THE PRACTICE HANDBOOK FOR THE DISTRICT SERVING ONES
SERIES FOUR
SERVICES FOR SAINTS OF ALL AGES
Message One
Children Service
Mark 10:14 But Jesus, seeing it, was indignant and said to them, Allow the little children to come to Me. Do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of God.
16 And taking them into His arms, He fervently blessed them, laying His hands on them.
Prov. 22:6 Train up a child according to the way he should go ; Even when he is old, he will not depart from it.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CHILDREN’S WORK
From our experience we feel that the children’s work is very important. The children’s work should not simply be babysitting in order for the saints to come to the meetings. Because of their circumstances, the saints need to bring their children to the meeting, and there is the need to take care of the children for the saints. However, the children’s work has another function, that is, to cultivate and nurture our next generation. This is worthy of our careful consideration and examination. (CWWL, 1985, vol. 1, “Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord’s Recovery, Book 5: Concerning Various Aspects of Church Service,” msg. 6)
We expect the children’s work among us to be very prevailing. Therefore, we need to have a proper this work. When we speak of the children’s work, we are referring to children who have not graduated from elementary school but are realization and preparation for more than five old. These are the target of our children’s work. years If we are unable to take care of the children who are younger than this age group, we will leave them to the care of their parents. In order to give a message to young people or college students, we know that we must be well prepared. Some may think that it is easy to care for the children who are between the ages of five and twelve by simply giving them a piece of candy. However, to handle the children in this way will not yield a good result. According to my observation, the most difficult work to do effectively is the children’s work. (CWWL, 1967, vol. 1, “Serving in Coordination and Washing in Love,” msg. 12)
The Children Becoming the Gospel Seeds in Their Schools
God ordained that man be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth (Gen. 1:28). Thus, man has multiplied, but how do we raise our children? Many years ago we did not know that children could have great potential for the gospel. We stressed preaching the gospel but neglected the fact that children could also be the fruit of the gospel. When we realized that children could also be considered fruit of the gospel, I fellowshipped with the brothers, asking them to work with the goal of having ten thousand children in Taipei. If we had carried this out at that time and contacted ten thousand children, a majority of them would be older brothers and sisters today. We cannot guarantee that every child would have been saved, but at least eighty percent of the children would have been saved. This would equal eight thousand children. In addition, the ten thousand children was not a fixed number. Every year new children would have been added to us.
When children are saved, they become our young brothers and sisters. After they graduate from primary school, they become seeds of the gospel in junior high school. When we work in the schools, they become our inside helpers and bring their classmates to us. In this way it is easier to work in the junior high schools. It is difficult to bring the gospel to a school where there are no saints who are teachers or students. However, young brothers and sisters in a junior high school can be likened to little seeds; they are waiting to sprout by responding to our call and bringing their classmates to salvation. When they enter into high school, they again become seeds of the gospel. During their three years of high school, we could bring three times as many people to salvation. When these young saints finish high school and enter college, they are seeds of the gospel in their college. In this way the number of people saved is continually multiplied. This is truly a great thing.
Families Being Brought In through the Children
Furthermore, the children’s work has an additional function, which is to gain the families of the children. Children like to make friends. It is particularly easy for children between the ages of six and twelve to make friends, and they listen to their friends. It is therefore easy for a child to lead another child. When the children sing hymns together, the gospel is operating and spreads from one child to another child. Our purpose, however, is not focused only on the children, but even more, through the children, we want to reach their parents and siblings.
THE CHILDREN’S WORK HAVING MANY ASPECTS
There is not a definite way to take care of the children’s work. There should not be only one aspect to the children’s work. There should be many locations for the children’s work, meetings can be held at different times, and we can use different methods to conduct the children’s meetings. There should also be many goals. The teaching material should also cover many aspects.
Having Many Locations
Having a children’s meeting only in the meeting hall will be a great hindrance to its further development. The children may not all be able to travel to the meeting hall, and the meeting hall may not have sufficient space for the meeting. In the meeting hall in Anaheim there are more than ten rooms for children’s meetings, but the space is still not enough. Furthermore, the rooms are used only for a few hours every week and have no other use. This is not cost efficient. Even if we have many rooms, it will not be easy for all the children to come to the meeting hall for a scheduled meeting. Their meetings must have many locations.
