The Importance of Christian Gatherings on School Campuses

This is my article in the Johnson County Christian, which distributes tens of thousands of copies throughout Kansas City. Enjoy! The theme was the importance of attending church on a regular basis...

The Importance of Christian Gatherings on School Campuses

To put a twist on the topic of the month, I would like to encourage both parents and teenagers with the importance of local students attending Christian gatherings on their school campuses. It is crucial for the life of any Christian to attend a local church on a regular basis. While Sunday morning is a great touch-point for a church body, and Wednesday night for a youth ministry, it is also key for our teenagers to be involved in a community of believers on their school campus who are contending for revival. Not only do our students need a community of believers at their school to grow with, but right now our schools are the greatest missions field in America.

Joel 2 describes a time in Israel’s history when the nation was in the crisis of God’s judgement. The nation of Israel had turned from the Lord and judgement was scheduled for the nation, but there was still hope. When a nation is in it’s greatest crisis, the Lord still has a divine remedy: prayer. The Lord commanded his people to gather together and become an authentic people of prayer (Joel 2:15-16).

It is key for us to answer the crisis in our schools and in the young generation by taking our stand in prayer. That is why it is crucial for any Christian student, whether at a public school, private school or even home schooled students, to carry prayers for their school, and not just any prayers, but prayers believing in the promise of Joel 2:28. In the midst of crisis and judgement, God can send revival to our city, and it can start in our schools.

This fall, schools throughout Kansas City are uniting in 30 Days of Prayer. During the month of November, Christian students will gather every school day before class for a time of prayer for revival at their school, in our city, and in our nation. All four Olathe High Schools have already signed up and will have daily student-led prayer gatherings before class for the entire month. More schools are signing up to make this the greatest push for high school prayer we have ever seen in our city. To find a list of participating schools and to find out how you or your teenager can get involved, visit www.kcstudentmissions.com.

Summer Can Be The Shift

I'm in the prayer room at the International House of Prayer and I've been thinking about the impact that each summer has on teenagers. I remember my summers and mostly the desire to do nothing during them. I remember going into vacation mode and just goofing off year after year. Then there was one year where God apprehended me. Suddenly I was given a vision and a purpose for my life that I could pursue. Suddenly I had something to do with all of my time, and my focus became the evangelization of my high school.

Summer can set the course for an entire school for years to come. In my case, one summer set the course of the whole Olathe School District for years to come.

Understanding this, I have been praying that God will apprehend many of high school students the same way he took hold of me. In one night God gave me a vision for my school, and that school year was different than any before because of it. What if that happened to 10 or 20 or even 50 students in Kansas City. Suddenly high school students walk into the school year no longer coasting through classes, tossed around by every opinion of their peers, but with a heavenly vision to lead their schools into revival. The most dangerous thing to the kingdom of darkness is a teenager with a vision, no joke.

For a long time now, I have been praying for the schools in Olathe that the Lord would send leaders with a vision for prayer and for a change. Many come and go, but it's those who have really encountered God's heart for their school who really stick with it. Those are the students who will wake up early and pray in secret when no one else sees.

Pray with me for the youth of this nation, that God would awaken them from the culture of coasting. Pray that they would be encountered by God's heart for their schools and they would return to their schools with a vision for revival. Pray for Shawnee Mission Northwest, Blue Valley Southwest, and Olathe East. Don't be afraid to name schools even near your hometown and begin to play an active role in the heavens.

City Wide Pastors Gathering

I just had the privilege of speaking to 150-200 senior pastors from both the Kansas and Missouri side of Kansas City. The 1st Thursday of each month, these pastors gather for a time of prayer and mobilization in an effort to unite and see God move in our city. I was invited to come and share about what the Lord is doing in the high schools in Olathe, so I prepared a short 15 minute news blast and just did what I love to do most!

It was such a humbling experience to see so many great Kansas City leaders in the same room, and it was even more humbling to get to present in front of them! Luckily, they were easy on me and loved everything I had to say about 456. They were all amazed at the stories and greatly applauded the news of daily prayer happening this November as it has happened at Olathe North for the last 2.5 years.

It is fascinating to look back and remember the beginnings of 456. I've given myself to working in high schools since I was a senior at Olathe Northwest, 5 years ago, and it is such a blessing to see how God is using these efforts to encourage the church.

Many of the pastors met me after I spoke at the gathering and encouraged me and invited me to speak at their churches and youth events. All of the pastors were deeply encouraged to hear what God is doing.

Here are some old pictures from the early days:

This was a handout for one of our first worship nights

This was our very first Heal Our Land Project

This was the Olathe South club meeting in the gym back in '07

This was a worship night in January 2008 (when Ryan was saved)