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We have embarked on a new adventure in the Children’s Sunday School Department this month. The children’s coordinator and I have worked many long hours getting it off the ground. (Praise God for the 50 adults we have volunteering with us throughout the year!) With all the prayer and preparation for this, I officially have Sunday School on the brain. I began to wonder, why do we have Sunday School anyway? Is it just glorified babysitting for kids? Is it just social hour for the adults? According to Craven E. Williams, the first Methodist Sunday School was begun by Hannah Ball in 1769. It was open to all children where they “learned the basics of reading, writing and portions of the catechism. Some schools also taught mathematics. The school book most suitable for the religious educational needs of the school was the Bible.” (Found in “Origins: United Methodists: ‘A Reading People,’” by Craven E. Williams.) I don’t know about you, but I was shocked by that description. It is hard for me to imagine teaching math and reading during the hour of Sunday School today. However, 1769 was quite a different time. Most people did not know how to read anything, much less the Bible. How perfect that the church stepped in and helped people get closer to the scriptures by enabling them to read them for themselves rather than relying on a pastor or someone more educated to read it and tell them about it. I call that being real and relevant.
Why should you be involved in a Sunday School Class?
Methodism can trace its roots back to John Wesley’s days as a college student at Oxford University in merry old England. He and his buddies at school read the scriptures together and discussed them every week. They also supported one another in their walk of faith as well as participating in service projects together. Our Sunday Schools here at Salem do the exact same sorts of things. The Good Will Bible class studies the lectionary texts for the week and also throws a mean barbeque dinner once a year as a class social event. The Koinania class has lively discussions about what it means to be a Christian in the here and now discussing anything from what it means to be in love to what should we do about people in prison (and I mean lively!) The Living By Faith class not only delves into the Bible, but they single-handedly took it upon themselves to be in mission to the second and third graders by becoming their teachers this past spring and summer (talk about Christian service in action!) Pastor Bill has begun a new Sunday School class, Christ and Culture. They are currently studying John 3:16 (yeah, that verse you see on placards at football games) using Max Lucado’s book and will take a critical look at Islam beginning in November.
If you haven’t been to Sunday School in a while, I encourage you to head back to your class. They have missed you! If you have never attended a Sunday School class here at Salem, join Pastor Bill’s class. Everyone is new, so you won’t stick out a bit! Plus, they just started, so you haven’t missed a thing. And if you want to be brave and make some new friends, plop yourself down in any Sunday School class. They would be glad to have you! If you have kids, bring them to the gym at 9:45 where they will head off to cooking or science or art and learn about the Bible and Christianity while having a blast. We have adult classes upstairs in the new building, downstairs under the Upper Fellowship Hall, by the choir room, and down the hall from the Upper Fellowship Hall. Pick a direction and you are bound to run into a great class somewhere! In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus instructed us to “Go and make disciples.” The word disciple comes from the word, discipline. We all need the discipline of study and holy conversation in order to be able to go and do anything including making disciples of others. So…find a Sunday School and go!
Studiously yours,
Pastor Mary Frances