According to our study, the most effective way is similar to the way we propagate the gospel. Every saint should open his home and have a children’s meeting in his home. If a home has no children, then it is up to the individual saint to decide whether he would open his home. Nevertheless, it is best to have the burden to open one’s home for the children. Most of the older sisters are burdened for the children. If their children are abroad or married and their circumstances allow them, they should open their home for a children’s meeting. They can invite five or six children from the neighborhood to have a children’s meeting. They do not have to worry about how to have the meeting, because the church will prepare material for them.
Having Material
We have considered using videotaped material, which some localities use. In Texas some of the children’s meetings watch videotapes prepared for the children. We want to produce a video that shows children from various countries wearing their traditional dress and singing the hymns. There would be Japanese children wearing the kimono, Korean children wearing the hanbok, Chinese children wearing Chinese quilted jackets, and Indonesian children wearing the sarong. The children would enjoy watching such a video. After watching the video, we can help the children identify the different nationalities and then say something concerning God’s creation.
Having Many Purposes
We can open our homes once or twice a week, even on Saturday afternoons and during vacation time, to invite children to our homes to have a children’s meeting. We can also contact the children’s parents and preach the gospel to them and to their relatives. This is the principle of our gospel work. The more people we contact, the better. In this way, over a period of time there will spontaneously be an effect. We believe that out of every ten children we care for, three or four will be saved. They might not get saved at this time, but at a later time in their life they will remember something and return to the church. It will be easier for these ones to be saved.
Having Many Ways
The households with children can take the initiative to open their homes and ask their children to invite other children in the neighborhood. The children can watch the children’s videotapes, sing children’s songs, or listen to a story. This is the way to have a children’s meeting once a week.
The meeting hall also has its use, but that might mainly be to babysit children. We will not be able to separate the children into smaller groups, because of a lack of rooms and teachers. When the saints come to a meeting, their children can watch a videotape, sing, and be spiritually cultivated.
Having Different Meeting Times
Furthermore, it is best to have different meeting times for the children’s meetings. The schedule should be flexible. The meetings do not have to be on the Lord’s Day. Saturday afternoon is also a good time. We need to utilize the time when the children are out of school to have children’s meetings.
Concerning How to Carry out the Children’s Work
The way to carry out the children’s work depends on the brothers taking the lead in the children’s work. They should determine how to contact the opened homes and how to lead the saints to receive a burden and be faithful. If every home can open to invite children, we will have enough meeting places and manpower. Furthermore, if some saints are designated to prepare teaching material, the saints will not need to labor that much. We can give only some principles related to the children’s work. It is up to the saints to carry them out. We also need the elders to promote this matter. If we are diligent, we will gain many people year after year. The children’s work will become one source of increase. It is worthwhile for the elders to promote the children’s work. (CWWL, 1985, vol. 1, “Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord’s Recovery, Book 5: Concerning Various Aspects of Church Service,” msg. 6)
PREPARING PROPER SONGS FOR THE CHILDREN
The brothers and sisters should also prepare songs for the children’s meetings. We should not treat the little ones like the older saints and have them sing the same songs that we do. Hymns, #1017, for example, says, “Christ has put on human nature and become a man like me, / He has died upon the cross that I from Adam might be free, / He has risen and as Spirit He has come to live in me / That He might be my life.” This hymn does not match the six-year-olds. They may be able to pick up the tune, but they will not understand the words. To prepare the proper children’s songs s is not easy; it requires much work. We can adopt the melodies of certain hymns, but if possible, we can also compose new melodies. (CWWL, 1967, vol. 1, “Enjoying the Lord in His Word by Pray-Reading for the Building Up of the Church in Oneness,” ch. 4)
When we were in northern China, the sisters who taught the children used content from the adults’ meeting. At that time the adults met upstairs, and the children met downstairs. When we spoke concerning vanity, they spoke to the children concerning vanity. When we spoke concerning dealing with the flesh, they also spoke concerning the flesh. After I found out about this, I told the serving ones that this would not work. I realized that after the children were baptized, they would not be able to listen to any messages, because before they were saved, they would have already heard messages for the edification of new believers. We should never do the children’s work in this way.
