Reflection: Starting a Coptic Club

Written by Servant | 02 November 2008

"God does not measure any service with the measure of the numbers.. but rather by the number of those who are actually renewed and saved."

The Ups and Downs

How many times have you said "I want to start a Club, but I don’t know where to start" or "I can't do it alone". Believe me, you are not alone. Christ is always by your side. Just remember, if you have an idea about starting a Coptic Club, chances are that there are other people in the same situation you're in and who have the same passion you do to start and implement a Club.

Our start was quite rough. The first year we started our Coptic Club we had a lot of paperwork involved. I assume this is normal for all the clubs at all the institutions. Deep down inside I knew that everyone wanted a Coptic Club at school. Not only to socialize, but to establish a small community on campus, like a safe haven.

Our school is fairly new, it's the newest University in Canada. I thank God I didn't have second thoughts about moving forward with the development of the Club. You will definitely find it difficult to satisfy all members when holding meetings because every one has different schedules and are in different majors and faculties and courses. Be patient. Service is truly not to be rushed.

Organize Yourself before the Club

Paperwork is a very important aspect of the club. It shows the club's mission, vision, and goals. This will definitely give you a head start when getting the club up and running. By writing what you hope to achieve and the various events that you hope to hold and brainstorm many ideas, this will give you an easy and start for smooth sailing. It will also show the members that this club is serious and organized, just like any other club in the institution. Of course, you will not have to follow the constitution or paperwork word for word but try to keep it as a guide line whenever you don’t know what to do for your next event or meeting.

Be Aware of Changes

We began our very first Coptic club in Winter of 2007 and established it again in Summer of 2008. An advice would be to be aware of policies, because policies do change. Make sure you are alert and updated with your student council or the council that is in charge of clubs at your school.

We had an incident where policies changed, so we were unable to revitalize our club the following year (Summer 2007 & Winter of 2008). With regards to the policies and regulations in your school, make sure you follow them accurately and without any delay or procrastination. Missing the deadline is not a pretty site. We were unaware of the deadlines that we had to meet because we followed the previous year's and thus missed the deadline by a couple of days. At which then I informed the rest of the members and executives. This is another key point. Communication, again very important because you are not working alone, but with a team! ... A group of servants. Without communication people might accuse you of things they are not aware of because of the lack of understanding they have of the situation. Also try to get the members of the club involved by giving club members clear tasks and completion dates to meet with any event or meeting goals.

God's Measurement

Final thought, do not be discouraged when you see a few number (one or two) in your meetings. Pope Shenouda mentions in his book The Release of the Spirit that "God does not measure any service with the measure of the numbers.. but rather by the number of those who are actually renewed and saved." As long as you are touching an individual's life that is more than enough. However with that in mind, do not slack off. Work as hard as you can to bring people to the meetings and God will work through those who attend and are willing to attend but are unable to. I am only saying our experiences so that you as well may learn from them and through the grace of God have a successful year every year!

Questions to think about

Some questions to think about when starting a Club:

Advertisement Ideas

Some Advertisement Ideas:

• Media (radio, TV, print, web)
• Brochures
• Posters
• Website
• Giveaways
• Signs
• Book a table in the hall
• Word of mouth
• Announcements in class