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Ideal Servant

f753789f753789
edited September 2011 in Faith Issues
Hello everyone,
I hope you are all doing well in Christ. Happy Coptic New year!! :)
I have just completed the two year servants prep program at my church. In a matter of a few weeks, I will begin serving the children in Sunday school against my will more or less. I have accepted the responsibility for the sole purpose of obedience to my father of confession. I view the service as a great blessing but also great burden that I don't feel equipped to handle. I lack the skill of teaching and do not feel capable to conduct a class from the information I learned from Servants prep. However, I have been taught to offer my best and leave God to bless it as He did with the five loaves and two fish. Therefore, to start off on the right foot, I need your help. I know many people here are great servants in their own parish and I would love to learn from you all. What is an ideal servant? How can I build a relationship with the children consisting of a balance of friendship and authority? How can I keep control of the classroom with love? How can I make lessons attractive to grasp their attention? Any tips on how to prepare a lesson? Overall, how can I truly glorify God in this service?
--I would appreciate any advice/ experience about the topic in general. The age range will be around 7-10.

I need all your prayers for the success of this new endeavor so God can bless these children, penetrate their hearts, and keep the spirit of pride away from me.

Thanks for your help! :)

Comments

  • f753789f753789
    Ha-ha-hachooo!  ;D
  • andrew8345andrew8345
    Dear Stavroforos,

    Others more qualified will hopefully spare time to guide you in your journey in this service and answer your questions. I'll just throw in my two cents.

    To your last question: I really believe that the greatest way to glorify God in this service is to care for these children as the Lord cares for them. Know everything about them - their hobbies, their dreams, their favorite toy, etc. Visit them! I can't stress how important that is. If you have gone a week without a visitation - consider that a failed week. Call them. Show concern. Listen to them. When you pray at the end of class ask the Lord to bless them each by his/her name (seriously say aloud each child's name) - it makes them feel special and important. Take them out and have fun together. Don't turn the SS class into a sixth day of school. Don't be a teacher but a servant. Prepare your lessons diligently - at least a week in advance. Pray about it and pray for them daily. Write their names each week and place it on the altar. If you got a young age, you can mold them to be on the path towards righteousness.

    May God bless your service and may you see the fruit of your labor.

  • f753789f753789
    Unworthy1,
    Thank you sooo much for your help. I have so much to learn and try to implement. I have a couple questions, In order for visitations to be successful, is it mandatory that all the servants of the class be present or can one servant do them alone? The reason I ask is because I think my fellow servants will not be willing/wont have time etc to make calls and visitations. What should be accomplished during visitations? How many times a year or how often should each child get a home visitation? 
  • andrew8345andrew8345
    [quote author=✞Stavroforos✞ link=topic=12335.msg144607#msg144607 date=1315880948]
    Unworthy1,
    Thank you sooo much for your help. I have so much to learn and try to implement. I have a couple questions, In order for visitations to be successful, is it mandatory that all the servants of the class be present or can one servant do them alone? The reason I ask is because I think my fellow servants will not be willing/wont have time etc to make calls and visitations. What should be accomplished during visitations? How many times a year or how often should each child get a home visitation?


    Disclaimer: This is just my opinion, so feel free to correct any errors.

    Don't go alone. You should go with at least one other person (preferably of the opposite sex). Your goal is to bring peace to the home and assess the living environment. You are going to visit the kids, not to chat with the parents and drink "shay." Read the bible with them, pray with them, sing with them. Find out their hobbies. Bring them something small (a cross or holy oil, etc.). . .Most importantly gather with the servants beforehand and pray. As we read in the 11th hour: "And He arose out of the synagogue and went to Simon's house. . ." We should go to church before doing the work of the Lord. You'll learn by doing it more often what works and what doesn't. I would try to visit each kid twice a year.

    My father once told me as I complained about not having enough time for visitations: "Son, you know how you can visit 30 kids in one hour?" "No! That's impossible," I said. "How long does a phone call take? Two minutes. Call them and say hello and make sure they are praying, reading the Bible and obeying their parents."

    It was great advice. So, for your fellow servants who have no time, they should at least make phone calls. If they can't even do that, they are unfit to serve the kids.

    God Bless you.
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