Transforming Public Education with LifeWise Academy

SPEAKER 02 : 0:00

Hey, it’s Mike Treem. I’m here with Arturo Ayala. Arturo is part of LifeWise, and LifeWise Academy is something that, honestly, Arturo, I had no idea existed. So you’re going to help us with that.

SPEAKER 01 : 0:12

Certainly. Thank you for the invitation to join today. Welcome. LifeWise is a national ministry with a mission of bringing Bible education to public school students during school hours. Currently, about 44,000 students across the nation are served. around 580 schools in just under 30 states around the nation.

SPEAKER 02 : 0:36

See, that amazes me. You’re in public schools. These kids are doing it during school hours, right? Yes. Bible study during school hours. Yes.

SPEAKER 01 : 0:45

That’s mind-boggling. It is. But there’s a catch. Okay. To make this legal, there has to be off-school property. It has to be privately funded.

SPEAKER 02 : 0:58

I see. So it has to be funded by some entity outside of the school or the school district, right?

SPEAKER 01 : 1:04

Correct. Not the taxpayer dollars. And then parents must consent or allow their kids to opt in to this program. It’s optional.

SPEAKER 02 : 1:12

Okay. Those all sound good. And just so people know, you’ve just expanded into Elkhart Elementary School, so here in Colorado, in the Denver area. So into Elkhart, also existing at Hinkley High School and how many other schools? East Middle School as well.

SPEAKER 01 : 1:27

These three schools belong to the Aurora Public School District. This is the first district that we focused on and launched in Colorado. Very good. And is there plans for more in the future? Yes. This is a community-driven effort. And several communities across the metro area, around Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, they’re joining forces to launch LifeWise in their local communities. So you will see in the next year and two, LifeWise programs popping up in perhaps Denver, in Adams schools, Jefferson County, Douglas County, Elbert, etc., That’s so exciting.

SPEAKER 02 : 2:08

Now, when these kids, Arturo, when they’re in this program, what’s that look like? So our listeners can picture it better. What happens off-site for these kids?

SPEAKER 01 : 2:19

So really the experience begins at the school property, and our volunteers and staff pick up the students and are either walked to a church or a facility nearby, or they get transported using a LifeWise bus.

SPEAKER 1 : 2:36

Okay.

SPEAKER 01 : 2:37

While in LifeWise, they will learn character traits like obedience, respect, humility, gratitude, and it’s all supported with Scripture and the Gospel, pointing back to Jesus.

SPEAKER 02 : 2:53

So there are volunteers involved. And listener, we’re going to ask you later. If you have a desire, if this hits your heart, then you might be a volunteer for LifeWise. You also might be someone who can bless LifeWise and help with your finances, which these types of programs always take money because these kids have to be transported. It’s a LifeWise bus. There are other costs. So there’s a lot of different ways. Arturo, tell us, as you got into, let’s say, Hinkley High School, we’ll use that as an example. How did you get in? Did that start with administration, with the school district? How did that work?

SPEAKER 01 : 3:32

The process locally in Aurora starts with the district, the superintendent. And we work with the superintendent office staff. And once they give the green light to move forward, then we simply connect with or get introductions with the principals of the schools we want to serve.

SPEAKER 02 : 3:54

And they talk to you and they’re willing to do it. Again, school districts being willing to do this kind of program is a new concept for us to get our arms around.

SPEAKER 01 : 4:03

Yes, but it’s not… It may be new to many of us, but this is based on a law, a Supreme Court ruling that is from 1952, Zorak v. Clausen, that allowed the students to exit the school for a period of time to receive religious instruction. It’s a program called Release Time Religious Instruction. And it’s been around for over 70 years.

SPEAKER 02 : 4:29

That’s amazing. We’re speaking with Arturo Ayala, and Arturo is with LifeWise Academy. That’s a program that’s in Elkhart Elementary now, Hinkley High School, and East Middle School. So existing in Colorado schools and soon to expand to others. And we want you to know about this for your kids, for your grandkids, and also for opportunities for you to get involved. Arturo, what are some of the ways that people get involved with LifeWise?

SPEAKER 01 : 4:55

Certainly. We want to spread the word, first of all. So we’re looking for your help today to all our loyal listeners to tell friends and family, tell the church that this is possible. So then everyone can visit the LifeWise.org website and learn more about LifeWise and even sign up to support. We look for teachers.org. to head the classroom with the gospel teaching. We’re looking for volunteers. We’re looking for folks who connect to other folks of influence in the city. We call them ambassadors. We’re calling for board members. We’re looking for leaders that want to participate and help expand this effort in the community. And we’re also looking for some funding as well.

SPEAKER 02 : 5:58

Tell me about the kids that attend LifeWise Academy. What’s some of the fruit that you see from those students? Certainly.

SPEAKER 01 : 6:07

Some students have never read the Bible. They may have gone to… to a church or not. And sometimes, but some have never held a Bible on their hands. They may not be familiar with some of the stories of the Bible. And that’s what we start going through. And then as we start sharing the gospel, eventually some say, I want to know Jesus personally.

