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Post by janet on Jul 27, 2007 8:09:43 GMT -5
[Janet Wrote] Geez What is going on in here. I keep hearing this strange hissing sound. Maybe there is a short in the wires.Check that electronic gadget inserted into your ear, and replace battery according to manufacturer's instructions. Failing that, feel along lobotomy stitches and ensure nothing has emerged since last surgical encounter. There it is again. That noise. Oh well I just ignore it. It must be some bad connection or something burning out. ;D
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Post by gloryintruth on Jul 27, 2007 8:28:29 GMT -5
[Janet Wrote] It must be some bad connection or something burning out. ;D
Oh, I'd say it burnt out long ago, sweetheart.
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Post by CherieKropp on Jul 27, 2007 9:38:05 GMT -5
GIT: Are you a mother or a father? Do you have any children that you raised attending F&W meetings from a very young age? What age if so?
Were you raised attending F&W meetings as a child? What age did you first start attending meetings?
Just Curious, Cherie
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Post by withopeneyes (Mandy) on Jul 27, 2007 9:41:16 GMT -5
Bonnie/Kathy
Awana is AWESOME. I really wanted to get my daughter involved, but she came in late and we had loads and loads of stuff to work on/memorize before she could get in... so we've been working at it at home.
We work in the preschool Sunday class every 6 weeks, and REALLY enjoy it. There is some playing (my goodness, they are in there for a LONG time and need to release some energy), but there is also a lot of bible stories, singing, and praising going on. The children learn that everything they do is praise until the Lord.... running and playing, and even cleaning up afterwards, included.
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Post by withopeneyes (Mandy) on Jul 27, 2007 9:44:39 GMT -5
I should add that these wonderful child-geared classes have really brought out so much in my children. Both of my children started talking clearly (there are NO children their age in meetings here). Their individual personalities really emerged. My son became more friendly, where previously he was shy. Even though we sang hymns, read children's bible stories to them, prayed with them, etc.... they didn't really "get into it" until they were with a group of children praising and worshiping and learning. It really didn't occur to me, when I was in meetings, how much children need Christian fellowship as well!
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Post by janet on Jul 27, 2007 10:57:40 GMT -5
Most children in the truth fail in understanding. The key issues they learn in meetings is how to act and look, nothing more. I have met other children in other denominations who at young ages could teach circles around most professing teens in the truth. I have seen more teaching of strict adherence to the customs then teaching the love of Christ. Many when they get old enough to make a choice leave. They run. It is kind of like when you beat a dog to obey. They will as long as they are withing reach of you. But as soon as they get distance the run like the wind. I have great respect for those parents in the truth who have raised their children in the true Love of Christ. Agape. However, they are few and rare. YOU CAN BEAT A HORSE TO WATER BUT YOU CAN'T MAKE THEM DRINK
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Post by withopeneyes (Mandy) on Jul 27, 2007 11:50:14 GMT -5
I thought, because I grew up in a home in which we read the bible.. A LOT.. that I would know a lot more than a lot of the other people in the church, especially those my age.
Woah, how wrong was I. These people in my church understood far more than I did. They had a better understanding of how to apply the bible to their lives, how to pray, how to reach out to others. I found the younger crowd had a huge passion for Christ, something I saw those in meeting lacked.... likely because the focus was usually on looking the part and "having something to say" in meetings.. rather than just giving into Christ and being enveloped by him.
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Post by Calvin on Jul 27, 2007 11:58:23 GMT -5
This is a very interesting thread.
I was B&R in a 2x2 home. I remember as a child that there would be a question and answer period for children about 10 minutes prior to Gospel meeting. I don't believe I ever saw that again after about 1970 or so. Does it still happen? That was where I learned the most (it might be the only place as I was a skilled daydreamer). Why isn't that a regular thing anymore?
I agree completely that their needs to be some kind of separate room and amusements for kids at convention. Expecting a child (even a young teenager) to sit for about 20 hours over a span of 4 days is nuts. Even if they can pull it off, it's torture and what good does that do? What it did to me was make me dread those 4 days at the end of each summer when I knew I was going to be trapped at Milltown, Washington.
As far as other Churches teaching their kids more and those kids having more understanding? I'm not sure I agree on that one. I don't recall any of my childhood friends having much knowledge of God or the Bible at all. Even the ones who attended Church regularly had little interest or knowledge.
One thing I do know is that about 90% of my friends who went to Church regularly as kids ended up falling into the same drinking/smoking/drugging rut as all the others once we got into high school. The ones that didn't go astray were the kids who were affiliated with a "strict" religion like 2x2, mennonite or strict Mormons.
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Post by withopeneyes (Mandy) on Jul 27, 2007 14:03:27 GMT -5
Calvin, how long ago was that? I'm assuming you'd be considered "older", right? Ministering directly to children is something that some churches have only recently become passionate about. Its as if it finally clicked..... get children active, teach in a way they can understand (and most children dont understand sitting still for an hour or two while listening to adults ramble on), get children involved in the ministry itself.... and make it fun. Worshipping and praising God IS fun, I have found. It's very rewarding to our soul- very refreshing.
