ABOUT SUNDAY SOFTWARE and NEIL MACQUEEN
Sunday Software’s owner, President and chief raconteur is Neil MacQueen (me), a Presbyterian minister (PCUSA), Sunday School teacher, curriculum writer, and computer geek. This is both my livelihood, passion, and “validated” inter-denominational ministry as they say in my denomination (PCUSA). See below for my other current ministry pursuits!
Founded in 1996, Sunday Software is an independent, ecumenical, family-owned company focused on Bible software for Christian education, Bible stories, lessons, and scripture memory!
Learn more about us below in the “Our Story So Far“ tab.
Sunday Software
7851 Fairwind Dr. Columbus Ohio 43235
614-527-8776
neil@sundaysoftware.com
EMAIL is the best way to get in touch with me. I check it regularly even on my days off and evening hours so that I can help teachers in need. My “normal” software office hours are 9 am to 4 pm, EST.
OUR STORY SO FAR…
How we started
What we do
Who we are
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 technically 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 which has spread to thousands of churches. That’s the model in which I started teaching with software.
In 1997, I founded the movement’s website (www.rotation.org), organized a board of directors to run it, and still serve as volunteer webmaster, advisor, and lesson contributor there.
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” and where I served as Parish Assistant in the Reformed Church there. In 2012 we landed in Florida where I served in a Bradenton area church.
In 2018 we followed our kids and grandkids back to Ohio where they were working, and have replanted ourselves in the town we grew up in.
We are a small family company. Over the years I’ve had help from several highly skilled independent service providers, programmers, artists, sound recordists, voice and video talent, and family members, -most of whom have been working with us for many years. They go above and beyond the call every time.
WHAT WE UNIQUELY DO:
- We are the ONLY catalog of Christian software that’s reviewed, tested and proven for use in Christian education. If we/I don’t like it, you won’t see it in our catalog. We have no contractual or denominational ties that force us to carry inferior products.
- We are {trumpets please} “the most prolific developer of Bible story & Bible games software in the known universe.” Nobody has put out as many different Christian software programs as we have.
- Our ministry is independent, ecumenical and entirely supported by the sale of our resources.
- We’ve made it a point to know our software IN DETAIL. I teach with this stuff too and can help you pick software, as well as, discuss lesson ideas, theology, and CE ministry in general.
We write and distribute free teaching materials to go with the software. We also give personal support to teachers, pastors and Christian Education directors. In fact, we publish free lesson sets on our site that use lots of other creative techniques, including software.- We provide personal tech support and training.
- We have been written up (positively) in various denominational, educator magazines and newspapers, including ALERT, Parish Teacher, The Lutheran, Evangelizing Today’s Child, Presbyterians Today, Church Educator, Scroll, Disciple, Group’s Children’s Ministry magazine, Christian Computing, The Dallas Morning News, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Columbus Dispatch, Clergy Journal, Your Church, and many others. Several curriculum publishers use us or recommend us as their source for CE software, including Augsburg’s Firelight, Sparks, Cokesbury’s PowerXpress, Leader Resources, the curriculum folks at PCUSA, Cornerstones, and Potter’s Workshops. Being available, knowledgeable, honest (not just telling/selling you what you want to hear) are things I take seriously.
- Our customers include Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans, Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ, Southern Baptist, Mennonites, American Baptists, Moravians, Episcopalians, AME, UCC, Roman Catholics, –even Canadians. (We ship software overseas to every continent and even quite a few islands.) As a seminary grad, teacher and minister I can help you sort through any theological needs or cautions you may have about software choices. Because a second opinion is always a good thing, I have a page of Customer Quotes posted here.
- “Rotation Spoken Here” –We’re involved with a grassroots movement to revamp Sunday School called the Workshop Rotation Model. I actually co-authored “the” book on that Model, so go ahead, ask me questions!
- From time to time we also add other cool CE products to our catalog. I’m always on the look-out for good Bible DVDs and classroom resources and use our site to lampstand what we find.
WHO ELSE IS SUNDAY SOFTWARE?
