n e w c h u r c h l i f e : j u ly / au g u s t 2 0 1 6
Among the resources she recommends are YouTube videos, Jacob’s Ladder
lessons and Youth Journey programs. See education.newchurch.org for more
information. Also, Mrs. Odhner’s address will be reprinted in the September/
October issue of New Church Life.
(WEO)
bryn athyn church elementary school
It was “Colonial Day” at the Bryn Athyn Church Elementary School, and
parents and grandparents were strolling about and watching their little
Colonial bakers, woodworkers, pharmacists and others demonstrate (with
wonderful enthusiasm!) how things were done in the 18th century. The visitors
were delighted, and much praise and thankfulness for the school was heard.
On the way out we got into a conversation with the mother of four children
in the school. She had taught in a public school for several years before the
family moved to Bryn Athyn, and spoke of how d ifferent the atmosphere in
the Church school was. “It’s like night and day,” she said. Among other things,
she noted a poster displaying the Ten Commandments in the hallway of the
Church school, exclaiming: “This isn’t usual, you know!”
Later on I thought about the public elementary school I attended in the
early 1950s in Missouri, and how nice it was. I remember a thousand details,
and feel much nostalgia for that place. I also remember the kindergarten our
children attended in Michigan in the 1970s, before we opened the Church
school there. It was also an innocent, peaceful, happy place. The atmosphere
at both those public schools was quite similar to the one at the Bryn Athyn
Church School today.
But how things have changed in the public schools! The children are still
innocent, and dedicated teachers do their best, heroically, in an increasingly
difficult environment, but the public schools can’t help but be more affected
by the decline in the surrounding culture than religious schools are (although
even they are not unaffected).
If anyone ever wonders what our little Church is accomplishing in the
world, just look at our schools – they make a world of difference in the lives
of the children who attend them, few in number though they may be. Our
schools are not perfect and face many challenges, but they are bright spots in a
world that needs all the bright spots it can get.
(WEO)
the armageddon code: apocalyse explained
In the early 17th century the brilliant physicist Isaac Newton devoted much
of his life – beyond his laboratories – trying to decipher the mysteries of the
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