What is Compass?

 

Compass History and Vision

Compass began in 2013 as a ministry of Grace Church Eden Prairie.  Two women, an educator and a parent, were especially touched by the needs of those in the public schools.  They recognized that while there are alternatives that some may choose, many are called to the public schools.  They felt God leading them to bring Christians in their schools together to provide encouragement and to equip them to live their faith confidently within these walls.  They connected with their children's pastor who felt passionate that churches should be engaged in education.  He recognized that the church only has the ability to reach students a few hours a week and many would never set foot into a church building.  So, if a church is serious about reaching the K-12 population, and over 90% of our children spend 30+ hours each week in public schools, these schools are one of the largest mission fields in our country.  Our prayer is that by bringing together a community of Christians within each school, and equipping and challenging them to show the love of Christ there, lives will be changed and communities will be transformed.

 

Compass Goals:       

  • Connect the Christian public school community at school and district levels, as well as corporately, throughout the state of Minnesota.
  • Raise up Christians to develop intentional prayer, care and share efforts in order to impact our public schools for Christ.
  • Empower educators, parents and students to understand and live out their religious liberties within their public schools.
  • Equip Christian educators and parents through workshops and seminars on relevant topics.
  • Support efforts to bring God's Word into our public schools through student led prayer, bible studies and Good News Clubs.
  • Build strong relationships between church and school, showing Christ's love by meeting our schools' most basic needs.
  • Work in partnership with other Christian organizations and ministries serving within our public schools.
  • Pray faithfully for our schools and those within these walls.
  • Share the vision of public school ministry and encourage churches to intentionally support those called to public education.

 

Can you picture this?

  • Moms praying in the parking lot of a middle school at 7 am on a Friday morning as 80 students participate in a student-led Bible study inside.
  • An immigrant child asking his first grade teacher "Is it okay if a Somali boy loves Jesus?"
  • Teachers reporting a change of school climate after a teacher prayer group begins in their school.
  • Teachers praying together before school over the desk of a difficult child.
  • Hundreds of educators gathered to be commissioned by their church community for the mission field of public schools.
  • Educators gathering for breakfast as they learn how to live their faith confidently within their schools.
  • Educators participating in a weekend of worship and prayer, dreaming big and walking away with action plans for how they personally can work to transform their schools through God's love and truth.
  • Parents and teachers meeting weekly in Spirit-filled prayer for the needs of the students, teachers, and the school community. 
  • Parents prepared and on-the-scene to testify against a troublesome bill in the legislature.
  • Parents being intentional about understanding the curriculum content and process in their respective schools and responding to God's promptings as He leads them into positions of leadership.

 

Annual Ministry Highlights

FALL

  • Led by the senior pastor in a moving moment during each church service, hundreds of educators are commissioned for service onto the mission field of their schools. 
  • Students gather late in the month at their schools' flagpole for "See You at the Pole" to pray for their school and the upcoming year.
  • Weekly student-led bible studies begin, filling our schools with students connecting in Christian community and digging into God's Word on their public school campuses. 
  • Intentional parents are coming together in GO TEAMS, identifying ways to pray, care and share within their schools.  Prayer walks around schools take place and Moms in Prayer groups meet to cover their schools in prayer.  Service projects are done in area schools in effort to show the love of Christ by meeting our schools most basic needs.  Landscaping, cleaning, organizing, painting and other projects all help to build the relationship between church and school.  Good News Clubs, and other student led bible studies, begin bringing the gospel to our schools.
  • Educators begin prayer meetings outside their contract hours to pray specifically for the needs of their students and schools.
  • Annual Educator Appreciation Breakfast, a free event, connects hundreds of Christian educators across the metro the Saturday before Thanksgiving.  Educators are encouraged as they are connected to a larger community of educators who share their mission field, are equipped to live out their faith legally and authentically, and are inspired by testimonies and messages they hear from colleagues, students and national leaders who share how God is working in their lives, schools, communities and across the nation.

 

WINTER

  • Public School Parenting Workshops are held equipping parents in various ways as they strive to train their students in biblical worldview from home and help them navigate their time at school.  Parents are equipped and encouraged to be intentional in the ways they pray, care and share as they work to impact their schools for Christ.
  • AWAKE (Ambassadors Working as Kingdom Educators) events are held to equip public school educators.  This one day transformational experience for Christian educators opens their eyes to how God is using them as ambassadors and then frees them to work more powerfully with Jesus in their school. 

 

SPRING

  • Intentional, committed parents and students come together holding prayer walks on their school campusees and finding creative ways to show the love of Christ by supporting their educators through the final months of the year.

 

SUMMER

  • Social opportunities/equipping events are held to build community among Christians in the public school and support them as ambassadors for Christ.