My daughter Michelle handles the books, ordering, and shipping. “Shelley” been involved with Sunday Software in one way or another since she was a child, and has even provided her voice to a number of our CDs, as well as, grown up learning with software in Sunday School. Michelle graduated from Muskingum University and is a published author and editor.
OUR SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT TEAM
We have worked with a number of independent multimedia guys to develop our software. This talented team includes: Colin MacQueen (SoundWrangler), Ben Diehl (PupuPlatters.com), Deni Yagci (Divine Games), Gilbert Arcand (Montreal Models), Philip Williams (Staircasestudios), Mike Gale (Sonsoft), Tregg Duhigg (Mojomedia), and Marc Ankermann (Ankermann Solutions).
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 and three Parish Associate positions. I consider myself moderate and open-minded, and most of our titles reflect that broad middle.
Policies and Returns
We’re a ministry and want you to feel confident about spending money on and teaching with our software. We’re also a business that needs our customers to make informed choices and timely decisions. Therefore, please read all our software descriptions, system requirements, and support helps CAREFULLY. It will save us both a lot of hassle.
If you receive a CD from us and want to return it, you have 14 days to do so to receive a full refund on the software. The CD must be returned in safe condition.
If you are having a technical problem, please contact us. In most cases, they are easily solved and we expect that you understand that sometimes the computer needs tweaked to run a program.
After 14 days, you can return an unused CD for a 50% credit, up to 60 days from the date of shipping.
“14 Days” is interpreted somewhat liberally as “postmarked from about two weeks after you have received your original shipment”.
Shipping charges and return shipping charges are never refunded unless the shipment was our mistake.
Posters and books and clipart CDs are non-returnable, unless defective.
Orders sent outside the US and Canada are not returnable unless defective.
Read, look, ask questions!
Please be patient with our shipping and return process. We’re not quite Amazon….yet.
If you have any questions, email neil@sundaysoftware.com or call 614-527-8776.
Bio for Neil MacQueen
My wife Malinda and I are the parents of 3 wonderful young adults. I’m also a Presbyterian minister (PCUSA), and the sole proprietor of Sunday Software.
Long-time customers and friends have tracked us from Chicago, to Ohio. In 2008 we moved to St Croix in the Virgin Islands, and now live in Tampa Florida. (And no, I’m not retired, …not even close.) Those last two addresses explain my favorite attire –>
I’ve worked in Christian education for the past 30+ years in several capacities, including: as an Associate Minister in two churches, as a Parish Associate in three churches, as a Sunday School teacher, youth leader, Confirmation leader, camp counselor, church elder, deacon, and church consultant. In 2015, I was the Interim Pastor for Children, Youth and Family at a church in Bradenton Florida.
I’m a 1985 graduate of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary with an undergrad degree from The Ohio State University.
In the mid-late 90’s and early 2000’s, I traveled extensively around the US introducing churches to the idea of software in CE and the Workshop Rotation Model for Sunday School.
Many people know me from my work with the Workshop Rotation movement –a new model for Sunday School that can include a computer lab. I launched the Model’s official website (www.rotation.org) in 1997 and turned it over to a non-profit Board in 2005. I continued to advise the Board, and then in 2012, they hired me as their webmaster and lesson editor. In 2015, they greatly expanded my job description to handle the burgeoning technical and lesson writing needs of that site.
For Fun:
In addition to spending time with my family, I’m an avid kayaker, fisherman, and scuba diver. Those who know me, know I’m also crazy for NHL hockey. Go Jackets! Go Bolts!
I’ve published three books, one with Augsburg titled, Computers, Kids and Christian Education, another titled, Workshop Rotation with Presbyterian Publishing, and our seminal manual, Teaching with Computers in Christian Education.
I have also written articles for numerous magazines, including: Church Educator, Children’s Ministry, Your Church, Net Results, Church Web Advisor, ALERT, APCE Advocate, Christian Computing, and Presbyterian Outlook. I also write an occasional CE & Church Tech Resource blog at www.sundayresources.net.
This is probably more than you wanted to know, but it’s a good start on an obituary 🙂
When you call or email, I answer.
I love the Bible, and love TEACHING the Bible to kids in creative and inspiring ways. If you feel the same way, you’ve come to the right place.
<>< Neil