The Older Boys' City-wide Conference is outlined in the previous chapter. It is a good, but intermittent, form of Inter-Sunday school activity for boys. The Secondary Division or Teen Age Boys' Crusade is a permanent form for such activity, and may be launched at the Older Boys' Conference. The idea of the Crusade germinated in the minds of the members of the Toronto Secondary Division Committee in connection with a Sunday school Older Boys' Conference in December, 1912. The objectives around which the idea grew were a campaign for Organized Classes in every school, an effort to reach Toronto's 10,000 non-Sunday school, teen age boys and a training class for adolescent leadership. At the evening banquet, at which the Crusade was presented, 55 Sunday schools registered for the campaign and 187 older boys signed up for training and the effort to reach the boys not in Sunday school. At a later meeting a plan of action was decided upon. The Objective The aims to be kept in mind are fourfold: (1) To magnify the Christian life and the preeminence of Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord; (2) to organize the teen Christian boys of the Sunday school for organized service; (3) to reach the teen non-Sunday school boys for Sunday school attendance; (4) to train the teen boy for Christian leadership. =The Crusade Outlined= Campaign of Bible Class Organization 1. It is proposed that every class in the teen age or Secondary division of every Sunday school be organized according to the International Standard, and that the boys of the schools be given the task. (See International Secondary Division Leaflet No.2.) Campaign of Enlistment 2. Coincident with the campaign of organization there should be a systematic effort to reach every boy of the teen age for membership in the Sunday school. This may be accomplished through two methods: (a) Census and Survey. The city should be divided into districts and mapped out by squares. Then the teen age campaigners should go two and two for the purpose of a census-taking. The two-by-two system will result in more thorough work, and it gives the opportunity of helping the more timid boys by linking them with the bolder ones. An entire square should be worked by the partners, both making the same call, and every teen age boy in the town, whether a Sunday school attendant or not, can be located this way. For this purpose an ordinary filing card may be used, printed as follows: Date ______________________ Name ______________________ Address ______________________ Religion (Catholic, Jew, Protestant)? Attend Sunday school (yes or no)? If yes, where? ______________________ Information gathered by ________________________ NOTE. -- Once this information is gathered it can be kept up-to-date by arrangement with the moving companies and the water, gas and electric light companies. A monthly report from these companies, or a stock of post-cards kept with them, will do the work. Another method is an annual checking up with the city directory. (b) Home Visitation for Enlistment. This is best accomplished by personal invitation, letter, attractive advertising, etc. Assign to teen age worker. Training Classes 3. A training class or training classes, central or by districts, should be arranged to specialize for teen age leadership. (a) Adolescent Leadership Course (50 lessons) according to International Standard. (b) Demonstration Course in physical, social, mental and outdoor activities. Service Programs 4. Practical programs should be prepared and offered to schools and organized classes to stimulate the membership of the Crusade. "For none of us liveth to himself." "For unto every one which hath shall be given, and from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away from him." "Service" is the magic word around which real life swings. By giving, one gets. The investment of service, as individuals, and as a class, will bring big dividends in the development of one's personal life. Missions Program Promote (a) a course of study of "live" home and foreign mission material; (b) systematic giving to missions; (c) the study of the foreign population of your city, particularly of your own neighborhood; (d) teaching non-English speaking men and boys to read and write; (e) the investigation, and, when possible, the handling of needy cases in your community. Anything going out from the class to the other fellow comes under this head. Temperance Program Get information along the lines of: (a) bodily self-control; (b) the injury of tobacco on the growing tissue; (c) the inroads of alcohol on the growing and mature body; and (d) the economic, material and moral waste of intemperance of every kind. Purity Program Hit hard for (a) clean speech, clean thoughts, clean sports; (b) for a single sex standard; (c) chivalry and cleanliness among the sexes; and (d) adequate education on sex matters. Programs along these three lines will be furnished on application to the State and Provincial Sunday School Association offices. =Preliminary Plans For Crusade= To get things in motion, two lines of action are suggested: First, plan for a conference of older boys and workers with boys for the community which you desire to cover. The program should aim to lay before the conference the plan of the Organized Secondary Division Class; methods of work should be discussed at group conferences; the Crusade Challenge presented at the banquet; and the session should close with a rousing inspirational address. Second, formation of an Inter-Sunday School Council, the purpose of which is to plan and promote work for Secondary Division Classes in the city. Promotion of Conference The Secondary Division Committee, headed by the Secondary Division Superintendent of the city, township or county, in which the conference is planned, should head the work, and representative men and older boys should be chosen to form a Conference Committee. First Steps. Call a meeting of the General Conference Committee. State clearly the objective of the Conference and Crusade, then appoint the following sub-committees: Program, Printing and Advertising, Banquet, Registration, Recreation and Promotion. =Duties Of Committees= Program. -- Plan program, secure speakers, organist and leader for singing. Printing and Advertising. -- To have charge of all printing, such as Advance Notices of Conference, Registration Cards, Banquet Tickets, Tentative Program, Completed Program, Crusade Folder, Newspaper Articles, Conference Badges or Buttons. Banquet. -- To arrange all the details of the banquet, the place where it will be held, securing dishes and silverware, arrangement of tables, decorations, etc. Registration. -- To arrange a simple system of registration, have charge of distribution of programs and badges, tabulate record of registration for report to convention, etc. Recreation. -- To plan for a period of organized recreation between the afternoon and evening sessions. Promotion (perhaps the most important of all committees). The responsibility of securing "picked" members of teen age classes and workers to attend the Conference