ABOUT SUNDAY SOFTWARE and NEIL MACQUEEN
Scroll down to learn more about our “closing.”
Sunday Software’s owner, President and chief raconteur is Neil MacQueen (me), a Presbyterian minister (PCUSA), Sunday School teacher, curriculum writer, and computer geek. For 20+ years Sunday Software was my livelihood, passion, and “validated” inter-denominational ministry (as they say in my denomination). My main gig these days is serving as webmaster and lead writer for Rotation.org, a ministry supporting creative Sunday Schools.
I started Sunday Software in 1996 to be an independent, ecumenical company focused on Bible software for children’s Christian education. We created 18 of our own software programs! …and featured the best of what other producers had to offer.
About Our Journey and “Closing”
Sunday Software has closed its “virtual” retail door and donated all its software to the supporting members of www.Rotation.org, a terrific non-profit Sunday School ministry which I helped found in 1997 and where I continue to serve as webmaster and Lead Writer. See all 17 titles and their teaching docs in Rotation.org’s Software Forum.
17 of our software titles are available for free download by the supporting members of Rotation.org for use in their homes and Sunday Schools on as many computers as they have. Teaching materials and support docs have also been copied to Rotation.org’s software download forum.
For over two decades we produced more individual Bible software titles than any other publisher and stayed in business longer than any other Christian software publisher. It’s been a fantastic run and we have been blessed to support tens of thousands of Sunday Schools over the years. But there is a time and season for every purpose under heaven.
It has always been one of my dreams to give away our software, and so we have to the supporting members of www.Rotation.org — people who care about creative Sunday School and not the “same old” Sunday School resources. We’re also “releasing” the licensing restrictions to our customers so that you can install the software you’ve purchased from us on as many PCs in your church as needed, and share the software with your church families for in-home use. (The software may still not be publicly distributed.)
When I started Sunday Software LITERALLY in my basement! …I didn’t know if it would work. Quite a few people thought I was crazy, and some even said I was “elitist.” “Churches can’t afford computers!” they said. Then, “Using computers to learn is pie in the sky.” And, “you’ll be out of business in a year.” LOL. I’m super-proud of the 17 titles we created and still work in Windows 10~!! And I’m thrilled that here in the middle of the COVID pandemic, we are able to release our software into the wild for home-use by your church members and give it wider distribution through www.Rotation.org.
I have updated ALL the Teaching Guides for our 17 programs and posted them in the public software forum at Rotation.org. Sundaysoftware.com’s SUPPORT PAGES will remain online into 2021. We will also continue to keep descriptions of software and our articles for new volunteers who discover our software among their church’s resources. If you need help, don’t hesitate to email me at neil@sundaysofware.com.
It has been a blast and a blessing. Thank you.
P.S. I’ve had a running joke on various anniversaries to publish a photo of “what Sunday Software has done to me.” Below is my last update. Please be advised this is not an obituary. 😉
My Story
I started teaching with software in my suburban Chicago church back in 1990 where I was serving as Associate Pastor. We quickly realized we had a teaching tiger by the tail, and soon other churches were asking how we did it. To meet growing interest in our project, in 1996 I formed “Sunday School Software Inc.” with two other church members. And that’s when things unexpectedly took off.
Sometimes you look around and wonder “who will do this?” And you realize, the answer is you. In the case of Christian education software I decided to say, “Here I am, Send Me.”
So in the Fall of ’96 I moved from full-time parish work to full-time work on Sunday Software to see what we could do with this exciting new teaching medium. In Presbyterian terminology, I’m classified as a “validated ministry” doing “inter-denominational work”. To fully launch the company, our family moved back to our hometown in Ohio, and that’s where we were through 2007.
Many people know me from my work with the Workshop Rotation Model for Sunday School. Prior to starting Sunday Software, in 1990 I helped create the Workshop Rotation Model, -a model that has spread to thousands of churches. That’s the model in which I started teaching with software.
In 1997, I founded the Rotation movement’s website (www.rotation.org) and recruited a board of directors to run it. In 2005, we incorporated Rotation.org as a non-profit and I stepped away from leading it while continuing to provide advice and tech support. In 2015, I became their webmaster and Lead Writer.
In the early 2000’s we began to develop our own software, while continuing to carry other people’s good software. Sunday Software has now released more Bible story and Bible game software programs than any other company.
In 2008 my family and I moved from Ohio to St Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands for a “great adventure.” While there I served as the Parish Assistant in a Reformed Church. In 2012 we moved to Florida to get medical help for one of our kids. I served as an Interim Pastor for Children and Youth in a Bradenton area church while continuing to work at Sunday Software.
In 2018 we followed our kids and new grandkids back to Columbus Ohio. We closed our “virtual doors” on Sunday Software and gave away our software to Rotation.org, a non-profit ministry supporting creative Sunday Schools.
THEOLOGICALLY SPEAKING…
I was raised in the Presbyterian Church USA, got my M. Div at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and I am an ordained Presbyterian minister. Along with my publishing ministry, I have served in two full time pastorates, two Parish Associate positions, and one interim pastorate. I consider myself progressive and open-minded.
You can contact me at neil@sundaysoftware.com