What is this child going to be? (Luke 1: 66)- This was heard at the birth of John. Bible reminds us to train a child in the way he should go. Ministry among the children holds importance in the Church. There are many instructions in the Bible to bring up children in Christian dharma and Godly instruction. Christ exhorted the little children to come to him and not to hinder them (Luke 18: 16; Mark 10: 14; Matthew 18: 2,3). Adults should not be a hindrance for children to come to God. Adult lifestyle or their unworthy behavior should not deter children from God. The Church and parents should encourage children to grow to have Christ- centered lives.

1. Raise Christ-centered Children (Judges 13: 1- 14)
Manoah raised the child he got according to the instructions from God. For years Manoah and his family did not have the joy of child- bearing. Samson is the son Manoah received through the vision of God. God gave instructions to Manoah as to how the child should be raised. Later Samson became a powerful man of God. The Bible contains instructions to raise our children in the present era. Parents have a responsibility to obey that.

2. Raise Children in God’s Instruction (Ephesians 6: 1-4)
Paul teaches us not to exasperate our children but to raise them in the training and instruction from God. Bible reminds us to train the child in the way he should go. There are also instructions in the Bible to discipline the children (Hebrews 12: 6; 1 Cor. 11: 32; Ephesians 6: 4). It is the book of Proverbs that talk the most about disciplining children (Proverbs 3: 11, 12; 13: 24; 19: 18; 22: 15; 23: 13, 14; 29: 15, 17).

3. Raise Children filled in Spirit (Luke 1: 57-66)
Zechariah and Elizabeth received a baby in the old age. According to God’s instruction they named him John. Soon after John was born, Zachariah, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesized about him (Luke 61: 79). Zechariah, as revealed in Spirit, instructs John thus- “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins” (Luke 1: 76,77). John grew up differently- “And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly in Israel” (Luke 1: 80). Children should be raised and punished in the realization that they are a blessing from God. They named him John, according to the instruction from God that Zechariah’s son should be named so. ‘Yahweh is gracious’ is what John means. Children should be raised and taught according to the instruction of the spirit, realizing that they are the grace and blessing of God.

Sunday School Organization

Robert Raikes’ (1736- 1811) father who had a printing press of his own was the editor of the famous Gloucester Journal. In 1757 he died unexpectedly and thus Raikes took the responsibility of the journal and the printing press. It was around this time that Raikes began noticing little children between the ages of six and fourteen roaming the streets. The Industrial Revolution that broke out in the middle of the eighteenth century forced many children to take up jobs. It was an age when child labor was rampant. They had to work for twelve hours each day and Sunday was the only day off for them. That day they used to create a lot of raucous in the streets. A different kind of societal nuisance emanated from them and that is how Raikes started to write about them in his journal. Rev. Thomas Stock, an English Anglican Priest, encouraged Raikes to do something for their spiritual edification. Raikes’ first aim was to teach alphabets to these illiterate children. Thus in 1781 the first class began at the house of a woman named Mrs. Meredith. Though initially the children reacted coldly, in time the situation began to turn around. By 1785, in various parts of England, around two lakh fifty thousand children started participating in these classes enthusiastically. By 1831, 1.2 million children became part of this. This organization eventually spread throughout the world as Sunday School Organization. This is how the first common education system came into being. The people who belonged to the upper strata of the society alone had the rights and the opportunities for education. But through Sunday School Organization children belonging to all the groups received education. Through Sunday School Raikes intended to achieve three things:

1. Basic formal education
2. Teaching moral values
3. Evangelism and church growth

Robert Raikes’ son, Rev. Robert Napier Raikes, was an Anglican Priest. His son, Robert Napier Raikes (Junior) has served in India as the General of the Indian Army.