When many of Alabama’s newly-graduated seniors headed to the beach to relax this summer, Chase Williams headed for South Carolina’s apartment complexes to do backyard Bible clubs. But he’s “just that type of student,” said Tim Andrews, associate pastor of family ministries at First Baptist Church of Valley in Palmerdale.
Williams and 10 other Alabama high school students of that “type” — sojourners — spent their summer putting their missions hearts into more than a youth camp or missions trip.
The 11 scattered from Maryland to California to serve in various ministries, but they joined to tie Alabama with Texas for the most high school summer missionaries sent out this year through the North American Mission Board’s sojourner program. The program sends out juniors and seniors to assist in missions work in the United States and Canada for four to 10 weeks.
“The sojourner program proves to everyone that students have something to give to missions and ministry,” said Scotty Goldman with the Alabama State Board of Missions collegiate ministries. “It also provides much-needed help for areas that can’t pay someone to do the ministry, especially in the summertime when ministries are at their peak in so many areas.”
The work is strictly volunteer, but NAMB provides travel, lodging and food for the students. Goldman said the sojourners “provide the extra set of hands that can pitch in and do the work.”
Ministry beyond the church
Though he had been heavily involved in leading his youth group at home, in South Carolina Williams found a whole new harvest field. “I think he has more of a heart for understanding that the real ministry is not inside the four walls of the church,” Andrews said.
Andrews saw firsthand the work Williams did this summer when he took two other students from his youth group to join Williams’ work for three days. He said he hopes they’ll sign up next year for the program.
“They got the opportunity to go into unchurched areas and see what Chase was doing,” Andrews said. “They saw Chase challenged with not just the opportunity to spend your summer but also leave an eternally significant impact.” He added that Williams senses a call to the ministry and has “matured a lot in his own faith,” something Andrews hopes will rub off on other students when Williams returns.
Some 100 youth nationwide take advantage of the program each year, and Goldman said he wishes more would in coming years. “It’s a cool opportunity for high school kids, and so few people know about it. We’d like to have even more students in Alabama involved next year,” Goldman said.
For more information on the sojourner program, visit www.studentz.com.
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