Written by Isabelle Hendrich, Editor-in-Chief
Dayton, TN – At 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022, the Acts Project held an interest meeting in Merecer 312. Coffee and pumpkin flavored bread was served to the about thirty people who arrived for the event.
Dr. Scott Jones leads the Acts Project with Regan Rhinehart, Tim Shetter, Abbie Sims and Sophia Cardia, the two latter being the Acts Project student interns for this year.
Dr. Jones, who is a professor of Christian Ministry here at Bryan College, said the Acts Project is an “international internship program where we connect you with an internship somewhere in the world that is related either to your major or you can just say ‘I would like to do an internship that is not related to my major.’”
To go on the Acts Project, students are required to take a three credit hour class titled CM420 Missions that meets on Tuesday nights. The class not only helps students fundraise and prepare logistically for their summer, but it also teaches them how to prepare to spread the Gospel of Christ.
The Acts Project is between 6-10 weeks long. At the end of the summer, the students come together for a week-long debrief to discuss their experiences. Last year’s debrief was held at Spruce Lake Retreat center in Canadensis, PA.
Part of the $500 course fee for the class covers the week long debrief at the end of the summer plus a weekend retreat in the spring to Georgia Tech in Atlanta to spend time with the Muslim Student Associaiton. The average costs of last year’s trips ranged from $5,00-$5,500. During the Acts Project class, information will be given on how to fund raise. The main way students fundraise is by writing letters to everyone they know to donate money to their trip, which goes into an online account.
“The Acts Project is really more than about a 6-10 week internship. It is about gearing yourselves up for a life of service to God in whatever direction He has you to go in your life,” Dr. Jones said.
During the interest meeting, Dawson Lytle, who went to trek in the Himalayan mountains, shared some of his experiences and what impacted him during his summer.
“We got to see people who had never heard the name of Jesus before. We would go and knock on people’s houses, ask them if they knew who Christ was. They would look at you just with a blank face, like who’s that? We asked one guy, ‘Hey, do you know who Jesus is?’, and he asked if he was from [the capital city],” Lytle said.
If you are interested in participating in the Acts Project and want to meet with someone to learn more, click here to fill out the interest form. To access the partner guide, which is the list of organizations that work with the Acts Project, click here.
Isabelle Hendrich is a senior communication major and history minor at Bryan College. Besides running, Hendrich likes to read and do crafts. She is a triplet whose siblings, Benjamin and Savannah, are also attending Bryan College.
