The public school IS our largest local mission field. I wish I could tell you what we are doing to reach the elementary school, but I'll have to go to high school for the story.
One of the men we ordained to the ministry is a representative with Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Naturally, we want to support him, but we believe in what he is doing because in our area it is the only mission outreach to youth on the public and private school campus. As a pastor, I personally get behind him and the high school football coach, also a Christian. The high school has about 425 students, and FCA has always reached about 25 youth. That's not an impressive number.
Working together, I have agreed to help the coach coordinate the work, and have found the school more than cooperative. I contacted all the evangelical pastors, met with them, and encouraged them to encourage their youth to participate in FCA. Each church adopted FCA for a week a semester, and here are about 16 churches of every ethnicitiy working together. One church is responsible each Wednesday morning at school break to serve light refreshments and to provide a program of evangelism/discipleship. Usually more than one pastor attends the meeting, and a few teachers attend as well. We have watched attendance over a three year period grow from a handful to now regularly near the 150 mark. The involvement of pastors has resulted in youth returning to church, and of course, some to our church.
The improved behavior of FCA youth has given the school a respect for Christian youth. Yesterday I got a thank you email from the principal, and I hear regularly from pastors. Christian youth are encouraged, and are emailing me or asking to be my friend on Facebook, etc. These churches, for a cost of only about $50 a week, 34 cents a student, are taking the Gospel to 150+ mostly unchurched kids. The church involvement has given the churches a handle on the work.
The success has been limited only to the high school. But it could spread to the other levels. One of our pastors who helps at the high school got special permission to distribute evangicubes to every student in the elementary school who would accept one. There ARE ways to get the job done...but we have to be deliberate, diplomatic, and daring. It was daring when Moses went to Pharaoh. It was daring when Nehemiah went to the king. But our God opens doors. Let's pray for open doors in our public and private schools. We might be surprised. I have been.
Each week I email the next pastor and church on our list and make sure they are ready. They are. And each week I go and observe. It's worth 15-20 minutes out of my schedule.
At least once a year our church invites the whole group over to our family life center for an evening of worship, encouragement, and fellowship. The house is packed. Our Wednesday attendance that week, usually about 50-60, soars to 150+. As many as 23 kids have professed faith in Christ in one service, which we have been doing for years.
Involving all the churches in the community has given us a united front, and been a blessing to the youth.
Hermano Jose, the Bivo Joe