RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23529, 18 June 1938, Page 7

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

By Ampllus “No Sunday School teacher is a real teacher on Sunday who is a teacher only on Sunday." YOUTH WORKERS’ GATHERING In spite of the very inclement weather on Monday evening, a large number of Sunday school workers met in Trinity Sunday School for the first of the series of three meetings arranged by the Branch Council of Religious Education. The Rev. A Mitchell presided. and opened the meeting with a short devotional service. He welcomed those present, and spoke of the great value of such meetings in fostering the true spirit of unity among Christian workers of all denominations who met together with a common aim. united in a fellowship of those who had at heart the guiding of little feet into the paths of peace. After the short opening meeting, those present divided into groups Miss D. G Allen conducted a group for cradle roll workers and outlined the organisation and conduct of a successful cradle roll. Misses J Mackersey and G. H. Kane conducted groups for beginners' and primary workers respectively, giving valuable hints on the best ways of teaching in these departments.

At the close of these group meetings, all gathered together again for a time of social intercourse, while supper was served, and the meeting was brought to a close by a short worship period. The gathering proved most successful, and it is proposed to follow it up by a further meeting of those interested later in the year. The meetings will be continued on the next two Mondays, at Knox Sunday School for juniors next Monday, and at Caversham on the following Monday for intermediate teachers and superintendents. While each meeting is arranged for a specific group, workers in other departments will find something of interest for them also, and will enjoy the fellowship with others who are engaged in the same work. NEWS FROM OTHER LANDS Equatorial Africa.—Since the first Protestant missionary work was started in the Belgian Congo some 60 years ago, there have been established 5000 Sunday schools with over 200,000 scolars attending them. Egypt.—During the last year one of the bishops of the Ancient Coptic Church in Egypt persuaded about 150 young men and women to give volunteer service in the towns and villages of his diocese, where they gathered Christian children together and taught them the Bible. Many others are following this example. Cyprus.—Mr Levon N. Zenian, Sunday school worker in the Church of Armenia, with headquarters at Beirut, Syria, some time ago visited Cyprus, and organised the first Sunday schools within the Church of Armenia in Cyprus. A Council of Religious Education has been formed for the island; Sunday school work in Larnaca has been firmly established; and a series of lectures has been given to teachers and prospective leaders on methods of teaching and principles of Christian education in the many cities visited. The Armenian population on the island is about 4000. with about 850 children enrolled in the Sunday schools. World’s S.S.A.—In January the World’s Sunday School Association published its annual review number of World Sunday School News, giving the outstanding happenings in religious education throughout the world during ,1937. The World’s Sunday School Association, as the missionary agency of the Sunday schools, has fellowship in the work of Christian educated in 63 countries which range all through the alphabet and throughout the world, from Albania to Uruguay. India. —It is becoming abundantly evident that there is a growing tendency on the part of educated young people of India to turn to Christ. The Indian Sunday School Union is enlarging its quarters to cope with the new situation, and is pushing particularly its teacher training programme. The value of this teacher training work is demonstrated by the fact that 110 applications were received for accommodation at St. Andrew’s Teacher Training Institute during the summer. TEACHING NEW HYMNS A few suggestions are here offered about, how to choose new hymns for the primary department, ana how to teach them. The sort of voice you have does not matter. A sense of rhythm, clean diction, ability to sing in tune constitute the most desirable technical equipment. In this, as in all things, take the trouble to be well prepared. If you know your words and your tune so well that they belong to you, you will teach not only with conviction, but also with joy. Always have a new hymn on hand or the revision of an old one.

How will you choose youi hymns 7 That the words be as far as possible within the intelligence of the child goes without saying; but in addition, it is good to aim at words which the child will not readily outgrow or think beneath him. Do you find “Father Now We Thank Thee,” child songs, Vol. 1. vv 1. 2,6, better than " Baby Smiling in the Cradle ”? How are you going to recognise a tune good and easy to teach? The latter usually follows as a matter of course from the former; a really good tune is easy to teach If you have a natural aptitude for choosing tunes you are indeed blessed: but even though you have no such aptitude to start off with, experience will help . you. Folk tunes are generally reliable in quality, and a tune is obviously easy to teach when the first, second and fourth phrases are the same or nearly so A well-marked rhythm is necessary —e.g.. “Comes a Birthday,’’ C.S., vol 1. A tune with long or slowly-moving phrases is the last to expect children to grasp Do not be surprised if they find “ Into Thy Loving Care ” difficult to sing well. If you want to teach a hymn whose tune you fear is too difficult. try one or other of these plans, well in advance:—-Get a teacher to sing it as a solo have it played as march music or as hush music as suits best.

If. after going over a hymn once or twice, you find a line or phrase presents special difficulty, take that part by itself and try some ol the following remedies:—Sing it twice yourself; play it over with one hand twice; get the teachers to sing it twice, children twice, girls alone, boys alone all together. This variety takes up very little time and adds vitality to your teaching. The number of times one two. three, is at your discretion These methods and tactics should never break the reverence and worshlpfulness 1 if they do blame vourself.

It is not advisable to spend more than 10 minutes at a time on a new hymn; you may find five minutes enough. Be prepared to give three or four short lessons, even though they cover only Ihe first stanza. There is no need to' talk about expression, and mood can be caught from the leader’s face, and asking the children to sing sweetly is generally sufficient to prevent them from shouting. More important than all ordered plans and technical ability is that something about the teacher which makes the teaching and singing of hymns always an act of worship. May this quality not spring from putting into practice the theory that we should offer to the primary nothing but the best that is in us and that generously?