January 23, 2021|St. John’s, Antigua | Orville Joseph
The South Leeward Conference Sabbath School department rolled out its online Sabbath School class records on January 9, 2021. This digital approach, to recording particular information of members and activities of the Sabbath School, is the first of its kind in the Caribbean Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The new online records allow the Sabbath School teacher to mark the Sabbath School class record using any smart device. It also allows the Conference to move towards being paperless and makes it easier to manage the Sabbath School.
The online record is very simple to use. Even individuals who are not technically inclined can use it. The software holds all of the information online so that nothing is saved on the users’ device. To gain access to the Sabbath School record software, teachers are given an address to the record along with their usernames and passwords. Upon entry, teachers will see only the members of their respective classes. They will be able to mark attendance, add members and record the number of persons who studied. The record also allows the classes to record their weekly baptisms, offerings collected and the number of guests. Guests can be added to the record as members after a specified number of visits.
Several churches have already received their usernames and passwords and are proceeding to access their class records. These churches are finding this new approach to managing the records more convenient. The process of getting a church online is as easy as ensuring that the superintendent submits a list of all classes and the names of each class member to the Conference’s Sabbath School department. Once that information is received, the church is just a few days away from going online. Sabbath School superintendents, along with their Sabbath School
councils worked assiduously with the Conference to make the online record become a reality.
Today, many institutions are encouraging their clients and partners to transact business online. In a similar way, the Church is embracing technology through the rollout of the online Sabbath School class record. The use of this software will also help to build the competence and confidence of members’ using digital platforms. All Sabbath School leaders are encouraged to help their more mature members to develop their appreciation and comfort in this regard.