The SIAFU Guidebook

98 The SIAFU Network Guidebook

2. Offer an invocation (opening prayer) seeking the Lord’s blessing and direction for your meeting (3 min). Ask the Lord to come and be present in your meeting, sending the Holy Spirit among you all, leading and directing as you strengthen one another together in testimony, the Word, and prayer. 3. Spend a brief time in worship and praise to the Lord together (10 min). Recite together to music the SIAFU Chant, and spend some time singing several songs of worship and praise together. 4. Allow for testimonies from others for the sake of encouragement and challenge (typically 3 testimonies of 3-4 minutes each and an open time) (15 min). You may, too, elect before the date of the meeting, to ask someone to give a special testimony, a little longer in length, which relates to the theme of your meeting that week. Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, thinking clearly of who might share that can edify and encourage the members during the meeting. a. Encourage those who give testimonies to be concise, clear, and fresh. They should focus on what they have recently learned from Christ through their experience and be edifying in their topics and expression. Also, these should strive to both encourage and challenge those present to live more fully devoted and committed to Jesus Christ. Merely rehearsing one’s faults or sins, or complaining about a situation or person is not offering testimony to what God is doing in one’s life. Words should be clearly directed to help others know and love Christ, and as much as possible, strive to build up all who are in attendance. b. Please note: Someone will need to ride shotgun on the giving of the testimonies! In their enthusiasm and excitement, people can easily convert 3-4 minutes to 10-12 minutes, without realizing what they have done to your time! Gently but firmly remind all folk who give testimonies to be aware of the time, and if they wind up going longer, then quietly intervene, asking them to wrap up their comments, so the next person might share.