Sunday School
From the Desk of the Sunday School Director...
HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM SUNDAY SCHOOL!!!!
Resolutions with retrospect. What does that mean? Maybe taking a real honest and hard look at our past could help determine our future. OK, tell me more…..how?
We’ve heard the saying, “Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it”. We can look at many instances where this has happened. Have you ever said, “If I knew then what I know now…….”?
Maybe, if we could approach things like Jesus did. Instead of WWJD (What Would Jesus Do), we can ask WDJD (What Did Jesus Do)? Now, when we examine our lives thus far, let’s ask:
If we had the eyes of Jesus, what would we see?
If we had the ears of Jesus, what would we hear?
If we had the mind of Jesus, what would we think?
If we had the heart of Jesus, what we would feel?
This year, may we be resolute in our:
Prayer- Romans 12:12 “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer”.
Praise- 2 Cor. 12:9 “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
Power- Phil 4:19 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.
This year, let us resolve to live a Christ centered life; to seek and realize our purpose, our reason for life. If God has given us another year to live, or even another day, what does He want us to do with it?
Join us in Sunday School for Life Changing Bible Study, as we learn God’s Word and how to apply it to our lives for a new and prosperous year filled with all the blessings God so desires to give us through His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. See you there and don’t forget to bring or invite a friend!
Dee Trent
History of Sunday School
Religious education was always important. The Bible was used as the textbook to teach reading. Many children learned to write by copying passages from the Scriptures. A basic question and answer teaching was used, as well as spiritual practices such as prayer and hymn-singing. Impressing Christian morality and virtues was another goal of the movement. Sunday school pupils often graduated to become Sunday school teachers, gaining an experience of leadership they would not otherwise have. The 19th-century Sunday schools empowered the working class.
Sunday Schools began as literal schools: they were places where poor children learned to read and write. The Sunday school movement began in Britain in the 1780s. Due to the Industrial Revolution many children spent all week long working in factories; Monday through Saturday, virtually day and night. In 1802 modest restrictions limited the children’s work schedules to a maximum of 12 hours per day! Sunday was still the only day these children had for some education. Christian philanthropists wanted to prevent a life of illiteracy for these children.
The English Anglican evangelical Robert Raikes (1725-1811) was accredited with the promotion of this movement. It soon spread to America as well. Denomination and non-denominational organizations caught on and actively began to create Sunday schools. By the mid-19th century, Sunday school attendance was a widely recognized aspect of childhood. Even many parents who did not regularly attend church themselves insisted that their children go to Sunday school. Working-class families were grateful for this opportunity to receive an education. They also looked forward to annual events like prize days, picnics, and parades, which they enjoyed as much as the more traditional seasonal holidays.
By the 1870’s in both Britain and America, universal, compulsory state education was established. From that point on, reading and writing were learned on weekdays at school and the Sunday school curriculum was limited to religious education. Even still, many parents continued to believe that regular Sunday school attendance was an essential component of childhood. This of course, dropped off with the practice of permissive parenting in the 1960s, which all but abandoned the widespread culture of insisting that children go to Sunday school whether they wanted to or not.
Sunday school is a very vital part of Christianity today. With proper application, it is the very tool in which we grow in knowledge and understanding of an unchanging God and His eternal plan and purpose for His creation; the necessary elements which cultivate Evangelism, Discipleship, Fellowship, Ministry, and Worship. We will take a closer look at these in the following months.
Dee Trent Reifinger
Sunday School Director