On January 27, volunteers from the "New Testament" church located in the town of Linevo (Novosibirsk region) presented a lesson on moral values to kids from the local school #1. During the interactive lecture they spoke about the importance of choice in their lives.
The event has a prehistory...
... Andrey Gordeev attends the church and his daughter is a 6th grade student in this school. Last October parents of the class had a regular meeting and were asked to help fix linoleum floor. Andrey was the only one who volunteered to help. The scope of work was defined, but also he made an agreement to provide an after-school hour lecture on the dangers of smoking.
So, the floor was fixed, and before the Fall break, on the last day of school (November 3), Andrey and his friends gave a lecture. The lecture was brief, 25 minutes long. They talked about the dangers of smoking, effects of this habit and gave some examples. They also paid attention to prevention measures and said, "It is better not to start smoking, because it will be hard to quit". After the lecture Andrey and his friends handed out a gift – "HopeXtreme" book, and a vice-director suggested they conduct a similar lesson for high school students later…
So, this time came and we prepared a dynamic and relevant program on choices with personal testimonies and quizzes, using the material from the "Book of Hope" and a video called "Quit smoking". Beforehand we sent a copy of "HopeXtreme" book for the teachers’ approval. We were asked not to give any religious propaganda. Of course, we agreed to this condition.
The "HopeXtreme" is a book published by OneHope ministry. It is designed for teenagers to help them in a difficult transitional period of life. Teens today face hard choices, and the "HopeXtreme" book will help them learn to make the right decisions and build their lives on the truth of God's Word. The edition includes articles on heart-felt needs of youth, expert’s advice and stories of their peers.
The assembly hall hosted 60 students and 3 teachers. During the lesson it was obvious that the students were very open. They participated and responded to questions actively. At the end of the lesson the volunteers presented the "HopeXtreme" book to each person.
We also took pictures with everyone who wanted. It will be a good memory.
The school invited local TV. They made a short report, which was aired on January 29.
After the meeting the teachers came up to us. They thanked us for the lesson and invited us to conduct another lesson in the spring. We readily agreed and promised to come.
Dmitry Fleishauer
Pastor
New Testament Church, Linevo, Novosibirsk region
