2025-03-11: Q&A All Coordinators with HE

Q&A

• It would be good to try and learn from each other as coordinators
          - HEMY Response: Maybe at the convention, we can pick a certain number of people to speak 15min about the service in their church
          - Fr Simon: We can let each of them share 1-2 of the coordinators share what has worked well with them that is unique. We can do it via Zoom as well.
          - Sherry: The description of the Signal Group has a link to our resources folder
          
  
• Trying to build opening service
          - HE: Agpeya should be part of Sunday School. HE, himself, learned the Agpeya from Sunday School. HE agrees that we need reform in our songs that match the ears of our children. Maybe we can make a committee in the diocese for songs and song curriculum (committee with good taste in lyrics and music, and well established in Orthodoxy). Committee needs to keep the curriculum updated. It should include hymns from the church. HE when he was young learned some hymns like Apenchois Pimairomi from Sunday School.
          
  
• Can HE discuss two servants per class without overburdening the servants?
          - HE: To be committed to Sunday School will never overburden the servant... to attend Sunday School, Servants Meeting, Visitations, Prepare the Lesson... if you are not willing to prepare the lessons or do visitations or attend servants meeting or attend Sunday School, then why do you want to be a SS Servant?
          - Release of the Spirit HHPS: We perceive ourselves as servants BEFORE teacher/accountant/lawyer/engineer/physician
          - Service takes the #1 priority in their life. That's why that generation (students of first SS Movement) came out in one generation? HHPS, Anba Youannis Gharbeya, Fr Pishoy Kamel, Fr Tadros, Anba, etc. They are the fruits of Sunday School because they were serious.
          
  
• Commitment and Seriousness: In smaller churches, who you choose from is limited. Sometimes we have candidates that have best of both worlds (skill, knowledge, personality, commitment) but some candidates are doing good in skills and knowledge, but not good in commitment or spirit of servant, and some vice versa. If we have only two candidates and each one is the opposite, which is better to choose?
          - HE: The committed one will be committed to learn. But the opposite one will not be committed
          
  
• Are churches doing background checks and requesting recommendations from fathers of confessions or church fathers before allowing someone to serve?
          - HE: Yes, we ask FoC, but why do a background check on someone who grew up in the church, was served by us, we watched him grow, etc. If I have doubts or considering to do a background check, I shouldn't choose him... I need to know him first and I will know if I need it. Not everyone who doesn't have a criminal record is fit for service. 
          
  
• Preservants candidates need to have recommendation from Abouna, SS Servants, etc. This is not what happens in our case. We open for everyone, but not everyone who finishes the program will be servant. Is this okay?
          - HE: No, I said there are two ways (see notes).
          - O. Ezzat would put the Sunday School list on the altar for a month before the selection of servants, so that the servant selection would really be from God. Prayer should precede selection (as the Lord did)
          
  
• We typically say the most important service in church is visitation. Service of visitation for the servants is a difficult challenge to push on them. Some servants push back and say "a phone call is enough" What is YE's advice?
          - HE: Visitation is important and phone call is not visitation; it is a reminder to attend SS. Visitation should be in person, in the house. Modeling the behavior is very important. Growing up, every Thursday HE's SS Servant would come and visit him (SS was on Friday) even though HE attended regularly. And that was the case for everyone. HE loves to do visitation now because growing up he saw his SS Servants and Priests were visiting him. He learned from the modelled behavior. General Coordinator and Subcoordinator needs to visit the servants regularly for them to learn the behavior.
          - If servants are slacking, the Coordinator can take them and go visit together. And show them that it is possible, and how much of an impact it makes
          
  
• Preservants: They transitioned to a system of grading and scales with quarterly reviews (shared with parents) and it was very successful. 
      
  
• There is a lack of commitment and seriousness by servants to the love of service (including visitation, etc.). How can we build that?
          - HE: We need to choose committed servants.
              - Even make it 40% of the grade
              - A committed person can learn
          - HE: We need to be role models
              - During one meeting in Priest Meeting, many priests didn't come so HE told them "I don't want anyone to complain about the commitment of the servants when you aren't attending!"
              - How can you expect the servant to visit someone when he has never been visited?
              - How can you expect a servant to attend liturgy from beginning when the coordinator comes at the end?
      
  
• How flexible should we be in all the things we discussed regarding the servants? If they have young kids, jobs, schools, etc. 
          - A youth in HS or College has more time than a married person with children, family, work, commitments
          - Most of the service was picked up by youth
          - Preservants should start from 9th grade so he can start serving early - you make an army of young servants.
          - The more flexible we are, the more people will not be committed. The more strict, the more people will be committed. Strict with understanding.
          
  
• I have preservants that if I gave grades like YE is saying and one has 90% but my experience with that person is not committed at all, or I know things with him that I cannot reveal... how do I handle it?
          - If your grading system is based only on tests and attendance, you'll have that problem
          - If your grading system has FoC feedback, behavior, etc. with a high percentage, you won't have that problem
          - If I find out someone has a girlfriend, I need to tell him clearly - you cannot be a servant and have a girlfriend. If I'm his FoC then I have to follow-up with him, and if I'm not, maybe his FoC should. Someone should confront him for his salvation.