We should not force the students to attend meetings. There is no need to compel the students to join any meetings of the church; rather, we should work on them until it is their desire to attend the meetings. Then their attendance will not be a matter of compliance to our demand. The serving ones must help the students to allocate time for their studies. The students must study diligently, and we should encourage them to spend time studying. We should work with each student according to his situation. In principle, the students should be able to set aside two hours a week for the meetings. No matter how busy a student is, he needs other activities for relaxation. Every human being has a need for enjoyment, and when the students attend the meetings, this need will be met.
The students also need to be enlightened. They should not merely come to meet for enjoyment but also to receive practical help. The serving ones must find the best way for the students to meet. They do not necessarily have to bring the students to the church meetings. We must be very flexible. The students who attend night school can have a meeting during the day, and other students can have a meeting at night. Furthermore, the students do not have to wait until the Lord’s Day in order to meet. They can meet any day of the week. We should exercise to be flexible in this matter.
A brother asked whether district one should coordinate with district three. Sometimes there is a need for coordination. However, coordination should not be organizational or formal; it should be living. We must tear down any sense of regionalism and not become isolated. The districts should be open; we should never say that a particular area belongs to district one and that another area belongs to district three. May the Lord have mercy on us. We should not designate a school as belonging to one district and another school to another district. This concept must be removed. We belong to the same local church. It would be very sad if we cannot tear down a sense of regionalism related to the districts.
A co-worker serving in a district should not think that the result of his work belongs to that district. We must drop this concept. At present, those serving in a district have difficulty coordinating with other districts. In the work, however, we must not limit the students. If the students feel to serve on the campus of National Taiwan University, they should have the freedom to do so. If they feel to serve in district one, they should also have the freedom to do so. Whether the result of our service is manifested in a school or in a district does not matter, because the result belongs to the church. Hence, the serving ones from different areas of the work can fellowship without prejudice concerning the service of a student. There is nothing difficult to resolve. The only thing that needs to be resolved is selfish intentions that result in regionalism. Regionalism must be removed. This applies to all the churches. We should not set up separating walls between the serving ones.
I hope that you will bring these matters of fellowship before the Lord. We must learn how to apply these matters and be flexible. The basic principle is to produce useful saints, and we should be flexible in everything else. Furthermore, there should not be any differences between the churches or between the districts. There should be absolutely no distinctions. Even if I am serving in a district, I should be able to help another district. The elders should have a broadened view. Do not say that since a serving one is assigned to my district, he should not help in another district. Our view must be enlarged. Then the Lord’s blessing will be multiplied.
The basic principle is to work to produce useful saints who can carry out the work. We must also work with the elementary school students, because they will be gospel seeds in junior high school, high school, and college. When we gain the young people as gospel seeds, the work will multiply and increase in every level of education. If the co-workers work in this way, the work will go on unhindered and without limitation.