Out reach programs "According to the Hartford Institute of Religion Research, more than 40 percent of Americans “say” they go to church weekly. As it turns out, however, less than 20 percent are actually in church. In other words, more than 80 percent of Americans are finding more fulfilling things to do on weekends."(Mcswain2013). Church is often over looked or seen as a place full of judgmental people when in fact it is quite the opposite it is a community of diverse people who are there for each other no matter what. In this blog I will show the different ways church has a great community through.. 1, out reach programs 2, church events There are many forms of outreach programs that a church does to create a sense of community whether internal or external. Internally you have outreach events like backpack drives for kid who need school supplies. Also there are internal and external events you can volunteer which creates a great sense of community not only with the church but with the town you are in as well one of these events is Second Saturday... Second Saturday is a volunteer program my church Grace Baptist does were you pick a task in the community that people have brought to us that they need help with ( like a wheel chair ramp being built) and we do it for them free of charge. It has gained the church a trust in the community as seen in the attached article bellow. During this volunteer program you start to create bonds with the people you volunteer with. church events church events are another way that church has a sense of community by having moments were groups go to a event and have a safe fun time and bond while they are there. No it does not mean bonding exercises like trust falls, it could be simple Bible studies or fun concerts like the Newsboys concert in the video bellow... Also there are church events like winter or summer camp were you stay two or more days and learn biblical wisdom and hear well crafted sermons, and do fun activities like sledding, or board games. These camps help create a bonding experience that I have not forgotten and I have made life long friends from it, community as a whole Through these two ways church become a community I have become close with my church like a family. You see each other every week, you bond over your shared interests and your diversity. We are always there for each other through celebration and tragedy like when my mentor died of cancer we were there to help each other through it and two years latter we are even closer than we were before. I guess what I am trying to say is that when you go through volunteer work, church events, and tragedy together it creates one tight community.
0 Comments
My Sundays are not like most people my age. My Sunday mornings consists of a puppet show and thirty plus kids running around all hyper. No I am not a puppeteer for a children's show, I am a Sunday school Teacher. I have been a Sunday school teacher for about eight years now and I have loved every year of it through the ups and downs. In order to understand what life as a Sunday school Teacher is like I will go over some basic things you need to do as a Sunday school Teacher. 1, Have a good Mentor who will help you with questions you may have with teaching 2, preparing a lesson 3,Learning to have a diverse class of students that sometime may clash with each other. My character Theo for my three year old Sunday school kids Having a great MentorTo be a effective Sunday school Teacher you have to know you will not always have the answers kids may ask. Trust me even little kids will catch you off guard with deep questions they have about the lesson or life. When you have a Mentor who is experienced with religion and Leading a group you have someone to go to ask these questions you get asked or for teaching tips. A mentor is a valuable person to have in your corner whether it be moral support, some days are exhausting teaching, or for help to learn how to be a effective teacher. My mentor would teach me about the Biblical lessons I was doing or with other lessons that would eventually come up. It is also helpful because they teach you ad at the same time you are learning what works and doesn't work when teaching. Lastly they also teach you to have a interpersonal relationship with your students making them feel important and making yourself approachable as a teacher. My mentor Dane (1965-2014) Preparing a lesson Lesson plans for Sunday schools can very greatly from the age of your students. The age I usually teach are younger kids so we get a lesson plan book with activities to do. This however doesn't mean preparing a lesson is easy in fact you still have to do other things to prepare like knowing the material before hand. From my 8 years of teaching Sunday School I have learned that the kids no matter how young will ask the tuff questions and it's best to know your material ahead of time. Also you must be like a real teacher and be able to improvise if time or boisterous children throw off the timing of the lesson. Speaking of rowdy kids... Learning to have a diverse class of students that sometime may clash with each other. Like education teachers you will have a very diverse group of kids from all walks of life. With this also comes diverse personalities that sometimes don't mix well and kid start to fight and it dissolves into this... The best way to deal with this is to separate the kids and let them calm down. As with other teachers I usually have the kids separate and sit in the hall for three minutes to calm down. This is a very effective way and if it doesn't work you contact the kid's parents. Eventually the diverse group of kids will get along and it will make teaching easier. Thank You for Reading be sure to read my next blog. please comment or follow me on Twitter @NRay94 for udates
|
AuthorNick Ray ArchivesCategories |