ROCKYVIEW'S SUNDAY SCHOOL

Many changes, in how we do church, have occurred over the years for the better, some, well let me say, some changes from my viewpoint, were maybe not so good.  I am thinking, as I am nearing the completion of this blog, that once I am caught up to the present day, I need to write a blog on the many changes that I have seen in my six decades of ministry.  One big change over the years is the low level of importance that is placed on the Sunday School in many churches, not all, but many. 

A Primary Sunday School Class at Rockyview

Sunday School used to be a fifty-two week ministry.  We never heard of shutting down the Sunday School for the summer.  We had classes for all ages and for the whole year.  If teachers were going to be away, we had substitute teachers, or combined a couple of classes, if necessary, but we did not shut down.  Sunday School was a high priority in the church.  I remember when one of our big city Alliance churches hired a christian education pastor before there was any thought of a youth pastor or music pastor.

Awards were given to each student, who had what was called perfect attendance.  Perfect attendance was considered being in Sunday School 48 weeks out of 52.  If you were away, or out of town for a Sunday and you brought a note to your teacher when you returned from a church stating that you had attended Sunday School in that church, while you were away, that could be counted towards your attendance in your home church.  Some churches gave a Cross and Crown pin for the first year of perfect attendance.  Thereafter, for each year of perfect attendance the student would receive a year bar, as it is called, for each succeeding year of perfect attendance.  The year bar would be attached to the pin.  It was not unusual to see someone wearing a pin with three, four and more year bars attached.

Well, there were always Sunday School contests, whereby we would compete with a church or churches in nearby cities or towns.  Awards were given to the Sunday School or church, that showed the greatest percentage of growth in a given month or five or six week period of time. Gifts were also given to newcomers and to the persons who invited the newcomers.  As I recall, some people thought that these contests were carnal.  They didn't like it that the church or Sunday School should resort to a  competition like that. 

Many volunteers worked in the nursery and toddlers area

I recently came across an article that was written over thirty years ago, 1984, in the Rockyview Communicator, which I said in a previous post was a monthly information letter for the members and adherents of Rockyview Alliance Church.  The article speaks for itself and I am copying it word for word, as it appeared in the Rockyview Communicator.  This article was written about the recent Sunday School campaign that we had.

"Many of you remember our Sunday School Campaign, February 19 - March 25.  Was it worth it?  Rockyview took second place.  The over-all percentage increase was 16.5%.  That is 16.5% greater attendance than in the Fall Quarter of 1983.  However, there are some statistics that were not in the bulletin.  Here is one that ought to encourage your heart.

"A little seven year old girl was visiting the neighbor across the street.  The neighbor, Rosalie Lazenby, a member of Rockyview, asked the little girl if she would like to go to our Sunday School.  The little girl went home and asked her mom.  Mom telephoned the Rockyview member and said, 'We like to do things as a family.  May we all attend?'  Assured that Rockyview is for the whole family, they came.

"The parents attended the first service, while the children attended Sunday School.  At the close of the service when the invitation was given, the father raised his hand requesting prayer.  Pastor Dan spoke to them briefly between services and they said, 'We have to get our religion straightened out.'  An appointment was made for that week.

"Pastor Dan had the privilege of leading both husband and wife to the Lord.  They then asked if they could have their two children dedicated to the Lord.  The following Sunday, their children were dedicated to the Lord in the first service.  The family have since been transferred to Kenya, East Africa for a two year term of employment.

"Are Sunday School Contests worth it??  This one was!  We have a National Sunday School Contest scheduled for October 14 - November 4th.  Let's be a part of that one, too!!"

Well, I had totally forgotten about this family until I read this article a few weeks ago.  I've been trying to downsize, emptying my filing cabinet and boxes of stuff and finding many keepsakes.  Those items that I am keeping are being placed in three ring binders under the heading of Papa's Papers.  This was one of them.

Sunday School was originally begun as a ministry to reach children that were not otherwise being reached with the gospel.  A little history re the Sunday School says that Robert Raikes and Thomas Stock first established a Sunday School for the poor and orphaned in Gloucester, England in 1780.  Although there were earlier Sunday Schools, Raikes and Stock have become the recognized originators.  Their efforts led clergy and laypeople to establish similar schools throughout England, thus setting in motion the Sunday School Movement.  By 1800, 200,000 children were enrolled in English Sunday Schools and by 1850 this number had risen to two million.  Churches across the United States, Canada and much of the world began to hold Sunday School classes.  Over time, they became a family Bible teaching hour with graded lessons, from nursery to adult.  Thank God there are churches that continue to have growing Sunday Schools.  Sadly, too many evangelical churches have followed the lead of the liberal churches and the Sunday School hour has become, all too often, a ministry of the past.  I would love to see the day when there is a revival of the Sunday School, but I am doubtful that I will live to see it in my lifetime.

In March 1977, I was privileged to attend a Pastors' conference at the First Baptist Church in Hammond, Indiana where Dr. Jack Hyles was the senior pastor.  I recently read on their website that in the 1970's that church had the highest Sunday School attendance of any church in the world.  I was at that church in the 70's, either the Sunday prior to the conference or the Sunday following, I don't remember which, but it was one exciting day.  I have no idea how many Sunday School buses that they operated, but they brought in thousands of children and adults from miles around.  I stepped outside to take a picture of some of the bus passengers, lined up in an alley, ready to file in for their Sunday School class.  Their website also stated that in 1990 the Sunday attendance was 20,000.

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Getting off of the Sunday School buses and about 

to enter First Baptist Church, Hammond, Indiana