Sunday School Memories

[Freakconformist]

I grew up in a Church of God Church, my grandfather was the preacher. Though we moved when I was still a kid I have a lot of memories from my grandfather's Church.

I remember once when I was about 5 my grandfather mentioned me during his sermon once, and I stood up in the pew and bowed to the congregation. Sure that sounds cute and funny now, but I was really embarassed when I realized everybody was laughing at me.

I remember I always wanted to be an angel in the Chirstmas pagent to wear gold wings and sing "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing!", but I was always too young and I was always told "next year". Finally the year I was 7 and old enough to learn my lines, my grandfather decided to do something different for Christmas.

He put out a big Christmas tree and told the story of Christmas from a rocking chair on stage. They had several children at his feet, but again I wasn't invited to be with them. I was really disappointed, especially since the presents under the tree looked really big.

During the after service I was so sad I sat and stared out the windows, which were textured so the ouside enviroment wouldn't distract the congregation. It was then I realized Angels were sitting outside the Church. Some would say they were street lamps and the light was being refracted on the textured windows, but to a seven year old that just had a lousy Christmas, they were angels.

I realized that they must be out there dancing for Jesus' Birthday! I wondered if they were silently singing "Hark, the Herald Angel's sing!"? I strained my ears trying to listen but all I could here were people talking and wishing each other "Merry Chirstmas". I wanted to go outside and listen, but I know somebody would have stopped me. Besides, I realized, by that time they would have gone off to dance somewhere else.

We moved the next year and we hardly ever went to church again, much less a Christmas pagent, until I decided to start going again on my own. By that time I had my share of bad Christmas' and the magic was just gone. I never saw the angels agian.

What kind of memories do you have of Church from your childhood? Were they good memories? Were you ever disappointed?

Thanks for sharing!

 

[A New Dawn]

Wow! Those are some really sad memories.

I remember on Sunday nights, before the evening service, we had a song service, lasted about a half-hour, and we all got to ask for our favorites. That is where I came to love hymns. I have half of that hymnal that we used back then memorized.

And I remember that we had Wednesday night prayer & testimony service. I have 4 brothers, and my mother would bring all of us, and we were expected to participate. (Looking back on it, I wonder if all the other adult attendees (we were the only children there) got tired of our childish prayers.)

 

[Freakconformist]

Never! When I think of the "childish" prayers of the children at our church they are always the funniest and most inspired. Sometimes it's the Adult's prayers that get long and boring.

Adult's tend to repeat themselves alot, just in case God didn't hear them the first time, Children are short and to the point.

Sometimes we have to remember to pray like a child.

 

[lonnienord]

JESUS loves kids!!

i remember songs: "JESUS loves the little children" "The B~I~B~L~E" "JESUS loves me" etc.

 

[TammyInChrist]

Never! When I think of the "childish" prayers of the children at our church they are always the funniest and most inspired. Sometimes it's the Adult's prayers that get long and boring.

Adult's tend to repeat themselves alot, just in case God didn't hear them the first time, Children are short and to the point.

Sometimes we have to remember to pray like a child.

Jesus said let the little children come unto me....and we must have the faith of a little child....and they shall be led by children! that is why we are called the children of God

I think if the church had more services where children could share it would be a dynamic church that would draw all kinds of people unto the saving knowledge of Jesus!

 

[TammyInChrist]

My memories of church as a child were wonderful, I can remember going to Sunday Schoool and Wednesday Class with the others and making arts and crafts with scripture etc. I remember singing in the choir....back then it was open to ALL that would be a part! I also had a tamborine that I played in every service....WOW what great memories

I remember a special time that we had a tent revival in the back yard of the church with saw dust on the ground and everything! The altar was open for anyone that wanted to come down and I remember being there a really long time with my hands raised and tears rolling down my face.....I know I was in the presence of God.....when I opened my eyes I was the only one still there

 

[Freakconformist]

Wow, that sounds like a real special memeory Tammy. Don't be embarassed of it, Jesus loves children because they don't hide thier feelings like adults do.

Sometimes I wonder if I should stop worshiping just because everybody else has stopped, but of coarse by then the Spirit has moved on. Adults, I thik have a harder time holding on to that moment of peace.

Your tamborine reminds me of Tiffany, she's a five year old little girl with big blue eyes and big platinum blonde curls. She just looks likes she's ready to be spoiled, esspecially by daddy. And she durring worship she likes to come up and do cartwheels infront of the podium until she's all tuckered out.

Jenda, sorry my stories made you sad. They are the way I tell them, but I've always been a sensitive child. I'm sure nobody ment to exclude me. Here's a happier one.

My Grandfather's church sits in the middle of a 10 acre lot in the middle of Savannah Branch, Louisianna. By time Easter rolls around it was warm enough to have an outdoor pot luck, which the church did every year. Along with the picnic we had an Easter Egg hunt! So after Church all the little girls dressed up in thier frilly pink, yellow, mint, and white dresses (never blue, blue is a boy color, yuck-ee) with matching frilly hats, frilly gloves and underwear with matching frills on the bottom(at least I did, I thought they were funny), and the boys dressed in what ever thier dads threw them in(because the moms were busy getting thier little girls into these silly dresses), we were sent into the church yard to find as many eggs as we could find! With admonishments to keep out dresses clean of coarse. (How likely do you think that was? Yeah, me too.)

So guess who had the unfair advantage, huh? Could it be the Pastor's granddaughter who had explored these many trees and hidding places almost everyday of every summer? Mmmm, maybe. Of coarse, I was having so much fun just looking for eggs I didn't realize the hunt had been called off. I just remember my sister (about 9 years older, so too be a part of an Easter Egg hunt) running up to me and saying "Here you are! Come on!" We went back to the Church and all the eggs were counted and guess what? I won! Yay! But what did I win, did I get to look for more eggs? No, I got a one foot tall chocolate easter bunny, mmmm! Of coarse at my age it looked three feet tall, I didn't even get to finish it. I was so sick of it after I ate the head off. I finally decided to share with my brother. (Who had of coarse, been begging me for a piece the whole time, and wondering how a little girl like me -younger by a 15 months- could find more eggs then he could.)

The End,

 

[A New Dawn]

I remember when the missionaries would come and spend a week, or so, and every night we would have meetings and they would talk about their missions. My favorite one was the one who went to Hawaii. He would teach us Hawaiian songs and play Hawaiian music and his wife would wear Hawaiian dresses, and they would tell us all the wonderful ways God was working there.

Listening to the missionaries was my favorite time.

 

[SparkyMaddie]

My only memory of sunday school being a bad experience is when a little boy drew naked people cartoon pictures all over the blank study page part of my church book and my mom thought I did it at first,and I got in trouble.she was the teacher! I was 6.He caused alot of classroom problems and still does in school Bad memory of this situation.

 

[Freakconformist]

My only memory of sunday school being a bad experience is when a little boy drew naked people cartoon pictures all over the blank study page part of my church book and my mom thought I did it at first,and I got in trouble.she was the teacher! I was 6.He caused alot of classroom problems and still does in school Bad memory of this situation.

Uh-oh, Kind of makes you wonder how and why a little boy would be drawing pictures of naked people though. It may have been a cry for

I hope your mom eventually apologized for blaming you. Adults too aften forget to apologize to kids when they make a mistake.