The transition from Sunday School to church can seem like a big step. One Sunday, you’re discussing the Christian Science Bible Lesson with your Sunday School teacher, and the next, you’re listening to it with the congregation in church. As you say “goodbye” to Sunday School at age twenty, you may feel alone or unprepared. But “graduating” is a natural transition, full of hope and spiritual progress. The lessons learned in Sunday School are building blocks for new ideas and insights—for an ongoing spiritual education. Four Sunday School graduates spoke with Journal editors Laura Boggs and Amy Nagel about how they have furthered their spiritual growth and become active church members.
Lauren: It was a fairly smooth transition because I turned twenty at the beginning of a school year, which is a natural time to start something new, but it was definitely an adjustment because I did miss the conversations I had in Sunday School. What helped me transition was that I continued playing the hymns on the piano in Sunday School. I was still a part of Sunday School, and it made me feel more invested in the church.
Brad: I didn’t feel prepared for what a Sunday service was like—sitting and listening or reading along with the Bible Lesson. In the Church Manual, it says “. . . no pupil shall remain in the Sunday School of any Church of Christ, Scientist, after reaching the age of twenty” (p. 62). When you first hear this you think, “Oh man, there’s still so much to learn,” but I think as we grow up, we start to see that the questions we have and the answers we’re seeking are in the books—Science and Health and the Bible.
