By David Wright
On Sunday evening Adrian Miller came into the auditorium lobby carrying Aden, who was crying. Apparently, the walk through the education wing had reminded the handsome little guy of the Bible class he enjoyed earlier in the day. I patted Aden on the back and consoled him with the offer that he could sleep through my sermon. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but he immediately perked up and wanted to get down and play for a few minutes before worship began.
Aden's momentary agitation is eloquent testimony to the quality of the Meigs Avenue Bible education program. Yes, preparing good lessons is very time-consuming, and (because fear of public speaking is common) presenting Bible classes makes some people nervous. But teachers, your excellent work is paying off.
Aden's sense of loss at the thought of missing a class is also eloquent testimony to the importance of our Bible education program. Responsible Christian parents never question the significance of taking a child to school every day. By the time a student graduates from high school, he has been in the classroom 16,380 hours (this number assumes a perfect attendance record). But many parents worry that an academic education consisting of 16,380 hours is insufficient preparation for life, and so they make great sacrifices to send their graduate to college. But how many hours has an 18-year-old sat in Sunday morning and Wednesday evening Bible classes? Only 1404 hours—assuming perfect attendance and habitual promptness.
Of course, parents who bring their children to Bible classes probably have them in worship services too, and some families have daily devotionals. These additional teaching opportunities must add up to an impressive number of hours, right? Not really. Two worship services on Sunday, two weekly Bible classes, and five daily home devotionals averaging 15 minutes each add up to only 4,446 hours. This number of hours (again based on perfect attendance) equals the academic training a child receives by Christmas break of his third grade year in public school. This means that every worship service and every Bible class is a learning opportunity of utmost spiritual value.
