The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-06
Fifth Auenue Presbyterian
 Sunday School Students af
 Work oga NeaD Development
By CAROLYN n. ELLIOTT

r FresbSter.an iiUnaas schoOl are the ITest wires I've seen iD many a day. Dr. Lcla fay4nr saA Ah lsa rne- - uSt aak Mr. Leroy hois aboGl it. He's superintendent of cur young polpae's department that was cxSan1E.ss by hdn in Dece mber-the onlf stric1iy young peoples department tha1 hnow anything about in the United Stxles>'
 When I followed pr. Tayior's adVics a,l1 asked M1- Holt abott h.s live wires hc ssliIej his contagious -s..ihe, AiiL began wiIn h.s whoie-souled enthusi- asrl tina makes him one ot the favor.tes es Dr. Broas,y $ church
 Young DOus lssss ! raeinan. president of the yoons peoples department, s really responsible for this organisation, and 1 s:vc hnn every bit of the erect for t. When he came to me few weehs ago with the propvsidon to organize sopie of the youna. peop.o into q Christian En- doa.or societs, d occurred to inc l.hie ha,a arrived when the questioI cou.d De G.eu out of giving tlie young le,p,e cn4snee 10 Go all the.r cnIrcn u &sn cEe young peoples orsaii-
 .sces the oun4iy school l hai realized for long ci.i.e
 ..-.-. ,-e.aa....eht Tor Doys ..... .,I.. .an .4 tu q did net appeal 10 oans co.ieso men and woInei and did no. offer t..em the cnannels fer great sorvice ti.at m.eit be rendered tlie church.
 There's a big difference Mir. Holt reminded, m the viewpoint of d boy Of IA ano ona O. $ or zo. Just as much dif- lerenIe as tners B between tne standards of d first year h gn school boy and d college stuoent. So it happened that ue3.ded to carry out the ioeaa that had been suggested to rne by the method of S.ll d r programme in the resigiolS school. we had done th.s to. a certain point. rom the littls beginners representing the k.n- dersarslsrs, up through the primaries and juniors representing the elementary grades and grammar school age. But when we got 10 high school aSe. we punched all our young people rom l4 to 2l together, in the intermediate and senior departments. with little regard for congeniaiily at the one time of l.fe when age counts most in the friendships that are formed and in the successful co- operation of teamwork.
 OPEN COLLEGE DEPARTMENT
 ''So, all we've done at Fifth Avenue church is to open a college department for young men and women. from IS to 24, or thereabout, reserving our high school or intermediate department for boys and girls from Il to s.
 "This is just an experiment. at pres ent," MT. Holt suggested modestly, "but SO far it has worked in our school. We had an enrolment of 35 the first Sun day in December, and last Sunday our department numbered 60. Most of these, by the way, are boys.
 If you'll look around" he remind- ed. "you'll see that boys about IS stop going to Sunday school the very time they need the influence of the church most And l believe the whole trouble has been that we hadn't mapped out q programme that, would give them con genial and satisfying work to do.
 Our deacons agreed With me in this" said MT. Holt, And when l proposed to them the plan of having our young people enter college and we didn't have room to open the school. you should have seen the grown folks falling over themselves In their enthusiasm to pro- vide space for the boys and girls. They were willing to be inconvenienced most any way, and hunted all the available corners possible for the adult department. in order to turn over the entire auditorium to the young people. And I really believe that before many more months pass. well need that en- ! tire auditorium, for instead of 60 in the department, we are headed straight for four big, classes of 50 each.
 TO BUILD ANNEX
 'sThe young peoples depa rtment will be the greatest inspiration a Fifth Avenue in building our annex" Mir. Holt continued with almost boyish de- , light. Just the need to have plenty of room for them to develop is going tc bring happiness to the entire school in a thoroughly modern building. with up ' to-date equipment for athletics for the of and girls equipped for their religious 1 training. too. and for worship.
 l My idea is," said MT. Holt, that the programme of the church is four fold evangelism, worship, religious educa- tion and service.
 "The church school or Sunday schoo takes care particularly of education through Bible instruction, and worship thr ough special training in expression service and church government
 SPECIALIZATION
 ''The young peoples department or oul college as we grow stronger numeri. ca!ly, will look toward specification. Fol example. we'll have classes making q speciality of chronological Bible study
 others specializing in the study o evan2eiisin: some groups engaged in tn.
 study cf missions. and others in church
 history and government. In re6agOgy
 and psychoogy we propose to offer oul teacher training classes special courses
 for teachers of beginners. primaries juy iors. intermediates and seniors. Ant
 during the summer months each of ths
 young nler and women will be given op
 portunity to apply what they learn il
 being assigned special times to teaci
 the lesson in these departments.
 Then we wish to have weekday ses
 sions that will be divided into natura groups. probably neighborhood groups for the encouragement Of wholesome so ] cial life of the young people for recre . alton and for carrying on the bushes of the organization. At our Sunda. me ming service we have three period
 managed entirely by the young people : including period of worship. of expres !, sion and of study. . Our a,m is to bring every phase o . our young peoples work for missions
 Christian Endeavor. Sunday school. ets
 under one head and ore organization | : the Sunday school.' emphasized MT Holt.
 ''The vision of such spiendidly or .;a,;7ed department with it's possibihtte ' for development, came to me during Tn ! a. m. and so p. m. Pulpit supplied D
 pastor. Junior E. Y, P. |. 6:30 D. m. S' \ nlor F. Y. P. U. 6:3o p. m. Prayer mee [ inE Wednesday 1880 p. m
 . Twenty seventh street--rwenty-se -seveni