PERM – On the first Saturday of October, an event, which is planned to be held every month, was held in Perm — prayer breakfast for men.
Fathers and sons came to church to get encouragement and inspiration. The meeting began with prayer and praise. David Grabovenko, coordinator of the ‘One Year for Jesus Project –Youth’, addressed the brothers with a welcoming speech. He told the story of priest Elijah and his sons from the book of 1 Samuel in the Bible.
“There are so many stories in the Bible when fathers served God, but for some reason children did not follow their example. I am inspired when David writes in psalms that he dedicates himself and his family to the Lord. Subsequently, we see that Jesus Christ belonged to his genealogy. God gave us the opportunity to be an example to children, to be priests in our homes.
Most of the time was devoted to questions and answers session. Questions about the upbringing of children were answered by Head Bishop of the Russian Pentecostal Union, founder and senior pastor of the New Testament Church, Eduard Grabovenko, Head of Youth Ministry, youth pastor of the New Testament Church, Alexander Khudyakov, coordinator of the One Year for Jesus Project, pastor Vyacheslav Safronov. First Deputy Head Bishop, Head of Social Ministry, senior pastor of the House of the Gospel Church of Naberezhnye Chelny Vassily Evchik was a special guest of the event.
Pastor Eduard Grabovenko answered the The first question how to bring up children so that they know God. “Raising children, each of us wants them to grow up as a blessing for others, but it does not always happen this way. Because men can be too busy to spend time with children. I thank [my wife] Larissa for asserting the father's authority in the house. Our strong point is that we asserted each other's authority: if she said ‘no’, I could not say ‘yes’.
Try to be an example. We can make children read the Bible or pray, but it will not be as effective as a personal example of serving God. Tell your children that you love them, encourage them,” said the minister.
Vassiliy Evchik shared the principles of upbringing of teenagers. “I have five sons, and each is different. What I have learned: not to expect the same behavior from them in the same situation; not to hurry, so that in the most difficult time I could be an answer to the need and they trust us, parents and see us as friends who will help in difficult moments.”
Questions and answers session ended with a prayer. After that men had breakfast together (following all safety recommendations). Men talked, got to know each other, shared their personal experiences and prayed for each other.
The next meeting is scheduled on October 31. Men's prayer breakfasts will become regular — once a month, before the service of bread breaking.
Watch the recording of the live broadcast: youtube.com/watch?v=whPRSOMVEig.
Men shared their impressions
“We organized a prayer breakfast so that brothers could spend time together in an informal setting, socialize and pray. I liked that men, understanding the importance of such events, made time for it and brought their children with them.
We organized a Q&A session and talked about raising children. Ministers shared their experiences and the participants had the opportunity to ask questions. Answers were valuable, practical, and vital.
Unfortunately, in our society men shift the upbringing of their children to women, and they themselves are removed or, worse, leave their families and kids are being raised by single mothers.
I believe that breakfasts will become a good tradition. We will gather every month to pray for families, the church, and the country, to talk about topics that are vital for Christian men.
— Alexander Khudyakov, youth pastor of the New Testament Church (Perm), father of four.
“The right format for service, communication and new acquaintances. Strongly inspired by the event, I hope it will become a good tradition to meet with brothers. My sons were happy to spend time in church with me and their friends. Thank you very much to the church for organizing this event.”
— Sergey Shibakin, a children's minister, father of four.
“Although most truths are not new, when you raise three children, in everyday life you can forget even the most important thing. I learned a good method of a correct response to children's misbehavior: not to react instantly, wait until the emotions calm down, both mine and the child’s. I will begin to use it.
Pastor Vyacheslav reminded about the importance of regular joint events with children. Vassily Evchik — about the influence of first-born children. They help to influence other children, and if you miss it, you can lose others. I try to devote my time to children, but I don't always manage to do it consistently; I will spend more time in the future. I had a good time with my sons and friends. Thank you very much to the church for the event!”
— Alexander Kurochkin, father of three.
The Russian Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith
