George Henry - Sabbath school teacher Joan Murray

GEORGE HENRY, STAR Writer

It has oftentimes been said by many, especially in church circles, that salvation plus education is a great combination. Well, one Sabbath school teacher who associates with these sentiments is Joan Murray, who is a member of the Mandeville Seventh-day Adventist Church in Manchester.

The Sabbath school teacher believes that students at all levels of the education system who are connected to Christ and who are living a life to please Him continue to do well academically.

"Children who are coming from Christian backgrounds, strong spiritual backgrounds, whether they are Seventh-day Adventists or otherwise, these children tend to do better academically and they also tend to do better when it comes on to behaviour. We do not seem to get a lot of behavioural problems from them," said the Sabbath school teacher.

She added that as a churchwoman she always encourages her students to pray, so as to develop a relationship with Christ not because they want Him to do something for them in times of need, but to have a constant relationship with the Maker.

challenges

"So, that when challenges such as peer pressure come on, at least they will know that they have friends who are church friends; they have persons who have strong Christian beliefs with whom they can relate. It gives the students confidence to deal with everyday situations much better than those who are not of any Christian persuasion," said Murray.

Murray serves in the children's department at her church, and teaches children between the ages of 10 and 12. She said dealing with children who are in those age groups is not much of a challenge. She said that due to the fact that her secular job is in the classroom, she is able to deal with children.

She stressed that in order to keep children at church focused and to ensure that they are always engaged in church activities, she ensures that she does proper planning. She added that as a Sabbath school teacher, she enjoys all she does with her classes.

Murray, who pointed out that she always has a group numbering more than 20 for Sabbath class each week, said she is pleased with the turnout for church. She stressed that she uses strategies to get children to attend church.

"There are times when some children are reluctant to participate in some church activities, but for them to come to church it's not a problem," noted the Sabbath school teacher.

Murray, who was once a Moravian, said her soul salvation really began while attending the Savanna-la-Mar High School in Westmoreland. She stressed that the spiritual emphasis which is place on education at that institution was the turning point for her.

"We usually had week of prayer, where we sometimes had like an hour. The devotion there was more like a church setting during the week of prayer; and there was Bible study and those kinds of things. That was the turning point because I was now able to appreciate that there is an important aspect to education, which is the spiritual aspect," pointed out Murray.

The Sabbath school teacher wants all children to make use of the benefits that can be gained through spirituality and education.

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