in order for this to take place the church and Sunday school must first be united and aware of their oppor tunity and responsibility, then together they must seek to inform the community of their Sunday school. No one has ever gone to a Sunday school yet unless he was aware that a Sunday school existed. Many who are aware of a church building on a comer have never been made to feel the pull of the person of Christ through the people who worship there regularly. W e need National Sunday School Week for the sake of the Sunday school, for the sake of the church and for the sake of the community. Sunday School Convention |\r. d a te A. Risley, Executive Secretary of the Na t i o n a l Sunday School Association, points out that there was a day when America was Sunday school conscious. But it was not the result of pastor, superin tendents and Sunday school teachers saying, “ I’m interested in my Sunday school, but I can’t be both ered about yours.” For instance there was a time when every county in Illinois had a Sunday school association and spon sored their own convention each year. Sunday school teachers were inspired and instructed. The Sunday schools grew. The whole state felt the impact of the Sunday school. This was not the work of ego-centric Christians or self-centered, self-satisfied Sunday schools. It was largely the result of a man named Moody with a burden for a state, a nation and a world. Leaders with this vision of outreach to the modem Judea and Samaria in Southern California have been showing growing concern for the Sunday school. Headed by Rev. Cyrus N. Nelson, President of Gospel Light Press, the Greater Los Angeles Sunday School Association has forged ahead in the last four years with annual conventions, quarterly rallies in various areas, and this year initiated eight teacher-training schools in Southern California churches. The average attendance at each of these cooperative schools ranged from 100 to 700 on each of the six nights. Mrs. Robert Andersen, Coordinator for the Greater Los Angeles Sunday School Association, sparked these training sessions. From October 9-11 the Greater Los Angeles Sunday School Association and the National Sunday School Association join hands in promoting the twin national Sunday School Conventions in Los Angeles and Grand Rapids. Biola and the Church of the Open Door are hosts for the Los Angeles Convention. The New Hotel Clark, 426 South Hill, Los Angeles is the convention hotel. The full program of the convention with a special letter of welcome from Dr. Clate A. Risley and the story of the National Sunday School Association appears in the center spread of this issue of T h e K i n g ’ s B u s in e s s . This is the time to prepare to send off your delegates for the information, fellowship and inspiration of a National Sunday School Convention.
Editorials
A Rewarding Experience by Tennessee Governor Frank G. Clement
Come months ago, a group of my church friends came **to the Governor’s Office on Capitol Hill in Nash ville and asked me to teach a new Sunday school class. It was an unusual request to make of the Gov ernor of a state, but after prayer and consultation I accepted the challenge. Teaching this class has been one of the most richly rewarding experiences of my life and has impressed on me more fully the responsibilities to the nation of the Sunday school. As teachers, our responsibility and opportunity are unlimited in the development of Christian character; in learning more fully the Holy Bible -— the basis for obedience to. our Creator; in promoting Christian friendship and fellowship among the members and in attracting new members. Even though I grew up in a family whose members regularly attended church and Sunday school, who participated in the activities as best they could — my father teaches a class of some 75 businessmen and until recently, my mother served as church organist - I did not completely realize the full value of Sun day school until I had. assumed the responsibility of teaching a class. Today as I stand before my Sunday school class, I see a symbol of faith — the faith that says to me: “ It does not matter where you meet to worship God, so long as you worship Him in humbleness and sincer ity.” And again: “ It matters not that you are Governor and that because you teach here you have been criti cized for mixing politics and religion, for if your politics and your religion don’t mix, then there is certainly something the matter with your politics.” It is the faith that says to me: “ As long as there are churches, and homes where children are reared in the nurture and admonition of the Lord . . . so long and only so long will ours be a nation of people dedi cated to the greater glory of God and the betterment of all mankind.” A Week to Observe T o be sure it takes more than a week to emphasize 1 the Sunday school properly before the church and community, but one week properly planned, promoted and programmed can bring to many a new aware ness of the Sunday school. This is what the National Sunday School Associa tion is attempting to do in sponsoring National Sunday School Week September 29 through October 6. Present Christ to the Community is the theme of this year’s Sunday School Week. The community needs Christ. The Sunday school is the evangelical agency that can bring Christ to the community, but
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