I recently read a short extract from the life of Robert Raikes. Robert Raikes may not be well known to many, but his life has had a profound impact on generations of people. Even today, many may have little to no understanding of what he has done to shape and influence their life.
Robert Raikes was a gentleman who lived in Great Britain in the late 1700s, which is commonly known as the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution was a pivotal era, marking the transition from agrarian, handicraft‑based economies to mechanised manufacturing, urban factory systems and widespread coal/steam power. Originating in Britain, it revolutionised textiles, iron production and transportation, leading to rapid urbanisation and massive population shifts. To support this rapid transition, it needed as many people as possible to work in factories, including very small children.
Robert Raikes was a dedicated follower of Jesus. In 1780, which is relatively early in the Industrial Revolution, Raikes couldn’t help but notice that one of the downsides of this era was the high level of poverty and ignorance, and this was profoundly impacting children. Such was the level; he likened it to destroying a whole generation. He said, “The world marches forward on the feet of little children.”
He realised that he couldn’t allow this trend to continue; he had to do something. So, he took children who had worked 12+ hours a day for six days straight and, on their one day they didn’t have to work – Sunday – said, “I am going to start a school for them and teach them for free so that they can learn to read, write and learn about God.” This is exactly what he did; he called it Sunday School.
This idea gained serious traction and continued to grow. Within fifty years, there were 1.5 million children being taught by 160,000 volunteer teachers who had a vision for the education of a generation. Their vision wasn’t to have a Sunday School that was a privatised, optional program for church kids; it was something that was to bless and build the capacity of all children.
Historians describe this phenomenon as one of the greatest educational volunteer triumphs of the world. The school system we have today had its origins in Robert Raikes’ desire to see generations of children learn how to read, write and learn about God.
There are other stories of people who, as dedicated followers of Jesus, desired to help educate the masses. The alphabet of the Slavic people is called Cyrillic. It is named after Saint Cyril, who was a missionary to the Slavic people and discovered that they had no written alphabet at the time. Thus, he created one for them so they would be able to read about Jesus in their own language.
Frank Laubach was a missionary who set out to lift the world out of ignorance. He developed the ‘Each One Teach One’ literacy method in the Philippines, which helped over 60 million people to learn to read. He later became known as the “Apostle to the Illiterates,” as he was using literacy to combat poverty, foster world peace and help people learn of God’s love.
Each day, I see scores of young people arrive to spend the day with us at Heathdale, and I thank God for each of them. The heart of Heathdale has the same spirit of intent as Robert Raikes, as the staff and I desire to see the students grow in their learning and grow in their intellectual capacity. As we nurture their learning growth, we also have the privilege and honour of providing the opportunity for each student to learn about God.
I am so thankful for the staff as they continue to minister to the students, helping them to have a deeper understanding of what it means to have an authentic faith and to be a follower of Jesus.
Please continue to pray for our staff as they serve our community and God in this manner. Please also continue to pray for the students and their families, that through their time at Heathdale they too can grow in their learning and understanding of God, and His love for each one.