Q.. Could you suggest some ways that we could -promote our church library? A. Sad but true, most traffic in church libraries is a few Juniors and some elderly folk who have time to read. There should be a stream of folk of all ages, finding help and pleasure through reading your in spiring library books. Here are ten ways to promote the church library: 1. Use a library bulletin board, or ask for a comer on the church bul letin board. Display news of new books, (use book jackets). Perhaps from time to time, you can list books on special subjects, such as missions, etc. Also reveal what age-group uses the library most, the largest number of books taken out in one month, etc. 2. Have individuals review books in each of the departments of the S.S. — Primary through Adult. Someone could be kept busy every Sunday promoting books and the li brary. 3. From time to time, take book displays to various S.S. departments, especially in those departments where little traffic is evidenced in the library. Give time for students to check out books during pre-session or extended-session time. 4. Make a list of recommended books for special church groups such as Sunday school, Youth groups, Women’s groups, Men’s Fellowship. Make the list to fit each group’s needs. 5. Plan a Library Week. This should be done annually. From your local Christian bookstore secure a display of new books. Encourage each one in attendance to buy a new book. They will have the privilege to be the first one to read it before it is placed in the library. Some place the donor’s name on the book plate in front of the book. 6. List your new books in the church news-sheet or mid-week hello. Here is a good place to feature li brary news as well. 7. Display posters that encourage people to read. Young people might make posters as a special library project. 8. Plan a Library Open House be fore or after a Sunday evening serv ice. This could be planned in connec tion with Library Week. A brief pro gram could be planned which would include readings and testimonies, telling how reading has helped them . . . especially books now found in the church library. Give time for browsing, and encourage everyone to check out one book. 9. Be sure to post all news clip pings, announcements, etc. about Christian authors and books. I f you
schools there are unnecessary long opening exercises, the music is of poor quality, there is a lack of cur riculum materials, the facilities are often third rate, and there is a scarcity of well-qualified laymen to serve as teachers. Q. Is it true that learning is more difficult for adults? A . An adult’s rate of learning de creases about 1% per year after age 40, but his capacity to learn dimin ishes very little, if any, so long as he retains the mental facilities nor mal for his age. In fact, experiments at Columbia University have shown that childhood was not the best age for learning in the sense of the time when the greatest returns per unit of time spent are received. Here edu cators found the best age to be in the 20’s, and any age below 45 was found to be better than age 10 to 14. Q. What is the key to adult learn ing in the Sunda/y School? A. Unquestionably, adults require motivation for learning, and this mo tivation is supplied when we offer them Bible instruction that meets their needs and their interests. Adult needs differ at various age levels, but all men and women need an intimate personal relationship with God through faith in and dedi cation to Jesus Christ. They need the sense of security and purpose which only God’s Word offers. They need a sense of belonging. They need to de velop proper Christian attitudes to ward the church, their fellow Chris tians, and the lost. They need oppor tunities to contribute to others, to serve the Lord in tangible ways. Q. How do we structure a meaning ful adult Christian education pro gram? A . Foremost, it must include the teaching of the Bible. This is not merely teaching of Bible lessons; the result must be the changing of lives through the teaching of God’s Word. Then it must provide for worship, recreation, service projects and leadership training. We should seek to provide a program that minis ters to adults of all ages—from the young married couple to the elderly shut-in, and from the single un married adult to the “ single par ent.” —Paul Dirks *Rev. Larson is Western Director of Scripture Press. This feature is heard weekly over KBBI, Los Angeles (107.5 FM). Other panel members are Rev. Ray Syrstad and Rev. Paul Dirks.
by Chester Larson
do have a writer in your church or community, give special attention to new books written by the author. 10. Be sure to have regular library hours. Keep them publicised well. Remember . . . you may have row on row of shelves loaded with helpful, inspirational, and pleasurable books, but only as people read them are they serving and performing the ministry for which a Church Library exists. Q. What percentage of the average Sunday School should consist of adults? A . Statistics indicate that two-thirds of the population in the United States is 18 years of age or older. It would follow, then, that if the aver age Sunday School were to enroll its proportionate share of the men and women in its community, it would have twice as many persons in the combined Young Adult and Adult Departments as in all other depart ments from the Cradle Roll through High School. Unfortunately, the number of schools that have such a percentage is very small. Q. Why do not more adults attend Sunday School? A. One very basic reason is that many adults do not consider them selves learners as far as the educa tional program of the church is con cerned. They are flocking to train ing courses of all kinds in secular education, but somehow they place church education in a different cate gory. The Sunday School is also re sponsible for this lack of attendance on the part of adults. In many
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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