We usually open our tabernacle meetings on Sunday night, and have meetings every night, with the possible exception of Saturday night. Beginning with the first meeting, we announce that on the following Wednesday we will open the Tabernacle Bible Class, and we continue to make the announcement every night up to and including Wednesday night. After the class starts its work, we continue to draw attention to it throughout the effort, as some who have never heard of the class may start coming to the meetings during the last few weeks of the series.
In our tabernacle campaigns, this class is taught by Sister Lona Brosi, our regular Bible worker. The class meets every night at seven o'clock sharp, and continues about forty minutes. In this class, Sister Brosi covers all the points of present truth just as I do in a public lecture, only there is more opportunity to ask questions. Thus the people who attend the Bible class get a double presentation of the message.
When the class has been running a few days, Sister Brosi is able to determine that certain ones in attendance are definitely turning toward the acceptance of the message. Sometimes, subjects she gives in the class may cover topics which I have not yet touched upon in the main auditorium, but this makes no difference. The people in the class are ready for the subjects.
After the meeting is continued for about eight weeks, the Tuesday and Friday night classes become baptismal classes, and we announce them thus from the desk. Although not every person in the class on those nights is definitely planning for baptism, it is good for the whole class to hear the instruction. The doctrines of this message are again reviewed by this baptismal class, and usually the Standard of Attainment course of study is given, and certificates are sent out from the conference office. Thus, practically all of those baptized in our meetings have had the regular tabernacle lectures in the large auditorium, the Bible class work covering all the main points of present truth, the special baptismal course, and many of them, the Standard of Attainment.
We find that our Tabernacle Bible Class, meeting every night, is one of the most interesting and valuable features of our tabernacle campaign, and we would not think of dispensing with it. I believe that more Bible workers should prepare themselves to do this kind of work. The Bible teacher can, in this way, reach many additional people.
In one class, Sister Brosi may have from ten to fifty or seventy-five persons for forty minutes every night. Our classroom is located just inside the tabernacle door, and is made of lumber or canvas. We wall off a room in the corner. The more nearly soundproof this can be made, the better, so that the noises in the auditorium as it fills for the evening service will not disturb the class.
Every night the members of the class are given a mimeographed outline of the studies they have just gone over. Sister Brosi has bound volumes of these outlines, which can be secured, for a nominal sum, by any Bible teacher who is interested in the plan.
