KING’S BUSINESS CHRISTIAN
T ie Tteect
By Henry Jacobson Adult Publications Editor, Scripture Press
A child is in Sunday School for one hour a week — one hour out of 168! That single 60-minute period is, in many cases, all the Christian education a child receives from any source. Secularized public schools, religiously indifferent homes, and blatently irreligious comic books and radio and television programs exert their influence upon the child during the remainder of his waking hours. Is there any doubt but that the Sunday .Schools need co-operation from parents in their program of bringing the child to Christ and encouraging his Christian growth? When parents are enlisted in this work, Christian instruction is back where God intended it to be — in the home. Even if all homes were Christian, and if all Christians discharged their teaching responsibilities, Sunday Schools would still be necessaiy, for most par ents are not qualified to give their children the systematic Christian instruction they get in Sunday School. And, of course, it is a well known fact that most parents do not give children any Bible instruction at all. Here is how a Sunday School can enlist co-operation for parents of its children: Sunday School workers should take their work seri ously if they expect parents to do so. When a teacher follows up on absences, visits in the homes of pupils, provides between Sunday activities for his class, and studies to improve his work, his pupils and their parents will realize that he really believes Sunday School is important •—- and they will also regard it as important. The Sunday School should tell parents what it is doing. It must constantly “ sell” its program — from the pulpit, in the church bulletin, in personal visitation, and in letters mailed to parents. Parents cannot help if they are not sure exactly what the school is trying to accomplish. Therefore, the parent of every child should be told the aim of the lessons his child will be studying for each quarter. Parents must be told exactly what they can do to help. Even when parents want to co-operate, they often do not know how. Some of the things a Sunday School will want to suggest are: 1. Encouragement of regular attendance and punc tuality, taking Bible and offering to Sunday School, and staying for church. 2. Encouragement of advance preparation of each week’s lesson. Perhaps the parents would be willing to work with the child. 3. Holding of regular family devotion correlated with the lessons the children studied in Sunday School the previous Sunday. 4. Encouragement of proper attitudes toward Sunday School and church, pastor and staff. We cannot expect a generation of co-operative church members from chil dren who have been fed roast preacher every Sunday noon during their youth!
JUNE, 1959
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker