小道的起点 给我们的教会和学校伙伴
Why should my 教堂 or school partner with 小道的起点?
小道的起点通过帮助高中生扩展了教会和基督教学校的工作, as they head into the next stages of their journey, think holistically about their lives, 他们的ag娱乐官网, 以及它们对世界的影响.
高中生们正走上一条通往新领域的道路:不熟悉的、令人兴奋的学术领域, 令人不安的现实需求, 以及令人兴奋的职业发展机会. But there are many ways that that exploration can be derailed. Feeling overwhelmed by the race to success, students can lose sight of the real purpose of their education. Caught up in enthusiasm for new things, 学生可能会忘记基督教ag娱乐官网与他们所追求的思想和问题的相关性. Singlemindedly chasing a particular major or career, students can fail to see and know the whole of God's richly interrelated world. Led by Westmont College and Fuller Seminary faculty, professionals in the Santa Barbara community, and experts in spiritual direction and career development, 小道的起点帮助学生设想一个真正的基督徒职业的生活-一个吸引他们所有兴趣的生活, 能力, and questions into God’s work in the world.
课程的结构是怎样的?
小道的起点包括在Westmont的校园夏季体验,以及与小道的起点教师和合作教堂或学校进行为期一年的指导.
密集的校园体验为学生提供了核心工具和接触:与顶级基督教学者的互动, 参与现实世界的问题, 反映ion on students’ own 能力 and interests, and discernment in a vibrant community of colleagues and peers. Following the on-campus summer experience, 为期一年的指导计划, 由小道的起点教师和学生教堂和学校的成人导师协助, 支持学生在他们的家庭环境中实践小道的起点的课程. 对于2024年,我们提供三次住院医师会议的选择:6月9日至14日,6月16日至21日,或6月23日至28日.
What do students do in the on-campus experience?
They explore pressing real-world problems.
In a sense, Christian vocation isn't primarily about us—it's about the world God calls us to serve. 在小道的起点, 韦斯特蒙特和富勒的教师带领学生从课堂的角度探索一系列现实世界的问题, 教堂, 和ag娱乐官网. 在校园, 教师团队将学术学习和神学反思带到特定问题上, 研究基督徒的知识生活如何推动我们与神的世界接触. 然后, in partnership with Santa Barbara-area business, 非营利性的, 以及部门领导, students head into the community to encounter that issue face to face. 最后, 参与者通过由小道的起点学生和教师策划和领导的结束崇拜行为来处理和表达体验.
- 例子: A theologian and a biologist host a 谈话 about creation care, 与当地生态组织合作探索圣巴巴拉海峡, 最后是一个露天敬拜仪式,庆祝上帝在自然界的创造工作.
- 例子: 一位社会学家和一位计算机科学家主持了ag娱乐官网技术和个人身份的讨论, 与一位基督教心理学家合作,思考社交媒体的利弊, 最后是一个礼拜仪式,感谢天主召叫我们进入的团体.
他们更了解自己是谁.
Understanding God’s call often begins with understanding ourselves. 我们擅长什么? 什么给我们带来快乐? 作为一个ag娱乐官网的一部分,我们是谁? 和韦斯特蒙大学的教职工, 职业咨询专家, 牧师, 以及精神指导方面的专家, 小道的起点学生日志, 油漆, 画, 扮演, 徒步旅行, 反映, 读, 讨论, 祈祷, 静静地坐着, all with the purpose of highlighting their 能力 and interests, 已知和未知.
They build relationships, 反映, and have fun.
小道的起点’s core content is stimulating and challenging, but much of the real work of processing, 内化, 并在正式规划之间的空间中发扬小道的起点体验. 在娱乐, 谈话, and 反映ion in and around Westmont’s mountainous campus, 去圣巴巴拉的短途旅行, in enjoyment of an exquisitely beautiful part of God’s creation, 小道的起点 participants practice life together as a Christian community, 在ag娱乐官网中成长, 知识, 和服务.
How does the yearlong mentorship program work?
Through two mentoring relationships, 学生们开始建立一个支持ag娱乐官网,因为他们踏上了他们的职业旅程.
不像一个营地或会议, 小道的起点是一种扩展体验, 从校园暑期体验开始,并在接下来的一年继续在学生的家庭环境中进行. 随着节目在国内的继续, 学生将在两种指导关系中处理和应用他们所学到的知识:一种是由小道的起点员工通过Zoom领导的小组, 另一个是与来自学生教堂或学校的成人导师进行一对一的会面.
小道的起点的目标是什么?
