By Aaron E. Ziebarth, Executive Director
I often find myself telling people, “Joy El is not a camp; Joy El is a discipleship ministry that has a camp.” It is easy to define a ministry by a physical property, but that would be limiting the scope that God has developed.
Over the last few years, God has been moving us toward a new discipleship initiative: J-Serve.
The J-Serve program will help develop emerging leaders for life. Currently there is a massive void of leadership in churches and society as a whole.
- J-Serve provides a link between education and leadership
- When students are able to put into practice what they learn in the classroom, they are 10 times likelier to retain what they have learned.
- Training and development of leaders is an entire season process (not just a week)
- Students will regularly reflect upon their experiences to gain greater learning
Equipping has always been at the heart of Joy El. Our year-round team is committed to walking through the growth process with all participants. And the ministry opportunities are broad:
- Minister to elementary children through released time
- Learn camp ministry through retreats and summer camp
- Develop worship leading skills with all ages of students
- Gain marketing experience on the advancement team
- Learn camp programming skills
- Gain business skills through our finance department
- Lead peers during summer camp ministry
- Learn leadership skills through every area of service
Responsibility is the great developer of people. J-Serve is a gap-year program that focuses on developing post high-school students through ministry, service and biblical worldview development. And Joy El has an excellent environment where this can happen.
Do you know a recent high school graduate who is wondering about their future? J-Serve is significantly cheaper than college, yet provides a 12-month opportunity that will provide great clarity for an emerging leader. J-Serve is also an excellent option for college students who feel like they are moving through their education without direction. A year with J-Serve can help clarify what direction should be pursued.
For more information, http://joyelgeneration.org/content/about-j-serve and please contact [email protected].
