Secret fo r better Sunday Schools/ by Larry Wood
Area Institutes
A n encouraging sign of vigorous spiritual life in Southern California was last winter’s Leadership and Teacher Training Institutes, spon sored by The Greater Los Angeles Sunday Scho o l A s s o c i a t i o n (GLASS). In six weeks of classes totaling 84 hours of instruction by top Christian education leaders at seven churches (with many congrega tions cooperating), the “ area in stitutes” attracted an aggregate attendance of over 13,000. This means that on any given night of the series an average of well over 2,000 active Christian people were on hand for the combination of inspiration and information. They received practical, down- to-earth instruction on almost every conceivable phase of Sunday school service. College presidents, teach ers, psychologists, sociologists, pas tors, publicists, directors of Chris tian education -— these and a host of other speakers and leaders con centrated on the fine points of teaching, techniques of visitation and p r omo t i o n , principles of administration, latest methods of Bible-based counseling, s tudent study and leadership development and missionary emphasis. “ It was tremendous,” said a nationally-known Christian educa tion specialist. “What has been done here might well serve as a pattern for Sunday schools across the nation.” “They were morale boosters,” said one pastor. And ano the r ,
“ They’ve done more to give us a vital, alive Sunday school than anything else I know.” The area institute idea was con ceived more than two years ago in
the Lakewood-Long Beach area of Southern California. Baptist Pas tors Harold S. Carlson and Robert Hubbard got together to map plans for a joint teacher-training pro gram. As plans progressed and top speakers were contacted, “we won dered if other churches wouldn’t be interested in coming,” recalls Frances Andersen, chairman of this historic first institute and prime mover in the development of the subsequent efforts. “ So we sent letters to pastors all over the area, made personal contacts and then sent out publicity to churches th r o u g h ou t the Lakewood-Long Beach area.” The response was amazing. From its two-church beginning, the in stitute swelled into a 40-church effort that began with 300 persons in attendance the opening night and increased week after week. When Mrs. Andersen, a member of the board of directors of the Greater Los Angeles Sunday School Association, reported the over whelming success of the Lakewood me e t i ng s , GLASS felt that no doubt other areas would like to have similar meetings. Mrs. Ander sen was asked to serve as coordina tor for such a program, represent ing GLASS and working with local church leaders throughout the bur geoning Los Angeles area. A detailed set of instructions was prepared and GLASS announced the program through its publica tion, the GLASS Window. Special
Posters like this one were successfully used at area institute to draw interest.
The King's Business/June 1958
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