Let us consider another example. One morning I was in the meeting hall, and I heard the children singing the hymn “Rock of Ages Cleft for Me.” This hymn is too deep for the children. Hence, some of the saints should receive a burden to write songs for the children. The songs should be simple and interesting. They do not need to be religious. We can sing about flowers and birds with a lively tune. Eventually, we can teach the children songs related to God. The children’s songs should be of three levels, and each level should include at least fifty songs. (CWWL, 1967, vol. 1, “Serving in Coordination and Washing in Love,” msg. 12)
USING PRACTICAL LESSONS TO BUILD UP
THE CHILDREN AS PROPER HUMAN BEINGS
At the end of each lesson that we give them, we can impress them with a short verse from the Bible. By ministering the lesson, we will lay a good foundation for them to receive something brief from the word of God. We may tell them, for example, that as children they need to be proper human beings who behave in a good way to honor their parents. We can even use illustrations from nature; this will interest them very much. Then at the end we can read them Exodus 20:12, which says, “Honor your father and your mother,” explaining that this is the word of God in the Bible. We can ask them to keep it in mind, recite it, and explain to us what it means. In this impress way we will them with this word. Finally, at this point we can help them with this verse in a very simple way. The next time they come pray together, we can have them tell us what they heard the previous week and whether they put it into practice. We may ask them in what way they honored their parents in the past week. If we take an adequate time to do this, they will be very interested in what we say. We must not give them anything in a premature way. Rather, we should prepare the lessons according to their age. We should give the five- and six-year-olds one thing and the seven- and eight-year-olds something else. Premature knowledge damages children. We need some brothers and sisters who understand this principle to prepare the lessons.
HELPING THEM TO KNOW GOD,
REDEMPTION, AND LIFE IN A PRACTICAL WAY
Gradually, we can help them to know who God is, not in a religious way but in a very practical way. We can lead them to the point that they realize there is an almighty One, who is God. By choosing the best verses concerning God-such as Exodus 3:6, which says, “1 am the God of your father” or 20:2, which says, “I am Jehovah -we can impress them in a brief and simple way that God”- your there is an almighty One in the universe, who is our God. Following this, we can help them to know God’s creation and even the fall of man. For this purpose we should not merely tell stories. Instead, we should present these matters in a very practical way, using many illustrations. The best time to present the fall of man is after we have helped them to know what a proper humanity is. We may ask them one by one, “Can you practice what you have heard? Have you honored your parents? Have you loved your brothers?” Many of them will admit that they cannot, and some may even shed tears. Then we should ask, “Why have you failed? Why can you not do this?” At this point we can tell them that we are all fallen creatures and that there is sin within us that weakens us. To speak concerning the fall in this way realistic.
In the same principle, we can tell them how the Lord Jesus came to accomplish redemption. Again, we should not speak this as a mere story. Rather, we can use the lessons concerning proper humanity and the proper way to behave. We can say, “We know that God commanded us to honor our parents, but we have failed. In the Bible this failure is called sin. How can this problem be solved?” This is the way to speak concerning sin and the problem of sins. Then we can point out to them that the Son of God has died for us, and we can tell them about the cross, the death of Christ, and redemption without passing on mere religious knowledge. After they reach a certain age, we can go on to tell them that Christ is life, not as a mere story but based on their failures and desires. We can ask, “Do you want to have the strength to behave yourself in this wonderful way? You must realize that you yourself do not have this strength. You need Christ to be your life and power.” This is the best way to help them. Without giving them too much knowledge, we can help them in a practical way to realize what God, creation, humanity, the fall, redemption, and Christ are, and eventually we can help them to receive the Lord and be saved in a definite way.
When the children are young, we should simply tell them about God, His creation, and other simple things. At least by the time they are eight years old, we should help them to realize something concerning the Lord’s salvation, and gradually after that, we can help them to know that Christ is life. We should not pass on matters such as pray-reading until they are at least ten or eleven, at which time they should know something concerning how to fellowship with the Lord. For the younger ones, illustrations and demonstrations are more helpful. If we conduct the meetings with the children in a proper way, a two-hour meeting will not be too long. On the contrary, though, to merely tell them story after story will tire them.
