By Ada Brownell
Twelve
preschoolers sit quietly in a circle on the floor with a middle-aged woman
telling a story. They watch, eyes twinking with excitement, as Mrs. McPherson
shows pictures. Then she drops baking soda into a bowl of vinegar. The liquid
foams up and boils over and the lady explains how anger affects us, creating a
mess between us, our friends or family.
“Say this after
me,” she says, “Love your neighbors as yourself, Luke Ten Twenty-Seven.”
The children
repeat the verse several times and then she asks, “Who can say it by yourself?”
Volunteers wave
their hands and several of them say the verse, sometimes confusing the numbers
a little. Then they begin to sing “Jesus Loves Me, This I Know.”
The class now
begins art work, coloring a provided picture of hearts coming down out of the
clouds toward an open space, where they draw a sketch of themselves and talk
about God’s love for them.
Before there were
preschools or Head Start, children were equipped with school readiness because
scenes like this were common everywhere in America. In my day, schools didn’t
even have kindergarten. Church showed me long before I entered school how to
sit still and behave in a classroom without my parents, introduced me to art,
music, memorization, the pleasures that come with reading, and how to interact
with an adult we don’t know and other children.
Hence I was ready
for school.
Yet, being in
church and Sunday school affected me positively in other ways. Scripture gave
me a good self image (God loves me and has a wonderful plan for my life) and taught
me how to live: Love God and others; Honor your father and mother; Don’t steal,
lie, kill, commit sex outside of marriage, or covet. I learned the tongue is a
fire and I should watch what I say. I was taught to be swift to hear, slow to
speak, slow to wrath, although I sometimes messed up on that.
I also learned
what I do has eternal consequences—reward or judgment.
Considering the
advantages, why have parents ceased to take children to Sunday school and many
churches eliminated Christian education?
Sunday school
connected me with friends and recreation without charge. Ice skating parties
(we skated on ponds and canals). Picnics. Game get-togethers. Home prayer
meetings where I learned doctrine and we often had refreshments and fellowship
as well.
Congregations
still do that. Many churches have gyms. Sometimes recreation costs a small
amount, usually because classes go where there is a fee. We used to rent swimming pools (women at one
and men at another) and pay 50 cents each.
The church offers
counseling, often without charge. I
didn’t need that because I grew up in a great home, even with seven siblings.
My role models were people in the church, musicians, teachers and my relatives.
Church connected me with great people. We’ve
moved more than 30 times in our marriage and everywhere we’ve lived we became
friends with wonderful folks. Because Christian education gives more
opportunities for connections, Sunday school was at the heart of it all, even
for our children, and still is a vital part of our lives.
Ada Brownell is a retired reporter
for The Pueblo Chieftain.
Her website: http://www.adabrownell.com
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