According to NSW State Library records, Thomas Hassall (1794-1868), the 19-year-old son of missionaries, established Australia’s first Sunday School in Parramatta in May 1813.
A small class of six or seven children, some of whom were the children of convicts, soon increased to more than 200 children, including 19 Aboriginal children. Hassall asked permission from Reverend Samuel Marsden to hold the Sunday School at St. John’s Church Parramatta.
Just three years later Hassall formalised the Sunday School movement in Australia to instruct children to “read the Holy Scriptures” and published the rules under the banner of “Fear God, Honor the King.”
By the mid-19th century, the largest Sunday School in Sydney catered for 1,750 children and had 300 teachers. At the worldwide celebrations to mark 100 years of the Sunday School movement over 10,000 children, representing 61 Sunday Schools marched with banners down Macquarie Street singing hymns.
Today, more than ever, our children need to experience the benefits of attending Sunday School at Church.
Sunday School provides an avenue to learn about God, the Holy Bible, and the reality of the Gospel message in a safe environment with children their age.
Your child will be instructed by Bible-believing teachers on how to pray, worship and serve God, and have their questions answered from the Scriptures.
Sunday School is held during morning services at Metropolitan Baptist Church during NSW Public School terms, allowing parents to enjoy the preaching in the main worship service.
Start the new year with a purpose that glorifies God by enrolling your child in Sunday School this Sunday. See you at 10.15 am. _ Pastor Schiavone