It was an exciting experience for me when D. A. Delafield welcomed approximately four hundred enrollees to the first class in Prophetic Guidance in the main auditorium of the Sligo church, and announced to the expectant group the plan of procedure for the first class period.
The people were in a state of anticipation. Quickly they picked up Lessons 1-8 and the textbook, Treasure Chest. They were ready to go and eager to follow their teacher as he led them into the inspiring study of The Spirit of Prophecy in the Advent Movement. I was happy to be a student in this class. Every member of the Sligo pastoral staff took the course and graduated.
According to the new plan, only sixteen nights are required to complete the Prophetic Guidance Course of twenty-four lessons. We were able to enroll at Sligo about one out of six members, which is a pretty good average. Having passed through the series, I think it might be well to give the basic plan for presenting the twenty-four lessons in sixteen thrilling class sessions.
The Plan in Brief
I. ON THE FIRST CLASS NIGHT:
- Begin the first of a series of sermonets on the general theme "Adventures in Prophecy." Show how the prophecies of Ellen G. White regarding spiritualism, church union, the resurgence of Rome, Sunday laws, et cetera are being fulfilled now.
- Have on hand supplies (Lessons 1-8 and the textbook, Treasure Chest) to pass out to your class. Loose-leaf notebooks should be available to students who wish to purchase them. Be sure every student is signed up and enrolled in the course. One dollar should be charged for the textbook.
- Preview and assign Lesson 1. Explain that the lesson must be studied during the week ensuing and the test sheet filled out prior to class session No. 2.
- Close promptly one hour and a half after the meeting begins.
II. ON THE SECOND CLASS NIGHT:
- Present another ten-minute "Adventures in Prophecy" sermonet. Be sure to present current historical support for the prophetic statements.
- Accept new enrollees. This may be done the third class night also. But the third or fourth class night at the latest, represents the deadline.
- Review Lesson 1. Have the students turn to the test sheet (which should already have been filled out) and answer the review questions from their test sheets. Allow changes to be made on the test sheet. In this way, the discussion of the different questions will contribute knowledge to the student. Collect test sheet No. 1.
- Preview and assign Lessons 2 and 3. Urge the student to set aside a definite day and hour each week to study the lessons.
III. ON THE THIRD CLASS NIGHT:
- Present the third "Adventures in Prophecy" sermonet.
- Review Lessons 2 and 3. Pick up the test sheets. Preview and assign Lesson 4. Now you are under way. The class is ready to shift to high gear.
On the fourth night, review Lesson 4 and preview Lessons 5 and 6. Thereafter, stagger the assignments between one and two lessons weekly until you have finished in the prescribed sixteen nights. This way, you will average one and a half lessons for each class period. A free copy of the basic organizational folder may be secured by writing to the Prophetic Guidance School, Box 200, Glendale 5, California.
Remember, it takes several weeks prior to the first Wednesday night class to get started. You must order supplies in advance and be well organized. Keep in mind that the test sheets are corrected by the school in Glendale and returned to each student individually. Test sheets are, however, gathered in bulk at the class, and mailed in bulk by the class secretary to the school in Glendale.
Be sure to write to "White Publications, General Conference, Seventh-day Adventists, Takoma Park, Washington 12, D.C., for a free set of "Adventures in Prophecy" sermonets. The supply is limited. I am informed that there will be no reprinting. Please write at once.
Remember, this is a class hour, not a sermon hour. Teach, don't preach. And be generous with the Prophetic Guidance School. Take up at least one good offering. Better two. The cost to the correspondence school per student for each graduate is about $2.50. Remember, they are counting on your free-will gifts of appreciation.
Plan in advance for a special graduation exercise to climax the session. Having attended all the meetings in Sligo, I heartily recommend the plan. When are you going to get started?