rests on the shoulders of this committee. All members of the General Committee should share with them this responsibility. The Committee should arrange for a meeting of Sunday school Superintendents and every effort be made to have every school represented, by either the Superintendent or a substitute appointed by him. At this meeting outline carefully the plan of the Conference and Crusade, enlist their cooperation, secure from each man present a promise to see that delegates are sent from his school; supply these men with literature and registration cards. Be sure to have a record of the name and address of all in attendance at this meeting. This is important. Make a special drive on this meeting, the object being to line up a man in every last school who will make himself responsible for that school being represented in the Conference. The Superintendents not present at this meeting should be seen and written to at once, urging upon them the importance of the work, apprising them of the results of the Superintendents' Conference and showing them the necessity of their schools being included in this city-wide campaign for the adolescent boy. Other plans of promotion may be adopted by the Committee, as warranted by local conditions. Meetings of General Committee. -- The General Conference Committee should arrange to meet at least once a week, for a month prior to the Conference, and all plans of the sub-committees should be submitted to this Committee for their approval before being put into operation. =The Conference Program= Conference Theme -- Training and Service. Temporary Chairman -- President or Vice-President of Sunday School Association, or acceptable substitute. 2:00 Registration of Delegates. =The Banquet Seating Plan= The delegates from each Sunday school should sit together, and when practicable be also grouped by denominations. At the close of the address on the Crusade the Inter-Sunday School Council should be formed. This shall consist of two older boys and one man from each participating Sunday school. The Council is subject to the call of the Chairman of the Secondary Division Committee. Method of Enrollment 1. After the presentation of the Crusade, pass a colored card to each delegation, asking them to confer and to write on the card the names and addresses of the two older boys they may choose to represent their school, the name of school, also the names and addresses of the teachers of the chosen delegates. The Adult representative from each school should be selected later by the committee in charge of the Crusade Conference. 2. Pass white cards, as soon as the colored ones have been properly filled; or, better yet, place a white card in each banqueter's program and challenge to service and training. 3. Write to each chosen representative before the first called meeting, enclosing credential card to be signed by the superintendent of the school, the pastor of the church, and write to each of these men enclosing the plan of the Crusade. =First Meeting of Council= Do not allow more than two weeks to pass until the Council meets to lay its plans. Strike, and keep on striking while the iron is hot. The Follow-Up. -- Call at once a meeting of the older-boy representatives on the Inter-Sunday School Council. Do not call in the men until later. This is an =Older Boy Movement=, and you are going to get the Older Fellows in the Sunday school to go after the Older Fellows out of the Sunday school. Impress upon the Council that this is their job and whatever success is achieved will be due to their efforts. Let a clean-cut spiritual atmosphere prevail at these meetings. You will find that the boys are there for business. It is suggested that the meetings be held Saturday evening, beginning at 5:30 with supper, to cost not more than fifteen cents per plate. First Meeting. -- Don't rush things. You will gain much by making the fellows feel that you are all working this problem out together and that the prayerful cooperation of every member is necessary. Don't stampede the meeting with a lot of elaborate plans. If you have any plans, turn them over to the Council by way of suggestion, and let that body use its own judgment. Everything that is done by the Council should emanate from its members. It is suggested that the purpose and program of this meeting should be somewhat as follows: (a) Statement of purpose of Council. (b) Trace connection of Council to International work (i.e., Council, City Secondary Division Committee, City Secondary Division Superintendent, County Secondary Division Superintendent, State or Provincial Secondary Division Committee, State or Provincial Secondary Division Superintendent, International Secondary Division Committee, International Secondary Division Superintendent, etc. -- this to show them that they are officially related to a world-wide movement). (c) Fellowship and "Get Together." Be sure to have Adult members at this meeting. Second Meeting (two weeks after first). -- At this meeting discuss: (a) Importance of class organization -- each member urged to get to work at once in his local school. (b) Age limit of classes now in the organization. (c) Outline possibilities of Council for promotion and all-round physical, mental, social and spiritual activities of teen age fellows of the Sunday schools of the city. (d) Discuss the idea of the census survey. These two meetings will pave the way for the third and following meetings. Don't meet simply for the sake of holding a meeting. Let your fellows feel that when a call to meeting is received it is important. Third and Subsequent Meetings 1. Lay your plans carefully for the census-taking, then complete the job quickly. 2. Analyze the cards and distribute to the organized classes. Their work then begins. Encourage regular reports on the work of the classes at each meeting of the Council, the school representatives reporting. 3. Plan for the execution of the Missionary, Purity and Temperance Programs. 4. Extend the Council's field until it covers the common physical, social, mental and spiritual activities of the community teen age boys. 5. Plan for regular Conference or Banquet Programs. 6. Ultimately the entire common Sunday school athletic and social life of the community would center in the Inter-Sunday School Council. Meeting of Superintendents It is suggested that at this juncture a meeting of Sunday school Superintendents be called for the purpose of thoroughly acquainting them with the plans of the Council. This will secure the cooperation of the Superintendents, which is most essential. The effort to get the Superintendents behind the work will be more successful if the city be divided into sections and a Superintendents' meeting be held in each section. These meetings can be made very helpful. BIBLIOGRAPHY ON BOYS' CRUSADE High School Student Christian Movement Series: Bulletin No.1. The Local Organization (.05). Bulletin No.2. Typical Constitution (.05). Bulletin No.3. The Inner Circle (.05). International Secondary Division Leaflet, No.5 (Free). |
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