SPEAKER 02 : 6:33

more intimately that’s interesting so you do get some students then it sounds like that aren’t believers that aren’t christians yet and this becomes an opportunity for them to to get to know christ that is correct and accept christ in their heart um Why do you think those kids, do they say, hey, these other kids kind of have something that I want, therefore I’m going to attend LifeWise? What do you think the traction is to a student who’s not a believer yet? Trying to get off campus.

SPEAKER 01 : 7:06

Here’s a way to get off campus. That could be sometimes, you know, but sometimes there’s friendships that are formed between the students. And when one student speaks highly of the program that they attend, the friends may come along. And certainly it’s a great opportunity to learn something that the school does not offer. It’s something different, something that may not be offered.

SPEAKER 02 : 7:32

That’s wonderful. And that friends group, that kind of thing in high school and middle school, that’s big. I mean, we know those groups have a lot of influence on other students, and it’s a great evangelistic tool for the kids that say, huh. I think this person’s open to receiving Christ. Let’s see if they’ll come with me to LifeWise. Yes, indeed. So good. By the way, the website’s LifeWise.org, LifeWise, W-I-S-E.org, correct? Correct. And as Arturo said, there are opportunities to volunteer. We need to get these kids to and from wherever the LifeWise Academy programs are going to And you might know someone that you might know pastor at a church that’s close to a school. Well, that’s a layup. That could be really good, right, to set up the academy at that church.

SPEAKER 01 : 8:28

That is correct. And part of the logistical process is to prioritize the schools that are closest to churches.

SPEAKER 02 : 8:37

Smart. Yes. Yeah, very smart. So, as a KLTT listener, if this resonates for you, you may know someone at a church near a school where it’s just a perfect situation. And let me tell you, any youth pastor that hears that you’re out there trying to make sure the kids from the school right by the church… are coming over to the church for LifeWise Academy, you’re going to be the hero because that youth pastor is going to say, okay, great, we’ve got more people entering the kingdom and these kids are going to want to come to youth group. That’s awesome. Indeed. So tell us about some of the priorities for LifeWise moving forward.

SPEAKER 01 : 9:16

The priorities right now are we’re using the summertime to staff up for the next year as we continue to open schools. We have a plan to open a number of schools per year, and it requires people and it requires funding, and that’s what we’re seeking. We’re seeking for teachers and volunteers at the elementary, at the middle school, at the high school, at all levels.

SPEAKER 02 : 9:45

Now, Arturo, I know you may have some other things you want our listeners to know. We’ve got a couple minutes left. What else do you feel like our listeners need to know about LifeWise? And then what would you say to someone that’s kind of interested, not sure, can they call you, that kind of thing?

SPEAKER 01 : 10:00

Certainly. I’m going to give you a website for specifically the Aurora Public Schools link. So it’s lifewise.org forward slash Aurora Public Schools CO. And that allows parents in the Aurora Public Schools to find their school and enroll their students. And then if you have any questions, I will give you my phone number. It is 303-346-8669. 303-346-8669. If you miss any of that, just call us here at the radio station. We’ll make sure and get that info to you. Arturo.

SPEAKER 02 : 10:39

This could be a game changer for some of the kids that maybe they’re open to Christ. Maybe they don’t really feel like going to church with mom and dad. You can see those scenarios where someone who’s in high school or middle school, or in this case, now you’re in elementary, Elkhart Elementary specifically. This might be an opportunity for them to get to know Christ with their friends in an environment that’s very welcoming for them.

SPEAKER 01 : 11:06

That is correct. This is believed to be the greatest opportunity of the American church, Christian church, to tap into the next generation, to graft them in to the gospel.

SPEAKER 02 : 11:18

And we have to have that. We have to have our kids. have the opportunity to hear the gospel and do it in a way that works and meets them where they’re at and you know we just talked about that that may not always be come on with mom and dad to their church because that child might need that interaction with others at their school to through lifewise academy to come to christ and then then you can take up a church If they’ll go. Or they might want to go to some other church. And that’s okay, too, with their friends, right? Yes. Yes. That’s awesome. Well, once again, the needs and how do people get a hold of you.

SPEAKER 01 : 11:59

We need your support. We need your help. We need the hands. We need folks to join the leadership board. We need folks to be teaching, volunteering, spreading the word, letting others know about us, which are ambassadors. We’re looking for a CDL driver, and then we’re looking for funding as well. Okay.

SPEAKER 02 : 12:19

It’s lifewise.org, lifewise.org. And Arturo gave the address for Aurora Public Schools. Just call us and we’ll get that info to you so you can get specifically if you have kids at Elkhart Elementary, Hinkley High School, or East Middle School so we can get you connected. Arturo, so good to be working with you. We want to see families, individuals, volunteers get motivated and mobilized to help with this, and some kids that are now coming to Christ because of LifeWise.

SPEAKER 01 : 12:49

Thank you for your time, and thank you to the listeners for tuning in.