Indiana—As young men and women arrived on the campus of Indiana Academy (IA) in August, registered for a new year, and proceeded to the dormitories to settle in for another year of Christian education, Cicero Church members were waiting for them. Some of the members remembered a time when they were students at IA and reminisced about what it felt like to be young and filled with confidence and energy! And now they were ready to assist arriving students and their parents as they unloaded their cars and carried the students' belongings into their rooms.

It was a hot day, and bottles of cold water were a welcome treat! The water was provided by Cicero Church members, as were the dorm survival kits students discovered upon entering their room for the first time. Cicero Church members contributed many school supplies, snacks, and personal care items for the kits. Other items, such as water bottles, pens, and lanyards, were donated by Andrews University. Indiana Conference provided "To Do" note pads created by Sheri DeWitt and printed by Sam Zacharias.

One of the items in the dorm survival kit was a devotional book donated by Southern Adventist University. Beth Bartlett, IA registrar, said these books were very timely since there is a new focus on private devotions at the academy this year. A 20-minute time period was added to the schedule for personal devotions each morning. The deans have been excited to see students study their Bibles quietly during this allotted time while others formed Bible study groups.

As I moved about the dorms on registration day, I heard excited "oohs" and "ahs" as the students opened their brightly-colored dorm survival kits! Several said they had forgotten to bring some of the items they found in their kit, so it was a lifesaver to them! Dickson Tenga, an IA senior, said the kits made him feel so welcome at the Cicero Church! As the church members said good-bye to the students in their rooms, they had prayer with them and wished them a great year at IA!

These initiatives were coordinated by the Academy-Church Relations Committee, which has provided activities for a number of years now. Several IA staff members reported a positive impact the committee's initiatives have had on the students. Collene Kelly is the coordinator of this year's committee. Its members are Beth Bartlett, Kelly Fivecoate, Melody Hoover, Devra Macko, Diane Thurber, and Gary Thurber.

Some of the upcoming activities planned to build community between the school and the church this year are joint Sabbath fellowship meals, a Sunday morning brunch, a fall social, a miniature golf tournament, caroling in the dorms, gift stockings, and a prayer warrior program.

Won't you join me in praying that each young person's life at IA will not only be blessed through these activities this school year, but God will also make each student a blessing to someone near them?

Judith Yeoman, Indiana Conference correspondent