Today was a lot of fun. A lot of this comes from the insight of my wife, to whom I want to give tons of credit. I’ve been looking forward to this for two weeks. My intial reaction wasn’t so positive, but after some time of prayer and reflection, I saw this as the potentially good idea that it turned out to be.
I’ve been thinking about how to present the “Teaching Ministry” in a way that will engage people. My biggest concern was that folks would think that they didn’t want to stand up and teach the Bible to a large group. There’s a difference between something called a “Teaching Ministry” and an “Adult Education Ministry”. The issue I had was trying to make it accessible to as many as possible. Why? Because this ministry needs others that can edit and organize. It needs folks to manage the church website and the church library. It needs perspectives from members of the church that can serve many people. In short, it needs more than just the teachers.
I talked to my wife about it while she was dealing with an infection. We were home and she wanted to support me in this ministry to demosntrate her love and to keep her mind off the pain. As you might guess, not only had we found a way to open the ministry up to others, there was a theme, ideas to decorate the booth, and food ideas to entice visits. The only thing I could think to myself was, “why didn’t I talk to her sooner?”
The theme was “Matters of the Heart” – something that we explained as beyond matters of the mind. We hoped that by emphasizing what members could share and could do to help that they would not think about their perceived lack of intelligence. In other words, instead of thinking that they are not smart enough to be in the teaching ministry, they think of ways that they can encourage the church. As it turns out, we already have a fair number of men that are qualified to teach and they have asked to do so. This was a hope that others would be engaged.
Our table had a red tablecloth with sticky hearts all over the table. We offered cookies and heart-shaped chocolates that I made with a mould last night. We also had some reference books and teaching books, along with the book, “Now, Discover Your Strengths” as a centerpiece. We had sign up forms for specific things such as help with the website and help with the Study Series. We also had a form that asked for talent and ability in one column and preferred method of delivery in another. When encouraged many that came by that if they did not feel comfortable in presenting to a large group, they could write down their thoughts.
My wife would actively engage anyone that came within ten feet of our table. She wouldn’t force them to do anything, but she would encourage folks to think about what they could share. By the end, we were asking people about their story and it seemed to be successful.
We have two folks that want to edit and manage the church website. We have two folks that want to spend a weekend to get the church library started. We have several folks that want to write about various topics ranging from cooking to special needs children to teens to child-rearing. One person tentatively hoped to help edit our Study Series. Overall, it was encouraging that many that signed up to help are women. Anything that calls itself a teaching ministry that is made up entirely of men is a contradiction in terms.
Several folks asked to be included on information about the Study Series, including folks that are currently engaged in studing the Bible with someone currently. That kind of support is crucial because it prevents all kinds of overintellectualizing.
At the end of the day, I am quite tired. However, I am happy to have folks engaged in helping others. I look forward to what they have to offer. I am quite proud of my wife that endured my sin of wanting to control everything and still gave so much to me and the ministry fair. I feel very loved and very special. All around, a good thing.
As events unfold, I’ll post more here, including the rough drafts of the study series. It’s really more of a handbook, but I hope it will be useful.