A Glance at the Past
By John-Paul Stewart
Last month we briefly discussed the origins and demise of the Sunday School program at First Baptist. In this article we will look at some of the specific classes from the past. In recent years there were classes for various age groups, up to and including adults. Naturally, they were named after the age group such as the “Grade 7-8 class” or simply the “adult Sunday School class”. There was nothing creative about it.
However, if we go back further in time they all had creative names. The names of the children's classes were just fun for the kids. For the adult classes, the names were more descriptive and an attempt at enticing people to join. One example was the “Won-by-One” class. Its participants were expected to “win over” new members for the church, hence the name. It was started in approximately 1916 and taught by the wife of the minister at that time. Later, it was taught by Rev. Ralph Smith until he left for India where he worked as a missionary. In addition to their local outreach work, the “Won-by-One” class supported Rev. Smith and his wife by sending money to India to fund their work there. At different times Rev. Newcombe and Rev. Wentworth also taught the class, in addition to their ministerial duties.
The “Won-by-One” class was co-ed. During the same timeframe, there was also a men's “Service Class” led by J. Alex Wallace. The family names Knox, Crabb, and Lindsay appear in the class list and will be familiar today since they all have descendants who are still involved in the church. Longtime members will also recognize names such as Flemming, White, Whitehead, Butcher, Showers, and probably more.
There was also the “J.O.Y.” class, which stood for “Jesus, Others, and You”. That was the women's class of the era, although it outlasted the others by many years. One of their projects in 1939 was to publish a cookbook to raise funds that went towards paying off the mortgage on the church sanctuary. The adult Sunday School classes were about much more than just studying scripture.
All of the adult classes were highly structured with something akin to the “student's council” of today's high schools. Each class elected a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and more. These positions were in addition to having a dedicated teacher (and often an assistant teacher or two) and served very different purposes. Some classes even had a social committee to organize events outside of Sunday School class time. They would all fundraise for the church or for mission work. Adult Sunday School was a whole community within the larger church.
Of course, many of these adults had young families. School age children were in Sunday School classes of their own. The youngest children were part of the “Cradle Roll”, which was more than just a nursery program. At the end of each school year, there would be a “Cradle Roll” graduation party for the toddlers who had reached an age where they could move on to a kindergarten class. Jay Hoover reportedly still has his graduation certificate!
When First Baptist had a Sunday School program it was referred to as “Sunday School for all ages”. It certainly lived up to that promise for most its history. Children attended with their parents and even grandparents. It also kept families involved in the church for generations.
“Won-By-One” Sunday School Class, October, 1927
“Cradle Roll” Party, May, 1948
