Robert Raikes was a busy man. He was the owner and publisher of *The Gloucester Journal*, the largest newspaper in the Gloucester area of England. He often had to get involved himself in gathering news, editing reports, checking for misprints, and so on. 

Due to his busy schedule, Raikes was often forced to work on Sundays to prepare the newspaper for publication the following day. He found it strange that, on Sundays of all days, he was disturbed by loud noises from outside. It turned out that outside his office there were many children playing and making a racket in the street. They were around ten years old. Their clothes were shabby. Their faces were dirty. Their behaviour was rough. Their language was foul. 

Raikes set out to find out why these children were playing in the street on a Sunday. It turned out they did not attend school. They worked in factories all week long. This was the 18th century. Britain was in the throes of industrialisation. Many factories were springing up, in need of cheap labour. As a result, many children dropped out of school and worked in the factories from morning till night. They were treated harshly. Their only time off was on Sundays. That is why, on Sundays, they roamed the streets, playing and causing a commotion. 

As a journalist who frequently covered crime stories and visited prisons, Raikes realised that these children were easily drawn into a life of crime. Consequently, he reflected on the situation and sought a way to help these children. Together with the minister at his church, Rev. Thomas Stock, Raikes rented an empty house to open a Sunday school for these children. In July 1780, the school began under the name ‘Sunday School’. At that time, Raikes was 45 years old. He gave shoes to children who had none. For children who had not eaten, he provided bread. He told these children to have a wash. Every Sunday morning, Raikes would call out to these children and take them by the hand, saying, “Come on, let’s go to Sunday School!” He would fetch them, saying, “Come on, let’s go and learn at Sunday School!” As he walked with them, Raikes was reminded of Jesus’ words: “Let the little children come to me…”

The lessons taught at this first Sunday School included reading, writing, arithmetic, listening to Bible stories, studying the catechism, playing and worship. The main textbook was the Bible. Lessons took place every Sunday from 10.00 to 12.00 and continued from 13.00 to 17.30. At 18.00, Raikes led these children in worship at the church. 

One should not assume that this first Sunday School ran smoothly. There was often commotion in the classroom. On one occasion, a pupil secretly brought in a mouse and released it whilst they were praying. The class immediately descended into chaos. Fights also frequently broke out because a child had stolen a friend’s sweet. On one occasion, Raikes struck a pupil with a stick because the child had pushed and knocked over an elderly lady who was passing by. 

Despite many challenges, this first Sunday School in Gloucester flourished. More and more children became interested, and more and more parents recognised its benefits. One father said, “Since my child started attending Sunday School, his behaviour has improved; I’ve also stopped getting drunk, and I now attend church regularly.” Girls also began coming to Sunday School.

After three years, Raikes began to share the story of how this Sunday School had been established with other towns. In his newspaper, published on 3 November 1783, he outlined the ideas and experiences of his Sunday School. Positive responses emerged throughout England. Here and there, new Sunday Schools sprang up.

Ten years after the first Sunday School was established in Gloucester, the idea spread to America and other countries. One notable difference was that most Sunday Schools in other countries specialised in teaching Bible stories. Another tradition that developed in Sunday Schools in the United States was the provision of lessons for different age groups. To this day, that tradition remains strong in the United States. Almost all churches of every denomination in the United States have Sunday Schools for various age groups: in one room, young children are cutting out pictures of Noah’s Ark, whilst in another, adults are earnestly discussing the relationship between the Christian faith and environmental issues. 

Today, there are countless children and adults who faithfully study and teach a passage from the Bible every Sunday morning at Sunday School. Sunday School can be found everywhere: in a house in Situbondo, in a garage in Cairo, on a farm in Mexico, under a tree in the Congo hinterland, in a church building in Orlando. Every Sunday, Sunday School takes place everywhere.

It all began with Robert Raikes’ initiative in an old house in Gloucester, or more precisely, it all began with the commotion of children playing by the roadside outside Raikes’ office. Raikes’ initiative has been a blessing. On the marble slab where Robert Raikes is buried at St Mary’s Church in Gloucester are engraved the words Job 29:11–13, as follows:

When ears heard of me, I was called blessed;

when eyes saw me, I was praised. 

For I rescued the afflicted who cried out for help, 

and the orphan who had no one to help them;

I receive blessings from those on the brink of destruction, 

and I bring joy to the heart of a widow.