Serving Schools through Beautifying Campuses

by Kevin Boer

 

How do you start your school year off in your ministry with students? Here in San Diego County we have started a tradition that opens eyes and doors to the school campuses. This year we partnered churches with schools so that students and members from the entire church body come together to do work projects on school campuses.  On August 20th the second annual “School Beautification Day” had over 1100 volunteers serving on 35 high school, middle school and elementary school campuses across San Diego.

Collaborative Partnerships

Locally, National Network of Youth Ministries has a countywide network called the San Diego Mission Team. Our network partnered with Urban Youth Collaborative and Vision San Diego to serve schools in administration approved ways. Nate Landis, the director of Urban Youth Collaborative, led the effort to partner churches with schools. He has a long term partnership with Matthew Parades an administrator with the San Ysidro School district. Together they organized 6 schools and one police station in San Ysidro alone. The Navy sent out volunteers to help this school district that has only 3 gardeners for nine schools! Nate also spearheaded partnerships on multiple inner city San Diego Schools. For instance, on Hoover High School, Nate worked to help bring the class of ‘64 alum group to clean up their Alma Mater!

Students Giving Back

The School Beautification Day gives the opportunity for teenagers from different churches to serve their schools. For instance, Jack McKee from Youth Vision America brought together volunteers from three different churches to Escondido High to spruce up the campus. They washed windows, mopped the gym floor and blew out the stadium.  I met Elliot, a student who goes to Escondido High school. His church youth leader got him out of bed to come serve on his campus! There were also students from other high schools that came out to serve. In talking to Ariel, the head custodian Escondido High, he shared that with his limited staff there was no way to get the clean up work done at the school. He stated how important it was that the churches actually did the work rather than just talking about it.

Developing Church-School Partnerships

One important function the School Beautification did for us was to develop a starting point for a longer term relationship between churches and schools. We acted like a “dating service” matching churches to schools.

For instance, At Knob Hill Elementary, Dawn Lopez, a friend of ours introduced us to Principal Carrie Geldard who was excited about the opportunity. We partnered the school with New Vintage Church. Their youth pastor, DJ Iverson, gathered 45 volunteers from the church and the school who came out and did painting and landscaping. The school district brought in supplies and even a tractor! We went beyond our expect list of projects and helped weed and clean the entire campus.

Before the day was through Carrie shared With DJ about other opportunities that were available to the church to serve at the school throughout the school year. The facilities manager form the school district said there are 17 more schools in the district that could use some help!

 Also, Mike Gilson, the associate pastor at Pathways Community Church in East County San Diego has developed an ongoing partnership with the Santee Schools District. Churches in their area provided 350 volunteers that put in over 1,500 hours of work on 32 projects on 6 campuses. They have another day planned at West Hills High School putting in an "Environmental Science Garden" that the school has the supplies but need laborers.  

Serving Schools, Sharing Jesus

By the demonstration of love and our long term partnership with schools we are building a relationship where we can proclaim Christ and demonstrate His love on campus. For example, Nate Landis shared how one administrator came to know Jesus after the first School Beautification Day. Also, through his long term partnership with Gompers Preparatory Academy, Nate now has an office on campus where they hold Bible Studies and youth counseling. 

In the same way, our goal is to have churches partnering with every secondary school across San Diego. And the School Beautification Day is one way God has opened doors for churches to work together to reach teenagers.