RELIGIOUS EDUCATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3714, 19 May 1925, Page 32

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION.

ADDRESS BY MR TULLOCH YUILLE. ‘‘The Minister and Religious Education” was the subject of an address delivered by the Rev. Tulloch Yuille before a large attendance in the Stuart Street Hall on Tuesday evening. The speaker was introduced by Major Burton, provincial superintendent of the Salvation Army. Two main points were taken bv the speaker as the basis for his talk—that the minister should be one with his congregation and that a junior church should be established for junior church members. The minister, Mr Yuille. claimed, was just what the people made him in regard to his woik. He was prevented from doing many things because tho congregation would not let him devote tho time to them. The minister should help among his congregation and be absorbed by their interests. His should be tho spirit behind all, planning and guiding the progress. His education of mind and will fitted him to be tlie champion of his people against critics, and he must know what the battles were, so that he could be ‘‘as a 6oldier whom tho cause has made its own.” Regarding Sunday school teachers, he would not say that they could not be expert unless they had been trained in a special school, because they might have been educated through individual experience, but m every band of workers there should be experts, and of these the minister should be the chief. If he were to help and redeem his fellow-workers from despair, then he must be at one with them. Why, continued Mr Yuille, should a minister have to spend most of his time among the adults? To-day work amongst me young children was looked upon as something extra. He thought the day would come when work amongst the adults would be extra, and work amongst the young would stand first. An experiment had been tried at Home in a church having about 800 communicants. The afternoon public service had been discontinued, and in its 9tead a junior church service had been commenced. r i he children’s church service was conducted in the church by the minister with the children in classes under the supervision of teachers. It was really a young people’s educational church worship. This scheme, perhaps, could not be entirely transferred to New Zealand, but adults should be prepared to stand back more and give the minister time to devote lo educational service for the children. He would like to see in New Zealand a junior church composed of junior church members. Speaking as a member of the Presbyterian Church, he said he thought that too much stress had been laid upon knowledge. To-day, however, they were emphasising simple trust, in God through Jesus Christ. When Christ had administered the Last Supper to his disciples it was because of their friendship—not because of their understanding. Surely little children could be friends of the junior church with the minister in the midst, breaking bread, without complete understanding. If they would have the Church spread from sea to sea they must have the little children lisping sweet praise of Christ. A vote of thanks to the lecturer was proposed by Mr J. Farquharson and carried by acclamation.