Calvin Synod Herald, 1986 (86. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)
1986 / 4. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA — 3 — Lakeside Classis Meeting The Lakeside Classis of the Calvin Synod, met on September 15, 1986 at the West Side Hungarian Reformed Church in Cleveland, Ohio. Topic of discussion centered on Christian Education, and for this occasion Mrs. Marie Wharton of Toledo, Ohio was the guest speaker. Mrs. Wharton shared with the delegates and guests the Toledo Church’s approach in maintaining their highly successful Christian Education program Being that she had grown up in that church and is now the director of Christian Education, she spoke with experience to the problems of starting and maintaining Christian Education programs in the local churches. From the onset she stressed the importance of looking at Christian Education as affecting all age groups in the church and not only the children. There is a curriculum available to every age group, from the young to the elderly, and therefore it is the responsibility of every Christian to be involved in nurturing their faith. Mrs. Wharton stressed the importance of having a positive attitude toward Christian Education; „while worshipping God is the main priority in the life of the church, Christian Education must come next.” Mrs. Wharton shared some specific approaches the Toledo church has developed for maintaining a viable Christian Education program. Regarding the children of the church, the program begins before birth with Parenting Classes! The intent behind this is to „plant the seed ahead of time by letting the parents know their responsibilities for providing a Christian home.” In essence the church is reaching out to the home with both guidance and help for raising the child in the „fear of the Lord.” The next phase is called the „Cradle age”, the first couple of years of life, where contact is maintained between the church and the child with birthday cards, invitations to Sunday School functions etc... Here again the family is made to feel that they belong in the life of the church. At about 2 years of age, the child is invited to join Sunday School, and the parents are made to see the importance of bringing their progeny for instructions and fellowship. She added that it is very important for the parents set an example by staying in church while the child is in class, so that the child would value the time spent in school as being profitable to him as well as the parent. Since children are impressionable and ,,catch-on” quickly, their attitude toward church will be influenced by their parents’ words and action. The time between Nursery to Confirmation follows along the line of providing systematic education and training in faith, but with extra attention to the situations which the child confronts in life. „We too teach them the love of God and respect toward people, but we also take into consideration the realities of the day. We understand that the youth have different issues to confront, therefore we approach those issues from a Biblical standpoint.” One such issue recently dealt with human sexuality, which Rev. Imre. A. Bertalan conducted over a six week period to clarify and strengthen the Christian values for dealing with this runaway contemporary issue. Another program entitled „Extra special things”, deals with the concerns of youth. One recent example is the use of make-up by girls in the congregation, „relating its use to what God wants and expects from His children.” Mrs. Wharton also touched on the importance for the churches to reach out to the surrounding neighborhood. Noting the consternation it might cause in some members, reassurances are given that while they cherish their Hungarian heritage and background, the church has a mandate from the Lord to proclaim the Gospel to everyone. Because of this the unchurched children in the Birmingham section of the Toledo church are invited into a program named „Rainbow Kids”, where the program varies between Bible stories and verses, taking walks, making cookies etc... In essence, „this is the only opportunity for many of the neighborhood children to hear the Word of God and see it applied.” While some do not share the need for such outreach, Mrs. Wharton asks the rhetoric question „how is the church ever going to grow?”, spiritually as well as numerically, without such efforts. A very important consideration deals with teacher training. There are aids such as books and magazines to which they subscribe through the Joint Education Development program and UCC curriculum. Teachers undergo intense training before actually taking charge of a Sunday School class. „It is highly important,” said Mrs. Wharton, „that there be people who see the need to do volunteer work, so that others would be enthused to take on the responsibilities of Christian Education.” Volunteerism is then the key for any church, large or small, where people see the importance of donating their time and effort to the Lord’s work, and making Christian Education a successful venture. Rev. Aaron Elek stated that „In today’s world, Christian Education cannot follow the old traditional path as in the past. New, innovative ways and means must be pursued to attract and hold our youth in active Christian life. He suggested that the home must reinforce the lessons taught in Sunday School, „just as the Jewish people do in their own.” Dean Kántor picked up on this need when he cited the lack of space, membership, and funds for running a strong Sunday School. „The congregations must understand that there is a need for sharing the duties of Christian Education,” he said. It is not simply the Sunday School teachers and pastors responsibility to educate people about their Christian faith but must be shared by the parents in the home, otherwise the whole program is meaningless. While there is a definite need for a professional teacher to volunteer time, energy, and effort to set up a good curriculum, to provide trained teachers, and a caring atmosphere for the students, it is the congregation that must set Christian Education as a priority in the life of the church and share the burdens of cost, caring, and example for its success. Ed Bihary, Chief-Elder of the Classis, summed up Mrs. Wharton’s presentation by stating that „our Hungarian people want instant success, but they do not differ from anyone else in such expectations. The key is that we remember success coming by small doses, when we take it one step at a time, but where we are willing to work at Christian Education in all age groups. If good Christian Education is going to happen, let it begin with us.” Mrs. Wharton’s presentation ended with a promise that the topic of Christian Education be continued at a later session where the practical, hands on approaches will be dealt with and shared among the Sunday School and other Christian Educators who will attend. Rev. Louis Medgyesi Secretary-T reasurer
