Training at the Lord’s Supper Table... Hans and Willie

There are several good things about using “waiting on the Lord’s Supper table” to train men to serve the congregation. Let me illustrate that for you. We have a member (Let’s call him Hans) who was a little nervous to stand in front of the congregation. However, in talking to Hans we told him he could be in the outside position and not have to lead a prayer or read a scripture or anything else… just pass out trays. He agreed. After a while I asked him if he would serve at the inside position and say a prayer for the cup. I explained, he wouldn’t have to read a scripture or make any comments. He could even write the prayer down and read it. He agreed and did that for a while. Now on his own he serves on the inside, saying the prayer for the bread, reading scripture and making meaningful comments. Training is a process.

Let’s use another example (we’ll call him Willie). Willie had been a Christian all of his life but was extremely nervous about speaking in front of a large group. His Bible knowledge was excellent. He had a good brain and knew how to use it. He started on the outside… got comfortable and evolved into a great speaker at the Lord’s Table. Every time he made comments at the Lord’s Table the congregation’s eyes and attention were focused on him… you never heard the same thing twice out of him. In my opinion Willie was at the top of my list for inspiring the congregation at the Lord’s Table.

Hans and Willie were trained to serve the congregation at the Lord’s Table. Their talent was discovered, trained and honed by starting them out small and letting them grow.