Relationship in the community

BIBLICAL REFERENCES: MATTHEW 25: 31-46

Identification of the Names of Community Leaders

The Human Community

The human community is a group of people living in an area and share common goals and interest. It is where we live with our parents and neighbours. In a community, different kinds of people live and work there to earn their living. In any community, there are good or bad people, rich and poor people, lazy and hardworking people, trouble makers and trouble-shooters.

The people in the community, meet, mix, relate and interact with each other every day in the compounds where they live, on the roads, in the streets, in the church, in the market, in the offices and in many other places. As they mix and interact with each other, relationships are established.

Community Leaders

In every human community, there are different kinds of leaders. There are community leaders, church or religious leaders, education or school leaders and political leaders, etc. Those who are community leaders are the chiefs, the council of elders and community development leaders or leaders of community progress unions. These leaders play significant roles in the affairs of the community and the progress of the community.

EVALUATION

1. What is a community?
2. Name 2 community leaders.
3. How is relationship established in the community?

Ways of Sustaining Relationship in the Community

For the peace, unity and progress of a community people in the community are duty bound to develop or establish good relationship with each other. There are ways of sustaining good relationship and ways of destroying good relationship among the people of the community.

1. Respect for Elders and Leaders

This means that children, honour and obey their parents, teachers and prefects at school.  Every citizen of the community submits to the authority of the chiefs and elders. This enhances the unity, progress and prosperity of the community and the continuity of a good and healthy relationship.

On the other hand, if children are unruly, disrespectful to parents, teachers and prefects at school, while adult and citizens of the community do not submit to or obey the authority of chiefs and elders in the community, then there will be fighting, confusion and breakdown of law and order which will result in strained relationship and lack of progress in the community.

2. Obedience to Law and Order

The laws of the land just like the rules and regulations in the school are made to control human behavior in the community. The laws tell us what is good to do and what is bad to avoid. This helps to maintain and sustain good relationship with one another. To sustain good relationship in the community, citizens needs to:

1. Respect each other.
2. Obey the laws of the land.
3. Do not trespass other people’s rights, Commit crimes such as fighting, cheating, fraud(419) etc.
4. Participation in Community Development Programmes

Good citizens contribute levies and donations for such projects, thus promoting good relationship and progress in the community as governments alone cannot provide all the needed facilities in the community.

4. Caring for the Needy

The Bible teaches that we should be our brother’s keeper. We are expected to be helpful to others especially the poor, the physically challenged or handicapped people. These are people who could not provide the basic necessities of life for themselves. They have to be assisted to survive. There is love in sharing; you can help a fellow student with part of your pocket money in buying some eatables from the tuck-shop when he or she is in need. The Lord Jesus taught that “it is more blessed to give than to receive.”

5. Religious Tolerance

Religious tolerance simply means peaceful coexistence between people of different religion. As Christians, we live in the same community with people of other religions. In Nigeria there are three major religions, Christianity, Islam and African Traditional Religion. Religious tolerance is based on the understanding that there are three clear elements common to all three major religions in Nigeria. These elements are:

1. The common belief in the Almighty God as the Creator and Controller of the world;
2. The good relationship between God and human beings got broken down due to the fault of human beings; and
3. There is need to restore the broken relationship between God and human beings.

Moral Lessons

1. You have a responsibility to help sustain good relationship in the school between teachers and students and among students.
2. You should pray to God to help you sustain good relationship in the school and in your home community.
3. As a true follower of Christ, you are to show religious tolerance and love both Christians and non-Christians alike.
4. We are not to imitate religious fanatics in killing people of other religion and destroying their places of worship.

EVALUATION

1. Mention 3 ways of sustaining good relationship in the community.
2. What is religious tolerance?
3. Explain 3 ways of sustaining good relationship in the school.
4. What are the 3 elements common to all 3 major religions in Nigeria?