.com.
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