Ministers: D. Eugene Bradford, Calvin K. Cummings, Burton L. Goddard
Elders: Gordon H. Clark, Evan Runner.
1946. REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. Minutes of the Thirteenth General Assembly. The Orthodox Presbyterian Church. May 21-28. Pgs. 31-37.
THE REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION OF THE ORTHODOX
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH FOR TBE YEAR ENDING MARCH 31, 1946
The Committee on Christian Education has held four meetings
during the year.
Christian School Societies
During the year it can be reported that at least two more
Christian School Societies have been started in communities in which an
Orthodox Presbyterian Church is located: one in Vineland, N. J., and one in
Oostburg, Wisconsin. It is to be hoped that schools will be started in each
place in the autumn of 1946. It is also planned to open a school in Bridgeton,
N. J. in the autumn. We must again call attention to the fact that one of the
most fundamental works of Christian Education is. the establishment and
maintenance of Christian Day Schools as carried on by the Christian School
Societies. We would urge all the Christian School Societies already established
to plan to open a Christian School as soon as possible. The Christian School at
Willow Grove and the one at Middletown, Pa., are prospering with two teachers
in each school, and practically capacity attendance. The Christian School
Society in Willow Grove contemplates the erection of a modern school building
when building controls are lifted and the present property can be sold.
Sunday School Conventions
In September, 1945, a successful Sunday School Convention of
many churches in the Eastern states was held for two days in Willow Grove under
the auspices of the Committee on Christian Education. Inspiring and instructive
addresses on various phases of the work were given by various ministers and
Sunday School workers. Sunday School conventions have been held in Western
Pennsylvania and in New Haven, Conn. It was hoped that other local Sunday
School Conventions would be held, but they could not be organized. We plan to
hold another general convention in the fall of 1946, and we hope there will be
an even greater attendance this year.
Covenant Children
We would once more call attention to “The Directory For The
Public Worship Of God,” Chapter V, Section I, and urge the pastors of our
churches who are not now doing so to organize classes for the regular doctrinal
instruction of covenant youth. It is not sufficient that they should attend
Sunday School, for the Sunday Schools should be primarily evangelistic agencies
for reaching the unchurched children of the community, and thus in the nature
of the case cannot give all the doctrinal instruction the children of the
covenant should receive from the church. It was hoped that a detailed program
of graded catechetical training could be presented to the Thirteenth General
Assembly, but the subcommittee appointed to prepare such a course has been
unable to complete the work. The office of the Committee, however, will be glad
to offer suggestions concerning the organizing of such classes for doctrinal
instruction of the children of the covenant.
Sunday School Work During the year the Two-Year Sunday
School Course for Beginners was completed, and the Manuals for the first year
of this course have been revised and published in mimeographed form. While such
revision does not take as much time as writing the lessons in the first place,
it is nevertheless an arduous task for all concerned. Much of the time of
several members of the Committee and of the General Secretary has been consumed
in the details of such revision. During part of the year Mrs. Richard Gaffin
has assisted in preparing the first draft of such revision.
The work of preparing the Primary Sunday School Lessons and
Junior Lessons is not completed as yet, but the Committee is planning to begin
the publication of the Primary Sunday School Lessons in the fourth quarter of
1946. The Committee is not expecting to publish the Junior lessons this year.
The Primary Lessons are being prepared by Miss Harriet Teal of Denver.
During the year- Mr. Raymond Meiners has prepared the
student anticipation sheets for use in connection with the Sunday School
Lessons published by the Christian Reformed “Key” and Mr. Dunn has continued to
prepare the teacher’s helps for the same lessons.
Summer Bible Schools
The Summer Bible School work continues to grow. During the
summer of 1945, 57 churches used the Summer Bible School material published by
our Committee as compared with 43 in 1944. The following table will show the
growth in one year:
1944 1945
Schools Using Our Material - - - - - - - - 43 57
Beginner-Primary Teacher’s Manual - - 116 140
Beginners’ Work Book - - - - - - - - - - - 848
Primary Work Books - - - - - - - - - - - - 1643 1170
Junior Teacher’s Manual - - - - - - - - - - 100 125
Junior Work Books - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1266 1566
Intermediate-Senior Teacher’s Manual - 69 63
Intermediate Work Books - - - - - - - - 577 653
Total Manuals - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 285 328
Total Work Books - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3446 4237
With the end of the war and the removal of gas rationing, we
expect that this year will see a great increase in the number of pupils
attending our Summer Bible Schools. The three-year Summer Bible School course
prepared by our Committee will be completed with the 1946 course. The 1946
course is as follows: Beginners-Primary Course, STORIES FROM THE LIFE OF DAVID.
