8^th grade teacher Ryan Chamblee heads the class along with input and support from Brian Dolinger, the Junior High Dean of Students. “We decided that Chapel time needed to be something the students wanted, giving them an opportunity to lead, and challenge each other spiritually,” says Chamblee. Previously, chapels have been led by the teachers and planned for the students, but now, the students in the class are conceptualizing activities, planning the chapels and producing what is needed each day. For example they have planned, prepared, and organized student led small groups that will meet every other week. For admission into the class, the first group of students was recommended by their Bible teachers from last year and could work it out with scheduling. An application process is being worked on because the interest in the class is very high throughout the Junior High. Dolinger is also working on putting together a chapel praise band who will play for the junior high exclusively.

The sophomores and faculty this year were especially eager than ever to come back to worship and reflect and grow as a student and as a person as well as a GAC family. The retreat was the experience anyone can look back at his or her high school years and say: “I will never forget this event in my life. Ever.”  Some people around the sophomore class have grown closer to their faith more than they ever have before. Baptisms were an important event at this retreat as many of our friends have grown both as a whole and towards accomplishing their personal goals to grow in faith.

Mr. Cost, who teaches World History and Government at GAC, reflects on the opportunity he had to understand what “the Kingdom is now” truly means to him. “God is speaking where we are and building on what he did last year and I think this motto has a lot to speak to a world that’s hurting and to a world that has a lot of questions. I love that it motivated us (The GAC student body) to move to a direction towards God, and ask ourselves what does it look like to pursue God in Earth and not just wait until heaven.”

Worship was a big event at the Retreat as well. “You can feel God’s presence and you feel like you can touch God and it was just awesome,” said Rafe Chapple, 10^th grade. “You put your hands in the air and feel God, I just look around and see all my classmates so into it and it was a life-changing experience for me,” said Jackson O’Brien, 10^th grade, about the student body participating and worshiping.

However, the Retreat was not only about growing in faith. It was about bonding as men and women together and getting to know each other through great activities such as water sliding (hoping for speedy recoveries for those who did not fair well on the slide), sock wars, soccer tennis (soccer like game played on the Retreat’s tennis courts), volleyball tounaments, rooming together, as well as enjoying the surroundings. “I enjoyed playing ping-pong and soccer-tennis,” said Kalil Lowry, 10^th grade, about his favorite activities at the Retreat. On his new friends and experience: “I’ve met more friends than I did during the first week of school and it will impact me greatly.” Ann Puntkatalee, 10^th grader, explains a Retreat only activity that is worthwhile; “Sock wars were my favorite because after you have to jump in the lake and it is muddy but it is still a lot of fun because you get to go with your friends.”

The Retreat was an event that the students at GAC have to go to so they can truly understand what makes it special. The atmosphere at the Retreat was cohesive and filled with care for one another. The sophomores and GAC as a whole will remember moments like these forever.

This year’s trip leader, Coach Hayden Lane, said the trip was unique because “It is a mission trip that is close to home. You don’t have to look far to see people who need Christ’s love, and 7 Bridges provides the opportunity to serve locally. It is a mission that doesn’t have to end when the trip ends, because you can hop in the car any weekend and go serve.”

The deadline to sign up with this trip is Friday, Feb 11. The trip is over spring break, from April 3- 7. Students are divided up into groups and, depending on the day, will serve in one of three places. The first is the bridge route, where students actually go under the bridges on the freeway to feed and pray for the homeless who take shelter there. The second is the bluffs route, where students visit a low-income section of Atlanta and feed and pray with the many residents. The third place students on this trip serve is the Garden, which also serves as their home for the week; in addition to being a church, the Garden is a home for many low-income women and children. Students who stay to work at the Garden help with cleaning, childcare, cooking, sorting donations, or whatever the Garden staff need at the time. Throughout each day there are also times for journaling and reflecting on what God has taught the students each day and there is often time for worship as well.

Though this trip has only occurred twice up to this point (last spring break and Thanksgiving break), it has already changed many hearts. Many people continue to visit the Garden and serve with this ministry on Saturdays. Many people were baptized during the trip to 7 Bridges over Thanksgiving break, including freshman Jack Barker.

This trip is completely life altering. Each person will have unique experiences. Coach Lane had a memorable experience the last time he went, last April.

“I had brought some old clothes with me as a donation to the Gardens, which a group passed out under the Bridges,” Lane said. “The next day I saw several people wearing those same clothes, my clothes, and that was like a message to me saying, ‘even simple things you can do will bear huge amounts of fruit when you let God partner with you to do them.’”