Over the last 20 years, the children's ministry has grown by leaps and bounds... especially in the last 10. Not all churches have an active children's ministry (or, one at all). You can certainly see, when you nurture the children in Christ, the church grows larger and larger.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2007 16:01:16 GMT -5
This is a very interesting thread. I was B&R in a 2x2 home. I remember as a child that there would be a question and answer period for children about 10 minutes prior to Gospel meeting. I don't believe I ever saw that again after about 1970 or so. Does it still happen? That was where I learned the most (it might be the only place as I was a skilled daydreamer). Why isn't that a regular thing anymore? I agree completely that their needs to be some kind of separate room and amusements for kids at convention. Expecting a child (even a young teenager) to sit for about 20 hours over a span of 4 days is nuts. Even if they can pull it off, it's torture and what good does that do? What it did to me was make me dread those 4 days at the end of each summer when I knew I was going to be trapped at Milltown, Washington. As far as other Churches teaching their kids more and those kids having more understanding? I'm not sure I agree on that one. I don't recall any of my childhood friends having much knowledge of God or the Bible at all. Even the ones who attended Church regularly had little interest or knowledge. One thing I do know is that about 90% of my friends who went to Church regularly as kids ended up falling into the same drinking/smoking/drugging rut as all the others once we got into high school. The ones that didn't go astray were the kids who were affiliated with a "strict" religion like 2x2, mennonite or strict Mormons. Calvin, this kind of children's time in the gospel mtg still occurs today where numbers warrant it and the workers feel comfortable with it. Many fields have very few young children so this doesn't happen anymore in those ones. I have seen a few sessions nicely designed to teach godly principles, but most just have children learning fairly irrelevant facts of bible stories and make no effort to teach important things or relate them to their lives. I think the last poster is correct that mainstream churches are only now putting things together to minister to children. I have not only seen some pretty good programs in recent years, but have also seen some very fine young people come out of them. What's interesting in today's world is that the average child will have even less biblical knowledge than your friends of your generation. In some ways though, that unfamiliarity has some advantages. Children will pay attention to Christian teachings in children's programs because it is new to them and they haven't been forced to sit though hundreds of adult services to the point where they have shut it all off. Our 2x2 children tend to shut it off at an early age and simply learn the buzzwords and phrases without gaining much understanding, or even knowledge for that matter. It amazes me how little our 2x2 young people know about the bible and Christian faith in their late teens, they have either managed to filter out all the meeting preaching, or we really haven't been teaching them much in the first place.
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Post by freespirit on Jul 27, 2007 16:01:49 GMT -5
Calvin--a few workers still have questions before the meetings. I especially appreciate workers who play with the kids, take them rollerskating and make time to come to their piano recitals, etc, and just talk to them. I'm not so happy with grouchy workers who seem to think of kids as a bother rather than a blessing. clearday--totally agree about getting kids involved in bible camps and such. This year my kid was in one that was AWESOME! Janet-- you wrote: Most children in the truth fail in understanding. The key issues they learn in meetings is how to act and look, nothing more. I have met other children in other denominations who at young ages could teach circles around most professing teens in the truth. I have seen more teaching of strict adherence to the customs then teaching the love of Christ. Many when they get old enough to make a choice leave. They run. It is kind of like when you beat a dog to obey. They will as long as they are withing reach of you. But as soon as they get distance the run like the wind. I have great respect for those parents in the truth who have raised their children in the true Love of Christ. Agape. However, they are few and rare. YOU CAN BEAT A HORSE TO WATER BUT YOU CAN'T MAKE THEM DRINK Totally agree. I've seen this time and time again. When my kid was younger and fretful (translate: wiggly when I wanted him to be quieter), my mom gave me some advice that really stuck with me. She said, "teach your kid to love God, not to hate Him." And some random thoughts: IMO, (and I said this on another thread too) too many times people go to the workers about questions on raising their kids instead of going to God. It's not that none of them never have any good advice--I'm all for getting different people's opinions about things--but, from what I've seen, people without children usually don't have a clue about raising kids. So, maybe they have good advice and maybe not... I really think it's important to pray and each parent to figure out what is best for their own particular and unique child--to use their own brains about what is and isn't best for the kid God gave them to raise. If that means going against whatever the present-day protocol is or even being criticized by other people,even those we happen to like...well, okay. God never promised us that we wouldn't get criticized. And opinions on child-raising are numerous for sure. I'm a complete daydreamer and never minded sitting all those hours in convention meetings. Someone else's kid might be completely spazzed out by it and need something else. peace to all, freespirit
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Post by Bible School on Jul 27, 2007 16:13:10 GMT -5
Both of my parents and both of my grandparents were professing until their death. They took advantage of the local Bible Schools that were available in the area church (we lived across the street from a Southern Baptist Church). We attended the summer Bible School with our school friends. This gave us an opportunity to learn more about the Bible. This also gave us an opportunity to share the Christian Fellowship that we attended. We now have several current young "friends" in the 2x2 group that also take advantage of the local Church to make up for the lack of youth centered instruction in the 2x2 group. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a great group for high school professing students. One of our local high schools has a professing coach and teacher that is the sponsor of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in his school. The youth needs to fill the void left by the lack of youth activities in the 2x2 group by reaching out to the community for help.
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Post by bonnie unlogged on Jul 27, 2007 21:06:35 GMT -5
Withopeneyes,
You are absolutly correct about each point, you addressed.
It is sad to me now how little there are for the children. I think the questions before meetings depends on if one of the workers likes to do it, and the other agrees. Emmy Nelson was/is great about this, but I think it took a little persistance form her to get her older companion to agree. The kids love it!
One convention while in Germany, we were all so misrable because the worker in charge of the headsets to translate for us, was being the headset nazi. I finally just got mad inwardly and said to myself, we probably have paid for them and if we break them will probably by the new ones. Then the same worker got all over our english speaking boys that were playing to close to the meeting tent between meetings. See, we had made a shed as holy, as the worldly churches, go figure.
Kathy
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