education • For highschoolers , the gospel
Here’s how a high school teacher and one of his students teatnei
T he husky young man, who looked like he would be at home on a football field, leaned forward in the pulpit bringing his sermon to a climax. Besides him sat a tall man in his late thirties. Louie Rhoden finished his message. Sterling Keyes, sitting next to Louie, watched the audience. Here and there in the crowded church young people stood up and came forward. More stood up and soon there was a solid line before the pulpit. One was stu dent body president of the local high school; next to him was the captain of the varsity football squad. Letter- men in track and basketball were kneeling before the altar. With one voice they pledged them selves to be missionaries to one of the greatest mission fields in the world— the American high school campus. This was Tri-C in action. The story of this high school Christian move ment began over five years ago in Ventura, Calif. Ventura High School was like any other high school except for one fac ulty member—a social studies teacher named Sterling Keyes. And a student named Louie Rhoden. Sterling took
his Christianity seriously. He organ ized a Bible club on the campus which grew to over 125 members. Soon he had clubs established in all the Ventura County high schools, each one active in Bible study and witnessing. One semester Louie found himself trying to learn social studies under Sterling’s guiding hand. Louie had re cently accepted Christ and felt a deep burden for his classmates. He became president of the school’s Bible club and was at the same time captain of the varsity football team. In 1950, Sterling became regional Bible club director for Youth For Christ in thè five western states. Louie joined him upon graduation as assistant director. Together they trav elled the Western Region conducting 30 crusades to bring young people to Christ. Sterling wasn’t satisfied. He felt there was a need for a campus group
which worked in and through the local churches. As a result, in Decem ber 1951, Tri-C was born, with Sterl ing Keyes as Director and Louie Rho den as Evangelist. Don Hillis, former missionary to India, told Sterling and Louie: “ The greatest mission field today is the high school campus. Everything piv ots about winning high school stu dents, for they are the foreign mis sionaries of the future.” Tri-C now operates in five fields to win the high school campus for Christ: 1) Campus Church Crusades, 2) Campus Church Clubs, 3) Campus Christian Chatter ma g a z i ne , 4) Campus Christian Camps and 5) Campus Correspond ence Courses. In over 100 churches of almost every denomination, Campus Church Crusades have been held. The Cru sade begins on Monday with a great banquet—all free. Attendance is as high as 400 at these banquets. As the Crusade continues, to Friday, the laughter and light-talk drops away and the young people are brought face to face with the need their particular campus has for Christ. On Friday, they come forward to ac-
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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