Cleburne School Week of Prayer
Carla Simmons
During the first week of February, Cleburne Adventist Christian School in Cleburne, Texas, was blessed to have a week of prayer with Michael Campbell, associate professor of religion from Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas.
The messages focused on developing a friendship with Jesus through encouraging stories of our Seventh-day Adventist Pioneers. Campbell shared his wealth of knowledge about William Miller, Joseph Bates, Ellen White, and a variety of other church founders that helped students understand how each of these leaders developed faith and friendship with Jesus by studying God’s word for themselves. He also shared a number of historic items with the class, including a newspaper from 1844, some antique coins, and a number of antique books from his personal collection. The students especially loved trying to hold up a very large Bible like the one that White held up when she was in vision. The week was capped off on Sabbath when the students shared some of their favorite memories of the week with the church congregation and sang special music during the Sabbath service.
This is one example of an ongoing partnership that has developed between this elementary school in Cleburne and the university in Keene. Cleburne Adventist Christian School is a partner with the SWAU education department in helping to prepare student teachers for mutli-grade classrooms. The schools also work together to give education majors testing and evaluation experience. CACS has been on field trips to the university, including the Hopps Museum, the Dinosaur Museum, and the biology department.
We have been greatly blessed to have such wonderful resources and resource people so close at hand. I believe this partnership is a great example of how our Adventist educational system is intended to work, with each of us doing what we can to further the gospel and educate our students for eternity.
A version of this article is featured in the Southwestern Union Record May/June 2019 issue. You can find the publication online at issuu.com/swurecord.