Bereket (center) reads from the Bible with several of his Sunday school students |
‘‘The Child Focused Theological Education Trainings have improved my teaching skill and methodology for Sunday school classes,’’ said Bereket Michael (18). Bereket is a Sunday school teacher at Meserete Kiristos Church in the Tigray Regional State in Ethiopia. The region is 515 miles north of the capital of Addis, where World Vision undertakes integrated development programs that serve children and families.
Sunday school teachers left a good impression on Bereket. As a child, he thought of becoming a Sunday school teacher himself one day and dreamed of teaching the children in his church. Recognizing his interest, his teachers encouraged him to respond to what God put in him at childhood. When they thought he was ready, they prepared him to teach a lesson. He started out with enthusiasm, but as time went by he noticed that his students were losing an appetite for the lessons he taught and nearly stopped listening to him. ‘‘Their lack of attention and interest frustrated me a lot but it did not affect my zeal,’’ Bereket says.