For over eight years the wives of theological students at La Sierra College have worked and studied together in the Kappa Delta Club, the Greek letters in this case standing for the name "King's Daughters." Meeting twice a month during the regular school year, these young women have listened to talks by their own faculty sponsors wives of the theology professors or guest speakers such as conference officials, returned missionaries, or Bible instructors and ministers' wives active in the local field. Every semester some missionary project has been undertaken. One semester books were collected for the library at the Navajo Mission School at Holbrook, Arizona. At another time money was raised to benefit mission station libraries in Africa. One of the club members was preparing to go to a mission field in South America with her husband upon his graduation, and the club gave her a treadle sewing machine as a farewell gift. Local hospitals have also profited from other missionary projects of the Kappa Delta.
The members have shown special interest in specific study projects that have been under taken. During a recent semester a thorough study was made of all the divisions of the Sabbath school, their organization, and the method of conducting their programs. Demonstrations were held in the cradle roll and kindergarten divisions of the local Sabbath school, as well as in the primary and junior departments. The La Sierra church in its lovely house of worship has provided most attractive and well-appointed rooms for all these Sabbath school departments, and many of the Kappa Delta members are there receiving a most practical training for their future work as ministers' wives. As experience has repeatedly shown, the young intern's wife is sure to find the children's Sabbath school divisions to be her special field of labor when she accompanies her husband to his first pastorate in some small and needy church. Where can she better prepare f9r this responsibility than here during the years her husband is at tending college? Every school year, more than a dozen wives of ministerial students are found doing just this as they assist in the La Sierra Sabbath school cradle roll, kindergarten, and other children's divisions, getting experience in teaching, conducting the circle program, and filling their scrapbooks with fingerplays, songs, stories, and patterns, besides many ideas for decorations, devices, and illustrative material.
Another field of study into which the young women ventured with great enthusiasm has been that of nutrition. During the first semester of the school year 1950-51, many guest speakers discussed various phases of this topic, and the study was climaxed by a cooking school con ducted by Mrs. H. W. Vollmer of Glendale, who gave generously of her time for six evenings of three hours each. The capacity enrollment held throughout the course, and the enthusiasm grew as the course progressed.
During the spring semester of 1951, a Red Cross First Aid course was taught to the Kappa Delta members by Miss Maudie Bryan, R.N., instructor in physical education at La Sierra College.
To acquaint themselves early with the duties facing them as ministers' wives, our Kappa Delta members have also taken an active part in the Dorcas work, at times conducting their own junior Dorcas Society. One of our members has been the assistant leader of the senior Dorcas, and the club is always ready to help in any material need brought to its attention.
The value of the spiritual and the practical training provided by an organization like the Kappa Delta can best be measured by the re action of our former members as they write back to us from the field. Their opinions always express gratitude for the inspiration found in this fellowship during the years of preparation and for the very practical nature of that preparation, as well as for the lofty concept gained of the great calling of the minister's wife, which is the very purpose of the Kappa Delta.
