Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another and so much more, as ye see the day approaching.
—Heb. 10:25
6233 Origin Of Sunday School
The Sunday school was not originated by famous theologians. In 1780, businessman Robert Raikes saw dirty children on a Sunday afternoon with their favorite activity: fist fights. Sunday afternoon was the only free day from hard work then.
Mr. Raikes established the first Sunday School with the dirty, small children, which was promptly dubbed “Raikes’ Regiment” and “Billy Wild Goose.” For those who came, he gave pennies; teachers were hired at 25¢ per Sunday. Later, John Wesley was the first to suggest the elimination of payment, and the movement spread.
6234 Chased Out Of Churches
The first Sunday schools were chased out of churches. The Boston Park Street Church recorded in 1817: “A number of Park St. Church members met in the vestry to discuss forming Sunday school. Dr. Griffin, pastor, was present. Objections: (1) It might be a desecration of the Sabbath. (2) Children ought to be instructed by their parents at home (3) Professing Christians ought to be at home engaging in reading, meditation, and prayer at home, instead of going abroad to teach children of other families on the Sabbath. But the church finally did start a Sunday School.
6235 American Sunday School Union
One of the oldest Christian organizations in the United States, and one that has seen little of its original purpose, is the American Sunday School Union. It was founded in Philadelphia 150 years ago to promote establishment of new Sunday schools.
A group of Philadelphia citizens founded the organization in a schoolroom at Fourth and Vine Streets on May 13, 1817. Francis Scott Key, author of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” helped to get it off the ground. Within ten years it had become the foremost publisher of children’s literature. In its first century, more than 100,000 Sunday schools were established.
—Christianity Today
6236 World’s Largest Sunday School
A new world record Sunday School attendance of 23,024 was set by the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana. It had already earned the title of “The World’s Largest Sunday School” previously. The average attendance for the fall and winter months of 1973 had been 13,000.
6237 Paxton’s Real Wealth
Toward the close of the last century a young businessman was accumulating riches rapidly. He said to Stephen Paxton, who had known only poverty through the years, “Come with me and we will make a fortune together!” Paxton declined the appealing offer, for God had placed upon his heart the great need of Sunday schools in the thinly-populated rural sections of our country. “You are a fool to turn down such an attractive offer,” said the businessman. Other people derived him, too, calling him a “crackpot” and a religious fanatic.
Years passed. One day he met the man who had made him the business offer. The man said, “You wouldn’t come with me. Now I am worth fifty thousand dollars and you and your family still live in a covered wagon!” “But,” said Paxton, “you do not know the extent of my real wealth. More than fifty thousand boys, girls, men and women are enrolled in Sunday schools that I organized!”
—Selected
THE TEACHER
6238 Perfect Attendance Records
Who holds the world record for perfect Sunday School attendance?
First there was Mrs. Harry C. Morgan of Greene Street Presbyterian Church, Augusta, Georgia, who reached her 45th year of perfect Sunday School attendance in 1959—a total of 2340 consecutive Sundays!
Then there is Miss Jennie C. Powers of Philadelphia, Pa., who attended without absence for 56 years and four months—a total of 2938 Sundays.
But according to the Guinness Book of Records, it is Roland E. Daab of Columbia, Illinois, who beats the record. On May 23, 1976, he attended his 3,000th consecutive Sunday School session—an unbroken period of over 57 years.
6239 Oldest Living Teacher
A piano teacher who still lives in the house in which she was born has taught Sunday School for eighty-one years. Miss Elizabeth Aageson, feted by Immanuel Baptist Church in Portland, Maine, on her 100th birthday, is believed to be the oldest Sunday-school teacher in the nation.
—Christianity Today
6240 What’s The Matter With Mrs. Craig?
The following news items appeared in the Nashville Banner, June 19, 1956:
PORTER, Okla., (AP)—Mrs. Ella Craig, age 81, hasn’t missed Sunday school attendance in 1,040 Sundays—a perfect record for 20 years.
1. Doesn’t Mrs. Craig ever have company on Sunday to keep her away from church?
2. Doesn’t she ever go anywhere on Saturday night and get up tired on Sunday morning?
3. Doesn’t she ever have headaches, colds, nervous spells, tired feelings, poor breakfasts, sudden calls out of town, business trips, Sunday picnics, or any trouble of any kind?
4. Doesn’t she have any friends at all—friends who invite her to a week-end trip to the seashore or mountains?
5. Doesn’t she ever sleep late on Sunday morning?
6. Doesn’t it ever rain or snow on Sunday mornings?
7. Doesn’t she ever get her feelings hurt by somebody in church?
8. Doesn’t she ever get mad at the preacher or Sunday school teacher?
9. Doesn’t she have a radio or television so she can listen to “some mighty good sermons from out of town”?
What’s the matter with Mrs. Craig?
