Singin' in the Reign

As a child I never attended Sunday school. Sure, it was during World War II, there was gas rationing etc. but my family was not “churchgoing.” My first exposure to the Bible came in a little one-room school in North Rupert Vermont in 1943. Each Wednesday a lady came to the school with a flannel board and a bunch of Biblical character figures that would be stuck on the board as she taught us the Bible lesson. I was 9 years old… and I remember those lessons very clearly – and the songs we sang (“I’m in the Lord’s ar-mee,” “the B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me”).

Now fast forward to 2009. I am now 75 years old and have taught Sunday school for the last 20 years. I even made a flannel board for one of my classes and replicated those Wednesday lessons with some cutout Bible figures. But I also, in 1989, began writing Bible-based musical plays for my classes to reach out to seniors in nursing and retirement homes. I did this because the programs sent around to churches were not really applicable for children to witness to adults. I learned that the children I taught were fully capable of doing just that… and were very good and effective at it.

Now I am not talking about “evangelizing.” Garnering adherents to a given set of beliefs is for those who pursue seminary or theological goals. What I am talking about is reaching out to a hungry adult audience, who may be non-churched, non-believers, or just non-involved in scriptural lessons. Such people are not any less hungry for the simple truths that the Bible contains. That is why I remember fondly and completely the Wednesday lady with the flannel board in 1943. She taught the Bible as a collection of lessons – things that God wants us to know and learn from, so we can be the person he wants us to be.

From what I have seen of curricula that routinely gets sent around to many churches for Sunday school, there is an undue emphasis on verse memorization and presentation of the Bible as just a collection of stories, characters, or prophesies or a chronicle of events, complete with games, crafts etc. Sometimes the Bible is presented as a justification for certain denominational emphasis or a specific doctrine. This type of emphasis misses a great opportunity – the opportunity to present the Bible truths as lessons, a kind of living flannel board. But this approach for children requires simplicity, plain English, a non-theological agenda and, yes, even a little humor.

All this is why children ages 5 through 12 (or so) are ideal faith witnesses for adult audiences, and especially people who reside in retirement and nursing homes. There is that special chemistry between such residents and such children that builds on this natural receptivity. However, this is not just about Sunday school – it’s about references to Biblical lessons at home, in the neighborhood or at various non-religious groups. The status of the usual musical Bible presentation is for the class to practice the pageant, or the toy store coming to life, or some such, and then present it to an audience of adoring parents in a church setting.

Now, don’t misunderstand me; there is nothing cuter than your six-year old child dressed up in a costume singing a nice little song. Parents love it; friends and neighbors (kind of) love it; others are “polite.” There is no question but that such “performances” build confidence in a child and unquestionably are better than having them watch TV, play endless video games, or listen to rock music.

However in the context of Sunday school, a broader perspective, I believe, is called for... and much more is possible. Over the course of these 20 years, I have watched such children grow spiritually and, with some very different material, become very effective witnesses - to adult audiences. The main requirement to achieve such a wonderful result is that the child understand what he/she is saying or singing; that they have fun doing it; and that the total package be purposeful (beyond “aren’t they cute!”). It is possible to be both entertaining and edifying.

If these conditions are met, I can absolutely guarantee that the children will more than just remember what they did, the scriptural truths will indeed be “engrafted”, and, best of all, adults being thus witnessed to will be blessed. Many seeds will be planted and fruit will be produced. I know this because I have seen it happen - often beyond my most optimistic expectations.

One of the major roadblocks to achieving such results is the physical and procedural constraints facing smaller churches. Things such as sophisticated sound systems, rehearsal requirements, the lack of a full stage to handle settings etc., the undue stress on memorization and the lack of a creative vehicle that adults can relate to, plus the time requirements so that already-busy schedules can be accommodated. All of these things can be overcome and an entertaining (and edifying) result can be delivered.

What is contained in this volume are the examples and case studies of seven musical presentations where exactly this was done. Many of my young charges who participated in these productions are now in college, some are in the armed forces, a few have become youth pastors - but all remember the experience (I think fondly), and grew as a result. Best of all, I know that there have been many residents of the nursing and retirement homes we visited who have responded to this rather singular ministry. I like to think that heaven has a few more occupants because of what the children did. Yes, they were cute, but, my, were they effective!