IN CARING FOR CHILDREN,
NOT PASSING ON RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE
BUT BUILDING UP THEIR PROPER HUMANITY
In caring for young children, we must be careful not to make them religious. We must not pass on mere religious knowledge from the Bible, and we should not tell them too many Bible stories. Rather, we should keep back some portions until later. Furthermore, we should not force them to pray. If we will practice these matters, we will be able to be successful. On the positive side, the first thing we should do with elementary age children is to help them to know how to be persons with a proper humanity. We must help them to know what a proper humanity is and how to behave as human beings. To this end, we can have many lessons and use demonstrations and illustrations. We can bring a small animal or some flowers and talk about the difference between man and these things. Then we can tell them how to behave themselves as persons who are altogether different from the lower creatures.
We must also help them to know how to honor their parents, Jove others, and know the proper elements of human morality, such as humility, patience, and kindness. In this way we can build them p as proper materials for the Lord’s use. To receive the Lord and enjoy Him requires us to have a proper humanity as good material. Within the six years of the elementary age, there are about three hundred Lord’s Days to build up the children in their human character. It is very helpful for us to do this.
Helping Them to Grow up as Proper Human Beings
The mistake made by Christianity in their so-called Sunday schools is that they try to make the children religious by giving them too much knowledge and too many Bible stories. Eventually, this makes it difficult to help them. After they grow up and we refer them to the story of the fall of Adam, they may say, “Since I was five years old, I already knew how Eve took the fruit and gave it to Adam, and man became fallen. There is no need to tell me this again.” Because of this, they will not be able to receive inspiration from the Word. That is why we should withhold from them certain stories from the Bible and keep them until a later time. At first we should simply help them to grow up as proper persons with the full understanding and realization of what a proper humanity is. (CWWL, 1967, vol. 1, “Enjoying the Lord in His Word by Pray-Reading for the Building Up of the Church in Oneness,” ch. 4)
We must be built up as proper human beings. This is a matter of our character, that is, our behavior and habit. A person who has been properly built up is a right person with a right character. Today many young people have been damaged with respect to their character. It is because of this that we have a children’s work for the children. We need to build up our children’s character. From their youth they must learn to honor their parents, love their brothers and sisters, and respect others. We do not need to give the young ones too much knowledge of the Bible. We should rather build them up with the proper ethics and morality that will constitute a proper character. Many people today are short of such a proper training. (CWWL, 1989, vol. 3, “The Exercise and Practice of the God-Ordained Way,” msg. 31)
The Building Up of Character
The reason the apostle Paul could enjoy the Spirit of God as much as he did was that he had a good character and was diligent in all things. The brother in 1 Corinthians who had committed fornication undoubtedly had less enjoyment of the Holy Spirit because he had a poor character and was indifferent toward everything. The difference between these two people was not due to a difference in the Holy Spirit they had received but due to a difference in their character. The reason a person commits a fallen act is somewhat related to his character. Hence, those who truly love and pursue the Lord, not to mention those who serve and work for the Lord full time, must pay attention to the matter of character if they desire to live the Body life.
Many of the teachings of the Lord Jesus and of the apostles in the New Testament, beginning with Matthew, reveal the matter of our character, even though the word character is not used. You cannot inspire a piece of stone or motivate a piece of wood, because neither has a living character. Character is a serious matter. The measure of grace we receive of the Lord and the degree to which the function of that grace is manifested are determined by the kind of character that we have. Therefore, the building up of our character is the most crucial matter in our service. (CWWL, 1985, vol. 5, “Vessels Useful to the Lord,” msg. 10)
HAVING AN EXPRESSION
OF BEING CONSECRATED ABSOLUTELY TO THE LORD
AND OF BEING JOINED TO HIM
The young saints will have much influence on the children. How behave, how The young dress and adorn you conduct yourselves, how yourselves, and your attitude and expression will greatly affect them. Hence, it is not enough to speak and teach; you must also have a proper expression. If you love the Lord, the children will be affected by you and will also love the Lord. If you forsake the world, the children will be affected by you and will also forsake the world. If you take the Lord as your life and live unto Him, the children will surely see this. A child typically sees things very clearly. Consequently, lead the children, you must pay attention to what you are before the Lord; your expression before the children must be entirely of the Lord. When the Lord is lived out from you, it will make a deep impression on the children. Even if these children stumble and turn to the world, the impression they receive from you during their time in the children’s meeting will be with them throughout their life. Such an impression will preserve them and enable them to return even after many years. Hence, when you lead the children, you must have an expression of being consecrated absolutely to the Lord and of being joined to Him. (CWWL, 1968, vol. 2, “The Lord’s Recovery and the Fulfillment of God’s Desire,” msg. 10-)
THE WHOLE CHURCH ENDEAVORING
IN THE CHILDREN’S WORK
Whether or not we succeed in the children’s work depends partly on the teaching material and partly on the brothers and sisters who take the lead. The responsible brothers and the co-workers in every place must see the importance of the children’s work in God’s family. How can a family not take care of its children? This should be a great matter to us. No family will disregard its children; as a priority a family looks after its children, raises them, and teaches them. Hence, we must serve the many children in God’s family.
