In 2003, Warren Willis, a 40-year Campus Crusade for Christ member, saw Biola University as a unique tool for outreach to the local high school campuses. With over 300 high schools in the Southern California area and about 700,000 students, the evangelism opportunities seemed endless. Started as a ministry under Student Ministries, now the Department of Spiritual Life, Willis met with a few initial Biolans interested in impacting a couple local high schools. Since then, California School Project has seen a remarkable growth.
CSP partners with high schools’ Christian clubs in an effort to have a positive, legally appropriate Christian presence at public schools. Those involved are typically students, teachers, parents, churches, and organizations who are seeking to share the gospel. University students come alongside Christian clubs as mentors who help them set and move toward achieving goals and objectives for their campus. Such goals might be to hold a rally or talk to a certain number of people. Mentors advise the clubs on how to effectively launch outreach events and seek to establish firm connections with the local church. Often, Christian support is found by joining other campuses in prayer and in financial support. CSP is willing to help any group who desires to be a ministry tool for the students around them.
The launch of CSP in 2003 was small in scale, but since then has proven to be a great force in Southern California school evangelism. CSP has trained over 170 Biola students, 400 high school students and impacted over 55 campuses. Over 3,890 students have heard the gospel, 544 of whom indicated they wanted to receive Christ.
“At Jordan High School, Erica, the club’s vice president ,was able to share her personal story of how God changed her life,” said Kellee Thompson, a member of CSP and 2007 Biola graduate.
“Standing in front of all of her peers, outside in the quad during lunch time, she shared on a mic how at age 15 she got pregnant. Through that difficult teen pregnancy and eventual miscarriage, God got a hold of her life and changed her.”
Erica spoke to her peers, “I’m only 17. I’m the same age as everybody right here … but I’m not ashamed of God.”
CSP recently became a non-profit. Three Biola graduates at CSP receive support, similar to how a missionary would, to work full-time with the non-profit.
“We raise all our funds through personal donors and churches,” Thompson said. “God is so faithful to provide for our needs.”
HomeTown, a new division of CSP, was started to meet the goal of reaching every county in California. HomeTown plans mission trips to the hometown of a CSP mentor “with the mission, vision, and strategies of CSP, to help create centers of Christian students, teachers, parents, and churches that are mobilized to do ministry on high school campuses,” according to Thompson.
Expansion of CSP through HomeTown now includes impacting three Northern California counties and eight high schools. Two high schools in Reno, Nevada, have also started programs through CSP.
Currently, CSP is in need of more mentors in an effort to meet the consistent request from students who wish to start up new programs or need assistance. If students desire to get involved, they should fill out an application available in the Department of Spiritual Life and set up an interview with a CSP representative about where they can fit in.
