What is a Spiritual Emphasis Week (SEW)?

Purposeful Connections partners with a local Christian school to intentionally seek the Lord together.  The team functions 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 the 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 Purposeful Connections 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, Purposeful Connections is more than a speaking ministry - we are a mentoring ministry. We fully immerse ourselves in the school’s 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 Purposeful Connections impacted him. Christian school students are not immune from pornography addiction, depression and self-harm, family breakdown, bullying, and many other issues. The Christian school setting allows our teams to biblically address root issues, in the context of relationship, leading to students’ both inward and outward transformation.  We can also connect students with others who are regularly present in their lives when it’s necessary or helpful.  Finally, team members encourage and challenge spiritually healthy students to lead boldly and sacrificially in their spheres of influence.