Daytime classes

(posted by Paul Zilmer)

We haven't given much attention in these posts to the daytime classes, which is an injustice, because they are an important part of what we do.

The only scheduled daytime class is the women's lunchtime study that Dana Pratt has conducted for the past year. In the early going we had tried a lunchtime class with no success, but Dana's approach has proven very successful. For a few months she was running it two days a week, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, in order to accommodate all those who wanted to participate. Participants come and go some, and their personal situations change, so now it's possible for all of them to attend on Tuesdays, and recently it's been a large and lively group.

Our other daytime activity is private classes. We have two students who come in for private classes just about every week, one of them two days each week. There are some other students who make arrangements from time to time, to come in and talk about something they have questions about. Most of these are "regulars", but sometimes it's someone we don't know very well. In addition, the evening instructors sometimes do make-up sessions with students who miss an evening class.

In recent weeks there's been something of an upswing in the private classes. Wednesday this week was a record-setter — we had four classes going simultaneously!  This used all of the spaces we have available. In the back, large classroom, Norm Fadelle was doing a make-up session with two students from his Thursday evening class. In the front, smaller classroom Dana Pratt was having a private first principles class with two of our regulars. In the middle area (which does have closeable doors) I had a class with another of our regulars, who has been studying with us for two years and is now studying for baptism. And in the shop area, Jane Zilmer was having a session with another of our regulars, who has just started a second self-study course, but prefers to do it with someone rather than on his own.

We thank God for all these opportunities to bear witness to Him and his marvelous plan to fill the earth with His glory, and we pray that in time all of these students will take on the name of Jesus Christ, and become heirs of the Kingdom.