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Tell The Coming Generation

December 16, 2013 cm-admin News 0

16 Dec 2013 by Donna Uning CM –

Earlier this month, about 105 teachers, helpers, and musicians filled the Barbara Mendu Bay Auditorium, Kenyalang Park, Kuching for children ministry training and refreshing sessions. The theme for the training was taken from Psalm 78:4 “Tell the coming generation.”

Speakers for the training were sis Cindy Gan from Full Gospel Assembly, KL and sis Betty Yong, from SIB KL. The two-day training sessions brought many men and women from outside and around Kuching.

In her lesson about releasing our children as agent of transformation, sis Betty Yong showed who ministers in Children’s Ministry were. She said they are “teachers who believe that children are gifts from God and that each and every child can learn and succeed in spite of circumstances.”

“Teaching and parenting children are acts of worship that is pleasing to God,” she said.

Luke 2:52

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

It is necessary to provide the best possible environment for children to grow as Jesus did as a child, she said. “Sharing information or telling a story is not teaching,” she said, stressing “telling is not the same thing as teaching.”

In the first part of the session, she talked about what a transformed teacher was.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

“Our goal is to be like our Master Teacher, Jesus,” she said. To be a transformed teacher, one needs to teach like Jesus did and know His character as a teacher.

“Seek to be teachable,” she said. Teachers who are teachable are committed to Christ, love children, are prepared to teach, always ready to learn, knows and lives God’s Word, and are empowered by the Holy Spirit.

jesus-teaching — Jesus as the perfect example of a teacher.

Teachers also understand their gifts. “The teacher with the talent of teaching can communicate truth and impart knowledge. But it is the teacher with the spiritual gift of teaching, who can take knowledge and help the child grow spiritually with information,” she said. They can transform lives for Jesus Christ.

sunday-school-teacher-with-the-kids — Sunday School teacher ministering to children.

Next, understand your mission. “Our mission is to relate what Jesus commands in His Word to an increasingly complex world, to make disciples in this world,” sis Betty continued. Teachers are to be a light for others; transparent and trustworthy. “What goals do you have for improving yourself as a teacher?” she asked.

The other topics covered during the first part of the session covered leading children to salvation and strengthening their Christian walk, leading them to God’s presence through praise and worship, understanding children development, and teaching methods and discipline.

Caption 287 — Participants at the training session.

Sis Betty Yong and sis Cindy Gan took turns to teach in the sessions. The sessions included prayer and ministry time.

Participants came from SIB Central City, St Swithun, Kg Payang; Church of Holy Spirit, Kg Rituh; St Andrews Chapel, Kg Skuduk; St Francis, Kota Samarahan; St Thomas, Kuching; St Edmund, Mundai; All Saints’ Chapel, Plaman; Nyabet, Serian; St John Parish, Taee; St Paul Chapel, Kg Tarat Melawi, Serian; St Helen’s, Serian; Tian; St Paul, Siol Kandis; Merakai Agape Chapel, St Boniface, Meboi; St Peter, Selabi; and St Luke, Bayor. The training on December 6-7 was conducted primarily in Bahasa Malaysia with English translation.