TWO FRUITFUL TREES

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, Cal. · Jan 6, 1881

TWO FRUITFUL TREES.

For about two years it has been the custom of the Oakland Sabbath-school to hold quarterly reunions, at which time the officers are elected, the class contribution boxes opened, and any other business transacted. This quarter it was thought best to hold the reunion on the Sunday evening following Christmas, uniting with it exercises appropriate to that occasion.

Preparations were accordingly made, and on Sunday evening the church was crowded. The house was beautifully decorated, and two trees laden with presents adorned the platform. Between the trees an arched motto, "It is more blessed to give than to receive," at once told the object of the gathering. The offerings upon the trees were not for the individuals present, but, like the gifts of the wise men of old, were for the Lord, and consisted of sums of money from five cents to five dollars, neatly arranged in ornamental receptacles. Over one tree was the motto, "Feed my Sheep." The contributions of this tree were to be appropriated to the church—to the work of painting and repairing the building. Over the other tree were the words, "Feed my Lambs." The proceeds of this were to go toward fitting up the lower room with proper furniture for the primary department of the Sabbath-school, which is rapidly increasing in numbers.

The exercises of the evening were opened by singing, and the reading of the second chapter of Matthew. Then followed the Secretary's report for the year and quarter just closed, after which the Superintendent gave a brief history of the school. After noticing the progress of the work in this city from the time a few first commenced to keep the seventh-day Sabbath about eight years ago, he stated that the first Sabbath-school was organized in July, 1874, with about fifty scholars.

At the beginning of 1879 there were one hundred members, and during the last six months, the records show a steady increase from 123 to 170. This increase may be attributable to either or all of three things: The addition of members to the church, the active labors of a few in distributing the Instructor, or to the teachers' meetings which have been held weekly during most of the time, for consultation and prayer.

At the commencement of the year there were, in what is now known as the primary and children's divisions, only 49 members and 7 classes. Now this division shows a membership of 85 with 12 classes, having nearly doubled during the time.

The school at the present time is divided into three divisions, studying three series of lessons. These meet together for the opening and closing exercises, but separate during the class and general recitations,—the first and second divisions going to the lower room. This enables all three of the divisions to engage in a general review of the lesson at the same time without confusion.

Following the remarks of the Superintendent, a roll of honor was read, on which were placed the names of fifty scholars who had attended school during the entire quarter without missing a Sabbath. A careful examination of the records also showed that there were five who had not been absent during the year. Unexpectedly to all, the Superintendent then presented each of these with a Bible "as a richly merited prize for attendance at Sabbath-school without a single absence during the year 1880."

Then followed a song by the children, "No Friend like Jesus," and an address by Prof. Aldrich. He spoke particularly to the children, referring to the fabulous tales of Santa Claus, and the desire that children often have to see this strange personage, and travel with him from place to place with presents for other children. He then congratulated them upon having turned into Santa Claus themselves, and hoped they would all realize the truth of the motto before them, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

The gathering of the fruit was one of the most interesting parts of the exercises, and considering that quite a sum had just been raised by subscription for church repairs, the yield of $182 was unexpectedly good.

All present seemed to enjoy the occasion, and it is to be hoped that the result will be seen in an increase in numbers and in regularity of attendance at the school during 1881.

THE MINISTER AND THE SCHOOL.

There is truth, if not the whole truth, in Dr. Tyng's position on this subject. The pastor of a church is the natural, perpetual, ex-officio superintendent of its Sabbath-school. Few pastors, indeed have the physical strength, even where they have every other qualification, to go through the details of actual supervision, as Dr. Tyng does. Yet every pastor, who is wise, will keep himself in constant, living contact with his school. He should be in it some portion of the time every Sabbath. He need not burden himself with the care of minute supervision. But he should know every teacher, and if possible, every scholar. He should know what is going on in the school, what they are studying, what hymns they sing, what they are doing in the way of benevolence. He should every Sabbath catch fire from the warm, young hearts there assembled, and let his own heart give back an answering glow. He should move in and out among the classes in kindly and genial sympathy, giving and catching sunshine by his presence. A half hour so spent by the pastor is better preparation for the pulpit than studying points of elocution in his chamber, or practising posture and gesticulation before his mirror.

That in which preaching usually is most deficient, is want of sympathy between the speaker and his hearers. There is often an awful, impassable gulf between the pulpit and the pew. The familiar intercourse of the school-room helps to bridge over this gulf. The teachers and the children, who form no inconsiderable part of the congregation, feel that the speaker in that distant pulpit is not so far off, after all. He is the same kind friend who has just given them a cordial greeting, a pleasant smile, a warm pressure of the hand. His words come to them as a fresh coinage from the heart.

This is not all. The effect is still more marked upon the speaker. The preacher cannot help being warmed up with his solemn message, when delivering it to those among whom he has just been mingling in loving and familiar intercourse. It is only by this constant intercourse with his school, is the minister's heart warmed and set aglow for the actual delivery of his sermon, but the school furnishes him with a perennial source of subjects for discourse. There are two volumes in which the minister finds his text. One is in the leaves of his Bible, the other is in the hearts of his people. No portion of his people open their hearts with so warm and ready a sympathy as those in the Sabbath-school. There the practiced eye of the wise and thoughtful pastor sees what truths most need present illustration and support, what errors need to be refuted, what influences are to be resisted, what mining is to be countermined, when the promises, when the warnings of the gospel are to be pressed. The school is to him the unerring pulse by which the life of the great congregation may be read, and its spiritual wants predicated.

I have never known a Sabbath-school, in which the pastor thus regularly identified himself with its general life and movement, which did not yield abundant fruits in the way of conversions and additions to the church. It is hardly possible, in the nature of things, that preaching under such circumstances can be without fruit. The school furnishes the sunshine and the rain, under whose genial influences the soil is best prepared and the seed must surely germinates.

In every community, there are families, worldly people, who are not connected with any church, who attend statedly no place of worship. The pastor finds in his Sabbath-school just the agency for bringing such families within the pale of gospel influences, and finally within the church. Children are naturally social and gregarious. The children of worldly parents are easily drawn into the school. If the pastor is there to meet the children and to win their love, the way is not far to the hearts of the parents. I believe the records of every growing church will show that more families from the world are brought into the church by the agency of the Sabbath-school, than by all other causes. But in order to the school producing such results, it must enjoy the continual presence and the active co-operation of the pastor.