They acted by establishing the Urban Ministry of the American Sunday School Union. A canvass of Philadelphia’s inner city revealed that over 50 per cent of the residents were not in touch with any church or Sunday School. There are many more souls within one city block than could have been reached within ten square miles of rural America in the 19th century. The pilot project in Philadelphia was started. Since February of 1963, fourteen after noon Sunday Schools have been started and manned by volunteer teachers in the City of Philadelphia. Several more are expected to open by the end of 1966. The Society’s motive is to reach the otherwise un reached with the gospel and to strengthen the local evangelical church through the afternoon Sun day School. Twenty-two Evening Va cation Bible School programs (each one for two weeks) were in session this summer, plus four weeks of Bible conferences. At present 135 volunteers are working in the after noon Sunday Schools. Four full-time missionaries, with two summer as sistants, have been enlisted to guide the program of co-operating with churches, recruiting, encouraging, and training volunteer leadership. In February 1965, the Board of Managers recognized the need for expansion of the urban work by es tablishing the office of Director of Urban Ministry. In May of that year, Mr. E. William Brook, a busi ness executive and active Christian layman with several years of experi ence in an inner city ministry, was appointed to that office. Mr. Brook
sums up his hopes and prayers in this way: “God has provided the needs for the vast rural work of the Union; we are now looking to Him to make possible an urban ministry in cities across the nation. We trust that we may have a share in reviving the work of God through the redemption wrought by Christ in the lives of the lost, and building up in the Faith those who now belong to Him. Thus the church in our own country, first of all, we fervently hope and pray, will be used in turning the heart of America back to the living God, the mighty God of our fathers.” The most recent action taken by the Board of Managers authorizes the staff to “ stretch out the cords and lengthen the stakes” by going into five other large cities, including New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles and St. Louis. Prelim inary meetings already are being held in some of these cities to de termine whether sufficient funds and leadership are available. The Board does not wish to endanger the rural ministry which is bringing more than 7,000 souls to Christ every year under the leadership of 150 mis sionaries. However, these concerned Christian lay leaders know that there is sufficient work to be done in every large city to take the time of all available Christian leadership throughout each metropolitan area. The church of Jesus Christ has a mammoth task before it. The facil ities, the teaching materials, the children are all waiting on the “As phalt Frontier.”
burden. He knew the history of the American Sunday School Union — it had been guided by the leaders of our nation since 1817; that the Union was dedicated to honoring the Word of God, His Holy Name, and His Son, our Redeemer; that it had pioneer blood in its veins, proven from the way in which Sunday Schools swept west after 1830. So it is neither surprising nor unusual that the American Sunday School Union caught the vision of service on the “asphalt frontier,” and while continuing its strong rur al ministry, began to make plans for the heart of the great American city. The volunteer directors of the Union saw their individual and cor porate responsibility. They heeded J. Edgar Hoover’s analysis of the inner-city peril: . . There is a dangerous flaw in the Nation’s moral armor. “ Self-indulgence—the principle of pleasure before duty — is under mining those attributes of personal responsibility and self-discipline which are essential to our national survival . . .” Though celebrating its 150th an niversary this year, when most or ganizations would rest from their la bors, the American Sunday School Union has set its sights to meet rottenness with righteousness in the urban centers of America. They are supported in the urban ministry by a Saviour who wept over the city of Jerusalem and by a God who would have saved a wicked city long ago, had there been just ten righteous men living in it.
Missionaries Lester Spencer, Bill Brook and Walter Scott point out various A.S.S.U. ministries.
One of over 1600 active Sunday schools in rural America.
SEPTEMBER, 1966
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