About Victory Leaders' and Gleaner Bands

 

The Victory Leaders' Band department oversees the needs of today's youth. Psalms 78:4-7 says, "...shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments."For each auxiliary God has provided a specific ministry to help accomplish the work. For the Victory Leaders Band, the purpose is:

1.To evangelize the youth

2.To establish young people through Bible study and prayer

3.To inspire young people to raise funds for the printing of the gospel

4.To train young people to serve the Church and assist the program of God

5.To train young people for Christian service

6.To be a channel through which the local church is able to reach new people

 

History of the VLB

 

It is essential that youth receive training which will enable them to be of service to God and His Church. God has provided the Victory Leaders Band to be that channel through which young people can become equipped for duty. Realizing this necessity, the Questions and Subjects Committee of 1928 made the following proposal:"We believe our young people could be far happier in the service of the Lord, of far greater value to the work of the Church, and themselves rooted and grounded in the Church, if they were organized into band for prayer, for Bible study, for Christian service."The Questions and Subjects Committee of the 47th Annual Assembly in 1952 made the following recommendation:"We recommend that the membership of the Victory Leaders Band be confined to all people from twelve to thirty-five years of age."

 

Gleaner Ministries

 

The "glean" means to gather what has been left behind by the reapers; to collect with patient labor. Ruth was a gleaner of grain. "And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers..." (Ruth 2:3). Also, her patient labor is shown in verse seventeen, "So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley...". An ephah is equal to about a bushel.Within The Church of God the word gleaners is used in reference to children up to the age of twelve. It is within the Gleaner Band that early training of our children begins. In the Gleaner Band services in the local church, children are taught to worship, pray, give in offerings, and be of service to God and His Church. The funds raised by the Gleaners help in raising Victory Leader Band funds. When children are present, every local church should be having regular Gleaner services in conjunction with the Victory Leaders service.