The co-workers should not say that they are not gifted for these two aspects of the work and therefore cannot do the work. If they cannot do it, they must learn how to do it; they should always learn. The co-workers do not need to be personally involved in doing the children’s work. They can meet with the leading sisters in a locality and entrust the burden for the children’s work to them, and they can encourage them. They must lead the church to receive a burden for the children’s work. The church should concentrate its effort on this work. (CWWL, 1967, vol. 1, “Serving in Coordination and Washing in Love,” msg. 12)
Appointing a Few Serving Sisters to Take the Lead
In carrying out this work, we need to pay attention to a few principles. First, a number of sisters should rise up to lead the children’s work. A number of older sisters must receive this burden. The elders should also appoint three to six sisters to take up this responsibility.
All the Sisters Bringing the Children to the Meeting
The sisters should also bring the children to the meeting. If a sister cannot bring ten children, she should be able to bring five. Every week the sisters should consider how to bring the children to the meeting. If the meeting place is inadequate, they can open their homes. The sisters are like nursing mothers who care for the children and pray for them. After the meeting, the sisters need to take the children home. All the sisters should give themselves to this service.
Training the Young Sisters to Be Teachers
We must use the young sisters to lead the children’s meetings. Two or three other sisters can assist them in teaching the children to sing. The church should train the teachers so that the young sisters learn to teach and lead the children. Some brothers also need to collect and write material for the children’s meetings. They should prepare material for the youngest group of children, for the children in the middle grades, and for the older children.
Opening the Homes for Children’s Meetings
The saints should open their homes for children’s meetings. When the children’s work is carried out in a good way, I estimate that there will be about three hundred groups with twenty-five to thirty children in a group. This is close to ten thousand children. This means that we will need several hundred places for the children’s meetings. Of course, we can use the meeting halls, but the number of meeting halls we have will not meet this need. We need many brothers and sisters to open their homes. It would be good to have three hundred meeting places for the children every Lord’s Day. How beautiful this service will be! And how much the Lord’s work will be propagated!
When the entire church is mobilized in this way, all the brothers and sisters will have an opportunity to serve. Some can open their homes, others can bring the children to the meetings, and still others can teach the children. When all the saints endeavor in one accord for the Lord’s heart’s desire, the profit will be immeasurable. This will impress the children that we are all for the Lord and are caring for them without compensation. Those who open their homes do not ask for money, those who teach do not ask for money, and those who transport the children do not ask for money. Instead of asking of expenses the for money, the saints spend their own money to pay the expenses of carrying out the children’s service. As a result, everyone will be full of joy. Our conducting children’s meetings in this way will deeply impress the children from their youth. They will see people who live for Christ and who sacrifice for Christ, not caring for themselves. This is the ultimate benefit. Furthermore, the impact will unconsciously influence the relatives of the children in such a way that it will be easy to invite them to a gospel meeting. Hence, the children’s work is a major service. (CWWL, 1967, vol. 1, “Serving in Coordination and Washing in Love,” msg. 11)
We should take action immediately. All the churches should the saints in this matter, and we should pray for this mater. All the saints want their children to receive spiritual help. Even dormant saints want their children to receive spiritual guidance. Once we begin this work, the saints will respond. This will result in multiple benefits; the profit cannot be underestimated. (CWWL, 1967, vol. 1, “Serving in Coordination and Washing in Love,” msg. 14)
Discussion:
1. How to manage the neighborhood children meeting?
2. How to serve the children meeting on the Lord’s day?
3. How to encourage the saints (sisters, young people, elderly saints) to participate in children service?
