Indian Rocks Christian School
ACSI Region: Florida
Location of School: Largo, FL
Program Objective: to expose students to a variety of ministry opportunities, thus providing the opportunity for wide-scale discipleship and spiritual growth in their lives
Summary of Program
(condensed, with revisions, from the fall 2003 issue of ACSI’s Touch the World)
During the Ministry-mester, which takes place the week before spring break, we at Indian Rocks Christian School (IRCS) suspend normal high school classes, with the goal of involving our students in local service opportunities and mission trips. Ministry opportunities for this year included a drive-in ministry similar to Goodwill, a shut-in ministry, a nursing home ministry, a drama ministry to reach students in our elementary school, Habitat for Humanity, and a mission trip program.
The Ministry-mester grew from a small beginning—a single mission trip. In 2000, IRCS launched a program with a threefold purpose:
- It enhances students’ spiritual growth. Mission trip experiences present school leaders with effective discipleship opportunities, which are the most important aspect of the activities.
- It allows students to impact the lives of others by leading them to Christ and serving them. Many students in the United States have little opportunity to do outreach and experience God’s provision in their life.
- It helps students understand that God has blessed them. By seeing others who are less fortunate, students gain a greater appreciation for God’s blessings in their own lives.
In March 2000, a group of 6 students traveled to Eleuthra Island in the Bahamas for a one-week outreach. They worked with Eleuthra Bible Training Center, doing construction, child evangelism, and church services. In 2001, our team of 15 students returned to the Eleuthra site.
In 2002, we offered three trips that would stretch students and get them out of their comfort zone. One group of 20 students served in New York’s inner city for a week, working with the homeless. They distributed food and blankets, witnessed to people, and served in a soup kitchen. The students also performed puppet shows and conducted child evangelism in the projects. The second 2002 trip was a two-week outreach in Guatemala, where students worked in education, technology, social work, physical therapy, and other medical fields. They served alongside missionaries currently on the field. That summer, we also sent a team of 7 back to the Eleuthra site again.
Our 2003 program was our most ambitious yet. We offered four trips. Our first trip was again to New York’s inner city. For students who were not yet ready to leave the country, this trip was an excellent training opportunity. We sent a team of 40 to this site for one week. Another scheduled domestic trip was to a Native American reservation in Arizona. The 12 people who went on this trip worked on the reservation, conducted child evangelism, and served at a local soup kitchen. We sent 12 people on a return trip to Eleuthra for a one-week outreach, and we also sent 22 students on a return trip to Guatemala for a two-week outreach.
Student participation in this program has more than doubled each year, starting with 6 and ending with this year’s total of 86. More than one-third of our high school students are participating voluntarily. As a result of the Ministry-mester, we have seen a shift in the spiritual climate and peer pressure in our school. God is blessing us with students who are interested in and involved with their faith.
Indian Rocks Christian School's Ministry-mester 7.4