One of the unique architectural features of several churches in our community is a semi-circular, two story church hall. You can find them in the old Knox United Church, Central Westside and Meaford United Churches.

While the room style is less obvious at Central Westside, the open concept two story room with a balcony is very evident in the other two buildings.

You might wonder why they were built that way.

The reason is simple.

Sunday School.

Back when these churches were built, Sunday School was an important part of weekly life. While children a hundred years ago were expected to complete Grade Eight and then go out and work on the farm or in industry, there was also a social community which developed around the Christian churches. Sunday School, first developed as a form of increasing child literacy, continued to be a place where young people could appropriately socialize.

The model for teaching, however, was different. In a kind of lecture theatre setting, young people were instructed as a group in the key stories of the faith. There was a centre platform in the churches where the Sunday School superintendent, usually a man, led the group in worship, with a bible study focus. Then the young people broke into smaller groups for discussion of the story, usually led by another lay person, often led by women for girls groups and men for boys.

Music was also an important part of the Sunday School, with dedicated youth hymn books.

The leaders took their role seriously. As adults, they studies the bible themselves. They might be in a bible study group themselves, led by the minister. They were also supported by strong denominational curriculum and regular area conventions.

Young people grew up knowing the stories of their faith.

A recent article in the United Methodist Reporter suggests that one of the reasons for the increase in people departing religious faith and becoming illiterate in the great stories of faith is because of the drastic decline in the Sunday School.

Rare is the church that has a large Sunday School these days.

Why? Because there are few left to teach children and tell the stories of the faith. People just don’t feel adequate to tell the stories they may know. The Christian church is losing it’s memory, slowly but surely.

Is there a solution?

First, The church will never, ever return to the days of the overflowing Sunday School. I grew up in the 50's and 60's when the United Church had to rent space in the nearby (horrors!) Roman Catholic school in Quebec to accommodate the Sunday School classes. Those days are gone.

But that does not stop anyone from engaging in some basic biblical literacy.

I’m not talking about engaging in scriptural fundamentalism or biblical literalism. Neither of those approaches are, I believe, particularly helpful in understanding faith and scripture in today’s world.

I am talking more about engaging the bible intelligently; with some historical background. I’m thinking of the kind of questions which arise when reading Tom Harpur’s writings or the work (and easily readable) of Marcus Borg.

One of the best investments I have found is the magazine Biblical Archeology Review. In spite of the scholarly title, it is very readable, lavishly illustrated and quite challenging. As you begin to read it, you begin to understand the connection between archeology and ancient texts and the texts become much more clear.

Studying the roots of faith should be a life-long enterprise, not something we leave in childhood. If we did that, I suspect that we would all be deeply enriched.

Rev. David Shearman is the minister of Central Westside United Church, Owen Sound and host of Faithworks on Rogers TV - Grey County