Indiana—Indiana Academy (IA) faculty has involved students in not only activities and enrichment for personal spiritual growth, but also hands-on outreach and evangelism training to equip them to become the vision and mission bearers for this generation and beyond. Evangelism is a lifestyle I have sought to instill in the minds of my students this year, ever since the idea of turning our student week of prayer into an evangelistic series was started last school year. But it wasn’t until a group of IA students attended the Lake Union Conference Share The Light convention that the vision and mission was fully captured in their minds.

Coming back to school this past Aug., on fire for the Lord, a core group of students were eager to preach in their very own evangelistic series. Using the New Beginnings series, provided by the Lake Union Conference, our students prepared for a ten-night evangelistic series, organized by the students for their classmates and the community. Ten student speakers were involved in editing and personalizing their sermons, using technology to illustrate their messages.

Other IA students advertised the Feb. evangelistic series, which was held in the IA chapel. Handouts were distributed in local churches, along with posters and public announcements. Posters were also placed in various locations in the community, and personal invitations were extended.

We saw and experienced God’s amazing power working in the hearts of our students and visitors who attended the meetings. Caitlyn Chism, said, “I like the fact that my peers stood in front to preach. Some were nervous; some were shaky, but overall they did very well. It takes a lot for a student to get in front of their peers to preach.”

Holly Schalk said, “I liked when Rafael spoke. He seemed to really mean what he said, and I liked his message. You can’t earn or buy salvation, and there’s no need to try to become perfect before we come to God.”

There is something powerful about young people sharing their faith which seems to awaken conviction and revival in the hearts of young and old alike. Jessica McConnell said, “I enjoyed hearing the message from people my age and watching God work through them. When Christian, Renee, and Rafael spoke, I felt like they were really letting God work through them. They believed their message, and they seemed like they were sharing it with us because they cared.” Jessica concluded, “God is just waiting to show us His plan for our lives, and we need to utilize the time we have to share the message and renew our walk with God.”

As a result of this evangelistic series I am convinced, now more than ever, that young, committed Christians can be the vessels through which God can ignite the flame of vision and mission in our church once again.

Sara Bailey summed it up well, “I realized that God is coming very soon and we can’t keep putting our relationship with God on hold—the time is now.”

Yes! The time is now to nurture, train, and empower our youth for the vision and mission of Christ!

If you are interested in learning more about the outreach opportunities and training available at IA, you may register to attend Academy Days, which takes place Apr. 30–May 1, 2006. For more information, please call (317) 984-3575.

Luis Beltre, Indiana Academy Bible teacher and chaplain