Collection › LCMS Convention Proceedings (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1935 · 36th Convention, Cleveland › Page 5
LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1935, Page 5

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

Ev. Luth. Synod; of: Missouri, Ohio, and Other States. 1935. 05

This.undertaking met with outstanding: success. 124 men and women,
pastors, day-school teachers, and Sunday-school workers, assembled to
spend a week of pleasant association, of intensive work, and helpful
_ discussion of common problems. Another institute of this kind will
be conducted July 8—12, 1935. While the Board originally. suggested
this project, it could never have been carried out but for the willing
cooperation of the Board of Management of the River Forest Sum-
mer-school. It is to be hoped not only that this institute may.be a
permanent institution in River Forest; but that similar institutes,
providing opportunity for. resident work, may be made available in
various parts of our Synod. The Board recognizes its responsibility
to Synod at large for providing material for teacher-training. This
question has-been made the subject of intensive study, and the Board
expects to take definite steps for systematic teacher-training in the
course of the next. triennium. — The Sunday-school Department is
making a careful study of such educational problems as may directly
or indirectly involve the work of the Sunday-school. The place of
Bible History and of Catechism in our curriculum of religious in-
struction, modern educational theories, Bible-class work, the method
of teaching, the-aims of religious teaching, are some of the subjects
which ‘are being investigated. The object is of course to keep our
Sunday-school literature up to date and not to sacrifice any of the
principles of sound . Scriptural psychology and pedagogy and to give
the proper advice and guidance to our Sunday-school teachers.

The Sunday-school Department also serves as a general clearing-
house for Sunday-school questions. This entails considerable cor-
respondence. Whenever opportunity presents itself, the office is repre-
sented at Sunday-school association meetings, our men serving a8
essayists and speakers. In the past the groups inviting. our men have
borne the expense incurred by such trips.

- - Other Agencies. -

In addition to the school ‘and ‘Sunday-school we have for the
Christian training of our children the Saturday-school, the summer-
school, or daily vacation Bible-school, and week-day religious instruc-
tion. In 1933 there were 708 Saturday-schools, with an enrolment of
14,700; 606 summer-schools, with an enrolment of 16,560. No reliable
figures are available for week-day_ religious instruction. All three
institutions offer a splendid opportunity for supplementary work
where only a Sunday-school exists. There are many reasons why the
Saturday-school andthe’summer-school especially should have a much
larger enrolment in our Synod. Under the auspices of the Board,
Mr. A. C. Stellhorn has prepared a manual for these aforementioned
agencies, which should be: a great-help:to pastors and. teachers and
should stimulate-interest in, these: institutions for the training of our