Sundays and St. Stephens Presbyterian church

Sunday School

Sunday was a family day, us kids were shipped off to Sunday School every Sunday mornig, which gave my mom & dad an hours break from us. My father would always drop us off and fetch us.

I was christened in September 1964 at the "St. Stephens, Presbyterian Church, Japie street, Rosettenville", this would have been one of the rare occasions that both my mother and my father would have attended a church service. I was put onto the Cradle Role and became a member of "St. Stephens".

My mother often attended the evening sevices later on, but from the age of 3 years old I started at the Sunday school, my eledest sister would have been 9 and was always made to look after me, so I would be dropped off at the class at 10:00 am on a sunday morning and then picked up at 11:00.

I have very fond memories of Sunday school, but then also very disturbing memories - I was alway told that God was looking down on me, watching me ... which frightened the bejayses (good Irish word) out of me. It's hard going through life trying not to do anything wrong, just in case God was watching and he would either tell your parents, teachers or worse strike you dead with a bolt of lightening. No wonder I am like I am today ...

One of my fondest memories of the Cradle section of the sunday school was learning about Moses in the bull rushes and we made little baskets out of play dough, and baby Moses was a jelly baby - well baby Moses never ever even made it home, he got eaten !!!

The wonderful thing about Sundays was that we would always get home from Sunday School to a Sunday Roast, we always had chicken and another roast meat because my father refused to eat chicken, lots of vegatables and cauliflower with cheese sauce, and of course of Sundays there would always be pudding.

Then after lunch, we would wash the dishes, clean up the kitchen and have the famous Sunday afernoon sleep (SMK). My father in winter (if the sun was shining) would take the paper, get into his car, roll the car half way down the drive-way into the sun and inevitably go to sleep. If it was really cold he would move his chair infront of the fire place and go to sleep, normally with his pipe dangling out of his mouth.

In summer he would just go out to the veranda and fall asleep ... he was always sleeping, but then at his age he needed it especially having a hectic job and 3 young girls to bring up.