Carol Koke is a member of Faith, Grand Blanc. She is also a volunteer at the District’s Young Leaders Task Force, which looks for ways to help form church workers among youth, in tandem with the LCMS Set Apart to Serve initiative.
Research shows that mentoring kids before they reach high school is the key to having an influence on the vocations they choose. Mentors connect with and encourage the students, helping them feel a part of the church family as they continue to grow and mature in their faith. They help the students understand their primary vocation: they are a baptized child of God. And through study of His Word, they are encouraged and strengthened to face the world.
Armed with this knowledge, Koke set to work and asked Joel Zander, Faith’s Director of Christian Education and Youth, what programs they could use to mentor kids going through the Catechism. Turns out the church used to have a Secret Pal program, and that seemed like the perfect one to resurrect.
Koke, along with Zander and Lori Bolton, a retired teacher, formed a committee and together they compiled a list of 40 possible mentors, who were then vetted by the pastor and Zander. The prospects were then invited to a meeting, after which 21 signed up to be mentors. Carol says, “That was a God thing, because we had exactly 21 students that needed mentors.”
The next step was to meet with the parents, explaining the program and obtaining their permission for the mentors (who were to remain secret) to send the students a note of encouragement once a month throughout the school year.
In fall of 2024, before school started, the kids went on a Confirmation retreat. While there, they filled out profile sheets and had their photos taken so the mentors could get to know them a little bit.
Mentors Partner With Parents
The mentors ranged in age from 30 to 80 years old and had a wide variety of backgrounds. Some were teachers, some were homemakers, others were business people; some were married with kids and some were single with no kids. Mentors had feedback meetings throughout the year during Sunday Education Hour. According to Koke, “Everyone loved it.” One parent said they were very thankful for the mentors, since sometimes a child is more likely to heed the advice of someone other than his/her parents.
The year culminated in a breakfast reveal. Koke describes it: “It was an awesome morning, and I’m not sure who was more excited, the kids or the mentors! We had 70+ people there with the parents, their students, and the mentors. We had 21 mentors and 21 students. A few couldn’t be there, but the majority attended.”
She continues, “One student told me, ‘I’ve been waiting all year for this!’ Another told me he kept all of the notes he received and, when he feels discouraged, he takes them out and reads them! It’s that kind of feedback that shows just how important it is to mentor this age group. Middle school is a tough age.”
Continuation
The committee has a plan in place to continue these relationships through high school. According to Koke, “the kids are actually excited about that.” She said the kids WANT to meet the mentors and have continued relationships with them.
The committee is also beginning to recruit Secret Pal Mentors for next year’s 7th graders. The current 7th and 8th graders will continue to meet with their mentors during Sunday Education Hour throughout the school year. Set Apart to Serve has a Bible study for high school students that touches on vocation. Koke says one high schooler who was planning to become a teacher learned through this Bible study that she could be a Lutheran school teacher—and that’s the goal of Set Apart to Serve: to connect with students before they set out their path for life.
Resources
If your congregation is interested in establishing a similar program and needs a little guidance on how to start, Koke is willing to serve as a resource. You may contact her at carol_9128@hotmail.com.
For more information on Set Apart to Serve, click here.
Photo courtesy of Carol Koke