GACS has become a radically different place in the past two weeks as a result of a five-day spiritual retreat, themed “Live it Up.” Even students who did not attend the retreat were affected and could see the obvious changes in GACS.

Senior Nita Jain reflected on the transformation of our student body during worship.
“Well I definitely think that students are a lot more willing to join worship in chapel, and that they really want to do it now, and there’s really a change in people’s attitudes that it’s a choice they’re making,” Jain said. “It’s not because they have to, and I think that the atmosphere is really contagious and that … if a lot of other people are doing it … [students] feel more comfortable, and I think a lot of people before used to be scared that they would be judged because they were the only ones worshiping, and I think that’s really been a change.”

Since when do we wake up early to go to worship in the stadium? Since when do we pray in the quad before school? Since when do students choose to worship in the Underground, the teen center for Campus Church, during clubs rather than hang out with friends in the quad? Since when do we as a whole actually participate in singing during chapel?

The answer? Since now.

Never before has GACS experienced this kind of change, even as a result of a spiritual high from one of their yearly retreats. Dozens of students have dedicated their lives to Jesus in baptism during or as a result of the retreat. Even underclassmen and juniors are stepping up and becoming spiritual leaders.

Even freshmen, the newcomers in the high school, are speaking out as spiritual examples on GAC campus. Thursday mornings from 8-8:30, Sam Weyen and Jack Shumard help organize a special worship just for their class in the pavilion, even using a Facebook group called the “Freshmen Fellowship.”

“It’s starting to become our own freshmen worship group, and it’s really becoming great,” Weyen said. “We’ve got some talented people and, you know, we’re all giving it to God.”

Those talented people include Megan Eberheart, who plays guitar and sings along with a different student giving a devotional every week, and Matthew Connel, who led a devotional Thursday, Aug. 26.

“We’re both inspired by the juniors up there, like after the retreat we were like, there’s something that needs to happen, that needs to change at GACS, and we got the idea off of them,” freshman Jake Shumard said. “And then the days that they don’t lead, like on Thursdays, we meet, just to give a little bit of small group time and worship.”

Upperclassmen have also been contributing to the effort to increase spirituality on campus.

“Basically, the Facebook group is just to encourage everyone to keep growing in Christ and just to keep everyone together, just to carry on what the retreat’s done for our student body,” senior Tim Chu said.

The Facebook group is called the “Living Student Body of GACS,” and sends out regular devotionals and updated information for events students can participate in to grow spiritually. Upperclassmen, mainly juniors, lead worship in the stadium regularly, and students in the group are informed via Facebook message when this occurs. On Friday, Aug. 27, Jenny Prescott led worship, Wesley Bradley made announcements for upcoming events and Jared Chapple closed in prayer. Chapple offered a suggested for what students can do to get involved in the spiritual aspect of GACS student body.

“Just … keep encouraging each other and just share whatever [you] have and pray,” Chu said. “Prayer is really important.”

Ms. Terry summed up the change in focus best with her Facebook post describing the retreat pictures and the entire experience.

“The most amazing thing I’ve ever witnessed or been a part of,” Ms. Terry wrote.
”The Spirit showed up.
And we have all been changed.”

Freshman Worship 8/26 from GACS SpartanSpear-it on Vimeo.

“Our prayer is that God’s love and the good news of Jesus Christ will be shared through each opportunity. We also acknowledge that it is we, ourselves, who receive the greater blessing. Seeing the hand of God at work around the world
and meeting people who have sacrificed everything for the cause of Christ gives us great hope and joy!”
-Melaney Cost, Director of Student Missions-

With spring break approaching quickly, mission trips are on the minds and in the plans of many GACS high school students, faculty, and parents. From Haiti to Mexico to Kenya, GACS students will be traveling and serving all over the globe. Please add this list of destinations and groups to your prayers as mission teams head out to serve others over spring break.

2010 Spring Break Mission Trips:

Atlanta, GA – “7 Bridges to Recovery“
Ensenada, Mexico – City of Children
Flagstaff, Arizona – The Hopi Indian Reservation
Haiti – “Eternal Hope” organization
Nairobi, Kenya – with Atlanta’s “410 Bridge” organization
Shiloh New York City
Vienna, Austria

“I hope you’ll join me in a commitment to pray for our students, teachers, and parents involved in Mission Trips during  Spring Break.  This is an important and potentially life-changing opportunity for our students. They will literally be traveling all over the globe to teach and serve.” -High School Principal Scott Harsh-

“…the light of each student will shine and others will see their good works and praise
our Father in heaven.”
(Matthew 5:16)

In late-March, students gather in the quad ready to board buses and serve the Atlanta community.

