Sunday Church School

The first Episcopal Sunday Church School was opened in 1790 by James Milnor and Jackson Kemper at the United Parish of Christ Church and St. Peter’s, Philadelphia. William White was rector of the United Parish at that time. The Sunday School in the Episcopal Church became a conscious instrument for religious education in 1826 with the organization of the General Protestant Episcopal Sunday School Union. Its focus was catechetical, and its energy arose from the nineteenth-century evangelical impulse. The 1946 General Convention provided funding to undertake a complete overhaul of Sunday Church School programs. The Department of Christian Education developed a “new curriculum” under the leadership of the Rev. John Heuss. This new curriculum called on the Sunday Church Schools to encourage faith development. Sunday Church Schools continue to have an important place in the life of many Episcopal parishes.