Junior course, GOD’S MISSIONARY BOOK (Acts); Senior-Intermediate Course, GOD
AND THE ARTS. These courses are again prepared by Mrs. Charles Ellis, (Senior-Intermediate),
Mrs. Richard Gray (Junior), Miss Margaret Duff (Beginners-Primary).
YOUNG PEOPLE’S LESSONS
The Young People’s Lessons for the past year have been
edited and partly written by the General Secretary. The following courses have
been added to the list of lessons now available: The Christian Life, The
Inspiration of the Scriptures, The Kingdom Parables, The Holy Spirit and
Salvation, Practical Religion. With the close of the war it is to be hoped that
many new societies will be started and that there will be a large increase in
attendance at the meetings.
TRACT PUBLICATION
During the year the following tracts were reprinted:
Communicant Church Membership, and A Tragic Mistake. The formation of the
Tract-A-Month Club enabled us to publish a new short tract each month. Editions
of 10,000 each were published. The following titles have been issued: ‘Atomic
Bomb’, ‘Peace’, ‘Reconversion’, ‘Strike’, ‘United Nations’, ‘Fear’. These have
all been written by Mr. Hamilton.
‘Teach’ and ‘The Orthodox Presbyterian Messenger’
Several issues of the magazine ‘Teach’ were issued at the
beginning of the year, but this magazine was later combined in ‘The Orthodox
Presbyterian Messenger’ published jointly with the Home and Foreign Missions
Committees. This magazine is sent to each family in our church. It attempts to
familiarize the members of our church with the work of the three standing
committees.
Tract-Bulletin
The Tract-Bulletins have been continued during 'the past
year with about the same number of subscribers. They can be secured with each
church's own imprint for $1.25 per hundred if 2000 are paid for in advance, or
$1.50 per 100 if paid for by the month as received. Each church can mimeograph
its own notices and order of service on one side while the other side contains
a gospel tract, to reach those outside the church. Each member of the church is
expected to distribute the Tract Bulletin to four people each month, and to
keep up such distribution month after month until they become interested in the
local church. It is to be regretted that more churches do not use these
Bulletins.
Tract Distribution
Free tracts have been mailed to most of the ministers, in
the Presbyterian Church in the U. S. and to the ministers of the Christian
Reformed Church. Evangelistic tracts have been sent to some men who distributed
them to soldiers and others.
Finances
Contributions from the churches were greatly increased
during the year because many churches contributed approximately fifteen per
cent of the amount of their total benevolence budgets to the work of the
Committee on Christian Education. The increase in the work of the Committee
office during the next fiscal year, however, due to the contemplated
publication of Primary Sunday School Lessons, will be so great that another
full-time stenographer will probably have to be employed, thus greatly
increasing the expenses of the work. The audited report of the Treasurer is
found at the end of this report. The Committee has found it necessary in view
of increased overhead costs to establish a policy of including a larger
percentage of this cost in the prices of its materials. By charging prices more
nearly adjusted to our total cost of production our Committee feels it can
carry its increasing schedule of publications without requesting additional aid
from the churches beyond the 15% of the benevolence budgets authorized by the
Twelfth General Assembly. The Committee however, calls attention to its great
need of receiving this full proportion of benevolence giving. This goal was not
met in the past year, and while the budget of our committee is not based on our
receiving the complete amount this year, it is based on a large increase in the
number of churches giving this support.
The following Budget is proposed for 1946-1947:
Expenditures
Materials Acct.
Tracts – $1,000.00
Summer Bible School – 800.00
Young People's Lessons – 60.00
Sunday School Lessons – 1,500.00
Salaries – 6,800.00
Travel:
General Secretary – 300.00
Committee Members – 150.00
Rent – 660.00
Telephone – 100.00
Water – 15.00
Office Supplies and Equipment – 630.00
Postage (office) – 100.00
Corporation Expense – 25.00
Audit – 50.00
Advertising – 100.00
Miscellaneous – 10.00
Guardian – 120.00
Total – $12,420.00
The following Financial Report for 1946-1946 had been
prepared, by , Main and Company, the Auditors.
REPORT ON EXAMINATION
THE COMMITTEE ON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION OF
THE ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, INC.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
MARCH 31, 1946
April 30, 1946
The Committee on Christian Education of The Orthodox
Presbyterian Church, Inc.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Sirs:
In accordance with your authorization, we have examined the
cash accounts of the treasurer of
THE COMMITTEE ON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION OF THE ORTHODOX
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, INC.
for the year ended March 31, 1946 and submit a statement of
Cash Receipts and Disbursements for the year then ended.
