By Jill Harlow – Loveland, Colorado … Every Sabbath, my eleven-year-old son comes into the church service with a fresh Guide magazine in-hand. While not always an avid reader, he diligently peruses the content and happily reads several stories over the course of the day. And recently, he handed it over to me, excited to have found a familiar name of a Campion Academy alumnus as one of the contributing authors.
A tradition begun by Jenny Sigler, who previously taught Campion’s college writing course, the senior students in my class are tasked with submitting a story to a publication, not only Guide, but other options including Primary Treasure, and the Adventist Women’s Ministries annual devotional. After working to improve their writing techniques in class and creating multiple drafts, the students’ submissions are often met with success, with the publications purchasing the right to use their stories.
While getting paid for doing homework is a pretty cool bonus for students, having their stories published also gives them the opportunity to reach a wider audience with their personal testimonies, making an impact on the developing faith of young people. After receiving news that his story about a break-in would be published by Guide, Jayden Anggormas, class of 2021, shared, “I became confident in my testimony because my experience shows evidence that God works in our lives. The fact that it could potentially impact many young people motivated me to share it.”
Sami Hodges’ (class of 2021) story that reflected on spiritual lessons learned from plants, was also purchased. “I was thrilled when I got notified that Guide accepted my submission and wanted to publish it,” she reflected. “I grew up reading their magazines in church, and I mainly looked for the rescue stories and exciting adventures people would tell. It meant the world to me to have my story included in one of them. Even though my experience wasn’t a miraculous wonder with cliff-hanging suspense, I wanted to teach people of all ages the importance of patience and dependence on God in a relatable way.”
For the 2021 class, in addition to Anggormas and Hodges, Bentlee Barry will be published in Guide, and Tiffany Dien will be published in Primary Treasure.
So, the next time you see a Sabbath School student engrossed in the latest Guide or Primary Treasure magazine during the church service, take a peek over his or her shoulder; you never know if you might just find a familiar author.
–Jill Harlow is Campion Academy communication director and teacher; photo supplied