6241 Hendricks And Little Old Lady
Professor Howard Hendricks of Dallas Seminary once told his class: “Some years ago, we were attending a Sunday school Convention in Chicago. I saw an elderly lady with a convention badge at the little hamburger stand where we happened to be eating. We invited her to join us for a snack.
“I guessed her age to be 65, but she really was 83. She said she teaches Junior High boys. And we later found out her class of her had 50 students. She lived in Upper Michigan on a pension, and had saved pennies to get a bus ticket to Chicago on an all-night trip just to attend the Convention.
“I came to see if I could learn something that would make me a better teacher,” she admitted.
“Afterwards,” concluded Hendricks, “we three men felt like crawling out under the door of that hamburger house.”
6242 Competing Against Holy Spirit
I went to do some evaluation of a teacher of kindergarten kids—at the teacher’s request. For the fifty minutes I was there this teacher tried to lecture.
Finally, the bell rang, and she cranked out the memory verse. Afterwards she sighed, “Boy, I got over the lesson.”
When she came to see me, I said to her, “Did it ever occur to you that you’re really competing against the Holy Spirit?”
“I certainly don’t intend to do that.”
“But did it ever occur to you that God made this child with an attention span of about four to five minutes? And all the time you kept saying to the child, “keep quiet,” “sit still” and God kept saying, “Wiggle.” And what did he do? I have listened to God every time.”
About 85% of the discipline problems in school, in church, in the home come because we do not understand the pupil with whom we are working.
—Howard Hendricks
6243 What Happened To Four Boys
A Christian man on his way to church saw 4 boys loitering on a corner. He invited them to go with him and organized a class with them as a nucleus.
Years passed and the original group scattered. But on the birthday of the teacher in 1932, he received letters from each of the four original members: one letter from a missionary to China, one from the president of the Federal Reserve Bank, one from the private secretary of Pres. Herbert Hoover, fourth from Hoover himself.
6244 That Junior High Kid
A number of years ago, when I first came to Dallas, I was invited to teach a Junior High class. And I thought I knew something about Junior high kids. But there was a boy in that class that the textbooks never encountered. His name was Dave. And I mean, let’s face it, they had never met Dave.
Dave was in my class. This kid gave me fits before I ever came to class and all during class. And long after I left, he was still working the place over.
I tried everything. Finally I came to the Sunday school superintendent.
“Look, friend, one of us has got to go. It’s either Dave or me. Which one do you want? I’ll never forget his answer from him.
“Howie, before you go. I want you to promise me one thing.”
“Friend, I’ll do anything. What is it?
“I’d like you to visit Dave’s home.”
So I took the address down and I had the hardest time finding the place, because it had no numbers on it. It was a little shack at the end of a long, dusty lane. I finally came up to the place and I knocked on the door. A very disheveled woman answered:
“Yeah, what do you want?”
Just then, little Dave stuck his head around the corner.
“Hey Mom! That’s my Sunday school teacher.” Of course, she was embarrassed no end. She invited me into a very dimly lit room. And when my eyes became adjusted to the light, I noticed a human form over against the baseboard, which I later learned was Dave’s father, who had been dead-drunk for nine solid months, who lost his job, and of course the income.
The dear mother had to go to work. She had no training, no background, no experience to keep body and soul together for the family. And of course, she had to work long hours, and when she came home she was extremely fatigued. She’d take out all her venom from her on Pop and on this little dusty trail, and when I got to the end, I said “Thank you, Lord. I’ve got the answer to Dave’s problem.” Dave’s dying for somebody to give him legitimate love and attention. Next Sunday when I met Dave, I called to him:
“Hey Dave. If I come next week early, will you be here!”
“Sure. Will you?”
“Yeah, we’ll get together before the class.”
The janitor told me that at 7:00 in the morning, when he came over to light the fires, Dave was sitting on the front steps waiting for me to come. And Davie and I became real close friends. I discovered what he wanted to do more than anything else was to take a ride in a car. I owned a Ford and took ole Dave around a little park in our area called White Rock Lake, I discovered he liked to go fishing, so we went fishing together. And I started to build a bridge to Davie’s life from him.
I can still remember he was the biggest kid in the class. Every now and then we’d be sitting around and some kid would be horsing around. I could see Davie sitting up to his full length and say “Shut up.” All heads would come back into the act. He and I became real close friends.
—Howard Hendricks
6245 “You’re Worthless”
When I entered Baptist College, Springfield, Missouri, I was a typical first-year student, searching for answers to questions. I was not settled on what I was going to do.
During that year something happened that was to change my life. I asked for a Sunday school class at the High Street Baptist Church and was given a little area with a curtain around it, a class book, and one eleven-year-old boy. I taught this boy for three or four weeks, until he finally brought a friend. I got so discouraged I went to the superintendent with the intention of giving up the class. He told me, “I didn’t want to give you the class when you asked because my better judgment told me you were not serious and dedicated. I don’t think you will…