Prospective Member FAQs

 

What do I get out of participating in Shining Light?

What do previous members have to say about their experience?

What is expected of participants?

Do I have to audition?

Must I be able to sing and dance well?

What age must I be to participate?

What are parents’ roles for Shining Light participants?

How do I balance SL activities & my church activities?

What does the schedule look like?

What is it like going into prisons?

What is nexus?

Who do I talk to if I have questions?

 

 

What do I get out of participating in Shining Light?

• Being part of a community of peers seeking to follow Jesus in today’s world
• Building relationships with young people with common values from a wide area
• Growing through uncommon & diverse experiences
  • Seeing & experiencing shelters, prisons, rehab centers, etc.
  • Safely interacting with people living in these situations
  • Seeing the impact of Jesus in these places
• Visiting and interacting with people from other cultures
• Having the opportunity to personally make a difference with people in need
• Studying and learning some basics of Christianity and applying them to a wide variety of situations
• Being a part of an effective team

 

What do previous members have to say about their experience?

"Shining Light has been one of the major factors of who I am today and it really shaped my faith to be so strong."

 

"I love the accountability and friendship this group offers.  It’s really helped a lot to have the support of this group over the past year. God has shown me a lot about patience and love through this group."

 

"Before Shining Light I really knew nothing about Jesus. I didn’t go to church much at all.  I did start praying when I was 16, but I didn’t know why.  Joining Shining Light helped me to understand this better.  I still don’t know much, but I’m cool with taking my time."

 

"I can see God work through this group and to know that I’m a part of it helps me to realize that God is calling me to do this."

 

What is expected of participants?

• Willingness to seek to live a Christian lifestyle.
• Ability to be responsible for yourself when we travel.

• Regular attendance at Shining Light & Nexus Gatherings.*

• Regular attendance at a church is encouraged.

• Effort for raising financial support according to ability of the member.

 

* Prospective members are invited to give Shining Light a try to see what it is like without making a commitment for a few weeks.

 

Do I have to audition?

No auditions are required for chorus members. Auditions are held for solos, drama parts, and lead dancers.

 

Must I be able to sing and dance well?

No! Many of our members have had little or no stage experience and frequently have not sung in choruses, taken dance classes, etc. We are glad to take anyone who is willing to just do their best in these areas. We ask that everyone participate in the chorus - and you find people of a wide range of abilities there! We have sometimes found people with hidden talent, and find that having people who are not skilled, polished singers on stage actually helps our audiences relate to our group. We are all about encouraging people to discover more about themselves and this is often one of the best things that happens with people who are hesitant to go on stage at first!

 

What age must I be to participate?

Age to join: 9th grade & age 14 through age 23 (exceptions may be made);
Continued participation after age 23 will be considered individually.
(New members are recruited each September. With approval of the director, people are welcome to join anytime through the year.)

 

What are parents’ roles for Shining Light participants?

The primary role of SL members’ parents is to support their child in doing this ministry! We have a staff that travels with the group to handle support functions. A group of members is selected each year to serve as leaders of their peers and they also carry much responsibility in supporting and maintaining the group. It is helpful to have parents assist with fund raising events, providing snacks for rehearsals, and occasional other roles. Encouraging their child to attend, be on time, and fulfill their responsibilities is the biggest way parents can help!

 

How do I balance SL activities & my church activities?

Our goal is to provide ministry experiences, growth opportunities, and a strong Christian youth community that will grow up and equip young people to better serve in their home church. Sometimes the Shining Light schedule will conflict with home church activities. We are glad to work with you on these conflicts, especially when they are of a very important nature. In cases where there are many conflicts, we suggest that the Shining Light/nexus season be viewed as a “mission” year.

 

What does the schedule look like?

Here is our schedule from the current season. Keep in mind we will work with people who have conflicts and other activities. If you have an interest in joining but are concerned about adding something to your schedule – please talk to us about it!!

 

In addition to the above:
nexus events are held from 5-8:30 pm on the last Sunday night of Oct, Nov and March. Nexus events are also planned for New Years Eve and Super Bowl Sunday this year.

 

On all other Sunday evenings, except when we have a Saturday program scheduled, we will have a Shining Light gathering from 6-9 pm. This begins in late August and continues until the end of April/early May.

 

What is it like going into prisons?

We have found these experiences stretch our members’ understandings of other people dramatically! We are also amazed at how we see God at work in some challenging places. Our staff and leaders are very experienced in all kinds of situations and work very closely with the security staff of these facilities to assure that everyone is safe at all times. We provide training to all members about specifics of ministering in these places. We have been to over 30 different secure facilities (prisons, detention centers, etc.) across the US and Puerto Rico over 8 years and have never had an unsafe situation or incident.

 

What is nexus?

nexus is the extended youth community of Shining Light & New Song Community Church. The goal of Shining Light is to “share the message of Jesus” and nexus is an opportunity to do this as a group with our peers who are non-Christians or not connected to a church and other friends.

 

We hold gatherings for nexus at New Covenant Christian School on the last Sunday evening of each month to provide a place for friends and peers of SL participants to come and hang out with us. Our desire is for them to experience a Christian community in a fun atmosphere.  From 5-8:30 p.m. we have many activities for young people to choose from. Several other Nexus events are held throughout the year, including a New Year’s Eve party and a Super Bowl party.

 

We do this for two reasons:
1. We hope unconnected peers will seek to connect further with a Christian group (a church or Shining Light) and begin to seek God in their lives.
2. This opens the very close-knit community of Shining Light to friends and peers who are not participating.

 

Who do I talk to if I have questions?

The SL staff is in the office on Tuesday through Friday from 9 – 5 pm. You can call 717-272-3355 and speak to Kelly or Jeff during those hours or leave a message and the best time to return the call and someone will get back to you!