The Sabbath-School Index: Pointing out the history and progress of Sunday-schools, with approved modes of instruction.Pardee, R. G. (Richard Gay)
Religion
The Sabbath-School Index: Pointing out the history and progress of Sunday-schools, with approved modes of instruction.
Pardee, R. G. (Richard Gay)
Sunday schools
In their great endeavor to reach the neglected masses of children and
youth, more than sixty thousand seemed to be beyond their reach. A
more _thorough_ work was needed. Occasional visits and ordinary
attention did not so gain the acquaintance and confidence as to rescue
these neglected ones. They were the most destitute and needy, and the
most important to reach in our city. After much consideration and
prayer, this plan was adopted, presented to, and accepted by the
churches in New York and Brooklyn, and it was soon adopted by other
cities and States also. Everywhere it has developed astonishing
results, increasing Sabbath-schools and churches, and speedily
transforming dark neighborhoods.
Forty-four churches of various evangelical denominations entered upon
the work within a few months after its introduction, and quite
uniformly the Sabbath-schools _doubled_ their scholars within the
first month or two, and in some marked instances church members and
congregations were more than doubled in numbers within six months. As
long as it was faithfully worked it everywhere prospered,
demonstrating that the plan was a good one.
It is based on the great command, "_Go ye and teach_." It believes
that every church-member should be a working Christian, a real
missionary; that "every man should _speak to his neighbor, and each
one to his brother_;" that every Christian's business should be so
arranged as to give a wider scope for his religion, that he may
become, in a degree, a voluntary missionary. It proposes to
_systematize_ the work. Mere voluntary personal effort is at times so
fitful and evanescent as not to be sufficiently reliable.
The plan is for every church to take a definite district as its
special missionary field--in the city a certain number of blocks and
streets, and in the country a number of miles square, or
neighborhoods, properly arranged so as to give every other church a
portion of the field to work.
All this is to be subdivided by a committee of the church into small
sub-sections of from five to fifteen families, proportionate to the
number of able members. A sub-section is assigned to the member, and
becomes his or her little parish, on which to bestow especial labor,
sympathy, and prayers. He is to visit it every month, invite all the
children to some Sunday-school, the family to church, supply with the
Bible, tract, etc., and do all possible temporal and spiritual good.
Once a month each church devotes one of the weekly prayer-meetings to
hearing reports from the visitors, and conferring and praying over
this great work. Special care is taken not to proselyte; not to take a
child from one school to another, or induce a person to leave one
church for another, but to respect the rights of all. Individuals are
not considered under any obligations to _confine_ their visits to
their assigned districts, but still enjoy the Christian liberty of
going everywhere and doing good to all men as they have opportunity.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account