I’ve been with you for almost two years now. You’ve been hearing me teaching and preaching many times. I knew from the beginning that my stay with you will not be forever. I’ll be with you in just 3 months from now.  

Let me share this with you. The happiest moments I have with you.  

Seeing you all working for the Lord silently and with out complaining. 

I’m happy to see leaders stepping out to do a real work, as servants to the church, by edifying the members and teaching the lost, and being role models. I’m happy to see them teaching the Sunday class.

I’m happy to see our ladies teaching our young ones and leading studies as well with the Christians and college students, and serving others in their own capacities. And of course our young men, our future leaders, leading the singing, serving the Lord’s Table, reading the Scriptures and praying. Starting today we will hear them share their first ever sermon (5-10 minutes duration) before my Sunday Bible lesson.  I want to share with you this happiness that I have by supporting them in their first delivery. Let us encourage them to become effective teachers and preachers of the Gospel of the Lord. The making of our future leaders will start today. As brother Kok Pern, a one year old Christian, from Tunku Abdul Rahman

ETIQUETTE FOR ENCOURAGING YOUNG PREACHERS

Every preacher has to start somewhere. Those first few moments are always a traumatic experience for the young novice. Stage fright brings the racing heart, the thick stumbling tongue, the shaky knees, the fading memory, and the awkward hands. It is even more difficult when one premiers at home before family and friends. With all of this pressure upon the beginning speaker, we who hear his “solo sermon” ought to do our best to make it as easy for him as possible. The following suggestions would be appreciated by any young preacher. 1. A student preacher does not need a critique of his grammar, gestures, eye contact, nervous habits, pronunciations, volume and exactness of his quotes. We say this because all of these points are thoroughly discussed and critiqued in his regular classes in school. A young man needs to feel free to preach with enthusiasm and earnestness without being inhibited or totally absorbed by the mechanics of public speaking. 2. He needs a sympathetic audience. It greatly helps to relieve the awful pressure on the student preacher when he can see an audience of friendly faces that are wishing him well and not expecting a professional production. It helps immensely to know that the hearers appreciate his efforts.3. It is important that a young preacher have good attention from his hearers without distractions. Of course, this courtesy is due all speakers, but especially does the beginner need it. When one is nervous, struggling to concentrate on his notes, his verses, and all the other aspects of giving his lesson, a distraction from the audience can sometimes cause a man to lose his train of thought and wreck his presentation. Help that young preacher. Keep your children from being noisy, give him your best attention. He will be ever appreciative. Do not get up and make unnecessary trips out of the auditorium, also supervise your youngsters so that they will sit quietly. Few things are more troublesome to a speaker than a parade of traffic through an auditorium.

5. He needs your prayers and he needs to know you are praying for him. Nothing can surpass this simple suggestion, for it surely brings Heaven’s blessings down to the aid and assistance of the struggling student. Even Paul, the seasoned preacher, coveted the prayers of the saints (Eph. 6:18-19).