By Jan Cagno

It seems incredible that we should ever have to defend the importance of the Sunday school. The Sunday school has given us pastors, missionaries and evangelists. It has fed the churches of our nation with stalwart Christians who are wise in the scriptures and established in the faith.

The Sunday school that has real importance is the Sunday school that has a dynamic ministry to every member of the family. It is a unique program that meets the needs of its participants as no other program of the church can.

Following is a list of reasons why Sunday school is important. How does your Sunday school measure up to these standards?

Sunday school provides the basic systematic study of the Scriptures at a proper level of understanding for each member of the family.

The Sunday school provides an opportunity for its members to share their needs with others in a class of those in similar life situations.

The Sunday school provides an opportunity for personal application of the scriptures, aimed specifically for the age level of the class.

Sunday school provides fellowship and a sense of belonging to the members of each class.

The Sunday school provides an opportunity for lay workers to serve the Lord through teaching and administration of the program.

Sunday school trains Christians to be more productive members of the church and gives them an opportunity to develop and use their talents and skills for the Lord.

(This article appeared in the "Spring, 1995" issue of "The Herald.")