"As will be seen in a later page, we are hoping to make certain alterations in our Sunday School arrangements in the autumn. We also have in mind the formation of a Youth Fellowship to be more closely attached to the Church than the old youth club use to be.

We should like to form one affiliated to the Anglican Young People’s Association, which has four principles - Worship, Work, Fellowship and Edification - and definately expects loyalty and high standards from its members. But there is no reason at all why these should lessen the fun: indeed, they should help to strengthen it. If any young people who read this are interested, would they let me or the Parochial Youth Officer, Mrs. Casey, know?

Sunday School
For some time it has been felt that to hold our Sunday School classes in the morning at the times we do is not entirely satisfactory. It means that none of the children or teachers can ever attend the mid-morning service - they lose something by this, and the Church as a whole loses too. It also means that the vicar has never been able to visit the Sunday School since he came, and if present arrangements continue, will perhaps never be able to do so. He therefore has very little contact with many of the children, and cannot get to know them as he would like to do.

It is therefore proposed that from the start of the new school-year next September the Sunday School should be held in the afternoon. Another advantage which we hope may in time follow from this change is an increase in the number of teachers. The present afternoon Children’s Service would not then be held every week, but from time to time there would be special services in church for all members of the Sunday School.

This change cannot of course be successfully brought about without the good-will and co-operation of the parents. We know that some parents will find it somewhat inconvenient but we feel that if we can hold the Sunday School early enough - say at 2.30 p.m. - it would still leave time for family-outings afterwards. In any case, we should like to know what their reactions are to this suggestion by Sunday, June 15th.

It may be that some parents have had experience of teaching in the past, and would be willing to consider starting again. If so, we should be glad to hear of them, for our present band of teachers is too small for the important work in hand. And in September we are hoping to open at least an Infants’ Sunday School on the Rectory Farm Estate."

Source: The Spire Magazine - 1952 June

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