Why Have Sunday School

Christian...I believe those were called "Phylacteries" and the reference to them is in Matthew 23:5.Hope that helps!

Greg Sr.

 

Wonderful. Thank you Mr. Perry.

 

Posted by Saggywoman: The truth of the matter is that parents ought to be teaching their children biblical truths. Bottom Line. That is what the Bible teaches. Parents are teach when they rise up, when they are going places--every opportunity they have.

While I agree with you, I also as you stated am concerned with the children whose parents don't teach them. What about bus kids whose parents just send them for a few hours of day care?

I believe that SS is a great addition to the church. It allows for Q&A as well as doctrinal teachings. Preaching and teaching are two different things. Unless you are to devote a service to teaching the doctrines of the faith you really do need SS.

I believe that being in Church is a great thing. If I am there an extra hour and learn something I am better for it.

It is a tool. Mabey not required in scripture but effective in teaching the basics and beyond.

It could be that those that don't want it have made other non biblical arrangements to teach the flock. I just hope it is not so some can have extra breakfast time.

 

I don't mind whatever the length of sermon either. However, there are many in my area that will just leave if the Sunday morning service lasts one minute past noon.

 

Posted by TC: However, there are many in my area that will just leave if the Sunday morning service lasts one minute past noon.

I know those types. It is a shame that people show such disrespect for God's house. Some folks have stone cold hearts'. I go to Church to get fed and feed others. If I control my pastor by keeping him on a schedule to the minute, I believe it hurts his ability to drive a sermon home.

 

Ok as long as none of the kids are from non-Church families and their parents will teach them at home.

 

Here is an exercise primarily for smaller churches. "No electronics Sunday." All people must leave their electronic devices, from phones to watches, to calculators and palm pilots OUTSIDE of the sanctuary. This keeps people from seeing the time during the sermon.

With regard to length, the Pastor sets the pace. If he runs over every sermon by 15 minutes for a year, people will adjust. An important note on this is that the Pastor needs to tell his flock that they need to stay in their seats until the service is OVER. Otherwise they disrupt others. Even adults need to be convicted of their actions from time to time.

Another issue with sermon time is that collection in some churches is passed at the end of the service. Not certain why this happens, but try rearranging the service from time to time. Confuses the senses and reduces the time lag, physiologically. As someone else said to me, it spices things up. The church I attend in NYC collects directly after praise is done.

There is no reason that people should be rude enough to leave before the service ends. The only reasons that this happens appears to be so that one can get to Libby's buffet line first, so they don't have to greet the pastor and be convicted, and so they don't meet up with the neighbor who previously stated that they missed them in church.

 

Well Jim and I had 19 4 year olds for Sunday School and we had review questions on the last series of lessons since Jan. 1. The kids did really well.

[ January 23, 2005, 01:06 PM: Message edited by: dianetavegia ]

 

About leaving early, I think it depends on why they are leaving eary. In our little town our fire dept and rescue squad are volunteers, not paid possitions. At one time we had 6 people who were on one or the other some were on both. I remember one Su. night Arlene's beeper went off and he and two other guys had to run out. At the end of the service we found out a car load of people had been hit crossing over the railroad tracks, killed all of them. What a church member is a doctor and gets paged for an emergency. In our once tiny local hospital there were no doctors on duty there, non were employed, they came in to visit their patients, in a doctor were needed in an emergency they'd call your doctor and if need be there was usually a stand by they could call. If it were your child who needed that doctor or rescue personel(or your house on fire), would you think it was rude that they ran out of their church to get to your child (or home)?

Some our electronic devices are hearing aids tuned into the sound system, and vibrating pagers from the nursery.

 

Hello donnA.
I understand what you are saying and agree with you in full. As a minister, the men I worked with who were homeless had my mobile. They could call 24/7. Thus, I left it on vibrate and sat in the seat furthest back and close to the door so I could slip out. I have no issue with this. What I am more concerned about is when I see people I know well that have "plans at the lake" or are meeting people for a "reservation" at the restaurant. 10 minutes more will not make you all that late for the lake and you could make restaurant reservations for 15 minutes later if your preacher MIGHT go 15 minutes over. The parking garage gets a bit hectic right after church and we know how we hate to follow others down those ramps! We must respect those who have on-call jobs. We love their commitment and sacrifice.

 

As far as I know I haven't seen people who left becasuse they wanted to get to the resturant first. Usually they have real reasons. We rarley have people leave before the end of the service though. I left during singing last week becasue I had pushed it by thinking I could go to church at all right after surgery. I couldn't even stand up all the way and I went to church and started hurting and had to signal my husband out of the choir to get me.

 

Original question: "Why have SS?" My question is, "Why not have SS?"

 

I'm with Donna here. This is a very small town and our church has BOTH funeral home owners, the Fire Chief, several Firemen and Paramedics, etc. We also have people who have to work Sundays but they come and stay in service as long as they can. If our service is running over (almost every week), pastor will say... 'Now if there is something you've got to get to and it just won't wait, I'll ask you to slip out now before we begin our altar call. No one will look at you funny or mind at all. We just ask you to tap the person next to you on the should and excuse yourself quietly'. We have had one or two leave but that's out of 650 at church.

My husband had to work every Sunday while his main job was at a piano store. He'd come for as long as he could but then had to rush across Atlanta to open the store by 12:30.

 

When I first started playing the organ at our church, I would notice two or three couples leave before the service was over. Two were deacons. I thought how rude. They can't even wait until the service is over. Later, I was told that these people were on the counting committee and would leave early to start their duties of counting the money.

Some people leave early because we hold hands at the end of the service and they have low immune systems and don't like to hold other peoples hands and be exposed to germs.

Why have Sunday School? We need all the Bible Study we can get.

 

Good points, each of you. I guess there are some of the differences. The services where I am a member can run upwards of 1,000+ each and our sanctuary is fairly tight on a good day. Sorry that we got off the focus of the question. It was said best in "That we need it." Pretty simple, actually. It helps us to become sharpened and holds us accountable. It helps us to grow.

 

Interaction/discussion?

I have never been in a church where this was done.
Not in a Sunday morning service at least.
Only on Wednesdays or Sunday nights.

That is a great idea.

MR

 

Well, that works for 19.
What about 119 including 30 kids?

Are you against SS because you think it's bad, against scripture, etc., or just because it's not needed for this size group and particular group makeup?

 

Who are you posting to Debby?
I'm not against SS School. I'm a SS teacher.
I don't think Dr. Bob has actually expressed and opinion against it either.
I believe he is just wondering what we thought about what his future elders have done.


MR