Evangelists are always on the lookout for something that will attract the public to their meetings. Recently in our evangelism here in Bermuda, Elder and Mrs. Renzi hit upon the idea of forming a choir made up of 40 children from the kindergarten division of the Hamilton church.
The meeting began thirty minutes earlier than usual. The children were dressed in white choir robes with maroon bows. Mrs. Renzi directed the choir and gave appropriate remarks, drawing lessons from the songs and showing the importance of religious training for the preschool child. The reality of religion in the child's life, his faith, and his love for Christ were stressed.
The songs sung were the ones familiar to all progressive Sabbath schools. Helpers were on hand to quickly pass out the harps, crowns, trumpets, and rainbow flags used by the children to illustrate their songs. A flannel board was used to illustrate for the audience the songs being sung by the choir.
This type of program is similar to the usual thirteenth Sabbath program, and could be duplicated in almost any church. There is no stronger attraction for visitors than having the children perform. Forty children can attract many relatives, and experience has shown that these are the best baptismal prospects, thus making the audience a very select one. The work being done by our Sabbath schools is presented in a most graphic manner as a soul-winning agency. Other children were invited to come to Sabbath school to learn such songs and to study lessons about Jesus.
The results? An overflow attendance, with the offerings double the amount usually received for a full church. The kindergarten division leader reports an increase of 12 to 15 children, with more being added each week since the choir performed. Many requests have come in for the Cherub Choir to put on another program soon.
Any pastor or evangelist who wants to increase his attendance should try this method.