Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1900-01-05
.RBH. REEVES WRITES

: y
Through the columns of the Bystander
/ send words of encouragement and greet
ings to the S. s. Normal workers of the
St. Paul District A. NJ. E. church. A sys'
tematic Bible study, such as you have un-
dertaken and / am proud to have, it to
says, are making headway which has not
been presented to much extent by our s.
S. workers hitherto, and while you have
not accomplished SO very much in the
work as yet, it is gratifying to me to
think that you have essayed to put your
hands to the plow to not let 60, l trust,
until He who stands ever ready to reward
the faithful shall say, "You have done
enough, come up higher" Both the in.
dividual church and s. S. worker are be-
ginning to see the need of this work.
Each church member sees that his church
has to meet the demands of the public
and that this demand is ever growing
larger and more perplexed. The numbers
of the needy of the congregation OF his
church is increasing. The intelligence
thereof growing, and he feels it to be his
moral and religious duty to help his
church fill nobly and well it's great mis-
sion But he knows that he must be
equipped before he can do his part of the
work. Each Sunday school superintend-
ent finds him or herself confronted each
Sabbath with a, school demanding more Of
him or her than was demanded of a sup
erintendent of our Sunday schools dee-
ade ago. Each teacher of class in our
Sunday school today can readily see that
he is called upon to teach the Bib.e to
people that are inquiring about its truths
and insisting; on the teachers explaining
and unfolding these to them. ." =.
Not the individual Sunday school and
church worker alone sees the need of the
Sunday school normal work or systematic
Bible study, but the church recognizes
the fact that if it fills its great mission on
earth it must see to it that the individ-
ual member is trained to love and revere
the work and name of the church and to
be diligent and wise in the study of the
Bible and of its great truths.
The "front line" or larger Sunday
school which is knowing itself better and
which is being better known by. others is
no longer satisfied with the sobriquet of
a "Sort of an institution for the mere
moral entertainment of children and some
grown up people in kind of an indefin-,
lite manner for an hour on Sunday but
the larger or front line Sunday schools
insist or contends for the dignllied title
of "Bible school; a Gospel helper" 1t
is the Office and aim of the front line Sun
day school to assist the pulpit in the pro-
mitigation of Gods word and in the con-
version of the world to God. The front
line Sunday school has. life "ipsius"
which have witi..n the last few years
evolved the Sunday school normal, a
work which is destined ere long to reveal
the true worth of systematic Bible study
in both church and Sunday school work.
The qualifications which both Sunday
scnool and normal workers should have,
all of us are called, no one left out. Now
each one that has not been needs to be
lightning struck, dross burned up, emp
tied Of self, filled with the holy spirit,
sweetened by the love of God; then he
will have the; go in him. Next the blessed
booklet each one be a faithful student
of it, find it's varied and costly treasures,
its geography, its ethnology, its costumes
and times of its people, its history, its
doctrines, and its poetry and assimilate
these in his life and then ask God to
make him wise in his teaching and ap-
plication of the same. ''
hope that there will be some ready
for graduation by the next session of our
convention which is to be held in Keokuk
Iowa, next June. I expect this especially
of Muchakinock and Of my former class
of old st. Paul in Des Moines. Last but
not least is my present class of Bethel in
Keokuk. This class meets on Tuesday
evenings of each. week and the meetings
are usually very helpful. will refer to
our Christmas meeting. The lesson was
in Ezra and Nehemia, an it was well
handled. Accompanying this was map
No. 9. which Mr.. Wilson drew almost
complete from memory and it was well he
did for there were the eyes of Miss +.
jackson, Miss Lowe, Mrs. Reader, Woodland
Lowe and others critically Watching to
see if he put this sea, that lake and tribe
in their proper places. We use the "Com.
plete Normal MANUAL" cost only 25
cents. 1t is ,puu- -ished by Fleming H. Rev.
ell & Co., 6G3 Washington St., Chicago,
III. am the friend and co-laborer with
you all and am equally interested in you
;in. Please drop me line about your
work. .w?hrfrom time to time give you
my method of nndling this book in class
work. 1t may nip some. Remember
detars, that the Sunday ehool rnaual is
here to stay and is going and growns1
am very truly your brother and worker
in the Lords vineyard. 7. Reeves,
] President S. s. Normal, st. Poul's Dis
trict A. NJ. E. church.
1928 Morgan st.. KeOkuk. Iowa.