Of the many clubs and organizations at Milford High School, one in particular has students so motivated that they are willing to get to school at 6:45 a.m. every Thursday: Bible Study. Led by Senior Caden Johnston-Thompson and Junior Norah Stine, Bible Study brings together Christian students at Milford to learn more about their faith and connect with their peers. In recent months, the organization has experienced higher participation than ever before.
When it was founded in 2021, Bible Study had only about five people; this year, however, Johnston-Thompson and Stine have brought together nearly 50 students, moving the meetings from a classroom to the Media Center. In light of its recent success, more students may be interested in Bible Study and want to learn more about what it provides.
Bible Study has been under the leadership of several Milford students over the past four years, such as alumni Jack Stine and Aleah Partyka last school year.
Their influence inspired this year’s leaders to take charge of the meetings and help guide other students in their faith. “Seeing them lead was really cool…and I just wanted to be able to carry on that legacy for the future Mavericks,” Johnston-Thompson shared. Stine shared this sentiment, stating how she experienced “influence from my brother, seeing him lead it too…and feeling called to do it and just stepping up into that position.” Stine and Johnston-Thompson recognized the value of stepping into this new position and how it has helped them grow personally.
“It’s definitely different, and you feel more attached to [faith], it’s like a deeper dive into it,” Stine explained. Johnston-Thompson also reflected on how “it’s been an awesome opportunity seeing how many more people have joined this year,” and how that has been an inspiring experience for him. “I think a lot of people are interested in the idea of faith,” Johnston-Thompson said regarding the increase in attendance.
“A lot of people in the community have been brought closer to Jesus with certain things, and I think a lot of people in the school are also turning towards that.”
Although it has been led by different students every year, Bible Study remains a consistent place for students to come together and learn about God. At the beginning of the year, students discussed which books of the Bible to read in the coming year; so far, they have read James and Ephesians. Students spent each week reading one chapter of a book, discussing verses that they felt connected to, and closing in prayer. Students talk about Christian values and how to make a positive impact on their peers.
Johnston-Thompson explained that the focus was “Learning about having faith in Jesus and why it’s so important–taking another step in your life and being able to put yourself and your own desires aside, and being able to put what God wants for you first.”
Overall, the weekly meetings center around creating a positive environment for all students who want to participate.
There are many ways students can benefit from coming to Bible Study. Students who are interested in learning more about religion are always welcome to attend to “grow your faith and community with other Christians, and just to be around other believers,” Stine shared. The community is very open to any student, no matter where they are in their journey with God.
“Bible Study is for everybody. If you’re deep in your faith, if you don’t know a lot about God, or if you just want to learn about something new, you can always come talk to me, come talk to Norah [Stine], and we’d be happy to talk to you about it,” Johnston-Thompson said. If students need an extra incentive to get out of their comfort zone and come to Bible Study, donuts are even provided some weeks to all who attend!
As Stine and Johnston-Thompson continue to lead Bible Study each week, they hope to only increase student involvement. Their goals center around “continuing to grow our numbers and get people closer to the Lord,” Stine expressed.
The goal at the beginning of the year was to attract enough students to move out of room 901, where it was initially held, and have to meet in a bigger space. This was achieved almost immediately, so now sights are set even higher. “It would be awesome to have to move somewhere else instead of the Media Center and have to meet in the Little Theater and just keep having more and more people coming and seeing new faces every week,” Johnston-Thompson said. If any student is interested in stopping by, check the Bible Study’s Instagram page @mhsbiblestudy for information on the meetings!