I did two FaithSearch Discovery presentations so far. One to a group of lay leaders at the Pentecostal Euro-Asian Seminary; and another one to a class of sophomore students at National State University of Social Sciences. I cannot say which of the two I enjoyed more, but the secular school was definitely more difficult and challenging.
It is one thing to train believers in how to present the Gospel clearly and logically, which they already trust and are already very willing to share with others. It is quite different to get a non-believing audience even interested in hearing about a subject that is so remote from and irrelevant to their young lives as …religion! Why would they even allow this Russian-American guy to take over our philosophy class time! It is a secular school after all–not a church! I could almost read this written on their grim faces when their Dean introduced me to the group and left the room. I am so glad he did because that’s when real fun began…
Five minutes into the presentation they were all mine. This is how long it usually takes to win their attention, when I start to talk about the most important of all questions: Why am I here? What is the purpose of life? Is there more to life than meets the eye? These young men and women in my classroom were definitely interested in knowing the answers and were very willing to embark with me on a journey of ten “Discoveries.” I’m so glad we decided to get those projectors for rent as I think it helped me to engage with my students at a better level. It also makes them feel more involved and excited about what is about to become. I will definitely be using them again in the future. It especially helps when they learn that they are not going alone on this journey, but will be accompanied by Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Pushkin, and other prominent thinkers and experts on the Russian soul, history, and culture. They still may not trust me personally, but that will also come in just a few minutes…
Well, I am not going to bore you with all the “secrets” and pedagogical methods I use in the presentation. Although, looking back I could’ve used some convenient whiteboards from writey to engage my students. Enough to say, that after spending four class hours with these students today, I was invited to come again in about two weeks to continue the journey we have just started (we barely finished Discovery #4). The Dean expressed it in his own way when he returned to the classroom right before the end: “I felt that the room was full of very positive energy! The students’ faces were shining with light!”
From one of those students I already received an E-mail giving feedback on this same evening: “I liked your presentation very much! The material is so well founded, so interesting and so persuasive! I am coming to the realization that Christian faith is true and it is grounded in real and fundamental evidence. This is so important to know when you live in a world of constant contradictions and compromises.”
