The Little Folks Class
Memories are wonderful things. The ripest of them come to term at the most wonderful of times. One hit me last week. It was of being in the old Woodlawn building on the front row sitting on those old “uncushioned” white oak church pews for “the class”. It was always a good “kid kind of cold” in that building. Let me tell you more.
There are just certain things that are such a part of your life you begin to think they just ARE. That is how my dad’s “Little Folks Class” was when I was growing up. I can’t remember the first time I got to go to it, I imagine it was when I turned 3 but I can remember even before that wanting to be a part of it. Watching the “big kids” and thinking how much I wanted to be in it. Dad would begin the class by leading Jesus Loves Me or The B-I-B-L-E and then he would ask questions that the class would shout out the answers in unison. The harder questions we’d sort of “follow a leader” who knew the answer and then dad would ask it again and we’d all get it. To this day I can answer those questions I learned at age 3 or 4. It was simple repetition and it worked wonderfully for all of us.
We’d all be on the front pew or two in the old Woodlawn building 15 minutes before the worship service began on Sunday evenings. Sometimes there would be 4 or 5 kids but most of the time there would be 10 or more if memory serves me right. It was big stuff. For a few years we’d all get dressed up and head up to channel 6 in Birmingham and sit on little risers and dad would ask the Bible questions right there, live as channel 6 advertised “in living color”.
I asked dad about some of the specifics of the class. He couldn’t quite remember if the idea came from a brother Estes or Jack Rollings over in Athens, AL. But he started conducting the “Little Folks Class” in 1954 when he was still in college but already preaching at the Union church over near Decatur, AL. The class was for kids ages 3-10. He conducted it in the auditorium so the adults could learn the Bible facts as well! And the time would always end with one of the little boys leading the prayer.
When I first started preaching I thought part of “being a preacher” was conducting a “Little Folks Class.” I had one at Eva and then at Hamilton. I wasn’t too hot at conducting the class so they both died out but I think it may be time to “break one out at Spring Meadows”! Preacher friends, you might look in to it too. Dad was even gracious enough to send along some questions. He didn’t include the answers, but I know those, learned them before I could read thanks to the Little Folks Class!
Example of Questions:
1. Who made everything?
2. Where do we read about God?
3. Spell B-I-B-L-E
4. Two major divisions of the Bible.
5. How many books in Bible?
6. How many books in O.T.?
7. How many books in N.T.?
8. About how many men wrote the Bible?
9. Over a period of how many years?
10. What did God make on the first day?
11. What did God make on the second day?
12. Third day?
13. Fourth day?
14. Fifth day?
15. Sixth day?
16. What did God do on the seventh day?
17. Who was the first man?
18. Who was the first woman?
19. Where did they live?
20. Name 2 trees in the Garden.
21. Of all the trees in the garden, which were they not to eat?
22. What was the punishment for eating the forbidden fruit?
23. What kept them from reentering the garden?
24. Name three sons of Adam and Eve.
25. Who killed Abel?
26. What question did Cain ask?
27. Who built the ark?
28. Wood used in building the ark?
29. Number of doors, widows?
30. How many of each unclean animal?
31. How many pairs of the clean animals?
32. What is a clean animal?
DRILL AS TIME PERMITS. . .
Thanks dad, not just for the list, but for teaching me.