p. 5 | Drilling Our Recruits by William A. Spicer

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 12, 1902

Drilling Our Recruits

By William A. Spicer

THE church-school movement is one of the largest factors in our missionary crusade. Next in importance to pushing forward our forces to the frontiers, is the work of training the recruits who must come in to re-enforce the ranks of the missionary army.

The educational forward movement is marked by life abounding, because it answers directly to the call of the hour. It is essentially a missionary enterprise, and wherever our teachers gather to study and counsel, one is sure to find an enthusiastic missionary spirit.

I recently spent a few days at the Berrien Springs Summer Assembly. About seventy-five teachers are in the camp, earnestly and systematically studying to learn the best methods of teaching. By the spirit prevailing, I know that the Lord is preparing blessings for many a church in the work being done at this summer school.

The world is training its recruits. The spirit of the worldly training is seen in the commercialism of the age, and the love of the self-pleasing life. Growing out of this is the intensely national spirit which is stirring the nations to military preparations such as the world has never before seen.

To meet this situation, God has given a gospel message for every nation and tongue. Nothing less than an army of workers is needed to carry the message. Our youth must be drilled at once for service; and this is the work of our teachers. The classes in the summer school at Berrien Springs are not spending their time studying theories. There is insistence that the teachers shall be well-grounded in teaching the common branches. History is studied, not as a glorification of men and of war, but as the story of God’s dealings with the nations, and as a revealing of his hand in preparing the world for the final advent message, which means everything to us. Geography is a study of the world that God loves, and every class recitation is to be a missionary exercise. Throughout all, the Word of God is to be recognized as the fountain head of learning, from whose pure depths the youth and little ones are to drink of the water of life. Working on these principles, the summer-school encampment in the woods has all the refreshing spirit of a protracted camp meeting.

God is surely preparing this people for the grandest and yet most solemn work of witnessing that ever mortals had committed to their charge. This church-school work was a necessity. The time had come when it simply must appear, and God’s hand has been very visibly displayed in bringing forth this newest department of the work. The youth of the denomination must be saved for service, and the children must be trained into Christian faith, and not into the world.

The Lord’s coming is so near at hand that we cannot wait for the young people to grow to maturity, and then learn the way of service. Even the little ones have a part to act in preparing the way of the Lord, and Christian education is to supply the necessary training.

We may well thank God that he does not allow us to settle down in sluggish content. There is always something more to struggle for, some new battle to be fought. It will cost something to save the children, but they are the most precious heritage that the church has. And God is giving us a growing band of teachers, loyally committed, heart and soul, to the work of winning the children

for Christ and his blessed service. Let us as parents stand by them, and help them to reach the practical and high ideals which this movement sets before us.

W. A. S.