BCD Teachers' Fellowship-cum-Orientation
held on Saturday, June 11, 2016
Session - I: 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM Led by Pastor H. Biakson
The gathering (of 13 Sunday school teachers and the two Pastors of the Church) had a fruitful fellowship starting with the hymn “Everything to God in prayer”.
The song “Go, labour on!” followed, which was elaborated upon by Pastor Biakson, who reiterated the importance of training up children while they still show interest, while they still listen to you; of training them to follow the everlasting path; of training them while there is light; of building a strong foundation in Christ before darkness seeps in .
This was followed by the song “Khovel a ka len sung in”, which is about seeking God’s guidance while journeying through life. The gathering then had a mass prayer - giving Thanks, and praying for the successful conduct of the programme.
Pastor H. Biakson on “Naupang kepna a sinsaktu’ hinkhua poimohna” which loosely translates as “The importance/impact of a Teacher’s life in training/bringing up a child”
This session was mostly about the importance of teaching by being; of living an exemplary life; of practising what one preaches. A very important point one must keep in mind while teaching God’s word is that unlike other teachings, this cannot be done merely with knowledge and wisdom, but only with the anointing of the Holy Spirit. It is of utmost importance that we teach how God wants us to, and that we know that we teach more with our lives than with our words.
The main objectives of Sunday school:
· Not a child care / entertainment /amusement center.
· It’s all about bringing Children into the saving Arms of the Lord
· To teach Children to grow in Christ-likeness.
Too much importance has been given to entertainment. Though making people feel good is important, we must know that entertainment is not the main objective of the Church. Just because a Child is cute and innocent doesn’t mean they are not sinners. We all are born sinners. Therefore, every child needs to be saved; to know about Salvation, and that is what Sunday School is for.
Especially in Delhi context, where we intermingle with people of different culture and faith, it is imperative that we teach early on about our identity, culture and religion to our next generation. The onus is upon us parents and teachers, to impart spiritual values to our children.
Children look to the Church not only as a place of worship, but also as The place where God resides. They perceive Preachers/Sunday School teachers as God’s representatives as is written in II Corinthians 3:2,3.
1 Timothy 4:12-16 tells us not to let anyone look down on us because we are young, but to set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity; to devote ourselves to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching; to not neglect our gifts, which was given to us through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on us; to be diligent in these matters so that everyone may see our progress; to watch our lives and doctrine closely; to persevere in them, so as to save both ourselves and our hearers.
To love children is not enough, we must love their souls and earnestly strive to bring them to Jesus. As we teach best by being, we must keep ourselves from things that might hinder the spiritual growth of others and of ourselves. Philippians 1:27.
Discussion on the above topic:
Pastor Tuang Lang stressed upon the necessity of preparing and praying before preaching, the importance of having a quiet time for the Holy Spirit to live in us, to guide us and to work with us, through us.
Heutupa* Zabiak shared about his experience in Aizawl; the importance of a teacher’s role, not only in giving spiritual guidance, but also in preserving the culture and language which God has given us. He suggested that we use our dialect as much as possible in our teachings.
Pastor H Biakson closed the session with a prayer. Lunch followed.
Session - II: 1:30 AM – 3:00 PM Led by Pastor N. Tuang Lang
Topic: “Naupangte’ manphatna leh kep a poimawhna” - “Worth of Children and the importance of nurturing them.”
Pastor Tuang Lang opened the session with a prayer. He read out Matthew 22:37.
Worth of Children:
Ø They have Life and Soul
Ø Wealth – While we know that they are our Earthly treasures, we must also realize that they are treasures of Heaven.
Ø They are the Apple of God’s eye.
Ø They are our future leaders.
The Importance of Nurturing Children:
Ø Born sinners
Ø God loves them
Ø Physical and Spiritual Nurturing shapes life
Ø Preservation of the culture and identity God has given us.
Ø Future leaders.
Discussion
Heutunu** Muante shared about her Sunday School teaching experience and the ‘Teachers’ training programme’ that she had attended in Mumbai. She gave a brief about the necessity of disciplining oneself and one’s pupils according to God’s word. She also talked about the different types of parenting which line closely with teaching. She stressed on the importance of giving more time to ‘Instructing’ and ‘Training’ children so that not much time need be spent in ‘ Correcting’ them. Different techniques of teaching were also discussed.
This was followed by an open discussion, Sunday School Teachers sharing their thoughts about the language barrier. Time and again, suggestions have been received from parents that Sunday School teachings should be done in our language - Paite. But most of the teachers are of the view that this is not quite practicable as the couple of hours per week we have for Sunday School is much too precious a time for teaching language. The more important thing- the main focus of our Sunday School, is to teach about God. And in the present scenario, teaching most parts, if not all, in English is more effective as the children in our Sunday school comprehend better this way. This is not to say that we neglect our language, but only that Sunday School should not be treated as a ‘language school’. Efforts have been made and will continue to be made to teach as much as possible in our own dialect, but the main focus will always be on teaching God’s word to Children in a way they can comprehend.
Most of those present shared their experiences and thoughts about teaching in Sunday school; ways to improve and be more effective. In all, those present had a blessed time. Pastor Tuang Lang concluded the session with a prayer.
*Heutupa - Male Teacher
**Heutunu - Female Teacher
-By H. Kamlianmung, Content Writer with inputs from BCD, EBCC Delhi
