The other weekend we had the fun of participating in the Shippensburg Back to School Bash at the Shippensburg Fairgrounds.
This was my first event to spread the word about the ministry here at Joy El, a Christian Retreat Center in PA, through Bible Adventure (grades 3-5) and CIA (Christians In Action, grades 6-8). I’ve been serving with Joy El for a little over a month now as the CIA Training and Development Coordinator. I am so excited about the opportunities to expand the ministry of the CIA released time Bible programs in the schools, write Bible curriculum, train volunteers, and interact with the middle schoolers. Since I heard about the ministry of Bible Adventure and CIA in May, God has been calling my heart towards this program and I was counting down the days until the programs began to open the week of September 5th!
At the Shippensburg Back to School Bash we were so excited to connect with students from all over—Shippensburg, Chambersburg, Carlisle, and even Greencastle. My coworker Ryan, and my husband Brad came with me, and we got to hand out dozens of Bible Adventure/CIA permission forms—we almost ran out!
God is moving in these areas, and perhaps God is calling you to be a part of ministering to public school students as well? The theme for this year is “Building God’s Kingdom.” If you know students in the schools where we have programs, we’d love for you to tell them about it so they can participate. You can also get involved by volunteering at a local Bible Adventure or CIA, or by giving financially to the programs so they can be free for the students involved. We’d also appreciate your prayers for the ministry staff, volunteers, and students as we prepare for another school year, and as our hearts are ready to see what God is going to do next.
One of God’s Kingdom Builders,
Bella
