In a brightly lit Sunday school classroom at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, five 11- and 12-year-olds listened to Psalm 23 being read aloud by Bible teacher Rebecca Looney.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want ...”

But what made this Bible class different was that it was taking place in the middle of a school day. The five students were sixth-graders from Crossroads Middle School, across the street from the church.

Enrollment in the program, School Time Bible Education, has tripled, to more than 400 students, since it first was offered in the Midlands in 1998. The elective course is available to students in three Lexington County school districts and one Newberry district.

Students are allowed to take part in the program because of a concept called “Released Time” that was first ruled constitutional in 1952 by the U.S. Supreme Court. South Carolina is one of more than 30 states that have released time Christian education programs.

The concept has been judged constitutional because the classes are optional, and much of the instruction does not take place on school grounds.

The Bible classes are among a list of electives, such as keyboarding and art. Currently, the program is only at the middle school level.

“We’ve found that parents want some form of moral upbringing for their children, even if they don’t get up on Sunday mornings and take them to church,” said Grayson Hartgrove, program director for Midlands Christian Learning Center, which coordinates the program.

Hartgrove attributes the increase in the number of students involved to word-of-mouth interest, as well as more churches being willing to get involved.

The Bible classes, which have been offered at the middle school level for five years in Lexington 1, have been a success, said Wayne Brazell, assistant superintendent.

“We’ve never had a complaint from a parent or anyone about the classes,” Brazell said. He said no one has raised arguments about church and state issues because the classes are off campus.

Released time Bible education must be approved by the superintendent and school board.

Richland Districts 1 and 2 don’t offer the program. Officials in Richland 2 were approached about it in the late ’90s, but declined to participate, because some officials and community members thought religious education should be handled at home.

Bible classes are taught by community members. The center requires that they have been involved in teaching the Bible for more than three years, through church Sunday school, youth group or other similar programs.

“I love the idea of a program like this being available — it’s a great thing to be able to introduce kids to the Bible,” said Teena Salter, a member of Cornerstone Presbyterian who teaches a class.

On a recent Wednesday, Salter’s class was working on a chart that showed the progression of events in the Bible, and discussing issues raised by the story of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt.

Schools can participate only if a local church is willing to handle the classes. The 16 volunteer churches provide classroom space, help with transportation and other concerns. They include a wide range of denominations, from Southern Baptist and Presbyterian to African Methodist Episcopal.

Looney sees the classes as a chance to help students realize God’s love and to apply lessons from the Bible to their daily lives.

“If you see the Lord as your shepherd, as sovereign and in control, that can help take some of the hard things in your life and make living through them a little easier,” Looney told her class on a recent Wednesday.

Her students spent part of the class translating Psalm 23 into their own words.

“The Lord takes care of me and blesses me ... I will always live in my Lord’s house,” said Danielle Brittain, 12.

Reach Knauss at (803) 771-8507 or cknauss@thestate.com.