L.I.F.E. - Lives Impacted for Eternity
Lives Impacted For Eternity
Foundational Verse:
“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.” --Colossians 1:10
CONNECT groups will be assigned a Shannon Forest Presbyterian Church (SFPC) supported missionary couple. During the school year, the class will spend time learning about the country where their missionaries are serving, corresponding with the missionary and participating in a “service project” that will correspond with the work of their missionary.
Possible activities are provided for each grade level/country, but teachers are encouraged to implement their own creative ideas as well. It is expected that the students will develop an understanding for the verse:
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” --Romans 10:13-15
CONNECT groups will also be partnered with an Upper School class (7th-12th Grade). The Upper School IMPACT groups will share their testimonies of what God is doing through them in the community, how they are “impacting” Greenville and they will provide the students in K5-5th Grades with opportunities to participate. On IMPACT Service Days – the Upper School Students will report to their elementary classes to “debrief” them on the activities of the day.
6th Grade will be known as the BRIDGE Program. They will work with the Gardens at Eastside, a local assisted living facility, to implement an intergenerational, cross-curricular, service oriented partnership. The 6th Grade class will visit once to twice monthly to accomplish the goals of the project – with a total of 12-15 visits total for the year. It is expected that the students will foster a Christ-centered respect for the aged and practice what is written in Leviticus 19:32:
“Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly....” and Exodus 20:1 “Honor your Father and your Mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord Your God gives you.”
The 6th Grade will explore opportunities to minister to the facility as a whole, with a “work day” and activities planned for all the residents.
7th -12th Grade IMPACT groups will be partnered with a community service organization in/around Greenville, South Carolina. The students will participate in a minimum of one organized service effort with their partner organization each quarter.
SFCS believes it is vitally important for our students to take ownership of their “circle of accountability,” or the place where God has put them, and be God’s hands and feet in that place. 7th through 11th Grades will spend some time in Bible classes learning about community needs, services, ways to be involved, demographics and the duty of the believer according to God’s Word, to better serve those God allows them to serve. Galatians 6:2 commands us to,“Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” and James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” Bible classes will work through the book, “Don’t Waste Your Life” by John Piper and explore ways that it applies to their own lives as well as the lives of those they are serving.
IMPACT groups will also be paired with a CONNECT group (an elementary class) – to serve as mentors and facilitators in the involvement of the students in community service. IMPACT groups will deliver reports to their CONNECT partners and updates on needs in the community.
Students in 7th through 12th Grades will be required to fulfill a number of service hours on their own time as well. These requirements are outlined in the “L.I.F.E. Program Guidelines and Requirements” handout.
The L.I.F.E. Program consists of the following service experiences: