The Bride's Program

    Over my life time at Park View Baptist Church, I have seen how theLord uses different church programs

to reach different age groups of children and helps mold them into the active Christians needed in His bride,

the Church. These four programs are Sunbeams, Sunday School, RA's (Royal Ambassadors). and GA's

(Girls' Auxiliary) and BTU. I identify these programs 2 ways: 1) by the part played in the wedding party and

2) by the people Park View has entrusted this job to.

       Consider my analogies. Sunbeams first introduce the love, trust, obedience, and joy of receiving God's

Word. Flower girls and ring bearers remind us that a wedding is about to start and attention is demanded.

Mrs. Lineberger taught us in Sunbeams at her house during Sunday morning service. We sang about being a

Sunbeam for Jesus and she told us Bible stories about how to be a Sunbeam to other children.

     Sunday school was the anenue we learned about Christian duty. We learned to give our money and our

time to grow to be Christians. Therefore Thelma Thomas was my Junior teacher,the time when all kids are

beginning to be independent from their parents' discipline. At this time in a pre-teen life, they need to know

they should stand for something and must develop their own personalities. Mrs. Thomas was always

available to listen to us and without prejudice or condescension help us to see through our adolescent

changes and questions. So, in this way, ushers and bridesmaids show order and organization demanded for

the Christian walk or marriage.

       RA's and GA's always showed pre-teens how to apply what was learned in Sunday School.It is just like

math word problems; if the student does not know how to apply the arithmetic tables memorized in school, it

was a waste of his time. Jack Palmer was the epitome of the RA leader. He always helped us guys to know

that personal involvement was essential to the Christian's growth. It is not always enough to learn about

Jesus; a youth must step up and do something to show his commitment to being like Him. Like the best man,

RA's stands in and stand up for the groom.

       BTU, however, is the culmination of youth training. Teenagers need someone to challenge them to take

the next step in discipleship. Noah and Jane Brown were exactly what was needed at Park View. Every

Sunday evening for an hour before church, the teenagers got together to put into practice what we were

learning in Sunday School. Mr Brown with the boys and Mrs. Brown with the girls made a formidable team

that taught us all concern for each other, politeness in all situations, and the Christian response to any

question.

       Sunbeams announce the wedding and the associated joy. Sunday School introduces what will be

expected of the wedding party like the ring bearer and flower girl. The ushers and bridesmaids attend to the

needs of the wedding party and the best man shows the way by his model of standing up for the joining of the

bride and groom.