“The Coastlands team can do what we pray for daily, challenge and churn up the spiritual soil of our young people.”
What is a spiritual emphasis week?
Coastlands partners with a local Christian school to intentionally seek the Lord together. We provide a team of three or more people who function as full-time servant missionaries to the school for the week. Spiritual emphasis weeks are available for all grade levels and the week is tailored to the grade levels the school chooses.
What is a typical day like?
Each day begins with an age-appropriate, interactive chapel focused on the week's theme. After chapel, the students in the oldest grade(s) are given the opportunity to journal to our team about anything that is on their minds (questions about God or the Bible, situations about which they'd like advice or prayer, etc.). Then, we spend the rest of the day doing whatever the students are doing – sitting in their classes, joining them for snack and lunch, playing at recess and in gym, doing question and answer time in their classes (when we’re invited), going to after-school activities, etc. In the evenings we invest more hours providing hand-written, biblical responses to each of the students who are journaling with us.
What makes a Coastlands spiritual emphasis week unique?
The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 2:8, "Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well." Following this model, Coastlands is more than a speaking ministry - we are a mentoring ministry. We fully immerse ourselves in the school' life for the week, seeking to build mentoring relationships with the students. As these relationships are built, God works through them. Most schools choose to have us back each year, enabling those relationships to continue to grow and bear more fruit over time.
Why do we go to Christian schools?
“Do not negate this ministry simply because it is to ‘Christian’ kids. I was one of those kids once who people thought was always ‘okay,’ but I needed a mentor more than anything,” wrote Dan about how Coastlands impacted him. Christian school students are not immune from pornography addiction, depression and self-harm, family breakdown, bullying and many other issues often found in public schools. The Christian school setting allows Coastlands’ teams to biblically address root issues, in the context of relationship, leading to students’ both inward and outward transformation. Furthermore, Coastlands mentors encourage and challenge spiritually healthy students to lead boldly and sacrificially in their spheres of influence.
“I have seen the change in the lives of our students, how the grace of God has grabbed their lives and turned them around as a result of the mentoring received during Spiritual Emphasis Week. I have seen young men and young women begin to realize that what they say they believe must also be evident in how they live. It impacts positively their attitudes toward their teachers, their studies, and one another. It is the integration of faith and life that Coastlands emphasizes with our students the week that they are here, and no amount of academic time can replace or replicate the work that God does through these mentors. If we really believe that our students need to be equipped with the gospel for their lives, then this time is well spent.” - Bill MacDonald, Former Headmaster of Penobscot Christian School
"The excitement of students is unmatched at any other time of the school year. Coastlands Consultants is an invaluable resource for Christian schools." - Elaine Driscoll, Principal of Mount Hope Christian School
