Discovery Clubs: Bringing the Gospel to Area Public Schools

May 23, 2019

Mission Makers

Children in Discovery Clubs interact with God’s Word in several ways including music time where songs are sung about creation and the love of God for them.

The perception may be that God, prayer and the Bible are no longer in the public school system but here in our community there is an awesome opportunity to share Jesus with children every week in 30 public schools thanks to Discovery Clubs of the Jimmie Hale Mission.

Each week during the school year, I have the privilege to go into Chalkville Elementary School and share the Gospel with twenty 2^ndgraders. This is made possible because I am a mentor with Discovery Clubs of the Jimmie Hale Mission, a ministry that offers an optional one hour after-school Bible club for children in grades 2-5 in 30 area public schools. Being a Discovery Clubs mentor allows you to share the Good News with children in your city who may not hear it otherwise.

Mentor supervisor, EttaMartin shares that children get excited each week when they see mentors in yellow vests walking in. “They say how much they love hearing the Bible stories and how much they love their mentors.” — Mentor supervisor, Etta Martin shares that children get excited each week when they see mentors in yellow vests walking in. “They say how much they love hearing the Bible stories and how much they love their mentors.”

At Discovery Clubs, each week children have music and Bible story time where they learn about God’s unending love for them. Mentors guide children in memorizing Scripture passages, such as Matthew 11:5. Children also begin to practice flashcards that coincide with the Bible stories that are being read each week. Mentors are expected to foster a Christ-honoring atmosphere of fun while children learn and hide God’s Word in their hearts.

Etta Martin, mentor supervisor at Chalkville Elementary School, shares that a mentor’s responsibilities include “being a Christian involved in a local church, being willing to be at club one hour each week for 23 weeks during the school year and being willing to follow our curriculum of creation through restoration that is created for you.” Martin shares that recently one of the children in club was moved to tears after learning about the Holy Spirit and shared that he needed to pray. Martin reflects that she continues to mentor with Discovery Clubs because “It is one of my mission fields. Going into the entire world includes those places closest to me.”

Take two hours this summer to train to be a Discovery Clubs volunteer this fall! Learn more at www.discoveryclubs.org.

To become a mentor, you must attend a two-hour New Mentor Training Session. Training sessions for the month of June will be held every Wednesday from 10am-Noon or 2pm-4pm at the Discovery Clubs Office located at 3940 Pinson Valley Parkway, Birmingham, Ala. In addition, there are training sessions on several Wednesdays in the months of July, August and September. You can become a mentor right in time for the new school year! Visit www.discoveryclubs.org for more details.

-Melissa Armstrong