AUGUST 2020
BACK TO SCHOOL 
Posted by: District Apostle Mark Woll

The most precious treasure in a family is our children. In the work of God and in our congregations, we have a wonderful treasure in our children and youth.

As our children head back to school, we assure them of our prayers for angel’s protection, success in their studies, the right teachers, and a great circle of influence. We wish them well and God’s blessings for the school year.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the parents and all those who are involved in the spiritual education of our children. Thank you for your love, commitment, work, and sacrifices. You really do a great job.

There is a well known saying “It takes a village to raise a child”. This is an African proverb emphasizing that an entire community of people must interact with children for them to experience and grow in a safe and healthy environment. The villager's lookout for the children. This means together we take up this responsibility to preserve the beautiful treasure of our faithful children in the congregation. Our Chief Apostle recently pointed out that parents, teachers, ministers, and the congregation as a whole share this responsibility and task of showing our children:

  1. The beauty of the work of God
  2. To prove to our children the reality of what they are taught. That it is not just a wish, dream, or advertisement but the truth.
  3. To help to convince our children of the presence and power of God. Through the activity of the Holy Spirit and prayer, we experience the Lord.
  4. To show that although we are sinners and imperfect human beings, we indeed can forgive, be reconciled with one another, overcome and overcome our differences

We do this by showing them that what they hear, what they are told, and what they are taught is the reality and can be experienced. The children will learn from our positive example and the experiences we share with them.

We read in John 13: 34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Jesus asks us to love one another as He loves us. We can do so by:

  • Accepting one another – our children are accepted as they are and at home in our fellowship.
  • Sharing our joys and sorrow – their feelings matter and we show interest.
  • Helping one another – we seek to help them in a concrete manner.
  • Being together – showing them that it is important to us to be together with them (to be near them, to speak, to eat, to serve, to pray, to praise God together).
  • Mutually forgiving – “Christ makes free”, His love covers all and our children should be free of judgment and accusation.

Once again Jesus Christ is an example for us. When our children feel the love of Christ through us, then we will build wonderful relationships with them. In turn, we can be instrumental for our children to build their relationship with our triune God.

It remains important for our Chief Apostle, as it does for all of us to share this responsibility together; to preserve this treasure which we have in our children.

 

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