On March 19th, students in junior high traveled in two different directions in the Atlanta area to serve the community.

One bus of 45 students and 8 chaperones went to the City of Refuge to work in the “Compassion Atlanta” warehouse for the full day. These students worked very hard in a cold environment, but spirits were high and smiles were on faces as much was accomplished.

Thirty students and 4 chaperones also went to the City of Refuge to help clean up the location of this organization. This service will become a monthly involvement by junior high sports teams and other groups.

Another busload of 45 students with 8 chaperones traveled to Dunwoody Nature Center to spend the day cleaning up the area.

A total of 120 students with 20 chaperones spent this Friday in March helping the community. There was a since of joy among those who participated knowing that they had done something good for Atlanta.

Caption coming

ONLINE Service Resource Registration Forms, Permission Forms, SH Service Requirements, Service, Log forms, Food Drive Ideas – and now descriptions of upcoming services opportunities may all be found at the Resource Center link above.

The Service Center is open every Tuesday and Thursday after school (3:00 – 3:30 pm), and Thurs (8:00 – 9:00 am). Sign-up sheets are posted outside Center – available at all times.  Service opportunities are filling up quickly.

UPCOMING SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES: Permission Forms must be completed for EACH service opportunity, each date of service. (See the online resource link above for Online Permission Form).
1. HIGH SCHOOL FOOD DRIVE currently underway!
1. Norcross Coop Ministry (This opportunity is FULL.)- Sat., March 20th, 12 noon, Duluth Location, 2275 Mitchell Rd, Norcross 30071
2. Rainbow Village – Sat., 4/17 10:00 am – 1:00 pm, Location TBD (local residences)
3. Foster Care – Sat., 4/17 1240 Alpharetta St., Roswell 9:45 am – 1:00 pm
4. Quinn House – Sat., 4/24, 120 S. Perry St., Lawrenceville, 12 noon – 2 pm
5. Safehouse Outreach (This is a NEW Opporunity.) – Sat., 4/24, 89 Ellis St. NE, Atlanta, 9:30 am – 1:30 pm
6. Rainbow Village: Mon., Wed., Fri., 3:30 to 6:30 pm; Tues. & Thurs., 3:30 – 5:00 pm ONGOING (Duluth Location)

Collection Needs:  NORCROSS FOOD DRIVE ENDS FRIDAY 3/19
Senior High is currently running a Food Drive contest between classes to collect food for the Norcross Coop Ministry.  We will be sending a group to serve on Saturday 3/20. They will be delivering our food drive donation, sorting and shelving.

The Service Center will begin taking collections for the following items to make it easy for you to support those in need when you’re cleaning out closets, garages, etc.  Please send only new or clean, gently-used items.  Please donate your give-aways . . . not your throw-aways! Bins are located outside the Center, and can be brought by anytime.  Students will sort and deliver donations when groups go to serve during the year (i.e. Foster Care, Quinn House, Norcross Coop Ministry, Safehouse Outreach, Atlanta Union Mission, My Sister’s House, and Meadowcreek School.)

Items Needed: Children/Adult Clothing, Coats & Shoes; Sport Equipment – usable condition (i.e. cleats, bats, gloves, racquets, helmets, etc.); toys – must be in working condition, all pieces included; books, DVD’s, CD’s – youth & teen appropriate (no Rated R); household Items – blankets, throws, towels, kitchenware, etc.; school Supplies – backpacks, new supplies, etc.; toiletries – full size & travel size needed, ie. soap, shampoo, toothpaste/toothbrush, lotion (complimentary hotel toiletries are great!)

The Student Ministries at GACS thanks everyone for contributions of goods, services, time, and money for all the community service activities that are ongoing at GACS. Thanks for making a difference in the lives of others.

Thanks to GAC families, faculty and staff, and our students who gave to this worthy cause.   You can keep up with the progress of the EHIH medical work with the refugee orphans in Cap Haitien at http://www.eternalhopeinhaiti.org/.

Pray for the GACS Haiti mission team as they prepare for their trip during spring break. The leaders of this group are: Gary Richey, Gary Schofield, Leann Wiedeman, John Clovis, and Mike Mitchell. Thirty-eight students will travel with these leaders.

Thanks to Student Dean, Mr. Troy Bendickson, for this podcast update on the health of Mr. Harsh.