Those SS days were better, for sure. Just the word "missionary" brings back fond memories. I remember some people complaining about being asked re missionary contacts, for a show of hands who had studied the lesson, who knew their memory verse etc, and so it was done away with. The objections included that it made some felt guilty, that it is a self-righteous thing to boast about the number of missionary contacts etc, and some were tempted to lie to save face!
I see this as a reminder for us to do missionary work. So often, we come and we talk and we discuss the theology of the lesson but what are we putting into practice?My former church(in the city) still practice taking this information. My new church in "the country" does not. They do not because they are not actively engaged into personal evangelism. Recently some of the younger folks started going out but the older members are not interested. No wonder they do not want to supply the information for this report.
Do you remember when the Sabbath School attendance card used to ask how many missionary contacts had been made as well as how much literature had been distributed. In those days having the answer that question was an incentive to do more personal missionary work that we are doing now.I wish we would resurrect the Sabbath School in all of its aspects of years gone by.
As a new SDA in 1970 Sabbath School was exciting. Much more personal study encouraged and not such a tightly packaged Sabbath School Lesson, it was built more like a Bible Study than now and encouraged weekly study and participation.I wish current Sabbath School could be such a study group as to lend it's self toward inviting non SDA's to come, visit, study, get involved, engraft, join, invite others, repeat the process.
That said, I have been blessed by much of what is taught in the quarterlies. I just ignore the silly talking points that are made to seem relevant to the topic. On those rare occasions when I am trusted ( as the last resort) to teach the class, I only use the Quarterly as a jumping off point and try to let the class take things from there and more or less "moderate", trying to keep things on topic.
There have been some lessons that I have been very unhappy with. It is like they ask questions that lead people in the wrong way of thinking and then just leave them hanging there. The lesson did nothing to answer the question but just produced doubt. At least that is what a few of them seemed to be like to me. I enjoyed Mark Finley's lessons not long ago. Doug Bachelor’s tells us this....Don't believe it because I say it, Study it for yourself so you know it is true.