Page History

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1. Consider what will our output be? A document which can be part of a "Training Manual for the Servants"?
2. Review Summary Items from past meetings starting Nov 15, 2020 through Feb 16, 2021
3. Select top 10 items for implementation
4. Wrap-up and discuss next step (Work groups? Champions? etc.)

How to convey topics of these discussions to other servants:

1. Clear direction for bi-weekly servants meeting. Build the outcome of these discussions into a curriculum to be given during that meeting.
2. Implement workshops where the servants can participate and feel part of the implementation.
3. Divide groups by classes (elementary, middle etc.) in workshop.
4. *mandatory* workshops! Can be like continuing education "credits", and you need to get 5 credits or so every year for example :) We can have multiple sessions a year for the different themes/actions and have people sign up. Top 10 at one sitting might be too much in one sitting.
5. Record and post meetings online and keep as reference.
6. Quarterly spiritual days for servants for the workshop. Focus on a few initiatives at a time to ensure successful roll-out.
7. Continuous improvement vs 1-workshop spread apart of each other.
8. Categorize initiatives over 3 categories:
   1. For Servants
   2. For Parents 
   3. For Kids
9. Focus the bi-weekly meetings to cater to one theme at time over a period.
10. Create a table showing WHAT we need and HOW to implement it. The message needs to be repeatable over time as new servants join the service.

Action: Create a table in a google doc which we can all contribute to.

From Nov 24 meeting with focus on Need #3: Need to belong to the full community of the church:

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•  How to: Create an atmosphere that facilitates friendship between the kids?
  •  Help younger adults (Youth servants) become role models.
  •  Engage the young adults with the grades 4,5,6 to help grow the identity. For example, Friday night together and participate with the older youth in some activities within the church.
  •  Possibly mini retreat in one of the family homes. Give more opportunity for the younger kids to learn from the adults. Learning through example.
  •  Manal: Big Brother/Big Sister system. Prepare future leaders and role models. Older kids may modify their own behavior.
•  How to: Foster an atmosphere of friendship within the same class?
  •  Give kids responsibilities in the class: Paper Handler, Attendance Taker, Cleaning before leaving, Garbage collector, distribute chairs, candy distribution, Jacket handling during winter, on zoom give job responsibility. Servants to create a chores list and distribute among classes.
  •  Create a buddy system within the class - Give kids the responsibility of checking on each other.
  •  Engage some of the kids with the servants when they go Eftekad. Especially between groups who seem separate.
  •  Create a schedule of events. Keraza through sports. Make it a habit that each year, there are specific repeatable activities.

•  How to: Instill responsibility towards the church?
  •  Need to create new services for the kids/youth to participate in.
  •  Create activities to help the kids be part of the church;
    •  Cleaning the church after services
    •  Collecting donation items
    •  Park clean-up, car washes, any activity which help the youth connecting together
    •  Every time we did fund-raising it was for a trip. We should do fund raising to provide for needy people.
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  •  Take the fellowship outside in the community. Make the kids feel they are part of the bigger community
  •  In order to feel "I belong", I need to know my church and be proud to be part of this church, this service, this mission etc.
  •  Kids/Youth may only be exposed only to St. George Church in Vancouver. How do we educate them to learn more about the bigger church.
  •  Consider trips to monasteries, missionary trips, Coptic orphans etc. This will help the kids identify with how big, old and established our church is.
  •  Individual service to show we care. No strings attached. Find a way for them to use their talents for ministry.

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From Feb 2 & 16 meetings with focus on Needs #1 & 2: Need to Know Christ and Who they truly are:

Need #5: To Be Equipped with the teachings of the Orthodox Faith;

•  Focus on prayer
  •  Meditation sheets
  •  Turn off the light during prayer. Turn on a candle.
  •  Teach the order or prayer (Glory, peace to church, peace to the people, peace to us)
  •  Make a prayer corner
•  Agpeya Prayer - How to make it more effective:
  •  Slow it down, Quality vs Quantity
  •  Pray it not read it
  •  Portions which can be sung as a group
  •  Praying after Asheya is more challenging
•  Practice of quiet time (Khelwa). Time spent by oneself to self-empty.
•  Shed the false identity. Believe and live our true identity as beloved children of God. Humility in place of self-centeredness. Who am I and how does Christ see me? Our discussions need to focus more on who we are, our purpose, our value in the eyes of God, and our true identity.
•  Plan on doing specific services during the fasting period. Think about something the servants can do during the fasting period.
•  Servant can plan a day/time for their class with Abouna for confession. NEEDS CONSISTENCY.
•  Encourage bible study groups (by area, region, age groups etc.)
•  Encourage daily bible & prayer time with the whole family.
•  Leverage Abouna's support to promote the importance of this as families.
•  Recommend to have a couple of servants in-charge of this service who can lead all activities with focus only on this.
•  Organize regular parent meetings around child minding during SS.
•  Caution that sometimes, our teaching may be very biased in cases against other Christian denominations. Kids needs to love everyone but be affixed in their core faith.

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