As we kick off the second half of our ministry year, we continue in our series of highlighting the involvement of the local church within our school Campus Life clubs. Our focus this week is the Floyd Central HS (FC)/ Highland Hills MS (HHMS) community. Both schools have a Campus Life club that the local church and its members greatly contribute to in building authentic, Christ-sharing relationships with young people.
Our Executive Director Kevin Becht has been a leader of Campus Life at FC since 1999, and has been at HHMS since 2000, the year when HHMS became established. However, he has been the director of YFC ministry in Southern Indiana for almost twenty-three years connecting young people to Jesus Christ and loving those around him.
Kevin said, “One of the greatest blessings of serving in one community for so long is the opportunity to see the generational impact of the ministry. Campus Life leaders in the FC/HHMS community are seeing kids of former Campus Life kids from the early days.”
Kevin explained that it is rewarding to pour into a generation and get to see their children come to Campus Life clubs and receive that same support their parents did. He also said that the local church has embraced Campus Life in such a way that makes it possible to continue the ministry within the area.
“It has been incredible to see the local [church] embrace Campus Life in the FC/HHMS community. There are over twenty churches involved in one way or another,” said Kevin. “The leadership team includes adult and student leaders from ten plus churches. Another ten plus churches are involved by providing financial support.”
In addition, volunteer Reverend Taylor Monhollen, pastor of Heartland Nazarene Church, has been serving with FC Campus Life since 2021 and often allows use of their church building and vehicles to assist clubs like Campus Life. He expressed that being able to serve alongside the students has greatly impacted his spiritual journey, as well as given him insight to the upcoming generation.
“The students of this generation are asking very important questions. Sometimes they ask questions that I, even as a pastor, have not really considered before,” said Taylor. “So, through that I have been blessed with the opportunity to pray and dig deeper in the Word to find the answers, which in turn has helped me to grow spiritually.”
Likewise, HHMS volunteer Matthew Townsend has been serving at Campus Life for two years and is a youth pastor at Georgetown Christian Church. He also mentioned that since serving at HHMS Campus Life, his spiritual journey has deepened and his eyes have been opened to students who need guidance on defending their faith in school.
“Many of the students that we work with on Wednesdays at YFC are good kids, but there are some who aren’t regular church attendees or followers,” said Matthew. “It has opened my eyes to keep learning where students struggle in school. In order to understand how students will need to defend their faith in their schools, youth pastors need to be able to see what type of students they are encountering.”
All in all, HHMS and FC Campus Life clubs have been blessed through the involvement of the local church, whether it be time sacrificed or money given, each of our clubs are flourishing as we head into this second half of the ministry year. We are so thankful for those who continue to support and uplift our staff and volunteers!