Recorded receipts were reconciled in total to deposits as
shown by statements rendered by the bank. We were unable to trace receipts
directly to the individual recorded deposits because of the manner in which the
receipts were deposited. All cash disbursements entries were supported by
properly executed and cancelled checks. Such tests were made as were necessary
to satisfy us as to the general propriety of disbursements, and as to the
correct designation of recorded receipts. The balance in the bank at March 31,
1946 was confirmed by direct correspondence with the depository, Petty cash was
checked by actual count.
During the period under examination, the Committee purchased
a Vari-Typer machine at a cost of $625.00. Under the purchase agreement a down payment
of $180.00 in Cash was made, the balance of $445.00 to be paid in monthly
installments of $20.00 plus interest charges of 4%, payments to begin in
January, 1947.
We express our appreciation for the courtesies extended to
our representative during the course of examination.
Respectfully submitted,
(Signed) MAIN and COMPANY
Certified Public Accountants
STATEMENT OF CASH RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED MARCH 31,1946
THE COMMITTEE ON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION OF
THE ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, INC.
Balance, April. 1, 1945
Cash-in Bank $694.88
Cash on Hand 25.32 720.20
Receipts
Gifts - General Fund $5,529.11
Gifts - Tract Distribution 73.40 5,602.51
Other Receipts:
Tracts Sold $1,567.68
Summer Bible School 678.38
Young People’s Lessons 91.36
Sunday School Lessons 1,396.50
Catechism Course 47.17
Miscellaneous Receipts:
For Christmas Play $11.12
For Mailing Expenses 14.38
For Traveling Expenses 83.39
For Supplies 17.45
Refunds 25.12 151.46 3,932.55
Total Available Cash $10,255.26
Disbursements
Materials Accounts:
Tracts $1,881.01
Summer Bible School 609.38
Young People’s Lessons 50.14
Sunday School Lessons 573.38
Catechism Course 99.38 $3,213.29
Traveling Expenses:
Committee Meeting $119.69
General Secretary 192.28 311.97
Office and Administrative Expenses:
Salaries $4,492.15
Rent 442.50
Telephone and Telegraph $99.45
Less: Refunds 1.11 98.34
Water 14.10
Office Supplies and Equipment:
Down Payment on Vari-Typer
Equipment for Vari-Typer 108.84
Stationery and Mimeographing Material 210.93
Postage and Mailing Expense 103.73
Supplies 72.46
Repairs 9.19
Addressograph Expense 4.76 689.91 5,737.00
Other Disbursements:
Support of “The Messenger” $162.63
Audit 50.00
Corporation Expense 25.00
Miscellaneous 23.60 261.23
Total Disbursements $9,523.49
Balance, March 31, 1946 $731.77
Accounted for as follows:
Cash in Bank $681.77
Petty Cash 50.00
$731.77
The terms of the following Committee members expire at this
General Assembly:
Ministers: Eugene Bradford, Calvin K. Cummings, Burton L.
Goddard.
Elders: Gordon H. Clark, Ph.D., H. Evan Runner.
The committee on Christian Education makes the following
recommendations:
1. That the Assembly recommend that presbyteries elect
committees to encourage the formation of Christian School Societies within
their borders.
2. That the Assembly approve the Committee's plan to ask the
churches that do not already do so to support its work to the extent of at
least fifteen per cent of their benevolence budgets, with a goal of at least
three cents per week per communicant member.
3. That the Assembly recommend that its churches consider
providing scholar- ships to make it possible for their young people to attend
the summer Bible conferences conducted by our ministers.
4. That the Assembly recommend to the churches the frequent
reading of the Ten Commandments in the services of public worship.
5. That the Assembly recommend that churches, church organizations
and church members seek to place the Westminster Theological Journal in
theological, academic and public libraries in their respective communities.
6. That the Assembly recommend that churches and church
organizations con- tribute as they are able to the support of Westminster
Theological Seminary and that they make an effort to present the witness of the
Seminary to pre-ministerial students in their respective communities.
7. That the Assembly recommend that churches and church
organizations seek to acquaint the families of the local churches with The Presbyterian
Guardian as a means of Christian education. Assembly:
Respectfully submitted,
THE COMMITTEE ON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
Of The Orthodox Presbyterian Church
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