Sunday schools

[Arran]

There were thousands of Christian Sunday schools in Britain during the 1950s but they have now almost completely vanished. The government in the 1950s deemed that Christian Sunday schools were so much a part of the fabric of the nation that legislation was passed that no TV programmes for children, or would appeal to children, could be shown on a Sunday afternoon because children were meant to be at Sunday school.

Sunday schools still exist in significant quantities but most of them are either secular tuition - usually mathematics and English - or Islamic rather than Christian. It's estimated that since 2000 more Muslim children attend a religious Sunday school than Christian children do. I have a feeling that Christian Sunday schools are still hanging on in parts of rural Wales, the Outer Hebrides, and possibly Northern Ireland but they are now very rare in bigger cities and many which still remain cater primarily for ethnic Christian children.

Did anybody here attend a Christian Sunday school?

[amethyst]

Re: Sunday schools

I had to go whether I liked it or not up until the age of 13 then stopped.

[staffslad]

Re: Sunday schools

I attended a Methodist Sunday School from around 1967 to the early 1970s. I don't remember too much about it except each week we were given a sticker to stick into a book. Also, it may have been held in the mornings, either concurrently with the main service or straight after it.

Another Methodist church near us still holds a kind of Sunday School but it is only held once a month in the afternoon. I know that the local Salvation Army hall held a Sunday School straight after the service and our local C of E church held one running concurrently with the service, and they were still running the last I heard. I think the trend is away from calling them 'Sunday Schools' now to things like 'Sunday Club', 'Seekers', and so forth, or that is how it appears to be around here.

[marc]

Re: Sunday schools

I remember Sunday School at Bethlehem chapel Mount Pleasant, Porth. It was held in the afternoon. We would go to the ordinary service, then after the first Hymn and prayer, we would go down to the basement. We were then told a parable and the explanation. Other times we were told a story from the bible. There was more than this, but unfortunately, I can't really remember any more. One of the teachers was called Megan (?). We used to call her Auntie Megan. I think she died around 1983. She had a very big funeral.

[darren]

Re: Sunday schools

Think i went to sunday school till i was 16 or 17.
Always had to dress nice.

We went for one hour.

Trousers and jumper where that material which iched like mad.

[Mulletino]

Re: Sunday schools

We used to go till we were old enough to choose to or not. All I remember is that we had to remember passages from the bible to get little stickers of said passage with a picture on. I think we went there when the adults were in the normal service. We also had to "dress up" and it was a requirement for joining "Anchor Boys" which was the precursor to the "Boy's Brigade", we wore very itchy woolly jumpers.

I also remember that afterwards we used to walk to the nearby sweet shop and buy sweets. At that time I got Kojak Bubble Gum among other things. Years later I remember buying magazines from the same newsagent with Computer Listings in, oh and cheap Airfix Kits. The shop is a fireplace shop now.

[Richard1978]

Re: Sunday schools

I remember my cousins were in the Anchor boys, & at least once when we stayed the weekend went along with them to Sunday school.

[zabadak]

Re: Sunday schools

My parents wanted to enrol me in the local Sunday School when we moved into the area but there were no spaces...

[amethyst]

Re: Sunday schools

It was always wear best outfit for sunday.I remember one easter probably when I was around 10years having a pink suit,white blouse,white ankle socks,white sandals,white gloves and handbag with a white straw hat

[darren]

Re: Sunday schools

how did you feel about wearing that outfit.



Im not one for dressing up nice especially if the clothes are tight and i have to wear shoes which cut the feet off me.


which where the very clothes and shoes i had to wear.

it was always wear best outfit for sunday.i remember one easter probably when i was around 10years having a pink suit,white blouse,white ankle socks,white sandals,white gloves and handbag with a white straw hat

[amethyst]

Re: Sunday schools

Ok I suppose better than the bright orange suit I had 2 years later

[zabadak]

Re: Sunday schools

Reading these stories, Bart Simpson in church springs to mind...