在一个有教养的ag娱乐官网, students learn about themselves and the world, 获得职业方向, 实用性, 以及ag娱乐官网弹性.
职业方向: We believe that “ministry” isn’t limited to pastoral or missionary careers, 但可以包括整个景观的专业和非专业追求. 小道的起点向学生们展示了信徒可能参与世界需求的许多方式. 因为他们在ag娱乐官网承诺和其他激情之间建立了联系, students prepare to think vocationally about the questions, 挑战, and possibilities they’ll encounter in college and beyond.
实用性: 几个世纪以来,基督徒已经明白,属灵的成长和成熟不需要是模糊的抽象概念, 但可以从混凝土中浮现出来, 可重复的实践. 小道的起点通过给学生在ag娱乐官网上进步的实用工具,揭开成为一个成熟的基督徒成人的过程的神秘面纱, 自我认知, 职业方向.
弹性: The Christian Church is universal and diverse, and isn’t captive to any culture or form of expression. 在小道的起点, students encounter many ways of participating in the body of Christ, expanding their vision for future involvement in a faith community.
How can 教堂es and schools partner with 小道的起点?
Through nomination, 资金, and mentorship.
小道的起点 is an ongoing relationship lasting at least one full year. 通过礼来捐赠基金, 我们认为这是一项投资, 通过你的青春, in the future of Christian servanthood in the world. Many of the fruits of the 小道的起点 program will be realized, not in a few days on Westmont’s campus, but in the months and years following the residency, as students return 首页 and begin to process their experience in context. This requires robust connections among the 小道的起点 program, 家庭, 牧师或教师, 还有教会和学校. 帮助培养这些联系, 我们要求合作机构在提名时遵循以下惯例, 资金, 并指导学生.
提名: Though we welcome self-initiated applicants, 我们知道,牧师和教师往往处于最佳位置,以识别学生的潜力,并帮助学生将经验融入ag娱乐官网的持续生活. 所有申请者必须获得一名赞助牧师或教师的提名. Nominations are capped at three students per 教堂, 整个项目空间限制在每次住院医师会议大约25名参与者.
We'd ask that you be a little imaginative in choosing students to nominate. 对于具有传统领导才能的学生来说,小道的起点是一个丰富的机会. But as scripture abundantly demonstrates, 非凡的魅力, 外向, or confidence are not prerequisites for participation in God’s work. In the nomination process, you might especially consider students:
- 他们安静而有思想;
- whose natural enthusiasm could benefit from shaping and direction;
- who have some skepticism about faith, but are asking productive questions;
- who are passionate about addressing the world’s problems.
Eligible students will begin their sophomore, 初级, or senior years of high school in the fall of 2024, and will be 18 years of age or younger on July 2, 2024. We also have limited slots available for graduating seniors; please inquire with us. 你可以使用 这种形式, 我们会跟进学生完成一份简短的申请表,并从你那里获得正式的提名.
资助: Through the generosity of the Lilly Endowment, we’re able to significantly subsidize the real cost of the 小道的起点 program. The final cost per student is $800; that fee covers room, board, and program activities. We strongly recommend that congregations or schools share this cost with 家庭; again, we see 小道的起点 as an investment in students and the future of the 教堂, and one in which congregations and schools could very suitably share. 精确的模型, 当然, are at the discretion of sending organizations, 但是我们建议你:
- Be creative in sharing the cost with 家庭. Possibilities might include support-raising activities, sponsorship by a mission or discipleship committee, or scholarship from a youth-ministry endowment. 小道的起点本身为有特殊需要的学生提供有限数量的奖学金.
- Let students share their experience with your community. Appropriate to these 资金 models, 通过向会议或理事会报告,小道的起点也可能是向会众或学校展示青年及其职业发展的好机会, a “minute for mission” during Sunday worship or chapel, 或者另一个频道.
指导: 我们希望, as 小道的起点 students return from the summer residency, their experience will become part of the life of your community, 在学生的家庭环境中,为你的教会或学校的使命做出贡献. 为了帮助这个过程, 我们要求合作机构为每个学生配对一位“家庭导师”——一位牧师, 青年领袖, 老师, 或其他可以承诺在2024年7月至2025年5月期间与学生见面至少五次的成年人. 小道的起点 will provide mentors with suggested themes for 谈话; we expect that total time investment for the year will be 8–10 hours. Students will be asked to identify a 首页 mentor, with the help of their sponsoring pastor or 老师, 在他们注册住院医生之后. Learn more about 小道的起点's 首页 mentorship program here.