KJA Students Step Forward
“Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). It has often been said that our children are the future of our church. After experiencing Keys To Revelation with Kalamazoo Junior Academy (KJA) students helping to lead in the evangelistic series, I am confident that if we let them, children are our present, not just the future, of our church.
KJA’s staff really wanted the students to be involved in evangelism in 2025. Little did we know that God had plans to use our children in mighty ways during the Keys to Revelation meetings our church held in October.
Early in the school year, staff shared with Pastor Jermaine Gayle that we really wanted to see the students involved in Keys to Revelation. Pastor Jermaine was more than happy to use them for more than just greeting at the door; they needed to be upfront and visible. K to 3rd grade students would learn and read/recite the key verse for each night and students in grades 4 to 9 would present a sermonette based on the key verse or evening topic.
As you can imagine we received mixed feedback. We gave them the list of topics that would be preached, with the corresponding verses. We let them decide if they wanted to work in small groups or individually. Students then selected their topic and coordinated their schedules to present. This was one of the most difficult parts of the process, but an important lesson in problem solving.
Now that teams and topics were set, we asked Pastor Jermaine to work with our students on the essential components of a sermon, sharing some of his favorite resources for writing.
Pastor Jermaine, teacher Miss Goodrich and I helped each group as needed. It was at this point I watched the classroom transform, with students researching, discussing and writing sermons to share with the community.
As their teacher, watching my students take on this challenge was wonderful, scary and enlightening all at the same time. Seeing what they are spiritually capable of and the depth they were willing to dig to be sure the sermons were meaningful, gave me a greater understanding of their abilities and filled my heart with hope. It took about six sessions to complete the written portion of their sermons. Next, Pastor Jermaine came and walked them through how to give a sermon, listening to each team speak and giving feedback.
With practice, prayer, and nervousness, my staff and students made it to the opening night of Keys to Revelation. Each night we saw the Holy Spirit working through our KJA students. We saw our students preaching God’s word with clarity, expression and confidence. Our children learned so much about themselves, their abilities and their God.
Chevy, an 8th grader, said, “I wasn’t really looking forward to it. I never like talking on stage. My plan was to just stay silent until all the slots were filled. Something impressed me to speak up and participate in this activity. I found it actually kind of fun to go up on stage and teach everyone about God. I’m glad the Holy Spirit impressed me to participate and I wouldn’t mind doing it again.”
“I found that I actually liked speaking about the Bible,” Amy, another 8th grader, mentioned. “Even though I was nervous, it helped me continue to overcome my fear and stage freight. After I did it once, the second time was easier.”
Seeing KJA’s students take active roles in leading Keys to Revelation affirmed my belief that when we empower them, children become the heartbeat of the church today—not just its hope for tomorrow.
Tami Draves serves as the Principal of Kalamazoo Junior Academy. She grew up in Kalamazoo MI, attending both the Kalamazoo Seventh-day Adventist Church and Kalamazoo Junior Academy. She graduated from Battle Creek Academy. She earned her undergraduate degree in education from Southern Adventist university and her graduate degree in school administration from Andrews. She has been teaching for almost 28 years; the last 25 years has been for the Michigan conference.
She has four adult children and 2 grandkids. She is active in the Kalamazoo church and the lives of her kids and grandkids. She enjoys reading, crocheting and planning events in her spare time.
