Just because teachers aren’t allowed to teach religion, or read the bible in schools, doesn’t mean students can’t. Sometime last year, junior, Treyson Bott, felt a calling on his heart to start a bible study at East. After talking with 6 of his best friends, and lots of planning he started Youth Revival on Wednesday, September 15th, 2021 at 7am before school. They have had 2 meetings and Bott can’t even believe how amazing it has been.

“I was so nervous, I read over the chapter for the first meeting 3 times, 4 times, 5 times, just a lot of times,” Bott said. “I took a highlighter and highlighted all the verses I was gonna go over. I did a lot of preparation just making sure what I was going to teach and talking about what would relate to people and make sense.”

Bott never imagined so many students would show up on the first week. With only the small football film room containing about 20 chairs, they filled it up quickly and had to find somewhere new to meet for the next week. This turnout was not only shocking to Bott, but football coach and club sponsor, Adam Schiltz.

“I think it was very surprising, it started with the 6 original students who wanted to start it
and the second week we already had 14 students come and then the next week we hit 24 students, so it is moving quickly and it’s amazing,” Schiltz said.

The idea behind Youth Revival is to help students realize that they are not alone in this big, crazy school, but also in this big, crazy world. Youth Revival was created so that students can feel more comfortable reading the Bible and hearing the voice of God, while also being able to come together with a community of other students just like them to lean into and pray together when they are going through something in their lives. Many students don’t have people they feel comfortable enough to go to when they are struggling in their personal lives.

“I just want to be able to share the Gospel with other students who don’t have that opportunity or an environment with other people who love God too,” Bott said, “I want people to build a stronger relationship with God and with each other.”

Youth Revival and the students that are a part of it want to continue to meet the needs that are absent in our schools and continue to grow and reach more people.

“I think we are going to need a bigger room and a lot more chairs,” Bott said.