A week of Discipleship and Outreach at GLAA: Reflections from a GLAA Student

After a long, restful Christmas break, 180 students walked into the chapel to find it transformed into a huge classroom.

Rows and rows of tables filled the room, with books laid neatly at each seat. In the back, teachers and staff members milled about and welcomed us all with warm smiles. 

Great Lakes Adventist Academy started 2025 with a week-long discipleship program led by Emmanuel Institute. It was such an incredible blessing, and we all learned so many different things we can apply to our daily lives. We learned how to go out into the community to find out what kind of needs our neighbors have. We also learned how to give Bible studies, and we practiced in small groups every day. In each of the presentations we learned more about our fundamental doctrines and beliefs so we could solidify our foundation in Christ.

Our days started out with an early breakfast, followed by time set aside specifically for our own personal devotions. This time was important to me because it allowed me to ask God to prepare my heart for the messages I would receive throughout the day, and to personally connect with God without feeling rushed or overwhelmed.

After personal devotional time, the entire school, staff and students, gathered together in the chapel to start each seminar with song service, special music, and prayer. Then Pastor Mark Howard and Pastor Kameron DeVasher taught us about all sorts of things, like how to effectively witness to those around us, how important organization is in the church, and about the principles and core doctrines of our faith. For every hour we were in meetings, we received a ten minute break so we could stretch our legs, go outside to get some fresh air, talk to our friends, and ask the pastors any questions we might have. After the breaks were over, Pastor DeVasher would get out his ukelele and lead us in a song before we sat down again for the next session. These fun, active songs were one of the highlights of the week for me. 

Every day after lunch, small groups of students and staff members scattered across the campus. During these breakout sessions, we practiced giving Bible studies. When I learned we would be doing this, I was a little nervous. Talking to people and teaching them isn’t really my thing. But these study sessions weren’t scary at all! We would all sit in a circle and ask our “study interest,” or staff member, a few questions and lead them to an answer straight out of the Bible. My group spent a lot of time working on transitions between questions. The study sessions helped us better understand our beliefs and think more about how to present them to others. Giving a Bible study to someone we know made the experience less scary. Now I feel more prepared if I’m given an opportunity to lead someone else through Bible studies.

After our Bible study sessions, we had a few more meetings before outreach in the evenings. Each night, a group of about 40 students and staff went out into our community to talk with our neighbors. We were each given a short survey so we knew what kind of questions to ask. This helped us know the interests and needs of the people we talked to. It also made it more natural to ask if they had an interest in Bible studies. I was definitely a little apprehensive about outreach at first. I am a very introverted person, and the thought of knocking on a stranger’s door and talking to them was a little scary to me. But I went out with a group on Tuesday night, and, after the first couple of houses, God showed me that it would be okay and helped me get over my nerves. I got to meet some really cool people, and everyone we met were so kind to us. After we offered the survey and Bible studies, we gave them a GLOW tract and offered to pray with them. Praying for the people I met was definitely my favorite part of outreach. On the ride back to school, the buses were filled with singing and laughter as we worshipped God and recounted stories of what had happened that night. 

A little bit later in the evenings, we gathered as a school family to close the day with worship. During this worship time, we sang a few songs, shared our favorite parts of the day, asked Pastor Howard and Pastor DeVasher questions about their talks, and those who went on outreach gave their testimonies. It was amazing to listen to the testimonies and hear how God had worked through us to reach others. Some of the testimonies filled us with laughter, like when one group shared how they talked to someone through a Ring doorbell. Others filled us with awe as we saw how clearly God was working through us, like how one group of kids kept dropping the GLOW tract they were going to leave at the door, and because of that, they were there just long enough for the owner of the house to pull up. That was their only house that filled out the survey that night.

Our week with Emmanuel Institute was a wonderful experience. I got to see how God works in us and through us to reach others. By the end of the week, we had 30 members of the community accept Bible studies, and 50 more who accepted the services we offered. I can’t wait to see how God will continue to use us throughout the year.