# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1953_S199
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

PARISH EDUCATION 199

Saturday Schools.— Unlike the vacation Bible school, the
y school has not grown. During the last ten years the
f schools has fluctuated between 650 and 840, showing
los -in the over-all picture. The 1951 figure was 691, which
sts a loss of 50 schools since 1949.

¢ pite the loss indicated, the number of pupils enrolled has
Sairly even (between 14,000 and 16,000). The 1951 figure was
epresenting a gain of about 500 children as compared with
evious year. The number of non-member children enrolled
been quite steady, staying near the 2,000 mark.

here are some signs of renewed interest in the Saturday
%In advocating the promotion and support of the Saturday
e following arguments can be advanced: it affords time
sive instruction — up to three hours for every class ses-
time is available for instruction in Bible history, doctrine
ymnology, liturgics, etc.; furthermore, time is available
ective use of pictures and other modern helps.

can be no doubt that the Saturday school can be a help-
ition to the educational program of a congregation; there-
more congregations, especially those that do not have a
school, should give serious thought to the establishing
iturday school and to providing for its promotion and support.
ertainty exists with respect to the place and the curriculum
aturday school among our agencies of religious instruction,
cation would be helpful. In the previous convention of
e Board for Parish Education was asked to explore the
the Saturday school, but, unfortunately, time was not

‘non-member children included in the enrollment, as
swing statistics reveal:

Non-Member
Schools Enrollment Children
anne een tetee cece 682 17,548 5,646
wen -. 705 18,407 5,184
Nteeeeenemeenncnnnee scenmenesenenene 376 13,998 4,194
.-—-.. 348 14,458 4,264

rexplanation of the situation may be that the impact of the
court ruling in the McCollum case was not felt until 1950;
there seems to be no good reason at the present time for
ed: decrease in the number of schools. In fact, recent
s, including the Supreme Court ruling on the program
+time classes in New York, have been favorable for the